Discoveries: 22nd August 2006

I also discovered some interesting information about the University of Pennsylvania, it was the first University in America, isn't that amazing?! makes me want to apply immediately so that by some chance I can join in February. Another thing that struck me about it is the solidarity of its students dating back to the beginning. Every where you walk on the campus there are plaques with names of different students and the years they attended and their contribution to the school after they left. By the way the contributions are not minor for example I went to what they call the Perelman quadrangle, there was one guy who contributed a "tree-lined plaza and an amphitheater" now that's awesome, then a family of mother and daughter who created a garden of flowers, isn't that something? oh yes and then there is a huge bridge almost in the center of the campus that was done by a whole class, their names are engraved on the side walk. Makes one stop to think of our beloved schools and universities and how we are so glad to get our education and walkout without looking back. Why is it so different? how come we don't have the same zeal and dedication?

Something else I noticed about Americans, or maybe its just that I'm spending more time around students, they have the dress down culture. I'm certainly very happy with it, jeans and T-shirts all day everyday, my kind of thing. Students are either in snickers or in sandals and slippers, shoes of other types are hard to come by. The weather right now is pretty much the same as back in UG so why the big difference? why do we sweat it out in the suits and leather shoes? And I think this applies to both our students and the working class.
I owe all my discoveries and observances to a one Mich, today we were passing by the campus when he begun chasing squirrels and running everywhere so while I made sure he stayed out of peoples classrooms and stuff, almost each time he went round some bend I found something worthwhile noting.
Did I tell you guys that once Mich run into a class while it was still in session? I most certainly didn't disown him but it was kind of weird. Luckily class was just winding down so he didn't cause a fuss, the next thing I knew the students came rushing through the door and Mich was running right past them laughing and making noise. He probably didn't know what he had just done, but it certainly put a smile on peoples faces.

I got an email from the Pastor of Vineyard Community Church, the church I first attended, saying his wife would like to meet up with me for coffee or lunch, that should be interesting, will let you know the outcome. I think they are wonderful people, we went over for dinner last week but because there was another couple we didn't get to talk much on a one to one basis. I certainly like the followup, makes me appreciate all the more the cell vision and why it was such a fire in Pastor Gary's heart.

Okay then till later.

My first train ride: 14th August 2006

Life can be tough and interesting at the same time. I have enrolled in the Wharton Partners club and today was balling night just for the partners. I wasnt really enthusiastic about it but Sam encouraged me to go, he thought it would be nice for me to get to meet other people in my shoes and also have some time away from Mich, l liked the idea. The only problem is, it was quite a distance away and I dreaded getting to use the bus and train system on my own.
Anyway he helped me get the directions told me which route to take and I was off.
I was going to 13th & chestnut and home is 44th locust, anyway I was well equiped, took the train for the first time on my own and that was great, I knew where I was getting off so I walked confidently, got onto the street and started looking out for the 13th chestnut street. The way roads are set is in a grid format so really one can not fail, should not fail to get to a particular place and besides there are lots of signs and directions and people to ask incase one is in doubt.
Just before I got to 13th and chestnut I saw a music store and well it got the better of me, I still had time on my hands so I thought I would go in and browse abit. It was awesome, like four times the size of Aristoc, got to the music section and all the christian music one could think of was there, I was looking for yours truly Darlene and yeee! I was like a kid in a toy factory, only limitation was money. Spent about 30 mins in there and continued my journey. Got to 13th and chestnut but couldnt locate the joint, so I decided to keep walking (Amanda does this sound farmiliar?). Anyway, I keep looking out for this place, I was told to check the numbers, they are either increasing or decreasing and in my case they had to be decreasing, so I continue to walk. I was looking for number 36 and somehow the numbers I was seeing were still in 500 something. I keep walking, I get to the liberty bell then I realise eeh! if this place is where I think it is then it was like living in Kasanga, heading to portbell luzira and the train leaves you at Nakawa. How come Sam didnt mention that? he usually does if its going to be a long distance so I thought, this must be his way of getting me out there to learn to use the system , because I really wasnt big on the balling thing but he was.
I eventually get to Penns landing, this is like a sea port, as in all I could see ahead was water and quite honestly there were no shortcuts to the other side but the funny thing was the numbers were still reducing, I was now between 100 and 1 and trying to get to 36. Silly girl!you are so off the track, this is 2 hours later, it was about time I headed home, luckily at the port there were buses and one that was headed home, I told the bus driver where I was going so she told me to hop right in and here Iam.

Sam couldnt believe it when I told him the story, there has got to be something really wrong with me how can I be such a dodoe with directions. Turns out that I actually got to the place and past it because I was being miss led by some funny numbers. The place was just afew blocks away from where the train left me. It was a great trip for me though, got to see lots of places and spots that I would like to go and spend alittle more time at, especially the historical sites. With all this adventure I can actually become a tour guide hehehehe.

