We’re exactly one week into the second term! WHEW! I’ve hit the ground running, but it has been oh so fun having the students back on campus. Last night my house was full of laughter and sugar as 9 kiddos filled my living room with disappearing brownie sundaes and the challenge of keeping a straight face in a rousing game of “cockroach poker.” More than that, right now I have one student living with me! She graduated last summer and is on campus volunteering as we have a couple of gaps to fill with staff members who are experiencing some significant health concerns and weren’t able to return in late December as planned. We’re going on a week of her being here, pending 3-4 more weeks staying. It’s been fun settling into some new routines and being able to share my home with another human!

While providing childcare at a conference in Uganda over the break, I had the chance to chat with some missionaries and a little extra time to write, so over the next few weeks, I’ll add a few different “day in the life of” stories inspired by what I learned! With students having just come from all over the continent, I thought I’d start by sharing my travel experience, but written from the perspective as if I were a student…

“A yawn escaped me as I rubbed my eyes, then tapped snooze on my alarm. I was all set to roll over when I sat up excitedly, “IT’S DEPARTURE DAY!” The end of the term has come, and I get to leave to see my family after 12 agonizing weeks apart. I really missed my mom, and I get to see her soon!

After packing last minute things, I went to meet my ride which took me the hour and a half to the airport in Nairobi. Once my luggage was checked in and I’d been through security… three times at this airport… I sat in the terminal and pulled out my phone to get some last minute downloads ready for the internet-less flight I was about to endure. At least I’d be able to watch some TV or catch up on some reading. The plane boarded, and after an hour and a half flight, I landed in the Entebbe airport in Uganda. As my friend and I entered the airport, we had to pull out our vaccination cards for yellow fever and COVID. I watched another RVA student who had forgotten to bring their COVID vaccination get sent to the side… I sighed, hoping it would all get worked out and they wouldn’t be detained too long.

We made it to customs, but apparently I didn’t get my interstates pass stamped the right way, so I had to pay 180,000 Uganda shillings (about 50 bucks) for a single entry visa instead. I managed to make it through, grab my bag and find my way outside! My friends’ Aunt Rose and cousin Jose were waiting to pick us up from the airport. We’d be staying at their house tonight before catching the 6am bus to Arua in the morning. Their house was beautiful, and they were the kindest gracious-est hosts. I was so excited for dinner, it was some Ugandan staples! Matoke and chapati. We have chapate’s in Kenya, but they just don’t taste the same. They put some sugar in them, and they’re usually a little oily. Mmm. It tasted just like I remembered. The matoke was delicious. The whole bananas were cooked in a ground nut sauce that ended up being a kind of purple color. We had it with some rice and fresh avocados. They aren’t in season yet in Kenya, so it was fun to have one again! Especially the softball sized perfectly ripe one we had.

We dragged ourselves out of our beds in the wee hours of the morning to catch our bus. We traveled in silence, not quite yet awake. We made it to the drop point and had our luggage loaded into the top carrier, and seats picked. I chose the window seat of course. This bus ride could take anywhere from 8-12 hours and I needed to be prepared! I already had my bottle full of water, and some snacks stashed in the side pockets of my backpack.

We left a little late since the driver didn’t realize we didn’t have to wait for the second bus before getting on the road. We wound our way through traffic filled streets as the capital of our nation began to wake up. The first few hours of our trip were uneventful as I watched the landscape slowly shift from urban to suburban.

Four hours into our journey, we pulled over for some “mystery meat on a stick” as my friends like to call it. I call it nyama choma- roasted meat. My favorite is the goat, but there’s chicken and beef skewers too and let me tell you… it is DELICIOUS! We of course had to say no to the men that crowded our vehical trying to sell roasted casava, bananas, sodas, and anything else their hands could push towards our window. After making our purchases from the comfort of our chairs through the open bus windows and door, we continued on our way.

The landscape began to fill with rolling hills. By now, they were no longer covered with red stucco roofs, but with tall grasses and the occasional barren looking tree. It felt like a holiday on the roads, not because of a positive atmosphere, but because of how many police checks we went through, and it seemed at every one, they made sure to stop our bus!

Six hours into the trip, I began to see the farms. This was always my favorite part as it reminded me of my Midwest roots. To the left, a field of sunflowers shined back at me while on the right I began to pass a few patches of corn. Maize really- not the sweet juicy stuff from back home in Michigan, but a chewier, hardier variety. I smiled as the tall powerlines added to the effect of being back in the states.

