good ole america

I'm back in the States for the holidays... and it's been pretty great. I keep getting asked if I'm having culture shock, and my answer is always "not so much..." Since I grew up here, there isn't anything that's really been "shocking." America does feel a little like Stepford now though.... the roads are paved beautifully, everyone follows the traffic laws, there is no trash littering the landscape... Just little things like that make this country feel extra-pristine. But there have been a few funny things that I didn't expect.

I walked into DSW shoe store on one of my first days back and got totally overwhelmed when I stepped in the door. There are so. many. shoes. So many. I could ask for a pair of grey boots and they could bring me 27 different options. In Uganda, you'd be lucky to stumble upon a single pair of grey boots, and they probably wouldn't be in your size. There are so many choices here, not just for shoes but for everything. There is a whole aisle in the grocery store devoted to cereal. And those familiar American brands I get so excited to see are everywhere. Duncan Hines cake mix. Every flavor imaginable, and guess what? It's there today and it will be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the next month. My favorite brand of crackers. It's not going anywhere. This is a common problem I've faced in Uganda... I find a brand of something that I like and the next time I go to the store it's gone, only to resurface at a different store across town after about a month or so.

The other big things I've had to get used to is all the white people. I know, it sounds strange.... because I'm white. But seeing another white person in my neighborhood in Kampala rarely ever happens, and spotting other muzungus around the city happens occasionally. Because of this, I've gotten into the habit of scoping them out... Sometimes I try to guess where they're from or I make up a story in my head about what has brought them to Kampala and what they're doing in the city. Doing this when I see other white people has become quite a habit after 6 months of it.... its become a pretty automatic thing. But that creates a problem when white people are everywhere. It means that I'm on sensory overload when I'm in big crowds, or driving, or basically anywhere in public. I'm constantly scanning the crowd and watching all the people. And it's gotten kind of exhausting. I'm on white-people overload here in America. A funny and unexpected adjustment to make.

But so far its been the simple, normal things of daily life in America that have been the most enjoyable. I was skyping with Julie and she asked me what my favorite moment had been so far, and it was this: sitting on the floor of my friend Kellie's room while we went through her closet, picking through her old clothes. I sat on the carpet with her roommates and for about an hour we just laughed as new articles of clothing were presented and either rejected or passed. Its the little day-to-day, seemingly so normal, things like this that I miss the most.

It's good to be back in the States. Strange in some ways, familiar in others. But its definitely been a good vacation so far.

the outsiders

Since moving to Kampala, I've been exposed to a lot of really great organizations and companies doing some pretty amazing things development-wise..... But many of these sources of development are headed up by Americans or Europeans.... outsiders.


Because of this, I've been led to consider a rather uncomfortable question.... If most of these organizations are initiated by outsiders, do Ugandans care about the restoration of their own country?


And the truth is they do. During my time here, I've had some pretty sweet examples of this. It definitely isn't the most prominent thing I see, and I think its natural that I'm exposed to more efforts made by outsiders since I am one myself. But I wanted to share a couple examples I've seen recently.


A few weeks ago in church, a Ugandan family got up on stage for a baby dedication. This was a special case apparently because they were asked to share their story with the whole church, which ended up being incredible. The new mother shared, and one of the first things she said was that her new son was adopted from one of the local babies' homes. They already had a couple children of their own, but they had felt that God was laying on their hearts to adopt, and this little baby boy came into their lives soon after that. He was only a couple weeks old, but he already had some health problems... These medical issues worsened after he came home with them, and they were in and out of the hospital for about a month. Then they ended up needing to go to South Africa for treatment and surgery, because it got so serious and life-threatening. But now their son is just fine, and recovering really well.


Hearing this family speak touched my heart because I know of quite a few families from my home church who have adopted and passed their heart for adoption on to me. I just think it is such a beautiful image of what God has done for us... this family adopted a little boy that they new had some pretty serious issues. He was broken, but that didn't stop them from loving him. And they went through great lengths to care for him... Trips to South Africa and medical bills are not cheap, but when this woman was up on stage sharing her story, I could tell that cost was the last thing on her mind- she was tearing up just at the memory of how hard it had been to have to face the possibility of losing this little boy. And I think one of the best things about all this is that its not some American family that has swooped in and "rescued" this child... Its a Ugandan family, caring deeply for a Ugandan orphan.


And just this week, I had the opportunity to witness another example of Ugandans promoting the restoration of their country. I went to a benefit concert for the international hospital here, and the crowd was made of maybe 30% ex-pats, but was mostly attended by Ugandans. I went with my roommates, and it was so cool to be doing something so typical of our lives in America, but in Uganda. In the states, I've been to numerous benefit concerts, special events, and African Children's choir performances to raise money for some cause in Africa. But this event was held in Uganda for the local hospital. It was just so much more meaningful to see Ugandans responding to needs in their own country than Americans reaching into their pockets to support a cause across the ocean.

There can be a tendency for people here to get into mindset that the white-man will just come in and fix everything for us... the whites will build us hospitals, and care for our orphans, and construct clean wells, and they will take care of us. I love seeing that mindset combated. It is my prayer that more and more Ugandans will drop that old mindset and pick up this new one that takes ownership of the issues in their country... and that more and more people would strive to rebuild and restore this place in any way they can.

seasons change

.... but sometimes they don't.

I never thought I would struggle to adjust to the lack of seasons here. Coming from Texas, we joke about not having seasons. We just have hot, hotter, and a short month of "cold." But here, there really, genuinely are no seasons. There's the rainy season and the dry season, but temperature-wise things are usually only within about 10 degrees of each other. It's the middle of November and its in the 7o's everyday. Sounds great, right? If you know me well (or even have just driven in a car with me), you know that I tend to be very temperature sensitive, so this sounds like an ideal environment.....

Okay, I promise I'm not just rambling about the weather.... the point is in this observation: time goes by differently without seasons. In fact, it flies. There aren't the usual makers that keep time going in a regular pace. I feel like time just takes off running since there are no season changes to hold it back. I arrived in Kampala in May, almost 6 months ago... and because the weather is exactly the same, part of me feels like no time has gone by... That when I got back to the States, it will also still be summer.

