New Ways of Living

I've arrived in beautiful kampala and am falling in love with this city.

From the little shacks and babies living in the red dirt, to the fancy acacia mall that *almost* outdoes my favorite San Francisco mall back home- kampala is a beautiful and very very busy place. 

It's going to take some time to get used to waking up to monkey noises, driving on the other side of the road, sleeping under mosquito nets; learning grams, liters, kilometers- and how the city is based off of 7 different hills. The money is different colors, and has fish, gorillas, elephants, and each bill is something like 1,000 schillings...  Oh, and can't forget the armed men outside of every "compound" who search your purse and wand you just to walk into a grocery store to buy a water bottle. 

The coffee is amazing, and the fresh fruit (particularly the pineapple) on the side of the road (and fruit juice) is incredible. 

Something I've noticed is that the Ugandans are not in a hurry, (unless it comes to driving, which is a whole different story...) and I think that's what I'll try to learn the most. You can sit in a resturant for 2+ hours before you pay for your meal, because you have to specifically ask for the check. Being somewhere where you don't have instant Internet, and the power going out on a regular basis is new- and I love it... 

As we get settled and look for a house, we're remembering to walk by faith, get used to this whole new city, learn a new way of living, a new chapter, a new beginning! 

I'm excited...

Adventure awaits! 

 

Packing

Packing. 

How do you decide what to take? 

How do you decide what to "leave?" 

How do you decide what to put aside? 

To throw away, give away, put away... 

This has been the theme of my last couple of weeks. I keep thinking about how my perspective on life is going to change- living in uganda for the next two years, coming from a place where people are so entitled and attached to "things."

Because really that's all that we have, are just "things." 

A friend told me, "Maddie, you'll go back to CA- just different. You'll have gone through a bunch of different seasons and you'll just be a different person..." 

So I wonder- how many of these "things" will I think I "need" two years from now? 

Excited for change. Excited for this new chapter. But transition is always the hardest- and that's when I remember...it's ok to cry. But it's ok to smile too. :) 

20 YEARS

For the first 20 years of my life, I've called this beautiful place "home."
It's like a slice of heaven.
A perfect average of 70º year round- the only disaster is a teeny tiny earthquake.
A variety of people, and a very low crime rate.
Within an hour you can be in the roaring ocean, stuck in 5 feet of snow, amidst Redwood Trees that have been there since time began, or in the middle of the dessert where it looks like there's no end.

Friends and family, playing with puppies, going on adventures, finishing school, starting a career, becoming Maddie... NorCal will always have a special place in my heart.

I've grown up here, and have began my life here.
From as far back as I can remember- one of my favorite childhood memories goes somethin like this...

I was standing on the edge of the pool, with big tears in my eyes. Barely 3 years old. My daddy, in the pool with his arms stretched out wide saying, "jump, Maddie, jump!" But I had a look of uncertainty in my eyes... He asked me if I was scared, and I said "yes..." Then he asked me, "doesn't it feel good?!" And my look changed from uncertainty, to a smile. A big, big smile, and I began shaking my head..."YES." Guess what happened next? I jumped, and it was so fun. 

Well, that's how I feel now. As I was driving home from work one day, a career that I had just began and most people don't start until they're close to age 30 (mind you, I was hired at 19)... thinking about resigning and what the future might hold- I began to think about that memory. Jumping into the unknown. Some people might think I'm crazy, and that it's "scary..."

But I see it as fun, I see it as jumping, and not knowing what to expect- but knowing that it will be awesome- and I have to trust the Lord, that He will catch me. Onto a new adventure, starting this next chapter of my life- in Kampala, Uganda.

And it feels so good. It sure is a big world out there, and I can't wait to see it!

Go on this journey with me.
Love,
Madeline