Well guys, T.I.A.

What time is it? I have no idea. But that could be because I have been on a whirlwind trip over three continents in the last three days. All I know is that right now, I am sitting at a computer in Mbale, Uganda and it is super dark outside. I'm sipping thick mango juice that came in a box, and it sounds like someone is playing one of those sound tapes. You know the ones - with the "sounds of the ocean" or sounds of the jungle" or whatever it is they call them. Well, right now I am for sure listening to "sounds of Africa" but it isn't on a tape - it's coming through the window.

Hahahaha I just paused this post because a giant (and I mean BIG) flying insect just flew into my head. Ick. Then I realized that they were coming in all over through a hole in the window! Like seriously, think of any movie you've seen where some creature takes over and insert me in Africa and some large random flying insect and there you go. Now I'm not usually one to run from a bug, but this very afternoon some mzungu (white person) that lives here told me that all insects in Uganda were poisonous. Awesome. Obviously I bolted into the other room to be saved by a higher power: the night guard Paul. Conveniently, Paul was aware of the bug infestation. As I peered out the glass door (we're obviously staying in a really nice house until we find our own) there was Paul, crouching down catching all of the giant attacking bugs and pinching their wings and putting them in a cup.

me: "Paul!!! What are those?! Aren't they poisonous?!"
Paul (laughing) "No, no. They are o-kay."
me (slightly confused): "They are coming in the other side of the house through the window!! Help!"
Paul continues to laugh and mock the mzungu as he makes his way to the other side where I was just attacked to "save" me from the harmless (but still big, ok?) flying creatures.

Lucky for me, Paul told me all about the flying killer (but not really) ants that come out after the African rains and how the bigger ones come out tomorrow morning. Awesome. He continued to tell me that not only were they not poisonous at all, but that he was catching them to take them home and eat them. No joke. He is legit and about to consume the very flying creature that sent me flying into the next room. Boy did I feel white, American, and gullible. I have so much to learn. Paul says he intends on taking off the wings and frying them, but as a child growing up in his village, he would just sprinkle salt on them and eat them then and there. When I was a child I ate fruit-snacks. T.I.A. = This is Africa. Paul is amazing and I love how patient he is with me as I figure out life in Uganda. Everyone here is more helpful and loving that I could have every dreamed.

I felt the post deserved an interruption about me, Paul, and the ants to let you in on a very African moment. That is just one of many that happen all the time. My world has been turned upside down more than once in the last three days. I have been more grateful than I thought possible and more blessed than I know I deserve. If you were to think of your perfect day, what would it look like? I can tell you for sure it wouldn't look like attempting to finish finals while packing up your whole house, driving to Idaho to put all said stuff away somewhere, driving back to Utah, attempting to pack everything you think you need and knowing all the things you really need you'll probably forget as you move to freaking Africa, and trying to say goodbye to everyone you've ever met. Rough. But I can tell you for sure that it WOULD look something like this:

1) Getting to see people you really love including your best friend and her baby before you go
2) Finding out that you can only have one bag checked to Africa after thinking you could have and bring three... but then having the lady just let you take them all anyway free of charge
3) Sitting by a window on every single flight all the way to Africa
4) Having friends all around the world that love you enough to come pick you up and show you all around their city and take you to your little brother who is currently serving a mission there (shout out to Rita in London!)
5) Seeing your little brother that you love more than pretty much everyone after not seeing him for an entire year
6) Going out to lunch and going to an awesome fair in Reading, England with a fore mentioned little brother - amazing rides and super legit English accents included
7) Seeing the joy on little brother's face as you hand him homemade chocolate chip cookies that your mother made you bring all the way to England because her baby boy hadn't had any in so long (did I mention you also have the most amazing parents in the world?)
8) Having all of your luggage end up in Uganda with you
9) Have three amazing Ugandan boys pick you up and take you exactly where you need to be, explaining the world of Africa to you as you go (I love you Ronnie, Moses, and Sam!)
10) Having two more amazing men pick you up and take you the rest of the way to Eastern Uganda (You too Charles and Edward!)
11) Stopping and meeting their families on the way and being treated like family by everyone who is so excited to see you for no apparent reason at all
12) Being able to somehow eat the ridiculously large head-size serving of matoke they made you for dinner - because everyone in Uganda is extremely generous and kind!
13) Having the LDS Senior missionaries open their home up to you, love you, take care of you in every possible way, and let you stay and figure out your life and realize, "holy cow, we actually just moved to Africa for 4 months"
14) Being with a great new friend the whole time
15) Having the same fabulous senior couple take you all through town, show you everything, introduce you to important local leaders, in their nice air-conditioned car
16) Walking through a nearby village while kids follow you smiling, shouting Mzungu!, and wanting to just hold your hand
17) Taking pictures with all of them and showing them their picture that many of them have never seen before
18) And guess what, you're in Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, and although you are sure things will go bad at some point, you'll get confused and think the local cuisine is a dangerous killing machine and you'll look ethnocentric and dumb, you'll say something inappropriate as you attempt to learn the tribal language, you might forget to take your malaria pills (just kidding mom...) and you might even fall off a boda-boda.... you're in Uganda. You have big plans to shake things up in a great way and help a ton of people in the process, and in a week you have 30 more people on their way to help get it all done.

Yep, that is your perfect day. And granted, that might be like three days rolled into one, but come on - you fly to a new continent and try and tell me what day it is, or where you are, or what time it is. I can't believe it took me so long to get here. Like 24 years.... but here I am, and I can already tell four months isn't going to be long enough. T.I.A.

Mountain States, USA - 4:02 PM
London, England - 11:02 PM
Mbale, Uganda - 1:02 AM