Will I feel stuck in summer 2010 forever?

Not sure... I wonder if I just need to find another way to mark the passing of time. I'm just not sure how to do it.... Even though it doesn't feel like fall, I wonder if looking back on this time, fall 2010 will have any distinction from the other seasons I spend here.... When I reference life-events, I usually reference a season a long with it. Like, "my family moved to Houston in summer 2007" or "in the fall of 2008, I was really missing my friend that was studying abroad."

I also think that for me, seasons provide a good reference point for reflecting on how my life has changed. I can think back to last spring and see how much I have grown in a certain area. Or view a new season coming as hope for a new season of life when I'm struggling with something. Right now, it just feels like time is moving along and there is nothing stopping it, so stopping myself to reflect for some reason takes more effort. I don't know if everyone is like this, but I also think of my life in seasons (outside of the weather-changing type of seasons).... seasons of struggles, seasons of feeling beyond blessed, seasons of doubt.... seasons.

I'm not sure if my time will be broken up in seasons here.... Right now, the way I think of it for the most part is in the form of people coming and going... who is living in the Cornerstone basement.... who is my roommate... who is up in Gulu. In Uganda, the seasons stay the same, but the people come and go. So I think, looking back, instead of saying "in fall of 2010, this happened...", I'll be saying "when Emily and James were around..." or "when Jon and Amanda were here..." or "when Brooke lived in Gulu..."

So I guess life-seasons still change, even when weather-seasons don't.... I'll just be thinking of these shifts in terms of people instead of temperature. What an adjustment....

normal..... what's that?

Last weekend the crew from Kampala went up to Gulu for a Halloween party. This was the fourth annual Halloween bash that was hosted at the Invisible Children house, and I've been hearing epic tales about this party since I arrived in May.... stories of Celine Dion and her back-up dancers.... the Village People... orange haired trolls.... the list of amazing costumes went on and on. We knew that for the 2010 party, our costume idea would have to be huge. We went all out.

Yes, we were Oompa Loompas from Willy Wonka. I think we pulled it off pretty well. These were pre-party pictures... As soon as we left the house to go to the party, it started pouring. We were sopping wet Oompa Loompas sprinting down the road in the rain. And the whole time we were running, all I could think about was what the locals were thinking. We passed by a bunch of waving kids on our way and everyone else was just staring at us from the shelter of their houses.

There are a lot of muzungus in Gulu, so I'm sure the Ugandans there are used to seeing Americans like us doing crazy things. They have probably gotten used to ridiculous sights like we were running down that road in our costumes... Just a typical day in Gulu.

The idea of a typical day here is a funny concept in and of itself. I've gotten used to odd things happening here... My roommate, Dani, actually just wrote a post last week about how things around just seem not quite right sometimes.... But what I think is funny is that I could describe my day in a completely "normal" way, and it would sound just like anyone else's day. Or I could describe the exact same events to make my life sound as strange as it is.

I'll give a couple examples.

Last night I ate dinner with my roommates, read a book, took a shower, and went to bed..

OR ... Last night I went down to the vegetable stand outside my gate and bought a dozen tomatoes for 50 cents to add to the pasta I was making. While my roommates and I were cooking, the power went out so we scurried around looking for candles and matches to finish cooking our meal. Then I grabbed my head lamp and used it to read a book for a bit. After that, I hung the lamp from a nail sticking out of the wall in the bathroom so I would have light to take a "shath." {Shath is a term that was coined in our house to describe the shower-bath combo we have to partake in. The water pressure is so low, that we have to sit in the tub and let it get filled as we use the hose that's connected to the faucet to try and wash ourselves... Did I mention the water is cold?} After my nice cold shath, I crawled into my bed, tucked my mosquito net around my bed, and fell asleep to the sounds of the Glee soundtrack blasting from the dorm building next door.

To start my work day, I went to a meeting at Cornerstone. Then I went to buy some fabric from the market in town and headed home after making some purchases.

OR... After waking up to the sound of our neighbor's obnoxious rooster, I start my work day by heading to Cornerstone. I walk out my gate and there is Denis the boda driver waiting for me. I hop on the back of his bike and ride through town. At the first stop light, I encounter a bunch of hawkers, trying to sell me anything from car chargers to maps of Uganda to live goldfish. We speed past them as soon as the intersection clears and I make it to my meeting quite windblown. After my meeting, I hop on another boda to go into town to the fabric market. After weaving through traffic, we make it near the taxi park and I opt to walk to rest of the way because the jam is so bad (yes, instead of abbreviating "traffic jam" as just "traffic," people here call it "jam"). I walk into a store where I'm a regular, and am greeting by the lady behind the counter asking me how America is and when will I get her a job. She thinks I'm Liz (my boss), because many Ugandans can't tell muzungus apart. {Often I'll be walking down the road or through Owino market, and someone will call me Jennifer because some white girl named Jennifer was once their customer}. After buying the fabric I was looking for, I push my way through the crowds to get on a taxi home. After weaving through the park with my arm-full of fabric, I find the right taxi and wait for it to fill up. Once its full (about 16 people fit in these "matatus"), we head off on our bumpy ride toward my neighborhood.

"Normal" life here can sound like normal life in the US.... or not so much. But life is life, wherever we are. And our concept of normalcy can adapt quickly.... Whether you're a Ugandan watching an American with green hair, an orange face, and white overalls hauling it down the road in the rain, or an American girl trying to make it through her work day.

sipi adventures

I just got back from a great weekend trip to Sipi Falls near Mount Elgon (is it just me, or does Mount Elgon sound like it should be in Mordor instead of Eastern Uganda?).

This is where we camped... no big deal. It was stunning. We only hiked to two of the falls, but on the drive up the mountain, we passed probably a dozen more like the ones we saw.

The first stop was at one of the falls with a cave behind it that you can walk into, so you can see both sides of the falls.

