Strangers in a Foreign Loand

So, you wouldn’t imagine England to be so different than the States given that we speak the same language. But clearly…we are tourists here. We are hyper-aware of everything including driving on the “wrong” side of the road, the very cool English accents and the way everyone looks at us. They can SOOO tell we are rookies around here. For example, Bonnie called shotgun in the cab, but sat it the driver’s side by accident!

Everything is seems so charming and fascinating! We walked over the bridge on the River Thames and I believe took pictures of “the castle” in Windsor (we ventured out in the dark of night so, it could’ve really been anything, but it looked cool!)

The money seemed a bit of a challenge (converting pounds to dollars). That’s one thing you take for granted at home. You know how much a dollar is worth when buying an item and can easily tell if you’re getting ripped off or not!

We ate at Brown’s pub and restaurant. We had our hearts set on “Bangers and Mash” but they were sold out! Argggghhh! So we decided on fish and chips and a pint of cider. It was all yummy.

Back at the hotel, I managed to trip the circuit by plugging in my computer with the converter so my team got a nice laugh out of that one. And this morning we couldn’t figure out how to turn off the shower! We literally had to have someone from housekeeping come turn it off! Oy!

And the comedy of errors are happening in a country similar to ours! Can you imagine once we get to Uganda?

On Our Way to London!

Genesis 12:1

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”

Bonnie and I arrived to LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal around 4:00 pm. After a teary curbside good-bye with my boys and our husbands, we made our way into the terminal to weave through the maze of queue lines to get to British Airways bag drop off. Since our husbands had already taken care of checking us in at home and printing our boarding passes, the details of our trip were not on the forefront of our minds.

So when I walked up to the counter and the nice man asked me what flight number I was on, I was clueless! So I said “I don’t know!” and I looked back at Bonnie and she shrugged her shoulders too! So we just laughed and laughed.

As we got settled after checking in, Bonnie and I discovered just how much of a leap of faith this has been for both of us. Both of our lives are so busy and full that we haven’t really had time to read our itineraries or to consider how we would be getting from Heathrow airport in London to our hotel! We also realized that neither one of us knew what our fate would be once we landed in Entebbe, Uganda. Would there be a van there to pick us up? Would our trip leaders be there to greet us? Are we supposed to call someone when we get there? Both of our answers to all of those questions were…”I don’t know!” and then we’d laugh!

This trip is truly in God’s hands. In fact, I also realized that I had forgotten to put luggage tags on my checked bags! Oh well, I guess if I’m supposed to do dentistry there then I will. If the bags don’t make it, then God had other plans for us.

As I type this, we are sitting at gate 104 waiting. Our flight is delayed almost an hour. Judging by the amount of people seated in this area, we have a full flight tonight.

Prior to settling into our gate, we ate our “last” Mexican meal at Camacho’s in the terminal. It was divine and just as good as the one at Universal Citywalk. A chocolate craving should kick in at any moment so I am thankful for friends and neighbors who loaded me up with chocolate and other snacks for the flight!

At dinner, Bonnie and I discussed how surreal this all feels! We can’t believe we are about to go to Africa! Who would’ve thought?!

We also find the people watching at the airport fascinating! I like to see what people are reading as they wait patiently for their flights. It also seems like most people have smart phones and are either checking their messages or playing games on them. Bonnie loves seeing all the different ethnicities all in one place. The international terminal is quite exotic!

Next stop – London!

My Last "American" Day

I woke up this morning acutely aware of all the "lasts" I will have for a while. For example, my last hot American shower and using the 50 products after the shower that I normally use to get ready. (It's hard being a woman!).  My last "American" church service for a while (the whole church prayed over me and Bonnie as we prepared for our departure). My last "American" sandwich, although, I had prosciutto so technically, it was an Italian sandwich.

I guess my mind was subconsciously preparing me for a complete shift of cultural experiences.  I have been out of the country before (ie. Mexico, Italy, Canada, etc) Yet, somehow, as I prepare for this trip, it feels different.

I'm also keenly aware of the wonderful people God has placed in my life.  I'm blessed to have wonderful neighbors who posted "Bon Voyage" signs on their garages for me to see on my way to church this morning. I'm blessed to have friends and family who dropped off snacks and goodie bags for my flight. And I'm blessed to have wonderful patients who have put aside their own needs so that I can help others overseas.  In fact, these darling girls and their girl scout troop collected over 1000 pencils, erasers and sharpeners for me to bring to the kids there. And my neighbor and their girl scout troop collected pencils and stickers too!

I have plenty of pictures to post and I haven't even been there yet! However, I have just packed my camera and since I'm leaving for the airport in 45 minutes, there is no way I would be able to post them right now.  Maybe later while I'm waiting for my flight.

Well, here I go!  I'm going to go outside and watch my boys play basketball until we leave for the airport.
Stay tuned!

Help! I'm lonely! Follow me!

I know many of you are reading this blog, but are not officially "followers" of the blog. If you are so inclined, please sign up to become an official follower. This helps me know who may be reading this and I can write specifically for my audience, if there would be something of interest.

