Happy 30th Birthday Katie!

I just wanted to take this moment to recognize my fabulous sister's 30th birthday!

Katie David Mendenhall is not only my sister, but my best friend and I would be lost in this world without her!

I wish I could celebrate with you sis, but know that I am thinking about you and sending you lots of love and birthday wishes from Kampala!

I love you so much.

Big is Big

Big Monday! Maybe because we made progress or maybe because I've finally shed at least a little bit of my fear and worry, my selfishness. The day began with calmness! The rain came in the morning and tapped on our metal roof to wake us up. There was no rush. Each drop said, relax. relax. When it was time to eat we ate, and when it was time to work we worked. When I'm selfishly living, I notice how unfriendly time can be, but yesterday time and I were buds. At Kamba, the co-ops' shop, we expected all 6 members to be there. We got 4, and that was okay. We could have waited but that would have been mean to my new buddy, Time. Progress? Really I mean we moved throughout the day accepting the way things were.

We began a pilot micro finance program where 2 members received 20,000 Ush ($10) to be repaid in 2 weeks without interest. I met joy in the process: the discussion, the questions, the willingness. My heart and mind were connected, and they created something brand new out of love for what can be. The second part of our day was spent researching how to acquire a bigger loan for Jacques and his cooperative. As we were on our way to church on Sunday, Mollie yells out, BRAC! She had seen a sign for BRAC's headquarters, which is a micro finance institution dedicated to eliminating poverty. What is so special about the sighting though is that finding anything in Kampala is like flipping the phone book open to the exact number you are looking for. Here there is no directory, no phone number, and no information, just luck. You can imagine our delight. To top off that pleasant suprise, when we went to speak with the loan officer, Rafiq, we were not immediately discouraged. So we will return for further inquiry next week.

I am going to keep a close eye on how I treat my new friend Time because yesterday felt really good.

Random Facts about Kampala

I thought that you might be interested in knowing a little more about what we see and encounter on a daily basis. I hope these random thoughts help you visualize where we live.

1. Matatus = Budget mini bus taxis that take you anywhere you need to go. One ride may cost 500 Ugandan shillings ($.025) or 1200 USh ($0.60). The matatus pack us in, though only 14 legally and semi-comfortably fit.

2. Money = Ugandan Shillings. 2000Ush is about one U.S. Dollar. A meal costs about 2000Ush. Food and services are very cheap here.

3. Mzungu = Mzungu means white person. "Hello Mzungu, how are you????!!!!!" or "Mzungu, Mzungu...Bye!!!" Children scream at the top of their lungs EVERY time they see us. No matter how discreet we are trying to be or how hard we are trying to blend in (almost impossible to do) the children always find us. And they have such big smiles and sweet hearts that you can't help but wave back and reply, "I am fine, How are you?" and so they reply and ask you again until you have passed.

4. African Internet = Slow, slow, slow. Practice patience because you will need it. As they say, a watched pot never boils. Same rules apply here...you can stare and click and hope and click some more, but you cannot speed up the service, so just slow down my friend. And if it begins to rain, just save your work before the power fails and come back later.

5. Food = Unfortunately, the truth is that people in my community do not have enough money to eat but 1 meal (usually dinner)...possibly 2 meals if they are lucky...a day. But typical food consists of boiled or fried bananas, mashed bananas, cassava, or sweet potatoes served with greens, rice and beans, or rice with beef/pork/or chicken (if you have money. Eggs too, but only if you have money as they are $0.20 an egg. We eat bananas and peanut butter for breakfast, and for lunch and dinner: typical food or spaghetti with vegetables - eggplant, green peppers, onion or rice and beans or omlettes.

6. The air = Dusty, smokey, and clouds of diesel. We do live in the capital city, so obviously air quality is worse/more severe here than in smaller villages and other parts of Uganda. (We hope!)

7. Toilets = We are lucky because we have the only flushing toilet in the area. However, ALL other toilets are holes in cement. You must squat, and when I say squat, I mean all the way down.

8. Body Odor = Well, you know what this is, but you have no idea how intense until you come to Africa. There is is constant cloud of b.o. that blankets the people here, including us every so often...especially Jimbo :)

9. The Language = The local language is Luganda, but people in our community (refugees) speak Swahili and/or French. Lucky for us, almost everyone speaks some English.

10. The People = I love the people here. Everyone is so friendly and helpful and curious to know what we are doing here in Kampala. I cannot say enough about the people in my community though. These refugees are TRUE SURVIVORS and they give me so much inspiration and hope!

Mind Races

Thoughts and thoughts and thoughts. I wanted to bang my head against the wall this afternoon to make them be quite. Control has me messed up right now. It is a symptom of a developed society. I am spoiled, and as I try to involve myself here in Uganda, in Africa, I get frustrated and overly anxious about the things I want to accomplish which turns quickly into defeat. But I know that frustration is just a thought, and I could just as easily feel wonder. I mean I am working with a cooperative of refugees in Uganda on learning how to tie fly-fishing hooks. What isn't there to be amazed about. As I write, Jacques is teaching each one of the members the procedures of tying this fly. With patience and proper support, they seem to be having success. What courage they have to listen to me and to try something so new and completely foreign. I get caught up in my own ideas of success that I forget to see how successful we have all already been.

It really seems like we are doing what we have set out to do. Some evenings though people we meet ask us if we would take them back with us to America. My mind gets lost and my heart has a hard time holding it together when people seem desperate. Carry a light heart, Mollie reminded me. Cherish the opportunity you have to be here with them discovering how it feels to be from somewhere else. Opening my heart and mind was always the only objective, but my thoughts can be very distracting, and all I can do is let them in and then let them go.

Oh and by the way Go Dawgs!!!