The next one dropped down into a cave and disappeared. All of us went up to the edge of it and got totally soaked from the mist.

The whole hiking experience was great. Instead of taking an official guide, we just let some local kids lead us around. They took us on trails that went through coffee plantations, banana groves, onion fields, and their own houses. This was their neighborhood. This was where they got to grow up.... in the presence of so much beauty. I wish we could just transport Sipi to the edge of Kampala, so I could take it in all the time.

Sipi Falls was great. The only thing that wasn't so great was my sleeping experience the next night. On Friday night when we got there, it poured rain from 4 in the afternoon until evening and our tent was flooded before we even went to bed... So, we opted for the bandas that provided more shelter from the rain. Saturday night we were still in the bandas, just because it was easier to stay where we were, and the skies were threatening us with rain again.

At about 3:00 in the morning, I was awake, wishing I was outside camping. Why you may ask? Because I was awakened by the sound of rats scurrying in the walls of the banda. One of the rats got trapped in the wall right next to my bed and was doing something that sounded like the rat-version of screaming (I would say squeek, but that word doesn't convey the volume of this noise). So off and on for about an hour and a half, I battled the rat. I would hit the wall with a book, and shine my headlamp at it, and plead with it to go away, but it did not.... In resignation, I put in my headphones and tried to fall back asleep without much success.

All in all though, it was a great weekend. Great view. Great people. Great adventure.

mr. president

This past Friday, I went to Uganda's 12th Annual Prayer Breakfast... We arrived around 7:30 in the morning, along with many influential people of the city who came together for the occasion. The breakfast buffet included things like eggs, sausage, fruit, croissants, imitation coco crispies, and a few stranger items like baked beans and chicken wings (its always amusing to me to see what other cultures consider to be "breakfast food"... needless to say, I did not participate in the baked beans at 7:30 in the morning).

While we were eating, there was a performance by a local children's choir, solos sung by Judith Babirye (who I'm told is the Ugandan equivalent to Amy Grant.... go figure), and the musical stylings of some man in a purple velvet shirt who was lip syncing to a recording of one of his albums. Then there were several leaders who got up and prayed.... for the country of Uganda, for its leaders, for the world... and then the performances started up again as we waited for the host, President Museveni, to arrive... Let's just say a lot of singing took place that morning, because Museveni didn't show up until around 10:30. After the president walked in, the guest speaker began his presentation.

The man who spoke was a professor from South Africa and gave a great message about how we will only be able to achieve peace and progress if we recognize each other's humanity.... When certain groups start seeing other groups as less than human, that's when genocide happens. That's when a country that took a step forward, takes ten steps back... Dehumanization... there is a history of it on the continent of Africa, and the speaker was encouraging Uganda and its leaders to learn from the past mistakes that South African had made. The talk was titled "Am I My Brother's Keeper?" and through that he emphasized the reality that we are all responsible for one another. All in all, I really enjoyed his talk.

Then Museveni took the podium... he was the host for the event and when he got up he acknowledged that the host doesn't normally give a speech, but since he had a mic, he was going to... For the next forty five minutes or so, Mr. President talked about a smattering of topics... from the progress of Uganda, to what the Bible has to say about discipline and work (ie "he who does not work, does not eat"), to the recent growth of the country's corn crop... But the comment he made that was most interesting to me was this: he called Uganda one of the "African Lions."

The term "African Lion" is in reference to the "Asian Tigers" (Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan), and if I remember correctly from my econ classes in college..... all that was needed was a little capital infusion to get those economies goin'. Just a little cash and these relatively poor countries took off to become the up and coming economic powers of Asia. But I just don't think that's going to be the case with Uganda, or most African countries for that matter... Sorry Museveni.

Here's a little proof: this is a Wall Street Journal article that describes the plight of Bono's fashion company called Edun. The intention of the company was to have all its products manufactured in Africa and then marketed in the US. Bono, of course, had crazy connections in the fashion world, and the line was soon in the top stores and fashion weeks etc.... But even will all his millions and awesome connections, the project took a turn for the worst.... Quality issues began to arise... In the article, one of the Edun promoters said that she planned a promotional event to take place in semi-darkness "to draw attention away from the clothes".... Really?



And now Edun does their manufacturing in China.... womp, womp.

So much for capital infusion.

It isn't just going to take good designs and billions of dollars to put Africa on the map for fashion, manufacturing, or investment-appeal... And Bono's wife, Ali Hewson, came to recognize that: "the aesthetic we always new would be important... but we didn't realize how difficult it was going to be to achieve quality." It's quality that's key. Making a quality product in Africa takes more than just an injection of cash. But just because Bono gave up on manufacturing in Africa doesn't mean its not possible. It is possible, but just its not easy.

Anyways, that was my train of thought during Museveni's speech. From that poor comparison of African Lions all the way down to the Bono-fail... I had plenty of time for this train of thought though because all in all the prayer breakfast lasted for about 6 hours. Starting at 7:30am and ending around 1:30pm, it probably should have been called the "Prayer Breakfast, Lunch, and Afternoon Tea." It was quite the experience. Definitely on the long-side, but I'm really glad I had the opportunity to attend.

what an interview can do

A week or so ago a photographer named Lane Davis came and visited the Sseko workshop. He was traveling around the African continent taking pictures, and had a couple spare days in Kampala, so he came to check out Sseko..... and last week he did a great post on us: http://totellastory.org/2010/09/22/sseko-designs-interview/


Doing that interview for the post was really good for me. I have an amazing job and work for an amazing company that does amazing things.... but some days I forget that. There are moments when I get overwhelmed with orders from suppliers, or getting shipments out, or reading up on the investment code to make sure we register for the right license... It was good for me to be asked about the heart of Sseko, about our incredible girls, about our hopes and dreams... Because I don't ever want this to become just-a-job. Being here is something that is very meaningful to me, and I don't want that to change.


