43,829 Minutes

About 9 months ago, I sang “Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders” at Echo in Kennesaw, Georgia. Many of you will recognize that line as one from the Hillsong song “Oceans.” (LINK to song). I should have known better than to ask such a grand request from The Lord, but I had no idea what He had in store for me. In case you are wondering, it was Uganda. But I must say that 1 month later, He did NOT disappoint…not that in my wildest dream did I ever think He would!

We have been here in Kampala for 1 month (to the day!), and what an adventure it has been! I had no idea that God would take me 8,000 miles away from my comfort zone to show me what truly relying on Him would look like, but He did! If there is one thing I have learned in the past month, it is that true reliance on God is humanly terrifying, because it means completely letting go of everything, and trusting Him with it all. However, as humanly terrifying as it may be, nothing is more rewarding. Allowing God to work in and through you is one of the most satisfying things we can experience as humans, because we are fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. We still have 2 and a half more months here in Kampala, and I cannot wait for what God has in store!

I say that we have experienced “a lot” while here, and I mean that! I have tried my best to keep you all updated on what is going on, but it is difficult to share everything with you all. One of the most exciting things (for me, anyway) is that I have started teaching! For the first three and a half weeks at KISU, my colleagues and I were simply observing different teachers throughout the school and helping out where we could/were asked to. However, I took over two classes this week, and will be teaching those for the next 8 weeks! One class is a Year 9 (equivalent to 8^th grade) History class. There are 10 students, 3 of those being English as an Additional Language students (EAL). To put it simply, English is not their first language, but I also work in their Language Support class twice a week, so more on them later! The Year 9 curriculum works through various themes in history. The unit that I just started is “Conflict,” and we will be looking at conflict from Great Britain’s perspective – specifically World Wars I and II. The next unit is “Power,” and we will be doing case studies on Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. My other class, Diploma Program 1 (11^th grade), is going through a book titled Russian Communism Under Lenin and Stalin. My first thought when my Mentor Teacher told me was “WHAT.” I had NO prior knowledge of Russian History, and suddenly I was going to TEACH it? Let me just say that Friday’s lesson was…interesting. I taught on the Russian Civil War (1918-1920), and I was not as prepared as I thought! My 2 (yes, I only have 2 students in that class) students told me it went well, though, so I will take their word for it! I will be sure to keep you updated as the term progresses.

Some of my favorite lessons each week are with my Learning Support students. I work with 3 Year 9 boys, 2 Chinese and 1 Angolan who speaks Portuguese. They are learning English well, they just all learn at different paces. I have worked with them since Day 1, so I have gotten to know them very well. They have been so quick to speak to me (the best they can) in the halls and at lunch, even when the other students still had no idea who my colleagues or I were. The 3 boys are so funny and nice, and working with them is such a day-brightener. Even when I am getting on to them for not working as hard as the teacher and I know they can, they still smile! I am so excited to see how far these boys have progressed when December comes!

It has taken a month, but I have reached the point of adjustment where I am comfortable. Walking everywhere is normal to me, and riding in a car seems strange. I have learned to live with schillings, and seldom do I now ask myself, “How much is that in dollars?” I am used to having to either fill up my water bottles everywhere or buying water (yes, paying for water) anywhere we go out. I have even gotten used to being at least warm at all times. [In the entire month we have been here, not once have I felt cold, and we are nearing the end of the cold months. I would hate to experience the hot months!]

As I close out this post, I will leave you with some moments.

Funny Moment: This week, I was working with a Year 11 (10^th grade) girl from South Africa. We were talking about universities in the States, and I asked her if she was considering going to one. Her response made me laugh: she said “no” because she was scared of America based on what she saw on TV. I asked her what she had seen, and she said Kim Kardashian and some show about teenagers in Beverly Hills. I had to quickly explain that most people in the States cannot stand the Kardashians (although people just love keeping up with them!), and that university was nothing like the shows and movies! I then explained misconceptions that people have about Africa, and when we talked through those, she was laughing because she knew they were not true, just as I knew her misconceptions were not true. [Side note: the majority of ideas Americans have about Africa are probably false.]

Scary moment: I GOT HIT BY A CAR WHILE WALKING TO SCHOOL. Yes, you read that right! Saba and I were walking on the side of the road, with me closer to traffic. We were on a hilly side road that is usually heavily trafficked with walkers, so cars will normally drive slowly. NOT THIS CAR. We were walking like any other day, and out of nowhere, I feel something hit the back of my elbow very hard, and saw a blue van drive by. Saba thought my arm was going to be dislocated, but I was fine except for some swelling. The van, however, now has a dented side mirror with the mirror part cracked in several places. The van did not stop, so I have no idea who was driving, or how angry they were. [Many of you might be asking “why were you walking with traffic as opposed to against it?” Our school is on that side, and crossing the road can be tricky, so we try to cut the tricks wherever we can. It had not been a problem any of the previous days!] This happened yesterday morning, and I am more than OK now. No permanent (or temporary) damage! Still scary, though! However, I do tend to pull my arm in closer to my side when I hear a car coming by while I am walking with traffic on the side of the road.

