:-)

thank you all so much for the emails and comments. i love you and i am so blessed by you!

i am so overwhelmed (in a good way) being here. sometimes i just stop in my tracks because a flower catches my eye or i see a huge bird. i've been climbing to the top of monkey hill everynight and watching the sunset before dinner. i can't describe to you how breathtaking it is. i cried the first night....for those of you who know me....yeah its intense.

i cried today too. we had our USP class today (ok....quick note. school here is not as organized as at home. people weren't registered on the first day and the timetable wasn't even done. i might have classes tomorrow though!). the rest of the classes didn't meet because it's a national holiday. anyway.....yeah. we talked about all the work we'd have to do for the semester and then we started talking about the possible service projects. i was so overwhelmed. there were so many i wanted to get involved with....working with a sex ed program that empowers women women, swimming with special ed kids, hanging out w/ street kids, spending time w/ kids at orphanages....there was just so much. i think i've decided what my first choice is. i want to work with a program called "reach out." i will have to drive to kampala....but i will get to work with AIDS patients and their families. i might get to do medical stuff and/or teach kids whose parents are sick. i am so excited (cassie!! i want to talk to you soooooo bad!!!)

ummm....we went to visit a dr. today. he told us the 7 ways not to die in uganda. hahaha. it was awesome. he was pretty funny. lemme see if i can remember:

1. don't get in a mutatu (like a mini bus....driven mostly by guys who are on a lot of drugs)
2. careful who you go out w/ (murder is the leading killer of foreigners.....mostly jealous boy/girlfriends)
3. if you're sick....go to bed (don't be a hero)
4. if you get diarrhea....just take these lil pills
5. if you get ben hertsia don't panic.....just take your horse pills
6. don't have sex
7. if you do have sex....get an HIV test (oh man 6 and 7 were funny, im not gonna lie....but i wont describe it because it was a bit frank)

he also told us that we probably wont get malaria and not to listen to anyone who tells us we have it, because that's just what they call all sickness here.

oh my goodness!!! i talked to a boy from rwanda yesterday. he told me i could stay at his church and work for the summer. i also heard back from a man named salva dut who works in northern uganda....we are probably going to meet in kampala soon to talk about the summer. please pray for funding and planning to work out so i can stay!!!

ok....i gotta run. im on a stolen lap top (maybe i shoulda brought mine....you were right AS ALWAYS dad) love you all! xoxoxo