It's funny (or not so funny, I guess) how I tend to forget things that are really important to me if I don't remind myself of them... or have someone else around reminding me. Things as little as forgetting about a restaurant I really enjoy eating at, but also things as big as my purpose in Uganda, and even my purpose on this earth. One of my college roommates, Claire Berger, used to always talk about preaching the gospel to each other, and how we needed to do it everyday so we didn't forget. At first I thought that sounded like a little bit much, but I see so much wisdom in that now. Life happens fast and it is important to refocus and be reminded of whats really important.

I almost wish that I could be interviewed everyday. That everyday, I would have someone asking me why I'm doing what I'm doing... why I'm living the way I am... why. I guess I'll just have to make more effort to ask those questions of myself, to stop and examine my heart more often to make sure I'm never just going through the motions.

stay or go?

The past month or so my mind has been filled with that question: "stay or go?"

At the beginning of August, I found out that I had the opportunity to stay on longer with Sseko. It took me a little time to sift through the decision making process.... I had to ask myself questions like..... Do I want to keep living in Uganda? If so, how much longer? If I didn't stay, what would I do? Where would I live? Where would I work?... Lots and lots of questions. But in the end, they all boiled down to the big one- stay or go?

And I've decided to stay! I'll be living in Kampala through August 2011... I decided on that time because one of the big factors that lead to me staying longer was that a good deal of the work I'm doing now is in preparation for the next class of girls. I want to be able to see all these things through. By staying through the end of next summer, I will be able to see these new girls go through our whole program and then go off to college. I am really excited about the idea of getting to see them all the way through.

Sseko isn't the only reason I'm staying though... I'm also staying for the people I've met here and started building relationships with. Julie and I already have synchronized thoughts- multiple times a day she will take the words right out of my mouth and I swear she can read my mind so I can only imagine how much scarier that will be when we've spent a whole year together.... Dani just moved in- this morning she caught me working out to my Jillian Michaels workout video, The Shred, and instead of just closing the door and rolling her eyes, she started doing the invisible jump rope right along with me.... Amanda and I have weekly lunch dates- I could say so many things about her, but I'll just keep it simple and say that spending time with her is like a breath of fresh air.... These are just a few of the people here that I have come to know and love. And those three ladies specifically will be here for a pretty big portion of my time here. The community in Kampala is pretty transient- people come in and out so often, so it will be so SO good for me to have some consistency in these girls.

I am excited to call this city home for a little longer.

the best

I had the best day at work, and wanted it share just how amazing it was.

10:00am- meeting with the wife of the Vice President of Uganda, Mrs. Bukenya. She called me the Monday before the meeting, and when she called of course I didn't have her number... so after our quick convo of setting up our meeting time/place, I saved her number. My ghetto-Ugandan phone won't save a name longer than 12 letters. Margaret Bukenya wouldn't fit, so don't worry, the VP's wife is down in my contacts as Marg.

But anyway, meeting her was great. Me and Julie just sat on her porch and told her all about Sseko and our girls. It was such a fun little chat.

12:00pm- we made our way to the fabric market to pick up some new patterns. Just fyi, Sseko's spring line is going to be so great, because we have been buying some killer patterns recently!

12:46pm- Julie and I make our way, with bundles of yards of fabric in tow, to our favorite bakery, Hot Loaf. We get a few samosas for the taxi ride home.

1:30pm- Julie and I decide to spend the afternoon outside hanging out with our ladies. One of our employees, Allen, has this adorable daughter named Shiraz. Shiraz is 3 years old and the only thing she knows how to say in English is "I love you," making our hearts melt even more and making us seriously want to reconsider the no-children-at-work policy we currently have.

We had just given Allen and Joyce (our two newest employees) their first pair of Ssekos, and Shiraz kept trying to put her mom's new sandals on her feet. It was in that moment Julie and I were inspired to make baby-Ssekos.

Shiraz helped Julie along the way

the end result was pretty sweet!

like I said.... it was the best.

with our powers combined...

I watched Captain Planet as a kid... and all I really remember from that show was the moment that all the kids with the rings and the special abilities from nature would put their hands together in a circle and shout: "with our powers combined..." and the out of now where, "I am Captain Planet!"


(Ridiculous reference, I know.... BUT bear with me)


Last week my bosses in the States (Ben and Liz) had the chance to go to a weekend conference in California where other social businesses were able to get together to collaborate and update one another on different sectors.... There were around a dozen companies there. Companies like TOMS Shoes, Krochet Kids, Ember Arts, and Sseko Designs (of course). These companies all do different things... They have different business plans, different products, different approaches to the way they think the principles of social business should be applied, but there is a common thread. When they all get together, something great happens. Captain Planet doesn't come bursting out of this circle of people, but with our powers combined, I think something truly great can take place.

I love that there are companies out there that are similar to ours, and that not only do they exist, but we actually get to rub shoulders with them. There is a movement starting in the realm of business, and it is so cool to watch it happen. Companies are starting to care. They are finding ways to be profitable and socially conscious. This is a beautiful movement.

And this beautiful movement, I am seeing more and more that the redemptive nature of the gospel is not limited to the "religious" realm. This world is a broken, dark, and messed up place. I got a really great e-mail from a friend this week who passed along this quote from a man who was explaining the concept of salvation to his son.... He said that sin isn't just about feeling guilty. It is about how the whole world seems broken into a million tiny pieces... And those pieces fight against each other. Against other people, against creation, against God, even against ourselves. But restoration is possible... little glimpses of it now, and one day in full. We can try to put together the broken pieces... when we do things like picking up litter, or sitting by the lonely kid at school, or providing a job for a woman who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to work, or something as small as buying fair trade chocolate chips at the grocery store. There are these little acts of restoration we can do everyday to fix the broken things in this world. And in the end, like Tim Keller says, it will somehow be greater for having once been broken.

Whether they realize it or not, these businesses are reacting to the brokenness that sin has brought into the world and seeking to do their part in it's restoration. I think in some way everyone senses that this world is not right, and I am glad that people and now businesses are acting on those feelings. And that they are drawn together... and as cheesy and idealistic as at may sound, they are moving toward restoration and building a more beautiful world together... powers combined.

whirlwind

The past few weeks have been pretty crazy to say the least... One weekend I was up in Gulu, the next I was camping on the Nile river and then flying back to the US. And now, a week and a half later, I'm back already. See... whirlwind.