As always, I want to connect with my readers. How has your month been? What are some conceptions you have about Africa? Let’s chat!

Cam

Connect with me through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Skype! Links provided!

- Facebook is more for general updates on how things are going (Cameron Yarbrough)

- Twitter is more thoughts about things I am experiencing (@TheGrandCameron)

- Instagram is for cool pictures and things! I am using the hashtag #CAMpala2014 on all of my pictures during this experience, so you can find my pictures that way as well! (@TheGrandCameron)

- Skype me! cameron_yarbrough

That's What I Love About Sundays

The Lord is alive and working in Kampala!

I visited a Ugandan church today here in Kampala. The Food Technology teacher at KISU attends Watoto Church in the heart of the city, and one day last week, he invited us to go with him. He said they have six (WHAT) services at their main campus, Central Campus, and he normally goes on Saturday nights. The three of us were busy for most of the day yesterday, so we were unable to go with him. However, he said he would go to the 3:00 service today if we were still interested in going.

This morning, the three of us were all awake by 9am. After breakfast and some school work, we took off for the mall so the girls could get some fresh bread from a café there...and so we could enjoy one of the few places in the city with free wifi.

Around 2:30, we get a call from Martin, the Food Tech teacher, saying he is on the way. After some miscommunication with directions, he picks us up about 3:00, and we head to Watoto. Coming in late, we had to sit in the balcony. When we walked in, it felt so much like being back at my home church, North Metro Church. The auditorium was so alive with people filled with the Spirit! The worship was very contemporary, and you could tell that the Lord was very present in the service. It reminded me so much of back home that I felt like part of the congregation at once.

Watoto was such a great reminder of why I am here in Uganda, and it felt very refreshing to worship with other believers. Having not been with my NMC family for almost two months, I was greatly missing Christian community. Whether it is with Martin or not, I think Watoto is definitely somewhere I will be visiting again.

We left the church around 5:00, and Martin asked if it was okay that we stopped by his mom and dad’s house for a bit. We did not have anything planned for the evening, so we did not mind. He said that he had dropped his 5-year old daughter there earlier that morning with the rest of his family, so he wanted to go by and pick her up. When we walked into the house, there were so many people. We met his mom, Rose, who was very nice to us and at once handed us cups and pointed us in the direction of the ice and juice [this was the first time I have had ice while in Uganda]. The juice was a homemade blend of several different fruits, and it was so delicious. A younger lady, one of Martin’s sisters, I believe, brought us plates and forks and asked if we had had lunch. All of the food they were putting away from lunch was immediately reheated and brought back out to us. We had meatballs, potatoes, chapatti (link), chicken, and pinto beans. It was all SO good, and there seemed to be an endless supply of food. While we were eating, kids of all ages kept running through the dining/living room, so we asked Rose who they all were. She said they were grandkids, and there were always a lot of people over on Sundays. Each person we met was so nice to us, and was interested in who we were and why we were in Uganda. While talking to one of the little girls, Sophie, Martin brought out pizza that he had just made from scratch. I felt so full from the other food, but I knew Martin was a good cook, so I just HAD to try some of the pizza. The pizza was covered with chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese, and both slices I had were so good! I told Martin I would be coming by Food Tech a lot more often during my planning periods! We left Rose's house so full of food and feeling very good about how we spent our afternoon/evening!

Days full of Jesus, family, and food are what I miss so much from back home, so it was so nice of Martin to invite us not only to church, but also to his house. Rose and the family told us to come by whenever, that we were always welcome. I am sure this Sunday routine will be one we try our best to keep up!

Cameron

Did you go to church this morning? How was it? Let's chat in the comments!

Connect with me though Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Links provided!

- Facebook is more for general updates on how things are going (Cameron Yarbrough)

- Twitter is more thoughts about things I am experiencing (@TheGrandCameron)

- Instagram is for cool pictures and things! I am using the hashtag #CAMpala2014 on all of my pictures during this experience, so you can find my pictures that way as well! (@TheGrandCameron)

- Skype me! cameron_yarbrough

Kampala, Uganda

 As I am going on and on about trying my best to connect you to my life here in Uganda, I have realized one important thing: You have no idea what Kampala is like! In my last post, I showed you a view from Google maps the path we take to and from school each day, but that does nothing to show you what my eyes see each morning and afternoon…which is a lot!

