A very thankful Thanksgiving...

Let’s see, where to begin…HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone at home! I have so much to be thankful for this year: all of the love and support from my family and friends…the value of that is immeasurable and very much appreciated. There are so many people in different parts of the world that are constantly with me and without all of them, I wouldn’t be able to continue this crazy journey that I am on. So to all of you out there that love me unconditionally, in my best and my worst moments, when I am laughing and when I am crying, when I am triumphing and when I am struggling…to all of you, I thank you always from the bottom of my heart and please never forget that.

And now for an update on life back in Uganda…we have extended our stay in the current rooms until the end of the year to give us some more time to find something better. And to be honest, we won’t be that upset if we end up just staying there long term. But we know we can get a house or self contained flat for less money, so that is why we will continue the search in December. However, the escari (security guard) is wonderful, which is always nice and the other folks in the complex are nice as well. I did forget to mention that on top of the flying grasshoppers (it’s the season for them so everyone is frying them up if they don’t die in our rooms first!), the cockroach and mouse…we also had a bat in our bathroom one morning! I think Jami accidentally slammed the door on its wing, or maybe it was already injured, but either way the poor thing couldn’t fly but still freaked us out. And I really had to pee! So, we got Alama, our downstairs neighbor and new friend from the rafting company to get it out for us. When he threw it over the fence, it couldn’t even fly away…it just dropped to the ground. :(

I also keep forgetting to mention that we are located directly across the street from the main club in town. It’s kind of funny because we literally have a one minute walk home at the end of the night…and also funny because if we want we can just go up onto our roof terrace (yep, forgot to mention that too!) and dance to the music up there for free. But of course you don’t get the club atmosphere…although it’s much cooler with the breeze. We also have a lake view which is gorgeous even though we have to look over some slum areas before our eyes go up to the lake. So, all in all, life in Jinja is good.

The school festival was a success in my book. We started only 15 minutes late and ended 15 minutes early. I was shocked! I spent the day running around like a crazy woman trying to keep everything going and make sure that lunch would be on time and quizzes were running according to schedule and taking schools off the football field if they were running late, etc. It was exhausting for sure…but I think the children enjoyed the day and I know the winning school was very excited about the ATV rides they won!

It hasn’t rained in almost two weeks now, which is fine with me, but I know the farmers need the rain. No rain equals LOTS of dust so it’s impossible to go from town to the village and back without being caked in dust. At the end of the day you think you’ve gotten some color on your skin until you shower and it all washes away! I definitely do have a good base tan now…but the other day I took a nice long, warm shower at my friend’s house in Kampala and as I washed my hair the soap and water all turned brown. I just laughed to myself. With brown hair and tan skin, it’s hard to know how dusty you are until you shower and it all comes off! Sometimes I just have to sleep with some socks on because my feet are so dirty from the day and I don’t want to get the bed too dirty. I still take most of my baths in the river and shave my legs there as well. It’s just nice and raw and natural and different. And since my shower only has cold water, why not kill two birds with one stone and get a swim in the river and a bath all at the same time?!?!

I finally got my first kayaking lesson from Koa last Sunday. We spent 2 hours on the water with Jami…she had never even been in a kayak and picked up the rolling technique much faster than I did which made me even more frustrated that I couldn’t seem to get the hip flick. Koa just kept yelling, “Marci…the HIPS, the HIIIPPPSSS!” How is a girl supposed to flick herself back up from under the water when she sees this gentle, normally smiley young man yelling “H-I-P-S” at her?!?!? He didn’t think I was taking it seriously, but I was and I am and I am really determined to learn how to roll before the end of the year. And now what you’ve all been waiting for…I did it. I finally went rafting this past Saturday and had a really nice day! The weather has been gorgeous so it was a perfect day to be on the water. The rapids were just as fantastic as I remember and this time…I did NOT fall out of the boat at the waterfall, although I did have a front row seat as we went over the falls. Half of us fell out on three rapids and we completely flipped on another two…so I did a lot of swimming! And the funny thing is that none of my friends came to my rescue this time. I guess since it was my 8th trip, they figure they should go for the first timers who might be a bit more anxious than me.

