10 Things I Regret Taking For Granted!

10 things I REGRET taking for granted:

Today marks a month of being in Uganda and this last week I’ve really been missing some things that seemed pretty minor here, but would mean the world to me here! So without further ado here are the 10 things I regret taking for granted!

1.    Drinkable tap water! I’d give anything to turn my tap and be able to drink the water that pours out! You don’t even notice how hard it is to brush your teeth with no running water! The process requires you to take a water bottle into the kitchen to pump the drinking water from the container, then steadily pour it with one hand – and in my I brush with my right and pour with my left, which makes it even more trickier because I’m right handed! Tricky tricky!

2.    Internet! It comes as no surprise that I’d miss the Internet, I knew that before I even left because I’ve to third world countries and experienced the frustration of not being able to access the Internet! So to all my friends who are currently draining hours of their time on the Internet…ENJOY IT! Because I’m telling you right now I’d give a million bucks just to have unlimited Internet for ONE DAY.

3.    Plugs! Oh my jolly goodness all I want to do right now is just plug in my flipping computer without searching for one of the four converters we have and then plugging it in to find my outlet is on strike for the day and won’t give me power. Dear goodness I’d just love to have everything charged up and never have to look at the battery life again!

4.    Water pressure! We’re supposed to have quick showers here because hot water is scarce and there’s six of us living in this house, so you have to be considerate about the next in line…HOWEVER, when the water pressure is at 1% and you have hair almost down to your hips it takes a good minute just to soak my hair, then shampooing, then rinsing, then conditioner, then rinse…I sometimes just want to fill 4 buckets up throughout the day and just pour them on after each “cycle” so the process will be quickened.

5.    Friends! I miss talking with people so much it’s driving me nuts! Although there are PLENTY of people here your conversation is so limited not only by the language but the topics which you can talk about. There is very little common ground here so when you find some you really got to keep it going as long as possible J Some conversations can get pretty awkward with the silence.

6.    Solitude. I have always been called an extravert, but I don’t care how much I like people I like my personal space…I like my solitude. I could spend hours by myself in my room and I wouldn’t complain, which is why Emma got mad at me when we were little because I’d go off and play my own little games while she ALWAYS wanted me to play with her. But here I can’t even leave the gate without having someone with me! Which is hard because back home I used to go on walks whenever I got overwhelmed or just needed some space…but here I always gotta have my buddy J It isn’t bad but there are those occasion days when I’d like to have the house to myself for an hour or two. But at the same time I’m to scared to be home by myself especially because our neighbors have now told us to lock the door even when we’re home because people get quite anxious at Christmas time and do some crazy things.

7.    Cold hot chocolate nights! Oh man I’d die to be in the middle of a snowstorm listening to some Christmas music with a warm cup of coco in my hand and a pair of sweat pants with a big hoodie and fuzzy socks on! I just want winter! And especially because Christmas is nigh the craving for a snowfall and some mint hot chocolate! Ah man the very thought gets me anxious!

8.    A piano! I didn’t realize how much I loved the piano until I didn’t have one! The first few weeks I was going through “withdrawals,” and now I’m just panicking I may never afford one here.

9.    Fitting in. You have no idea how I long to walk down the streets without eyes following me like a hawk and without people turning around and starring! I see big parties happening each weekend, friends and family enjoying each other’s company while I strum my lonely ukulele in my room. I’m not complaining…just observing!

10. Freedom. I hate being locked inside a gate and having to wait for someone willing to go outside with me before leaving. However today I did get to go out with Margret – our maid and help her sell her crisps – chips at the market. So I guess it’s not terrible but at the same time I’d like to teleport back to Tatlow Road and walk down to the Ocean, or walk to my friends house without being alert J

A Dream Come True

Ah man this day couldn’t have gone better! Let’s just say today I experienced the Africa I was wishing for! To start the day off it was music day at school, which means they take a huge stereo in the courtyard, crank the music up and the kids practice their dances – they did about 3 different ones. So we walked kids from the age of 2 – 10 do their tribal dances! It was awesome. Some of them got so into it, I don’t think I could move my hips like some of those two year olds. They are born with the beat.