Kampala is just like any other city you have been to. There are roads, buildings – shopping centers, grocery stores, restaurants, furniture stores, etc. – and people. However, on the opposite side of the same coin, Kampala is nothing like any city you have ever been to. The roads are…somewhat paved. Rarely will you see a stoplight, and don’t ask if stop signs exist (they don’t). Pedestrians do NOT have the right-of-way (trust me, we know this all too well), and there might be 20 yards of sidewalk in the entire city.

The corner of our street and the main road, where we pick up the Matatu each morning.

This is our street! Most of it is paved, but this part is not.

Do not be fooled; this is not a side walk but rather a sewage drain covering. The wall is the outside wall of Kabira Country Club.

Despite all of these seemingly negative attributes of the city, Kampala is beautiful. Anywhere you can find an open field, you will almost always find people of all ages playing soccer football. [We had the amazing opportunity to play football with a group of boys last Thursday. It was an experience I will never forget and hope I get to have again while I am here.] While there may be people lining both sides of the street, walking to wherever, they are some of the nicest people I have ever come in contact with. The young children may call me ‘Mzungu’ from time to time, but they are all smiles and giggles when they do, and they LOVE to shake my hand and give me a hug and high fives.

Ugandans playing football.

The same field, just a few hours later. I thought this captured a very good view of Kampala.

 

Us playing football with the Ugandan boys!

Kampala offers 4 distinct types of transportation, each with its own pros and cons as well as price range.

1. Walking – Walking is one of the most common forms of transportation in Kampala. People walk to and from work, the grocery store, school, etc. Whenever my colleagues and I walk somewhere, no matter the time of day, we are never alone on the sides of the roads. The pros to walking are that it is free and you get great exercise. The cons are that it takes the longest of the 4 modes of transportation, and if you are walking any at time of day when the sun is out, you will sweat. 
2. Matatu – Matatus are like a combination of U.S taxis and buses. A Matatu is a 15-passenger van that, like a bus, goes from stage (stop) to stage, picking people up wherever they are, even if they are not at a stage, like a taxi. Any given time you hop on a Matatu, you will most likely be riding with up to 20 other passengers. Drivers, and their assistants (the guys who tell them when to stop and the people you pay), will pack their Matatus FULL of people. The pros are that rides are very cheap (500 shillings, which translates to 20 cents) and they are very common, so it is easy to get a ride. The cons are traffic – if there are a lot of cars on the road, you could be sitting for a little while, and you could be let off at the wrong stage due to a miscommunication error (this has happened too many times). Another con is that a Matatu will only take you from stage to stage, so you may still have to walk a distance to your destination.
   
   

   

   This is what a Matatu looks like
3. Boda Bodas – Boda Bodas, bodas, for short, are my personal favorite of this list. A boda is a motorcycle, to put it simply. The driver has room for 1-5 other people (yes, we have seen 5 people on the back before) on the back of his boda, and he will take you wherever you want to go. The pros to this are that the driver will weave in and out of traffic to cut down on travel time, and he will drop you off right at your door…or gate (every plot of land is walled and gated in Kampala). The cons are that they are not super safe. The driver rarely has an extra helmet, and he will weave RIGHT NEXT TO CARS to avoid waiting in traffic. Also, they are a little more expensive than Matatus, but you can negotiate the price. This is definitely the most fun mode of transportation in Kampala.

   

   And here is a Boda Boda

4. Private hire – Private hires are people who own cars and drive people around all day. If you are traveling long distances, or you have a group of people, private hires are the way to go. They are super flexible, and if you call them with enough time, they can pick you up whenever you need them to, and will even wait for you if you need to make several stops (for an added fee, of course). Pros to Private Hires are convenience – it is just like getting a ride from a friend. Also, they will give you their number so you can call them whenever you need to. Just give them enough notice. Cons are that they are the most expensive, by far. However, a way to cheat the system is to travel with a group. PH’s charge by distance, so 1 person or 5 people traveling the same distance pay the same total amount. Going with a group greatly cuts down costs for PH’s.

Each of my colleagues and I have a good deal of experience with each mode of transportation. When talking prices with boda drivers or PH’s, we are often given a higher rate because we are from the States, but we have learned to negotiate with them like locals to get a far price.

Until next time!

Cam

How are YOU? We are experiencing SO much here in Uganda, but I still want to stay connected with friends and family back home! Anything I can be praying for? Let's talk!

Connect with me though Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Links provided!

- Facebook is more for general updates on how things are going (Cameron Yarbrough)

- Twitter is more thoughts about things I am experiencing (@TheGrandCameron)

- Instagram is for cool pictures and things! I am using the hashtag #CAMpala2014 on all of my pictures during this experience, so you can find my pictures that way as well! (@TheGrandCameron)

Also, I got Skype! Can we skype? Please? My username is cameron_yarbrough!