I got asked a lot if I was having culture shock, and my response was always no, because they are like two totally different worlds. Its kind of like a parallel universe. Everything in the US was what I expected, and how I remembered. And Kampala is just the way I left it.

That was actually part of what was hard about being home... It felt like just the way I left it. I graduated from college and moved out here before most of my friends parted ways, so I wasn't around for the difficult departures and the reality setting in that the community I had built up over the past four years was splitting up. I guess I sort of just accepted the fact while I was over here. But when I got back, it was kind of like nothing had changed, and here's why: a wedding.

The main reason I went back to the states was to be a bridesmaid in my roommate Claire's wedding (which was great, by the way). The week before the wedding I got to see all my best friends... I got to laugh with them, pray with them, talk for hours with them, and cry with them. Everything with them just fits... its a truly beautiful thing. But while I was enjoying them, it also made me sad feeling like I was missing out on this beautiful thing that was happening without me... It wasn't until Sunday after the wedding that everyone started leaving town and heading back to their perspective new cities, that it sunk in for me.

As good as my week home was, most of it was like a false-reality. It was a taste of something I had, that doesn't actually exist anymore. Now Claire's married and moved to Dallas... Abbey's living it up in Austin... Tracey is headed out to Seattle.... Francis 307 has been vacated by all my roommates... the Hendricks just moved to Haiti for goodness sake! As hard as it was to realize this, it was so good to come to terms with. I feel like it freed me up even more to be wholly here, in Kampala. After this week, I know that even if I were back in the States, it wouldn't be the same.

And now I have returned, and it really does feel good to be back. Kampala is beginning to feel more like home.... and it doesn't hurt that my life here is pretty great. I mean, who gets to not only do a job they love, but also live in a place where they can go camping on an island on the Nile, get a first hand account from a girl in Gulu about her experience living on the run from Kony during the war, enjoy amazing weather (85 everyday... yes, please), experience a new culture while learning to examine your own, and go to a market where you can find literally anything you would ever need for a costume for under $2.50 (Owino is the best. Halloween 2010.... watch out).

just good

As I have said before, work is different every day. Some days, it can get pretty challenging. But others days, its just plain good.

Today was one of those good days.... It was one of those days when I am reminded of why I am here doing the work that I am doing. It's not just to check the quality of our product by examining every strap thats sewn, or to make sure the express order of size 8's gets to the post office before it closes, or even to develop new policies and procedures as we grow..... its because of this:

This is a picture of me with Teopista and Betty. We had a cupcake party today to celebrate the girls acceptance to university. This week was when all our girls found out what schools they got into, and I feel so incredibly proud of them. It has been so cool to get to know them, and see how hard they work, and know that all this hard work is paying off. Only about 25% of students who graduate from secondary school in Uganda get the opportunity to attend university; our girls are some of the fortunate few.

Every once in a while I get a clear picture like this of our company's mission, and that makes for a very good day.

feeling spoiled

I feel like I have to confess something.... Last week, Julie and I hired a cleaning lady.

Yes, a cleaning lady... And honestly, I had mixed feelings about doing this before I got to Uganda. I knew that a lot of people who live overseas have "hired-help," and I thought it was okay for people with lots of kids, or a huge house or something... but not for me. I did my own cleaning before, so I figured I could do it just as well in Uganda.

Well, I was wrong. Cleaning in Uganda is unlike any other cleaning I've done before. When we fist moved in to our new place, I swept and mopped all the floors (something I do maybe once every couple weeks at my house in the States). The next day I couldn't even walk around barefoot because a layer of dirt had already settled back on the floor. And cleaning the bathrooms- same story. Dust, everywhere. And my poor clothes.... for the past two months I've been trying to hand wash all my clothes myself. And I don't think I was doing it right... Since I still had dirt stains on a few of my shirts after retrieving them from the line, I think all I have been doing is making them smell better, not actually cleaning them.

In comes Justine. She is a widow who lives in the area and has been out of work for a while. Apparently she has "something not quite right" with her (at least that's how another Ugandan woman described her). I haven't noticed yet; Justine seems pretty with it to me. But regardless, now she has a job for a couple hours every Thursday. And believe me, she is so good at what she does, and she is incredibly appreciated in this household! After she comes, I can walk around barefoot.... and she made my white-t's look brand new..... and she even took the trash down to the burn pile. She's like an angel.

I am blessed by Justine's new presence in my life.... and the best part is, she is blessed by me and Julie too. If you think the job market in the US is rough right now, try living in Uganda. It's pretty typical for a college graduate to spend a few years doing what we would consider a crappy job before they get a big break and land a job that they are actually qualified for. I have met quite a few people here who are currently driving taxis and cleaning houses who have university degrees in things like engineering or business administration or social work. Jobs are few and far between here.

Which is why I have become even more passionate about providing the opportunity of employment. It is something I think we often take for granted in the US. At least I know I had this view that I didn't have to work a job that I didn't want to. If we don't like our boss, or the work we are doing, or our working conditions, we just quit and get a new job. Maybe with the recession, this mentality is changing.... but I have heard statistics here like "only 5% of the labor force hold permanent jobs" and "women make up 92% of the informal work sector," which makes what's going on in the US job-wise pale in comparison.

Fortunately, there is a movement in Uganda for job creation through social businesses (like Sseko for instance).... and I realized that hiring Justine is a very simple way that I can also be responsible for job creation. Yes, I could clean my own house and clothes, but why would I when I know that Justine could do a much better job than me, and by employing her we are providing her with a source of income? The answer seems simple to me.... So in those moments when I feel spoiled for having a cleaning lady, I remind myself that it not just a matter of my own convenience and comfort, but also a way that I can care for the widow without giving away handouts (probably one of the last things Uganda needs)....God has commanded us so many times in scripture to care for the orphan and the widow, and here I have finally found a tangible way to do that in my everyday life.

choices

It is hard to pick up and move to a foreign country, for various reasons, but for me I think it is because I have such a great community of friends that I had to leave in the States. When people ask me if I'm homesick, I say no.... because it's not that. It's more that I'm "people-sick"... I miss the relationships that I had at home. But the joy of living in a time with such great technology is that I can still be in communication with them pretty easily... Still though, skyping with someone is not quite the same as living life with them on a daily basis.