After the BBQ and a bit of partying at the campsite, a bunch of us ended up heading to town to go to the Reggae Concert. We ended up dancing beside the stage for a few hours and in the middle of it all, one of the performers looked at me and my Canadian friend and asked us to come on stage. Since Tamara was there with her boyfriend, I ended up agreeing to go up alone. As I climbed the steep stairs to the stage all I could think was “do NOT trip up these stairs!” When I approached the singer he asked where I am from and I said, a bit shyly, “America.” But then, I pulled the microphone back over and said, almost like a robot, “O-BA-MA” and the crowd cheered. And as many of you know, once I’m up there I love being on stage, so I decided to do a little hip flick dance (I knew I could flick them!) on stage in a circle to which the crowd cheered again; and then finally, I danced with the performer and we went as low as we could go…and again the crowd cheered. So all in all, it was a fun moment and I managed not to trip or embarrass myself!

As I finish writing this entry, I am back in my original Ugandan hometown of Lyantonde…and of course it was another adventure trying to get here yesterday. My bus got pulled over 3 times and the third time was the same group of traffic cops who apparently had told the driver at the last stop that he would have to go to court in the next town. So they literally took him away in their traffic cop car and left us (a full bus) sitting on the side of the road with the engine running for an hour! Once he finally got back to the bus we were off again only to blow a tire 20 minutes from my stop. I couldn’t believe it, I was not going to wait another hour. Finally after being bothered by numerous motorcycle taxis asking for way too much money, I ended up on another bus that had 20 people too many on board so I just stood squished in the aisle until I could get out in Lyantonde. It wasn’t the entrance I had hoped for…but as I approached the vocational school where I taught English in the spring, I heard my students practicing their songs about HIV/AIDS and I swear it’s one of the most beautiful sounds you’d ever hear. When I walked up to them they all stopped singing and started to cheer…and immediately my spirits were lifted. I love being back in Lyantonde. It will always feel like home. But the river is constantly calling me back…

An update from the last week...

Nothing too exciting to report yet...

If you haven't noticed, I don’t get to the internet very often and when I do, the connection is mediocre. But today I am attempting to upload two blogs and will try better to get one up once a week from now on. I had to leave the first internet spot because the fact that the damn space bar didn't work was driving me INSANE!

Things are going well. Preparations for the school festival are in full swing and since it’s the Friday after Thanksgiving, I’ll spend my Thursday night getting everything ready and all day Friday running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to ensure all goes according to our plans as much as possible! I have thought about making some stuffing and mashed potatoes and just buying some of that delicious pork I mentioned in my first entry and having a few friends get together…I’m just not sure when. Maybe Sunday the 23rd. Not exactly a Thanksgiving Dinner…but as much as I’m trying to attempt considering I don’t have a real stove and no oven at all. I haven’t actually cooked at all yet…but I do have a bit better of a stove this time around: two real burners, we just need to fill up the gas can.

As for the rest of our living situation…it’s still alright. The rooms are quite large and comfortable and we love the adjoining factor. It just seems like we’re back in school or something. The only downfalls are: the first week we were here we were chasing flying grasshoppers out of our rooms and this last week we saw had to get one big cockroach out and do our best to keep the mouse that keeps coming in out. Hmmm. And the last downfall is that we were supposed to have the toilet and shower just for ourselves, although they are outside on the balcony and unlocked. We realized this week that other people are using our shower items and toilet paper…and since we thought we were paying to have those things to ourselves, it’s a bit frustrating. Oh, and when it rains really really hard (although after last night's 12 hours of rain, this didn't happen), the ceiling in my room leaks and i get a 3 foot wide puddle in my room.