Then after a long morning of watching them dance and sing the dream came true…I rode in a landrover! Holy crap they are tanks! We are allowed to use it all we want even when we move to our house! So stoked. You can’t say you’ve experienced Africa until you’ve driven a landrover! So rad. But the best part of the day was going to the Sanyu Babies Home! We have arranged to volunteer there 3-4 days a week taking on the morning shifts (7am-1pm). We got a tour by a very nice guy James who took us through all the rooms showing us all the different things to do. Oh my are we going to have fun! On our way out James asked if we wanted to hold a baby – it’s pretty much rooms full of babies lying in cribs waiting to be held, fed and changed. Of course I wanted to so I picked up a little girl in the 3-6 month room and just got to hold her for 20 minutes? It was so heartwarming, here are little babies just waiting to be held! Most of their heads are flat on the sides because they’ve been left in their cribs to long. Something as simple as just bouncing a baby in your arms can be the greatest service here.

Emma held a baby, James who had just arrived – James, the tour guide got to name him…so he named him after himself. It was seriously the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen! Next time I’m heading to the newborns room!

Oh and a side note, I’m learning Luganda and I think I’ve finally found a language I can learn! I can already have a 30 second conversation with someone. The kids get quite a laugh when I attempt to speak to them in Luganda J I envy how easily they speak English and Luganda.

Anyways today was awesome!

Oh and yesterday I walked in my room and there was a monkey sitting on the windowsill, I LOVE AFRICA! 

What's For Breakfast?

A big part about adjusting to different cultures/situations is the willingness to try. Before I came here I was super duper picky about sanitation, especially when it came down to utensils and cleaning. The first meal we had was an omelet and I really don’t enjoy them. Then I had to grab a fork that I knew had been washed in cold water mixed in with another 20 forks that probably had food sticking to them…so I was very diligent in placing the smallest portion of my mouth on the fork while eating and attempted to have a quick chew and swallow method. This seemed to work just fine, I hardly tasted the omelet and I hadn’t used much of the fork. Little did I know the next morning we’d have omelets…and the next, and the next. Yum. No ketchup, no salt no nothing. Just plain eggs mashed together. So these last few days I’ve had to get over my dislike of omelets and I put my whole mouth on the fork! I’m congratulating myself. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll say I’m the pickiest person when it comes to mouth sanitation. I never share water bottles…except for now because there’s no drinking water coming out of taps so that’s another thing I’ve had to adjust to! Man look how far I’ve come in just 4 days! I’m making progress!! Oh and I have a new motto...fast and furious. Works for everything I do, showering in cold water, eating and of course going to the bathroom without a toilet seat and ants and cockroaches. 

GOODBYE

Well as hard as I try to fight the tears they come anyways. I think I've slept a total of 6 hours in the last two days. Leaving for 6 months is one thing, leaving a home you'll probably never see again is another, and leaving your Grandparents that you've lived with for 5 years is a completely other story. Combine them into one and it creates one big pile of emotional anxiety. 

I can't even get excited at this point! We are all maxed out on luggage and my carry on is ridiculously heavy. I'm hoping as soon as we leave the house things will calm down a little because we won't be frantically looking around seeing if we left anything or have that lump siting in the back of our throats. But then the golden part...planes. I have a huge fear of planes. I'm usually the "go getter" in our family and really enjoy traveling and seeing new places, however the love of flying is not in my bones. I've flown to Mexico and Guatemala several times so the whole experience really isn't that new to me. However each time I get off those planes I kiss the ground. I HATE PLANES. Oh well, I guess if you want to see the world you HAVE to get on a stupid plane. 

What's kept me calm and balanced - to some extent is music. This afternoon everyone was buzzing around squeezing the last few items in their suitcases and cleaning their rooms and I just got so overwhelmed I honestly thought I would pass out. So I took a moment and played the piano, got lost in the music and when I stopped I had an incredible sense of peace wash over me. Although music may not do this for everyone I believe everybody has something that brings them peace, whether it's writing, drawing, walking or running. Seriously, we all have the ability to feel peace, we just need to find that thing inside of us that triggers it and we're set for life. 

