you know you've lived in africa for a long time when. . .

.  . . beans and rice is one of your favorite dishes

.  . . seeing two boys holding hands doesn’t even faze you (in Uganda, it is more common to see people of the same sex holding hands than people of opposite sexes. It’s just a cultural way of saying you are friends.)

.  . . you are used to cold showers (and you only shower twice a week. Oh, and forget about shaving regularly!)

.  .  . clothes you would never wear in the States start to look really cute

. . . you are really excited if the power stays on all day and all night

. . . you see a white person and have the uncontrollable urge to yell, “Mzungu!”

. . . waiting for up to an hour for a meeting or a class to begin is normal

. . . your day is made when you poop solid

. . . you find a rock in your food and you keep eating

. . . you see a dead cockroach in your bathroom and you leave it for a few days

. . . you think your clothes are clean when they don’t smell

. . . you start to argue over twenty cents

. . . you cancel your meetings when it rains

. . . you compare your chaco tan lines with others

. . . you think you’re really tan and then you shower and suddenly you’re not as tan as you thought

. . . all your clothes are crunchy because washing by hand you never get all of the soap out

. . . you have to drink all of your soda at the place you bought it because they charge you extra if you take the glass bottle

. . . you’re riding in a taxi and a random African sits in your lap and you’re okay with it because the 14-seater taxi only has 18 people and not 24

. . . you’ve had at least fifteen marriage proposals in the last week

. . . you sit on a motorcycle sideways (if you’re a girl), even when you’re wearing pants

. . . its normal to hold hands with a stranger when you first meet them

. . . you bargain over every price, regardless of what it is

i wrote this a year ago today while i was in Uganda. if you want a snapshot of what my day to day life was there, enjoy this and then go check out my blog for Africa here.
Co-authored by Sarah Blackhurst, Suzanne Whitehead, Whitney Smith, Devin Wengert and Beka Arnesen

rafting the nile

last summer i went to Uganda. one weekend we took a break from Mbale, and traveled to Jinja to raft the Nile! now don't get confused, this isn't the slow, muggy Nile of Egypt. this is class 5 rapids. totally awesome. i would do it again and again!

this place {impact school}

dear students, do not forget me, but more importantly do not forget what i taught you. remember that i believe that you can change your life! remember that i love you from across the ocean. remember that you are important to me- and to God. 

love,

Beka

this is africa

one year ago today i landed in Africa.

right before landing

we woke up (and yes i actually did sleep on the plane this time) in kenya just as the sun was rising. i swear i could hear "Circle of Life." it looked exactly like Lion King! except for the airplanes and the city in the background. but if you looked in the other direction, you saw the savannah spreading out as far as you could see. we waited in the Nairobi airport for what seemed like hours. the humidity was like a wall, even inside the airport, and everyone was tired and nervous for what lay ahead.

uganda.

we got through customs in Entebbe just fine and rushed out to greet our country director- Whitney and Suzanne. everything was loaded into a bus/taxi. it was madness, everyone talking, throwing suitcases and bags into the back of the taxi, and then trying to find the best seat possible to catch our first real glimpse of our new home.

the back of the bus

after driving for hours, and making many pit stops to pick up our fridge (which we later found out was infested with cockroach eggs- too bad we found this out after the eggs hatched), buy fruit, etc etc, we arrived in Mbale. the power was out at our house (we didn't know but this would soon become how we spent most of our evenings) and after throwing everything in the garage, we walked over to the hotel next door for our first african meal. we were so hungry and tired that of course everything was delicious (in the future we were not so enamored with this "fancy" african food).
the rest of the night was so adventurous. it was crazy! but i won't bore you with the details. instead, here are a few more pictures!

in front of our house

roommates, bunk beds, mosquito nets

one day in london

a year ago today, i woke up in london. correction- i had been awake the entire flight due to being in the middle of the middle row of seats, sitting next to a semicreepy man, listening to a baby scream almost all night. but it sounded cool to say i woke up on london.
we had a 12 hour layover in london and were anxious to see the city. after finally finding our way to customs (Heathrow is a huuuuge airport) we were on our way into London! we ended up only having about six hours to explore, and so we didn't have time to go see Platform 9 3/4 (i was the only one with the desire to see this. . . weird).  we did, however, have time to see many amazing things!

Westminster Abbey 

at Regent's Park. so beautiful!

 

The "Uganda House"

fish n chips at a real pub

Trafalgar Square

looking back, i can't believe i was in london. it sometime's feels like a dream. but it wasn't. i fell in love with the city and the culture. is that possible to do in less than 12 hours? i would move there in a heart beat.

after london, it was on to the real adventure- Uganda!!!!

ps. sorry about the photo overload.

one year ago. . .

today i left on a jet plane. to uganda. i can't believe it's been a year already! i remember being terrified and excited. i wanted to cry as i hugged my mom good bye, but i didn't. it was the scariest thing i had ever done and it ended up being the thing of most worth in my life. for the next couple days i will highlight my adventures as i traveled to uganda. throughout the summer i will relive some of my most memorable moments there as well. if you want to read more about my trip to uganda, you can go here.

at the chicago airport. the adventure was just beginning!

mzungu bridal shower

my dear friend, sarah blackhurst, is marrying my other friend, paul isrealson, tomorrow. they were both on my team in uganda and i love them both. in celebration of the upcoming marriage, i had a very low key bridal shower last night. there were a few surprises- people showing up who we didn't even think were in the state! we missed all those who weren't able to make it, but we loved the time to catch up and have everyone officially hear sarah and paul's africa love story :)

i love this girl

we just don't worry about the faces i make sometimes

these girls are the best!!!