Escapades : 10th August 2006

My escapades continue, I met one of Sams classmates who told me of a nice park where I could take Mich to play, called "Clarke Park" so yesterday I decided to go and find it, I knew the general direction so that was not a problem. Half way the journey things get fuzzy so I decided to ask the next person I met. The first lady said she was not from the area so she didnt know, the next lady I met seemed willing to help so I tell her Im looking for Clarke Park and she says she has never heard of it, so I break it down to say its a play area for kids and she goes "oh you mean Clorck Pork" as in that is the way it sounds and I quickly nodded yes. I finally get there, beautiful place, moral of the story?! guys if I keep my UG accent I might not get anywhere so .... Im going to twist and turn my tongue for a bit.
Hmm then there is the whole washing machine business, I had decided to wash my clothes in the tub, for two major reasons really not to get in trouble shrinking my best wear and just to know that my clothes are clean ... mbu. Anyway it didnt work because there is no place to hung the clothes, one needs to use a dryer. So I decide to take a walk there and just watch how people do it, read the instructions so that when I actually go I also look like a pro. Lets just say I went in two different occassions read the instructions and blah but I still didnt get it . That is when I decided to persuade Sam to bail me out, he is the one who knows how to make mistakes confidently, thats if he makes mistakes at all. I finally figured it out and its not at complex as I thought.
Ok the latest is the vending machine, LOL! now that was funny, Sam buys lunch and decides to share it with Mich but apperently there was abit of pepper in the sauce and we were in the middle of town so he tells me to go buy some water off the vending machine. Panic! Mich is screaming Mummy I want water. Ok! I get to the machine, luckily its like an ATM so no one can see you haharring, I first punch in the number for the drink I want then slot in the coins. Money goes down and then nothing, Iam thinking the machine has chewed my bucks, what other buttons I can press?? only the one for my change, even the change doesnt come out, hmm. I look again and decide to press the number for the drink I want and voila!!! there it comes bumping out, phew!! that was a close call, I just realised that I had done the process the reverse. First put in the money then press the number for the drink, well something like that. Well I continue to learn.

Nice day

Life in the City of Brotherly Love

... more news


Looks like the last mail I sent was a blank--after I had poured out my heart like in 4 pages--anyway I was using a laptop and the battery was running low so I hurried to send it but alas it seems it disappeared.

Ok lets see if I can recall what I was telling you guys... well a few high lights, Mich's favorite words lately have been "mummy I do not like the home" so every time we go out for a walk getting him into the house is a real hustle. I guess that is because the home is a flat and there is no play area, besides, it is a little dark on the inside and the man just does not like small spaces. But I think things are looking up, well at least some days they look up and he seems quite happy. Slowly he is getting used to the place, it is really slow.

We go everywhere together, he does not seem to like spending time with Dad I guess because he is away most of the day. I think he really misses playing company and I am growing a little old for the running around thing. We have been to a few parks in the area where there are a lot of slides and swings and he plays for a bit then he stops, and I am thinking now what?! Anyway I realized some of these things are not fun when its just you, you need company. I wonder where all the kids are? I guess there is school and summer holidays or something, once in a while we find some kids and that brightens up his day, then he does not want to leave the area all together, so there is no comfort zone yet, everything has its cons.

Hmm!! The other day we tried out this church not too far off called "Vine yard community church", it takes place in a school area and has a congregation of about 30 people. Sam had been there before and so they were familiar with him, their theme is something like "spreading the love of Jesus to the ends of the earth" I thought now that is some what like the KPC vision, somewhat. Then the brochure about the church says, "You are welcome to sit back and enjoy the music, listen to the sermon and announcements". Whatever happened to joining in the praise and worship and having time with God for ones self?? Anyway, I should not be too judgmental I think they just want people from everywhere to feel comfortable in the church. 

I did not sit through the sermon because my dear Mich was not about to sit in Sunday school with one other child and the teacher, so we went out for a walk. At the end of the service Sam introduced me to the pastor Brad and his wife. They are a young couple and I think I am settling in pretty fast because it was not until I got home and Sam pointed it out to me that I noticed the pastors wife had a nose ring, the kind that looked like a ship anchor. Anyway they are nice people they have invited us over for dinner sometime next week. I cant imagine Marilyn with one of those, I really need to find the Navigators in this area because things are tight, meanwhile I continue to pray that God leads us to the place He wants us to worship and be involved.

On Saturday we went out to Wal-mart to buy a few things for the home, saucepans, spoons... the whole works. It is an interesting area, I mean the location of Wal-mart, you get to see all sorts of people there--this is like one hour away from home. There are Chinese, blacks, whites, Hispanics, e.t.c, The ladies are really huge, I do not know what is in their diet but I do not want any of it. Most of them looked pregnant, the tummies are really out there, well except for the Chinese who are really slim, some zungus and new mothers. Funny that the new mums are flat tummied and am serious, some thing is very wrong.

Our diet had not been the healthiest until recently when I got some pots and pans, almost everything that was available was tasteless. I could survive but my man Mich was not eating anything, he did not even like the bread, the chicken is dipped in some sweet stuff so that was not nice either, the time I remember he ate was when we went to a welcome party for the Wharton students black community and they gave us maize, he ate till he was blue.