This is a song that has really helped me these last few days, listen to the words carefully they mean a lot. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fqPcnuVPR8

Goodbye :)

Cheers
Savannah

Tips For Packing:

(These tips I created to benefit those who may be visiting/moving for an extended period of time - at LEAST 3 months.)

1. Quality vs. Quantity. This is something I've learned from previous experiences. When visiting or moving to another location you often have to buy a lot of things and can have a pretty tight budget, therefore you look for good prices. The problem with this is you may buy a standard pair of walking shoes costing around $30, instead of investing in a pair that will last longer and probably be more comfortable for $90. You then may decide to bring several pairs of cheap runners because they'll get worn out and you won't find them on your trip, which then adds to weight in your luggage. Therefore, always go with one good item vs. 2 bad ones. 

2. Will I use this? You have to think about where you're going, not where you are. Although it's really cold here right now and am tempted to pack warmer clothes...until I see its 26 celsius in Uganda :) I also had to consider what guitar I would bring...mine is a GS mini taylor and though I love it to bits because of the size and sound it is a very sensitive guitar. Any change in temperature can stretch and ruin the wood as it's not laminated, therefore I'm taking my brothers guitar which is much more durable. 

3. Organization. Before you even pull out a suitcase lay out the items you'll be packing to understand how much you really have. Also keep a list of things you had packed if you do it gradually, so you don't always keep double checking yourself. If you're a book lover this tip may come in handy. If you pile book upon book it's just going to slide and fumble around every time you move your suitcase. By placing a layer of clothes NEATLY folded and straight and then placing a layer of books on top it gives the books some grip and protection. It also keeps your clothes nice and flat. 

Cheers
Savannah

One Week

One week...one flipping week until I venture across the globe with 150lbs of luggage and a guitar! The reality that I'm leaving this beautiful country hasn't quite set it, and I don't believe it will until I get on the plane...even then it still seems like a vacation. I don't think anyone can comprehend the culture shock or the experiences we will have...that's why I call it a leap of faith. 

Our home is ALMOST all packed up. The other day I had to drink out of a bowl because I couldn't find any cups. We've been eating everything from our freezer and food storage, which consists of a lot of processed food. YUCK. 

I'm so ready to leave it's unreal. Today I was packing up my suitcases and my Mom was very clear that we must distribute things evenly among our 3 bags. When we weighed them to get an idea of how heavy two of them were they ended up both being EXACTLY 38lbs EACH! Beautiful I know. 
I have a small piece of advice for those packing for a long period of time...big suitcases doesn't mean more stuff! I was really concerned about finding BIG suitcases, but in the end you can't put anymore in it if it's over 50lb...even if it's still half empty :( 

Well I don't have the precious time to sit and type even though there's loads of things I want to say :) I'm sure however that once in Uganda I will have plenty of time to update my blog :) 

Cheers
Savannah

Removing myself.

Did you know it's instincts to remove/exclude yourself from your life when you know you're leaving? Well that's exactly what I'm doing right now! Removing myself from friends, from activities and pretty much my life here in Victoria. I don't get the same thrill from hanging out with friends, or going to social events anymore. Possibly because I know I'm just going to leave it all behind! I honestly feel as though I'm 1000 miles away and I haven't even left my doorstep. 

I suppose you could call me a loner :) Now on Saturdays - the only day I don't work (Except Sunday), I find myself happily cleaning my room, organizing my stuff and of course...packing it all up! But the funny thing is, 2 months ago that would've killed me, now I actually ENJOY doing it! 

I'm really getting excited as we approach departure. The fact that we've only got another 4 weeks in this beautiful country is scary...but awesome! I'm finally coming to the realization's that I'm actually moving to Uganda! There's been so much focus on the leaving part, the arriving part was kind of tossed to the side. But now I'm ready to zip up my suitcases, yell farewell to my friends and get aboard this journey I've been waiting so long for! 

Cheers
Savannah