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a glimpse ... posted on May 27, 2009 - 11:37pm

a glimpse at my time in uganda.(thanks to the other mini's for some of their pics)

finale posted on March 31, 2009 - 9:04am

good morning ... on the longest day ever. i woke up at around 4:00am, which is not uncommon, but instead of milling around and then going back to sleep, i spent the morning defending my life and my (guest)home against the biggest bugs i've ever seen. i don't know know where they came from but i'm sure they were baby pterodactyls. or small airplanes. whether it was all that running and jumping or the fumes from the israeli bug spray, i was unable to take my wake-up nap. and, being the witter that i am, i was pretty much packed and ready to go like two days ago. so today i'm just waiting until we head to the airport.

i've learned ... posted on March 19, 2009 - 4:22pm

when faced with “disaster”, i flee. when the opportunity to flee is unavailable, i face it head-on.i drink too much coffee.there aren’t many things more dangerous than a four year old that speaks two languages.unfortunately, there are some things distance can’t change.fortunately, there are some things it changes drastically.dr. seuss is a genius and curious george is kind of a jerk.rice clogs things.i’m pretty handy under a kitchen sink.“you are where you are because God hasstrategically put you there.”fourth graders are relentless.there's no hurry in africa.of all my nicknames, teacher laura (lora) is my favorite.i love my friends and family and home dearly.

sponsor an orphan with rafiki posted on March 11, 2009 - 6:10am

one of the things i am learning while here in uganda is how (and how NOT) to best help those in need in africa. especially the orphans here at rafiki. it's not just a matter of buying 95 pairs of shoes or sending a bulk load of crayons ... there are proper steps to take and channels to go through. i'm surprised to hear that so many americans get annoyed when they hear they can't just make their donation without putting some thought into it. it is important to find out what the specific needs of a location are. otherwise, a rafiki location could end up with a boxful of unusable dvd's and not enough toothbrushes or socks. take time to get to know what the need is, who you are helping and how your possible donation will be used.

02.20.09 posted on February 20, 2009 - 1:23pm

today marks the halfway point of my time here in uganda (close enough). it doesn't feel like i've been here a month and a half, yet it feels like i've been doing this forever. i love being here ... even on bad days. especially on bad days. i'm thankful every morning. i've noticed some improvements in the classes i've been involved with. though they are far apart in age, the preschool class and the P5 class are at the same level in some ways ... speaking english during school, listening and understanding instruction, becoming better accustomed to the structure and flow of this school. it seems the majority of the first term is just getting them used to school and teachers. after i griped and griped so much about teaching that P1 class, i hunkered down and prepared to teach for the week. of course, monday morning, teacher cissy was back and hasn't been gone since.

T.G.I.F. posted on February 6, 2009 - 10:20pm

THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY. what a week this has been. let me start by saying that God is good, and i wouldn't have gotten through this week without God's mercy and guidance. i know what you're thinking, what happened?! civil unrest? monsoon? typhoid? nope, none of those. worse ....... first graders.

do they have the sun in america? posted on January 25, 2009 - 7:42pm

wow ... i didn't realize it had been so long since my last update. the past couple weeks have been busy, busy. i'm now sitting in a much quieter house, save the crickets and bats outside. my texas housemates left a couple hours ago to head back to the lone star state. while i am more accustom to bachelorette living, i enjoyed having them here to live and work with my first few weeks in uganda. i'm glad i have my "quote book" to remember our time together. so, for the next few days, i have the place all to myself before the next batch of minis arrive. it's not much different than my home life in wilmington ...

uganda photos posted on January 15, 2009 - 9:47pm

i'll be uploading my pictures on flickr.comhttp://www.flickr.com/gp/34344979@N05/Vm38yUenjoy

and nightbirds sing to you an empty tune posted on January 14, 2009 - 6:20am

it's 5:30am and i'm awake. again. as much as i do love "living" in africa, my sleep has not proven to be high on it's priority list. it's been ten days, i should be over jet lag by now. i've almost gotten used to the nightly bird chatter right outside my window. (not songbirds, my friends ... there's one we call the laughing bird and another that sounds like a metal detector you'd see your uncle using at the beach.) we have power here at rafiki, but it is regulated by "the man", so two generators are in place for those times when we are cut off. apparently, they haven't had to use them for quite a while until this past week.

mzungu have arrived posted on January 10, 2009 - 10:16pm

hello from uganda! my first week at rafiki uganda has been great. all of my flights were hassle-free and i arrived at entebbe airport late sunday night with all of my luggage ... which is more than i can say for the other mini-missionaries who arrived here a day before. i admit, i was quite apprehensive about arriving at and staying in entebbe by myself. luckily, i met a grad student from duke university who was traveling to uganda for mba work.