People like Mich a lot, we went for a welcome party on the Penn campus and this lady took a picture of Mich and I, next day Sam came home and told me how we were all over the campus screens, hehehe a little fame will not hurt .

This place has got a variety of everything, making a choice can be really tough, especially when it comes to buying food stuffs, its gonna be trial and error all the way. 

The houses are awesome, some of them, but the differences are also amazing, there are really nice houses then not so nice houses, then not nice houses. When we had just come I thought we were in a really nice neighborhood until took a few walks around. I decided we were actually living student lives and there is real nice stuff out there but also banange! As some places are real dumps, real awful and dirty?!

I'm not yet set up at home so I have to use Sam's laptop until I get something steady, not that he needs to use the machine.

Did I tell you he is real busy?! Man! In this school you hit the ground running and imagine his lecturers say they still have some time on their hands before it actually gets really busy, I cant imagine what that is like.

I miss home, family and friends, need people to talk to, its a process I know and slowly I will get there, but I am also counting down to when I can go back home.

Till later.

My life in the city of brotherly love

My life in the city of brotherly love

Hi People,

Greetings from 236 Buckingham place, philadelphia, PA. It was a loooooong journey, this morning Mich asked "Mummy you have brought me where?".
Its so hot here I miss home, Ug has the best weather you all know. As in the house is so hot that one can just put a cake in the baking container and leave it in the sitting room, it will bake alright. You know how in UG it gets cooler in the night?! well that doesnt happen here, its actually hotter in the night, no need for bed covers or even nighties. Explains the skimpy dress code Iam seeing, Sam just told me an old lady died of heat in her apartment, yeah its that bad.
Ok about the flight, lets just say when we were getting off the plane almost everybody wanted to see the little boy who couldnt stop crying. First we get into the duty free area at Entebbe and Mich sees a toy car, he insisted I get it for him, he was crying "Mummy I want a car", so under pressure I get it for him and what do you know, there was peace for a long while. We got on to the plane and he was all happy, then we are asked to put on our sit belts and the car has to be put away untill the plane takes off. All hell broke loose, he yells and screams the entire time untill he the plane takes off and we can get the car back, phew that was about all the adventure for the time. He begins to play with all the toys he has been given and later on falls asleep. That gave me some time to sleep as well and watch abit of tv. We got to heathrow at 4pm, by this time he really wanted to get out of the plane. We get off and move around for abit, first thing I had to do is find the gate where I would take the next flight. Big airport Heathrow, and everybody is rushing back and forth, luckily I had 2 hours before the next flight so by the time we get to gate 23 which is like 20 minutes away we have just enough time to look around and say hello to other little kids.
As soon as we board the plane, Mich says he wants to go outside, I mean this at the point where the annoucement is going off the sit down and fasten sit belts, I am explaining to him that we can't go out right now and we have to wait till the plane lands. Again, its all wailiing and tantrums, kicking and throwing himself on the ground, anyway I sit calmly and smile at all the passengers who turn around to see whats going on. I really wanted to get the slipper and beat the sillyness out of him, well there was no slipper nearby and I wanted to look collected, ofcourse I was saying "wait till we get out of here and I will show you who is boss", at this point I am getting people passing me toys, juice boxes, chocolate and I thought oh how nice but really embarassing. Anyway the plane finally takes off and within 5 minutes he is asleep. I figure he is really tired at this point because its about 8pm Ugandan time, he sleeps for about 5 hours and wow! the peace in the plane was great, everybody had forgotten about the little boy untill about 45 mins before we land, he wakes up and we have to do the whole sitbelt things again, he begins to cry saying he wants to go outside and and he doesnt want to put on the sit belt and then the ear pressure sets in. At this point the lady infront of me gives me a lolipop for him to suck on, I hear it helps with the pressure. Its a no no for sweets but this time I readily got the sweet and handed it to him, the things mums go through!. Well, it worked out just fine, the lolipop thing, what I found funny was he couldnt believe I was actually giving him a sweet, as for the chocolate, he just said "Mummy you eat" I think it was too good to be true, or maybe he thought it was a test.
Anyway we land at JFK Airport at 9pm, that is 2am Uganda time, now Mich story was he wanted to go back, " Mummy we go back", "Mummy we go home", people were just smiling at us. Anyway we go through immigrations easy, get finger prints and photograph taken and we are off. I get my baggage, a trolley and we get out to find yours truly Mr. O waiting for us. That was very nice, ofcourse I knew he would be there but you know... it was nice to see him and know that finally some one can help with Mich .
He had rented a van that took us all the way home, through New Jersey and and a few other places, unfortunately I was soo spent, my head was nodding with sleep I had no clue where we were. We reached home at 1am, that is like 7am Ug time or there about. So you can imagine what little Mich was going through, for the first time he was saying "Mummy we go and sleep", now thats rare coming from a fellow who doesnt want to sleep most of the time.
The apartment is nice, the buildings are really old but I couldn't complain. We had a guest for the night, a guy called Ham a Ugandan also going to study at Wharton. He got married afew weeks back to the V.P's daughter.

Anyway got to run, more later.