in Uganda

while i've only called Uganda "home" for eight short weeks, the honeymoon phase ended about two days after my dad left + reality sank in rather quickly. life here has become quite sweet, but please don't think it goes without road bumps. life is much more than an instagram post, + hopefully this post gives you a little insight. 

In Uganda...
if you wanna get anywhere, you better get real comfortable with a boda [aka motorcycle]

roads are made with potholes in them and they are as fun as they sound on a makeshift motorcycle.

where cheese is non-existent 

people use the phrase "it is okay" or "it is not okay" instead of a simple "yes" or "no" 

where your night guard is your closest friend + a compound is the norm. 

joy is abounding, but so is grief and poverty.

where not having power for 5 hours in one day is totally normal + if the power doesn't go out for an entire week..wait that doesn't happen. 

where the color of my skin makes people daily ask me for money + make me pay more for everything from a boda ride to a necklace.

the thought of rain is exciting + miserable all at the same time. 

where you realize not having A/C isn't so bad after all + also realize that 65 degrees outside IS cold enough for a jacket.

where you experience the most heartbreaking things + also the most joyful and sometimes it happens all in one day.

the color of my skin also means i'm a modern day celebrity anytime i enter a village, my dirt road [that i walk down 4+ times a day] and anywhere else for that matter.

where i am no longer a name, but simply a "mzungu"

where chaos surrounds me and days are never, ever easy.

where death is a way of life.

where the need is sometimes so overwhelming that you almost lose hope…. almost.

but then you realize you were made for a time such as this and that in Uganda isn't so bad after all, it's actually the greatest blessing/experience of your life.