Home stays have come and gone!

I interrupt my own list of anticipated post topics to bring you a host family post!

So, last Saturday morning (21 January), terrified and excited, we loaded into vans with a backpack, a sleeping bag, a mosquito net, and a plastic jug of about 10L of water to head to our host families’ homes for the next 2 weeks. We had been prepped on how we may need to take splash baths and use latrines outside, live without electricity, share a room with multiple people and eat lots of matoke. In just a few minutes, there I stood in front of a huge house with a few smiling faces to greet me and carry my stuff in. The family I’m with is so gracious and kind and honestly very American! They’ve travelled to America before for business affairs and they have family in Boston (I’ve never even been to Boston!). Both of my host parents work in the medical field for NGO’s at a hospital in Kampala, so they have about an hour commute everyday. In addition, the children all go to school in Kampala, they are 10, 8 and 5 (the older 2 are girls, youngest is a boy!). They are adorable, speak more polite English than I, and just finished their last week of holiday so they have been in relax mode until this week when they went back and switched into busy mode!

The first week with them was great, after I got home in the evenings I would hang out with the kids, either watching tv or playing, and then we usually ate dinner around 9:30 or 10, which is pretty common for Ugandans. This past weekend was a lot of fun too, we did some chores but mostly hung out, played with clay, made paper beads (see pic below) and hung out with family. Then this week got very busy as they went back to school. They leave at about 6 am, so they were leaving as I woke up! And everyone got home around 7 pm, including me. They have a maid who does the cooking and cleaning, and my host mother’s cousin, in her last year of high school, also lives with them to help with chores and with looking after the kiddos.

Paper beads!! Not finished though, they need to be dipped in varnish, but we didn't have any.

Angel! Age 10 =)

Jed, Age 5 (note the missing teeth, haha)

Bella, Age 8.... all 3 love to smile!

So, it’s a busy and lively household and I learned to make some fun food, play new card games, and I drank lots of tea! I’m excited to have a family close by to visit throughout the rest of my time here. Being in a home is definitely relaxing, God always provides us with what we need, and I was definitely in need of a family connection. I had been very worried about the experience before I met the family but I was quickly put at ease and I already miss them now that I’m back on campus!

This weekend I’ll be doing very fun things in Jinja that I will tell you all about on Monday, in addition to a post about my internship sometime this coming week as well! It’s bedtime here in Africa, so peace out dear friends!

Be blessed,

Ruth