Finally, it took 2 weeks and lots of threats, but we FINALLY got our money back from the awful guesthouse from my first night. The man just kept laughing at us and telling us that Ugandans are poor and once you give them money, you won’t get it back. He didn’t seem to understand that that isn’t how you run a business…and he kept referring to himself as a businessman and would then speak to the other Ugandans in the room in Lusoga talking about Muzungus this and that. They all agreed with us and told him in English that he wasn't treating us properly and he just laughed. And I very sternly said that this has nothing to do with black and white...this is people to people and you are NOT treating us correctly. This is NOT how you run a business. Ridiculous. He also kept telling me to relax and sit down and said I am a stubborn muzungu (white person). I said that if me being frustrated because you’re treating us unfairly and essentially stealing our money is stubborn…then yes, I’m stubborn! It was extremely frustrating and annoying…but we don’t have to deal with him anymore because he FINALLY paid (although he does owe us 8.000 Ush so we are going to stop over for 4 beers later this week i think). We also have to constantly fight for fair prices on the motor bike taxis and the restaurants in the village. Because they don't post any menus/prices when they see muzungus they charge double what they charge Ugandans. It's very frustrating as we are not tourists, we are living here and volunteering and it's exhausting trying to explain to people that we know the real cost and you are cheating us. But we do not put up with it and we pay what we know our Ugandan friends pay and we leave them standing their with their mouths open and hands out for more money. No...no more money for you, you've already overcharged us the first 2 weeks so technically YOU owe US money! Ugh.

And that’s all I have for now. Despite the possible tone about, things have been going well and I am happy. I STILL haven’t gone rafting or kayaking…but again, I think tomorrow might be my lucky day for one of the above. Let’s cross our fingers that Koa doesn’t have to work so that he can spend an hour or so teaching me how to keep my balance and roll in the kayak. I can’t even believe that it’s November because I’m living in a semi-tropical climate (although it does rain a couple times a week)…and slowly and surely I’m getting some color again. I can't believe it's Thanksgiving week and Christmas is next month...so hard to absorb when it's hot and humid and I'm so far away from all the people I'd love to be with at this time of year.

Don't bother asking me what I am doing with my life...because I have yet to figure it out. I constantly question myself and hope that I am making the right decisions...but find comfort in the fact that nothing is ever forever unless you want it to be. And even then, it doesn't always last. I also find comfort in knowing I have so many people at home who love me no matter what and accept me for who I am and who I am trying to be. Without all of those people...I would be lost. Believe me, I miss you and the comforts of home so much more than you could ever know...

I miss all my friends and family dearly and am definitely craving little Miss Maeve and Sir Luke soooo much!!!

My number: 011 256 779 471 278

My address: Marci Varley, C/O Soft Power Education, P.O. Box 1493, Jinja, Uganda

The first week or so back...

Wow, I can’t believe I’m writing a blog from Uganda again. It always amazes me how life just takes you on different journeys and you really are just along for the ride. Sure it takes effort and patience and the interest to follow some of the paths in front of us, but in the end…we really are just on a roller coaster ride in life. And one that we never want the train to pull up to the end stop because we never really do want the ride to be over, do we?

So…I had the most ridiculously crazy, hectic, frustrating, annoying, confusing, crazy (have I said that yet?) first week ever. Sure, I visited Jinja on a handful of occassions during my last trip…I think I came to town 5 times so I could go down the river 7 times. And no, I haven’t rafted yet…but I’ve thought about it loads and it won’t be long! (But I digress.) This town is soooo much different from Lyantonde, where I lived this past spring. There is so much more going on here, a lot more life to the city and more options of what to do in my free time and with whom. It is just an entirely new experience because it is nothing like my life here before. And although it has taken a week to get to the point where I can say this, it is true…things are great!

