monkeys and exhaustion

today (or should i call it yesterday? or the last two days? or one really long day) was probably the longest most anticipation filled experience of my life. To put it simply, we started flying Wednesday night, and somehow i ended up in Africa on Saturday (today) at around 3:00. Even more confusing, Thursday morning I woke up at a Pheonix hotel, and put on an outfit. I was wearing that exact outfit today upon arrival. yes. a bit strange. and smelly.

as expected, there existed every possible travel complication including switched flights, two red-eyes, four plane changes (although I kind of lost exact count), and to top it off, a final 15 hour and 15 minute flight. Oh yes, then one more from Ethiopia to Uganda.

This post sounds cynical, but in reality, I am overjoyed. The ultimate blessing? All 22 of our bags were perfectly checked through. Nothing lost. The group I am traveling with could not be more patient and optimistic. We are truly enjoying one another's company. and decided that when we do get frustrated because our lives are always together... we will simply play a harsher form of duck duck goose, where you have to beat the other person to win, and by beat, I mean "duke it out" "tackle" "whatever it takes to release tension."

Already, I am altered. Even though I was fighting exhaustion like you couldn't believe, the bus ride over (might I mention that we were picked up by a very welcoming group) captivated me. First of all, Africa is more green than I ever imagined. Lush and beautiful. Slightly cloudy. Perfectly warm sun. A nice breeze. The people are beautiful. The poverty is real. Yet the spirit exists for a reason. This reason I am searching for. I am here to find me, them, or whatever it is. Finding oneself in a completely foreign land without a choice throws one into self-reflection and an attempt at self-understanding. Every picture seen before of an impoverished little African child was intensified in real life.

One first impression (keeping in mind that every observation I have made so far is bound to change as it is only my first day) is the community that exists. Whether we were driving in the, what might be called, suburbs, of the main city Kampala, or moving right through the heart of the capital, Ugandans are out, together, holding babies, chatting, moving quickly.

Looking at people, no matter where I am, I notice a sense of lostness. One of the biggest longings in a humans heart is to be understood and known, to escape or fight loneliness. Now having witnessed people in all locations, I am determined to figure what this means. How can this draw people closer together? I hope that I am able to fully embrace this culture. To step in the shoes of these "others" and live it as much as possible, without shoving my own cultural values on them. There is a give and take to this, and I am barely learning the necessity of this.

We did, in fact, arrive at a wonderful guest house where we will be living for the next four months. We ate a wonderful dinner, showered, and yes, the highlight of my evening? I saw a monkey run through our backyard. I am still in shock. We then walked to our local Gelato place called Ciao Ciao. Delicious. Banana flavor this time. I am determined to try every one, though. We walked through Kampala this evening, and again I noticed the community. Children, adults, all together. Doing normal things, some abnormal, but at the root, each action is a human action, each action is shared by someone else somewhere in the world.

In our two day orientation before we left, Food for the Hungry emphasized the idea of Wholistic approaches.
One. The word "one."
there is a oneness i feel between you and me and her and I. And this culture, and mine. and home and away.

i think i feel alive.