It didn’t last long as about an hour later the cement block homes transformed into huts made of clay bricks with grass thatching roofs. I liked looking out my window at the passing scenery except for two downfalls: the first was the red dust that seemed to cake itself into my hair. The second were the staring eyes and the occasional shouting I heard of the word “mzungu…” white person. They didn’t know I lived here…Didn’t know that this was my home too.

I sighed inwardly and shut my eyes for a nap. I was lulled to sleep by the rocking of the bus, only to be woken up by it’s shuttering as we hit some speed bumps, the main form of traffic control here, again and again.

Another police check. I could hear her arguing with the driver. It sounded like she was making up something wrong with the bus to be able to fine them for. We finally were let go and continued on our journey after a stop at the long drop toilets. I was thankful I’d put some tissue in my pocket preemptively for my allergies. It now found a different use.

I was contemplating a second nap when I realized where we were. Elephant territory! Eyes peeled, this was always my favorite part of the trip. Someone on the other side of the bus yelled and pointed excitedly. I didn’t see it, but their friends verified the wide red back had been visible from their vantage point. As we approached some road construction that didn’t seem to be doing much besides giving some men shovels to prop themselves up with, we noticed two large bulls under a tree just twenty yards off the road. One faced us head on, ears flapping in the wind, tusks scraping the tall meadow grass. The other annoyedly turned and walked the other direction.

We made it through the detour and saw one more elephant at the tree line in the meadow. We crossed the nile river and scanned for hippos on the edges in the shallows. The dot might’ve been some ears, but just as easily could’ve been some weeds. Here the road grew treacherous-well, only treacherous for your suspension. We slowed to a crawl for almost an hour, working our way through the dust filled minefield.

Just as the tarmac smoothed out again we were stopped once more by the police.   This was our longest stop. It seemed to take forever. The bus that had fallen behind us overtook us and carried on their way. Well into 9 hours of travel and we still had more before us.

Finally after close to twelve hours in the bus we made it to the pick up point where I excitedly watched for my parents. After a joyous reunion with my family, we decided on a celebration dinner in the local fancy hotel. I ran into my friend Troy and asked him about his travel. He’s gotten lucky. Somehow he’d made it on the chartered flight in the Cessna directly from Nairobi. Three hours. Maybe someday it would be my turn. At least for now I was glad I got to fly from Nairobi to Entebbe and didn’t have to take the overnight bus this time. I’ve had to do that before, and sometimes, it is NOT fun. If it’s a bunch of RVA kids with me on the bus, it’s not so bad, sitting and sleeping next to a friend, but sometimes I’ve been stuck sitting by some large man I don’t know, and WHEEOOO! The strangers don’t always smell that great, ya know? One time, I had to sit in the back of the bus, it was the only seat left, but the aisles were stacked high with goods to sell at the market. On top of these goods were the chicken cages, so as I crawled on my belly along the top of the crates, I was handing chickens down to the people sitting in the seats, and sliding through fresh chicken poop. Talk about memorable bus trip, but I digress. That is a story for another time. For now, I’m simply glad I’m home and it’ll be a few weeks yet before I get to make the same journey in reverse.”

Those last couple bus tales are true, but not mine. As Rachel and I traveled, we commented multiple times how our empathy for our students was growing, especially as our experience was actually quite positive! Though stuck on a bus for 12 hours, we were with friends. All the people on the bus were going to our same conference. We got to stretch our legs, use the restroom, buy some snacks along the way. All in all- certainly something to remember, but overall a positive experience.

As we start our term and our students are recovering from Jet lag, some 11 hours behind from the states, others 6 hours ahead in Korea, and others no more than an hour or two close by, would you be praying for them?

Prayer Points

• Would you pray for homesickness? A few of the younger kids have been hit hard, but even our older kids can miss home.
• Would you pray for ease of transition? We have some new staff and new roles. The new staff could use prayers as they get settled in, but also the students who are impacted by these shifting roles.
• Would you pray for me and my new ‘roommate’? We’re not sure how long this will be for… so far, it’s been great and fun, but would you pray we can communicate well, and that she would feel welcomed and loved even as we each have our own separate responsibilities?
• Would you pray I can find meaningful rest during the week? I have a couple of responsibilities different from last term and it always takes a minute to find new rhythm and routine 🙂