After 8 hours traveling to London, 10 hours sitting in Heathrow airport (dinner with Chris and Jake was awesome, I was soooo glad to see them again this year even if we were stuck at the airport! Unfortunately when I went through security they unpacked my entire big backpack…stuffed with so much random stuff…just because they wanted to get my toy handcuffs out. I couldn’t believe it! I explained to the girl who couldn’t have been older than 24 and was definitely laughing inside about the whole thing, that she was ruining my halloween costume…couldn’t she see the police shirt right there and what good would that be without the hand cuffs??? And they’re a toy…you can release out of them without a key. Ugh. But I had no time to really fuss because my gate was closing and I had to run to catch the plane. Whatever.) ANYWAYS…then another 8 hour flight to Entebbe, followed by a 2 hour taxi ride to Jinja and the next thing I knew I was having the most amazing pork lunch with a handful of my friends.

Jami, the English girl I met in the spring who I am living with, had already been here for 5 weeks looking for a place for us. Upon my arrival, we moved into a guesthouse that seemed okay enough…something temporary until we find our own place…but it didn’t turn out to be so great. Only one of the two rooms we had paid for was prepared for us, so Jami stayed somewhere else that first night. At 4:30 in the morning I was woken up by someone pounding on my door telling me to “please come.” Clearly, I did not. There was no way I was leaving my room at that hour to whatever might be outside. Apparently several of the guests were travelling together and leaving early in the morning and for whatever reason thought I was part of their group maybe? Who knows…but that just really irked me. Then when Jami arrived in the morning to change for work she found that her room (that had all of her stuff in it when she left) had been slept in by someone else and her things had been moved. So, at 8 in the morning my very first day back and still jet lagged I found some clothes to put on and we stumbled out of that place with all of our stuff not sure where we would go to sleep that night…just knowing that we would NOT be staying at that guesthouse again. We are still trying to get our money back. Hopefully, tomorrow is the day.

The next four nights were spent moving from place to place, staying with different friends. Jami and I were grumpy and frustrated and exhausted. The process of finding a place here is just ridiculous. Basically, we have talked with all of our local friends, who then all “have a guy” or know “the man” and then we spend hours waiting or driving around trying to get into places to check them out. My first two days were spent on the back of a boda with my friend Charlie for hours at a time just trying to find a place. We went to 7 places one day and only actually got to see three. Oh…and everyone wants to be paid for having found a place for you to look at. Even if they show you something that isn’t even close to what you are looking for. I finally told Charlie to tell all these different men that if they show us something that doesn’t have what we’ve asked for, then we will not pay. We did find an amazing house that would have been great, but after waiting an entire day for the “key man” to let us in, we tried for three days to meet with “the man” (the owner) to finalize a deal and a week later still haven’t met him.

Fortunately, we did find a place that is working really well right now: 2 big bedrooms combined by an adjoining door and then a kitchen, toilet and shower all on the balcony outside for us to use. Not exactly a flat…but we got to unpack last Monday and buy some house items and actually settle for a moment. And our moods/attitudes have greatly improved since moving in…it’s amazing how not having somewhere to call your own can be so unsettling! We have had good days for almost a whole week now and spend our days laughing at things that would have really pissed us off before. It’s all good…hakuna matata!

As for everything else: I am now in charge of a big school festival at the center which is on November 21st. My job is to make sure that everything gets done and prepared before that day and that on the day, everything runs smoothly. But with 230 students and 45 teachers moving through the day in 15 minute intervals…it’s a logistical nightmare! I’ve also started running again, trying to at least, with the help of my friend Greece who comes with me and keeps me going when I get tired 15 minutes into my 20 minute jog (I’m so out of shape!). Then we go down to the river to cool off with a quick swim and I take a bath/wash my hair and head to work. We all celebrated Halloween at the campsite my first Friday here and had too much fun and this past Friday Jami and I had a housewarming party at our place. There were about 15 people dancing and drinking the night away…it was fun!

So…all is well. I am supposed to get a kayaking lesson today or tomorrow from a friend who works with the rafting company. I can’t believe I’ve been here 10 days and haven’t gone rafting yet…it’s a record! And it doesn’t feel like 10 days at all…it feels like 2 months. Anyways…I hope you are all well! I miss you…