I read a poem this morning by George MacDonald that captured how I was feeling and challenged me all at the same time. It was essentially about God calling us in directions that are outside our comfort zones. He compared our comfortable places to living in the light, in a field that is covered with flowers, and the place that God is calling us to a dark and hazy city. The light is easier and prettier and more familiar, and sometimes (by sometimes, I mean usually) the darkness can be scary. And we like to make all sorts of excuses for why we can't go, why the path we have set in our minds is better than where the Lord is asking us to go. In the poem, MacDonald goes through several of the common excuses we make, and the one that struck me most was the excuse of community. Community is good. It is Biblical. But even good things should not get in the way of us following God.

Here is the excerpt of the poem I'm talking about:

I said: "I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say."
He answered me, "Choose tonight
If I am to miss you, or they."

That simple little four line phrase hit me so hard this morning. It reminded me that even though it may be hard to be away from close friends, that is a much easier thing to do than be away from my God. And if I chose to stay with them when He was calling me elsewhere, that's what I would be choosing. When I look at it with the same heart as George MacDonald had in that poem, it really doesn't even seem like a choice to me. Of course I am going to follow God where he calls me, and right now he has me here.... in Kampala.

I'm sure many of you have heard about the bombings that took place last Sunday night.... I'm fine and all my friends are as well, but the city is pretty on edge right now. People keep asking me if I'm just going to stay in the US when I go back for Claire's wedding in two weeks. That hadn't even crossed my mind until the question was asked..... No, I'm staying here. God has me here for a reason, and I will remain until he calls me elsewhere. But I would ask that all of you keep Kampala and my time here in your prayers.

american holiday, foreign country

Last weekend was 4th of July, one of my favorite holidays. It's not because I'm particularly patriotic, but because I feel like the holiday is always SO much fun. Last year in Lancaster PA, I got to go to a giant fireworks show and a family barbecue in Amish country... the summer before I celebrated the fourth in Barcelona with an all-American dinner at Hard Rock Cafe.

Needless to say, this fourth had to be pretty great to compete with the last few... and it totally was.

To start off the weekend, I went rafting on the Nile River with some friends. Below is a picture of me and Brooke getting our gear on... you can tell it's a "before" pic, because we're still smiling.

That rafting trip was the most terrifying thing I've ever done in my life.... There were just as many fun moments as scary ones, but that day will for sure go down in my book as the most adventurous thing I've ever done in my life (and probably will ever do). Class 5 rapids are no joke. And getting tossed out of the raft while going over them usually feels like a near-drowning experience. I think only stayed in the boat for 3 of the 10 high classified rapids we went over.

Unfortunately I don't have my own pictures, but this is from the rafting website.... just to give you a picture of what I'm talking about.

Yeah.... and that isn't even the 10 foot waterfall we went down... sideways, I might add! Needless to say, rafting the Nile was a one time experience for me. At least I can check that off my bucket-list.

On the actual 4th of July, a bunch of us Americans got together and made the quintessential American meal: hamburgers, hot dogs, home-made french fries, and chocolate chip cookies. I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty amazing. Even though I don't eat a ton of local food, that was the most American thing I've eaten in the past two months, and I think was the perfect way the celebrate our country's independence.

In case you hadn't noticed, most of the people I hang out with in my free time are ex-pats (if you're wondering what "ex-pat" means, it is short for ex-patriot which means any person not living in their home country). I will explain why.... First of all, there are quite a few of them around, and we tend to gravitate toward one another. In a place where very little feels comfortable, spending time with other people who are also in unfamiliar territory seems to make for a natural bonding experience.

The second reason is a little strange sounding, but the friendships I have with other muzungus seem more genuine and natural than some of the interactions I have with Ugandans. Don't get me wrong, I know great Ugandans who are so friendly and welcoming.... and the girls I work with are incredible, but with them there's that manager-friend line I need to carefully tread. And outside of my girls, it is hard for me to just meet Ugandans and befriend them because being white here is almost like being a celebrity. People want to talk to me, marry me, give me rides, touch me (definitely creepy at first.... and honestly still is), and be my "friend" just because I'm white.

I'll give you an example of a common interaction: I was at the fabric market and a vendor told me she wanted to be my friend. I said "okay" and started up a conversation with her. About five minutes into it, she asked me to buy her a phone.... because apparently that's what friends do for each other.

So yeah.... I feel like I can on some level relate with those celebrities who get famous and then are like "who are my true friends?" Obviously I'm being dramatic, but being white here does feel that way at moments.

That gives you a little picture of why my closest friends are ex-pats, but another huge factor to that is because there is this little community here that I feel like God has placed me in for a purpose. As ex-pats here, we all come from different places and backgrounds, but do similar work in this country we are all coming to love. People also tend to come in and out of this place pretty quickly, so I am often only given a small window of opportunity to invest in someone before they head back to wherever they came from. It is a community often-in-transit, but a community nonetheless... and I am thankful for it.

moving.... uganda-style

Drum roll please..... I would like to announce that Sseko Designs has a brand new house! Julie and I will be living there and have an office in the front room. And the girls' workshop will be in the garage. And here is our lovely new home:

Cute, right!? Once Julie and I have the place decorated, I'll post pictures of the inside. Speaking of Julie... in case I didn't mention it, she has been back in the US for the past 2 weeks, so I've been holding down the Sseko-fort until she gets back.

Yesterday I had the task of moving the girl's workshop to the new house, and this is what moving looks like.... Uganda-style:

That little pick-up carried 3 books shelves, over a dozen bags of rubber and shoes, two sewing machines, 2 tables, and a stool. The driver kept taking pictures, because he said this was the biggest load he ever carried! Unloading it was an organizational nightmare, but after a few hours, I had the workshop in pretty good condition...

