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.
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