whew!

I made it through the first twenty four hours and they were probably the worst. I was very nervous when I was left at the hotel on Tuesday night and actually cried myself to sleep thinking that I was ready for this adventure to be over- I should just fly home. But, as I expected, now that the rest of the students in my program have arrived, I feel much much better about this whole thing. I haven't had a lot of time to meet them yet, but those that I've talked to seem cool.

The plan for the week is that we stay at this hotel (where we have roommates) until Sunday and then on Sunday we begin our homestay experience, which means we all spread out around Kampala. We will start classes on Monday and will have two weeks of classes before we go on our first educational excursion. The class schedule will be 9-1 and 2-4 each day with that one hour break for lunch. I'll be taking a mini-bus taxi to and from school each day by myself, so I will definitley let you all know how that goes.
I will be trying my first Ugandan food today for lunch... and I'm a little nervous. My stomach has been on edge for the past week because of nerves so I've been trying to be really nice to it but I have no idea what this food will do to me. So far, I've eaten mostly American food and to be honest, I've loved that small sense of familiarity that a BLT can offer. :)
I just got told I have two minutes left online, so I'll finish this up...

the only big thing I know, is: THE ADDRESS I WAS GIVEN IS INCORRECT! SIT moved two days ago, so they will arrange for things that have already been sent to be transfered over to their new office, but please do not send anything now- wait until I can give you the right address!

I'm here!

I don't have time to write much right now, but I wanted you to all know that I arrived safely. Three people picked me up from the airport yesterday and so that went smoothly. (Thank you Fr. Simon Peter!) The rest of my group arrives late tonight so tomorrow should be fun and hopefully will make me feel more comfortable here. As of right now, I am very homesick (although, I'm already less homesick than I was this morning so that's good). I had lunch with my program director today and one other boy who is not on the group flight should be meeting me in about two hours back at the hotel. That's all I have time for now, but more later!

Lots of love and thanks for the messages!

it's a numbers game...

And the numbers are: 9, 10.5, 2 and 16

9... shots! I had to get NINE shots before leaving for Uganda. I've had seven so far (four one day and three another) and I still have two more to receive. The shots were for Hepatitis A, Rabies (that one's a three shot series), Polio booster, Typhoid, Meningococcal meningitis, Yellow Fever and something else that I can't think of right now... then of course I'll also have to take Malaria pills while I'm there. So, that will be daily pills starting two days before departure and continuing at least four weeks after returning!


10.5... inches! I had 10.5 inches of hair cut off this past Monday and donated it to Locks of Love. I think it will be easier to take care of when I'm there if it's short because I won't have to use as much shampoo, not as much dirt (or whatever else) can get in it and I won't have to worry about all those tangles! Also, it'll be nice to have short hair because of the temperature there (average= 75 degrees)!



2... presentations! I invited some family and friends that are in the area to join me for "dessert and discussion" (as my mum called it). These presentations involved me giving a presentation about the location of Uganda, what my study abroad program entails, what my four months of volunteering will look like, what the current conditions are in Uganda and showing a brief, but very informative movie about the children soldiers and night commuters in Northern Uganda. Thank you to those of you who were able to come because I really appreciate the support--especially now that it's informed support!

16...days! Only 16 days left until I leave for Uganda (August 28th). I leave tomorrow for seven days in Dayton with my friends and checking in with some teachers. I'll also be doing a lot of Africa reading which I haven't finished yet. Then I'll be back in Skokie for another nine days of packing, shopping, some socializing (what a surprise!), more reading and hopefully a lot of love and confidence building! :)

My next entry will be written from an internet cafe in Kampala so if you want to contact me before then- email me! mhoganh@gmail.com