Just another day in my usually-ridiculous life here!

doing business

So, I haven't talked too much about my job yet... I thought I might as well put a little snippet in here about it, so you don't start to think that my job with Sseko is fictitious.

Believe me, its not... I would like to give you a "day-in-the-life-of-Cameron," but it's such an odd combination of things that and its different everyday, so it makes something like that a little difficult... At 9:00 in the morning I might be doing quality checks on the newest shipment of sandals and by 10:00 I am on my to town to shop for new fabrics, then in the afternoon I'll be searching for machine manufacturers and head back to the office around 4:00 to work on creating a new excel doc to track our relationship with suppliers.

I love problem solving and finding the best way to do something, which happens to be a lot of what I do in this job. There is an aspect to it that is not particularly glamorous.... Most people with college degrees probably wouldn't want to spend time gluing leather to rubber soles (I could probably now put "cobbler" on my resume), but on the flip side, most people right out of college don't get to be part of making key management decisions for a company. The experience I am gaining from this job is invaluable.... I am learning so much about how to grow a business and how to create company policy and how to manage employees.

But besides those oh-so-important things, I think the biggest change that this job will bring to my character is a significant increase in the amount of patience I have. Doing business in a country like Uganda means that things rarely go as planned. You might think that you're going to pick up leather in the afternoon, but find that instead of the brown leather you ordered, there is purple leather waiting for you. Or your truck driver says he will take you and your supplies out to the warehouse, and you sit there waiting for him for two hours.

I have come to realize that inconveniences like that are just part of life here. You really can't be uptight about things.... I wouldn't have guessed that being in Uganda would help me let go of some of my control issues, but it totally has. I tend to like to plan and schedule and control my my work, but this environment does not allow for much of that... Control is an illusion anyway, no matter where you are. Just because something is in your planner does not mean that it will happen that way. In America though, it's pretty easy to think you're in control of your schedule, but here the illusion is thinner. My schedule is now dependent on so many unpredictable things that I just have to take it as it comes for the most part.

A major factor that contributes to this is the way that business is done here. It is definitely a different mindset than what I am used to hearing from American businesses..... Not necessarily better or worse, but definitely different.

Here you are not doing business with a business. You are doing business with a person.

There is no such thing as the "it's not personal, it's just business" mentality that seems to permeate American corporations. Everything here is taken very personally. Because you know exactly where your products are coming from, it's not a "what" you are dealing with but a "who."

The down side to this mindset is a lack of professionalism, but the upside is that for the first time in my life I know exactly where everything I buy comes from. I love knowing Grace, who sells me produce every Saturday. And this is a place where I can actually go to the place where the rubber we buy is manufactured and see the conditions of the workers. In the US, everything just says something along the lines of "Made in China".... we have information about a company, but not about the people behind the product.

I wonder what it would look like if these two business worlds collided... If we could be professional and efficient AND at the same time be knowledgeable and caring about the worker? .... I would very much like to see that happen...

hope and beauty

This past weekend, a bunch of us went up to Gulu, a town in the northern part of Uganda. In case you didn't know, this is where a lot of the war was waged... It's where NGO's like Invisible Children are headquartered. In fact, Gulu had the highest concentration of Muzungu's I have seen so far in Africa. This area was so ravaged by war, that is has drawn countless organizations to try and help with rehabilitation. Probably any person you talk to that is from the area has some horrific memory of a family member dying or a friend being raped or their home being destroyed.

Living in Uganda, it's hard to believe that just about three years ago the war was still going on. Anytime I think about how messed up this place still is, with corruption, lack of trust between people, etc... I think about how far they have actually come in so short a time. The whole country is basically suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, but has some how found a way to not only survive, but grow. There are so many Ugandans who are passionate about seeing their country change for the good. This gives me so much hope.

I really enjoyed seeing another part of Uganda... The five hour bus ride up to Gulu gave me plenty of opportunity to gaze out the window and soak in the country. It really is so beautiful here.... Instead of talking about it, I'll just show you instead.

On Sunday we loaded up a couple cars and headed out to Aruu Falls...

seriously amazing....

a person's worth

There are quite a few things that I could blog about right now... My first week in Kampala has been so full and there have been so many things running through my mind. So I guess I will just tackle one thing at a time.

Since coming here I have been able to be exposed to quite a few organizations that are doing incredible things here... to name a few: 31 Bits, Krochet Kids, and Purse of Hope. This post though has a lot more to do with Purse of Hope's work... they have different homes across Uganda for women who have been or still are prostitutes. In Bwaise (a slum area in Kampala), they have a halfway house for these women, where they are can receive vocational training. They are learning to be hair dressers or seamstresses in hopes that they can get out of this truly awful profession.

This week I learned something so disturbing about prostitution in Kampala... Apparently in Bwaise alone there are around 100 brothels with about 30 girls working in each of them. I was totally shocked that an area that small would have over 3,000 prostitutes, so I asked a girl that works with Purse of Hope why the demand was so high. She said that it was because the girls were so cheap.... Just hearing that phrase made my heart break for them.

Some of them charge as little as 1000UGX.

The equivalent of about $0.46.

That is so sick... But it makes sense why the demand for prostitutes is so high. For men who are interested, it's the least expensive form of "entertainment" around.

And even though these girls live in such darkness, all I have heard about them is how joyful they are and how amazing it is to be around them. I absolutely cannot wait to go to the house in Bwaise and get to meet them.

At Purse of Hope, the motto of sorts is "from vulnerable to valued," and I think that describes not only these women, but others in Kampala as well.

I had mentioned the street kids earlier, so I wanted to bring that up again... Julie and I were riding in the back of a taxi (when I say taxi, don't picture a New York City taxi.... picture a super-ghetto 16 passenger van rattling down the pothole laden streets), and watching some of the kids begging. She asked me if I had seen August Rush or Slumdog Millionaire, and we started comparing these kids to what we saw in those movies... They are owned. Anything you give them goes to their owner. So "helping" them by giving them spare change is actually one of the worst things you could do, because it is just promoting this awful system of using children for personal gain.

