Here!

Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.
-Miriam Beard

We made it!

Us on the plane:

After a bus ride from Philly to JFK, a flight from JFK to Brussels, and a flight from Brussels to Entebbe, we are all finally here! The first flight went well- we had really great flight attendants, even one from Texas (Hi Jana)! The second flight seemed to take forever- we were all really anxious to get there! There were huge smiles all around when we were finally on Ugandan ground. We picked up our bags (one of mine was lost somewhere in Brussels, so hopefully I'll get it on Wednesday) and were met at the airport by a couple of PC staff members. We then got in a van and rode from Entebbe to Kampala- the drive was about 45 minutes. It was really dark, but it was so great to see Uganda! It's crazy, I felt just like I was in Thailand again. The roads, the trees, the smells... everything. We drove to Forrest Cottages, the guest house where we're staying- it's really nice. I'm rooming with Erin, Tiffany, and Courtney. There's a western toilet in our room that only works sometimes, but there's a squat toilet in the general bathroom, and I actually feel a lot more comfortable with that! Anyway, after we got in on Friday, we ate and then went straight to bed- it was really late!

Saturday we had a lot of meetings where we were introduced to the PC staff who will be doing our training. We got a few vaccinations and also had "survival Luganda" language lessons, which were a lot of fun! They've been feeding us a ton ever since we arrived- everything is buffet style, and of course I have to try everything. I've had the main staple, matoke, which is mashed plantains. By itself it's not the greatest, but with groundnut sauce on it, it's surprisingly good! Last night we all went to bed early! Unfortunately I think most of the other women didn't sleep too well- there are really really loud frogs here! They kind of sound like ducks, actually. They didn't bother me- I'm a really heavy sleeper- but it sounds like most people had a rough night.

Today we did a walking tour of Kampala in small groups, with one of our trainers. Sarah, Tiffany, and I went with Irene, one of the language teachers. First, we hoped in a taxi (a minibus) and rode to the market/bus area. We walked around through the market and actually ran into some current PCVs (Peace Corps volunteers)- Theresa, Erin, and Steve. It was nice meeting them and talking for a few minutes! The market is interesting- overwhelming really. Again, it reminds me so much of Thailand- especially the crowding and the traffic. The traffic just flows... there don't really seem to be rules. It's fun, but scary if you're not used to it. Our groups all met up at the post office, and then we took a minibus to the Peace Corps office, where I am right now. We just had a great picnic with all of the staff, and we'll be returning to Forrest Cottages again soon.

At the PC Office for the picnic:

Tomorrow morning we head to Luweero, where I'll be staying for the next three months. The first night I think we're staying at the training center, and then after that we'll be moving in with our host families- I am SO excited! This is most likely the last time I'll write on here for quite a while- I don't think that there is internet access in Luweero. Take care!