For example, if I know which dental friends of mine are reading, I might post something like "the steriziliation out here in Uganda would send the CDC into a tail spin..." or if my neighborhood friends are following, I might say something like..."thanks for keeping an eye on my boys while Dom works out in the garage.  CAR!!!!"  :)

Anyway, I think you get the idea.

Well, today is Saturday. It's 8:19 am and I'm avoiding getting out of bed. I have so much to do!

In 36 hours, I will be boarding my plane to London. I can't believe it's here already!  Occasionally throughout the day, I find myself having a flash of reality and saying "I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M GOING TO UGANDA!" and I freak out for a few minutes and then get back to my routine.

I'm virtually all packed, just have a few items left to get and pack.  I need to go to Costco to stock up for my family. I also need to stop by my office and meet a patient whose girls and girl scout troop managed to collect 1000 pencils and erasers and pencil sharpeners for the kids in Uganda!  I'm so impressed by her efforts to support me on this trip.

The kids in Uganda don't take anything for granted and are not wasteful.  They use there pencils until they are small little nubs.  You see, they don't have a surplus of anything and they don't know when they will get a new pencil again. So they use their supplies wisely. 

This is a foreign concept to us Americans who live in the land of waste and plenty!

These girl scouts were so touched by that bit of knowledged that they wanted to send the kids there a supply of pencils.  They set a goal and made it happen through corporate sponsorship.  I'm so excited to give the pencils out and to bring home video and photos of me passing out the pencils to smiling children.

Tonight, I hope to have my "last supper" American style.  I'm craving a steak and baked  potato.  How blessed am I that I can indulge my cravings...

Ponchos and water and money....oh my!

Ok, so the poncho... I met a lady who has been to Uganda a couple of times and she strongly recommended that I bring a poncho.  Since Uganda has 80% humidity, I automatically assumed it would be used for the daily downpours.  But no...the poncho, my friends, is for the following purpose:

Some areas where I will be traveling will not have bathrooms.  I will literally have to squat in the bushes. (Sorry for the visual folks)  The poncho is to cover yourself while taking care of business!

As I mentioned in the previous post, my neighbor brought a poncho to my Bon Voyage party.  She had the guests sign it.  And the joke of the evening was that I would have good reading material in "the bathroom".  She named it "Dr. Josie's Hienie Hider".  It was quite hilarious.

Water
Many people are asking me what the drinking water situation is out there.  It is not good! The Ventura County Public Health nurse, who went over missionary travel instructions with me, advised me not to drink the water and to avoid ice cubes.  We were told that we will have bottled water available to drink. However, I am still brining potable aqua tablets just incase. It's amazing what the Camping isle at Walmart carries!

Money
The money system is weird.  We were advised to bring money that was printed in the last couple of years.  If we don't, we won't get as good of an exchange rate!  Apparently, counterfitting is rampant in the area, so any American dollars printed before 2005 will receive significantly less on the exchange.

Thanks for following my blog.  Please become a follower by clicking on the right.  That will allow me to know who is likely reading the posts.  If there is something that would be of particular interest to my followers, I can make sure to post about it.
Thanks!

6 days and counting!

I can't believe I'm going to Uganda in 6 days!

I have started packing and am realizing that I won't have room to bring many clothing items.

I have had so many dental supplies donated for the trip and purchased a few items as well.  It's more important to have room for those items. Multiple changes of clothing is not really an option.

Last Friday, I was blessed to have a friend host a prayer send off for me and Bonnie (my travel buddy).
About 30 ladies came to pray for us and send us off with well wishes and hugs.  My neighbor was thoughtful enough to bring a much needed poncho so that all the ladies could sign it for me.

Stay tuned for why I need the poncho...

While preparing for the trip has been time consuming and, at times, overwhelming, I have managed to feel a calming sense of peace this week that can only come from a higher source.

I want to thank everyone that has been praying for me and this trip. I can't wait to see what awaits me!

Uganda Mission Trip Countdown....17 days left!

So I'm leaving in 17 days.

As the time crunch begins, I am becoming well aware that these will be the last 17 days of life as I currently know it.  I suspect this trip will bring me a new perspective.  I'm excited to see what life changes may come as a result of my experience in Uganda.

I am also becoming increasingly aware of how hard it will be to be away from my family, particularly my boys.  My husband, of course, will be missed. But as an adult, he more clearly understands my absence and it will likely make both of our hearts grow fonder.

But my sweet little sons...that's another story. I notice them becoming more clingy and articulating that 2 weeks is too long of a time to be away from them.  And as I cuddle them at bed time, I agree. I can't fathom not kissing their soft cheeks multiple times a day or feeling their breath on my cheek as I tuck them in.

I've always though it was cruel that you can capture how something looks with a photograph and you can record how something sounds - but you can't capture how something "feels"; like their hugs or the softness of their skin.

It's going to be a LONG 2 weeks away from them. My precious sons.