There are quite a few ministries that work with street kids, to build relationships with them and invest in them personally to show them that they are worth something...

I think that seeing people so undervalued, people who are created in God's image and who are dearly loved by Him so terribly mistreated has been one of the most difficult things to see here. These women, these kids... they are used... they are owned. But they are also God's children. I am so thankful that people are responding to the needs of these people and are aware of the atrocities that are taking place. I hope I never forget what I have seen here, and that I will always carry these people with me.

home sweet home

I took a few pictures of my new home, so I'll give you the official tour:

This is the front entrance to the Cornerstone guest house...

Once you walk inside, there is a large common room. When you turn around and face the front door, this is what you see: to the left is the kitchen and to the right is a sofa/the Sseko shoe repair workshop.

This is the room that Julie and I share. I sleep on the top bunk, and Julie sleeps on the bed to the left.

This is Julie's bed... mosquito net and all. Those of you who know me well will not be surprised at all to learn that I am VERY allergic to that blanket on her bed. How was this discovered? Don't worry, I think it took about an hour of me sneezing non-stop before I finally realized I was only sneezing every time I sat on her bed.... Great.

On a happier note.... We went exploring Sunday afternoon. We took bodas about 30
minutes away from where we are staying, into the outskirts of the city.

Where we got this pretty great view.... LOVE IT.

going, going, GONE

I made it..... FINALLY. After about 35 hours of travel, 4 different countries, 6 airplane meals, 5 in flight movies, 4 episodes of Friends, and 2 books later, I made it to Uganda in one piece, luggage and all. I would call that a success.

My travel adventures began with a shady encounter in the Houston airport- a security guard kept leaning over me while "helping" me get my laptop back into my bag, whispering his myspace user name into my ear and telling me about the good times we could have if I looked him up...

No, Master Mean, I will NOT be contacting you.... ever. (And yes, that is the real myspace name he gave me... Master Mean... really?)

But my trip ended in a much more pleasant way: Julie came and got me from the airport! Even though we had never met before, seeing her felt familiar somehow... and it was such a relief after so many hours of being in transit. (In case you didn't know, Julie is the Sseko country director, my roommate, and currently my only friend)

On the ride to my new home, I got a nice view of Uganda.... People keep asking me if it is what I expected, and I realized that I didn't have too many expectations coming into all of this... but for some reason I had been viewing country as an African Guatemala. I think this is because Guatemala was the first country I visited outside the developed world, so I suppose it is inevitable that I compare everywhere else I visit to it. But, Uganda is definitely not Guatemala.... They are similar in some ways, I suppose.... but I think Kampala is already stealing my heart. The people here are so friendly and welcoming, and the only word I can use to describe the scenery of the country is "green." It is SO green and lush everywhere. I can't wait to go explore other parts of the country.

And I know everyone is curious about my living situation... I will be post pictures soon, don't worry! But for now, I'll tell you the top 5 things I have to get used to while living in Kampala:

1) Travelling by boda boda- A boda boda is a small motorcycle, and believe me, there are some kamikaze drivers out there.... When you are on a boda boda, there are basically no rules except just get to your destination as fast as you can. Since I have VERY little experience riding motorcycles (only once before in the US), this was terrifying the first time... but even after two days, I am already getting used to zipping through traffic jams and dodging the side mirrors of the cars we pass by.
2) People saying "You are welcome"-So, I met the Sseko girls yesterday (they are GREAT by the way), and after I hugged each of them, they kept saying "You are welcome!"... and every time, I kept thinking "But, I didn't say 'thank you' for anything...." It took a second, but I put two and two together and realized that they were actually welcoming me, and saying that they were glad I was here.
3) Begging children- It has been a while since I have been in a place with street kids, and every time they come near me it hurts my heart a little... I know I can't just hand out money left and right, but it's just so sad to see them in that condition. I'm sure at some point I will get used to it, but I don't think that just being callous is the answer... there will probably be more to come on this topic at a later date.
4) Driving on the left side of the road- Today, while getting in a taxi, I accidentally tried to hop into the driver's seat out of habit of going to the right side to get in.... Ooops! We laughed, and it was only mildly embarrassing. A typical muzungu* mistake, I suppose. (*muzungu= white person)
5) The mice- Oh, the mice....Last but certainly not least are my little furry friends. We have several mice that scurry across the floor of our room periodically... but I am actually surprised at how okay I am with them. If there had been a mouse in 307 Francis, I would have been absolutely freaking out (roommates, you can vouch for that).... but for some reason, in Kampala, I'm just fine with it... but still a bit startled when I see them. Maybe when I take a picture of my room, one of the mice will pose for the shot.

one month from today...

I will be on an airplane flying to Kampala, Uganda exactly one month from today.... I will be living there for 6 months, working for Sseko Designs (http://www.ssekodesigns.com/).

I love Sseko... a lot... everything about it.... I love that it's a not-just-for-profit company. I love that it provides education opportunities for young women. I love that it's a product I feel proud of. I love that it appeals to the economics-nerd within me. I love that it redeems business, and in doing so gives me a picture of God's redemptive nature... I had become disillusioned with the business world in general, as I saw company corruption and a "get-to-the-top-at-all-costs" mentality, but Sseko gives me hope... Business is a powerful tool, and I love that Sseko takes something that can be used in such a harmful way and makes it into something beautiful and restorative.

If you know anything about me, you know that this company embodies so many of my passions. I honestly could not have imagined a better scenario I could walk into... I am realizing that I have been presented with the rare opportunity to have my "dream-job" right after graduation. I am beyond blessed and incredibly excited to see what is in store for me on this journey.

I have not kept a blog before, but I thought now was as good a time as ever to start! After I walk across the stage to receive my diploma, and then board Emirates Air flight #212, my life is bound to get a lot more interesting. So, friends, I will keep you updated with my thoughts, experiences, and whatever comes my way....