getting adjusted... i guess : /

hello everyone!

Well, each day here gets a little easier. We all seem to be adjusted better and better as each day passes.

I’m pretty homesick, but its tolerable. It’s just insane here. Like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s just that each day takes so much out of you b/c you have to always be on your toes… always learning the culture, always chatting with strangers, always being open to new things. It’s just so tiring.

There are a bunch of girls in my Uganda Studies Program group that like to run, so we've been getting up early in the mornings when it's still very cool to go running. We got up at 6:45 this morning (yes i somehow actually woke up that early) and went exploring. I went with my awesome roommate who is an Missionary's Kid from Hong Kong. She grew up in Taiwan and Hong Kong and goes to Bethel University in Minnesota. Shes great. I also went with Liz Monachello, a cross country runner from Messiah. Shes great too and lives in my dorm.

S0 anyway, our run. Wow. Talk about intense. Our campus is in the side of a hill, so you basically feel like you are running up hill like all the time. Theres just so way around it. No wonder athletes from Uganda are so good. So today we started off on this very steep incline to the top of what they call "Monkey Hill". And yes! We saw monkeys! They were just jumping in the trees above us as we ran. It was amazing. We followed a road into town, where of course we got stared at like we at 3 heads. One- they rarely see people running. Two- they rarely see girls running. Three- they NEVER see white girls running. They call us "mzungos" here, which means "light skinned." They yell it out to us when they see us on the streets, especially the children. They often run after us b/c they are just so fascinated by out white skin. Its pretty comical.

We got cell phones today! And you can call them!! You can go online they said to www.NobleCom.com and buy calling cards that are about 9 cents a minute! That’s not too shabby at all… this is the number…. You dial (011) then (256) then 78-251-4012. So its 011-256-78-251-4012. Go we will have to set up a time for you to call so I can make sure I have the phone on, have time, and that my roommate doesn’t have it b/c we share. So I think that’s great!!

I get up so early here!! I surprise myself sometimes. It's just that you get so much done in the mornings b/c its cool outside. Running any other time is brutal. Right now, its 9:30am and we are sitting the shade. Its about 75 in the shade. Talk about beautiful!! We go to bed around 10 or 11pm just because we get so worn out from the day. It's pretty neat though to get up early and have such a long day. I feel like i get alot accomplished.

I have my first class today at 11am, which is African Literature. We shall see how that goes. Well, the laptop is dying again. I must be off. Be well. I miss you all!