Sometimes i can be a little dramatic...

So this morning i got a call from Chase Bank offering me a position as a teller... thats right, following that super dramatic post and a day where i felt like nothing could go right God came through to show me he was still in control. I am very excited for this opportunity for a lot of reasons...

1. I am only going to be working 20 hours a week which means that i will have a lot of time for other things in life. I am looking at going back to school to get my certificate of achievement in Business Administration. I was looking on the Mesa website today and saw that i only need to take 3 more classes in order to get that because i have already taken all the other ones. That would be awesome just to have for the future and maybe while i'm taking classes i can start taking Italian like i have wanted to since i got back.

2. Chase is an awesome company with lots of different opportunities. I could move up in the branch or up to the corporate level. There is possibility that i could work for them for a long time. But right now i just need to focus on doing a good job as a teller.

3. Im excited for all the people i am going to meet and the doors that God is going to open through this new job. Never know where it could lead me.

Anyways it all goes to show that God is still in control and even when i am faithless he is faithful!

-H

Big Ol' Question Mark

So i was at work (HYP) recently and we were watching the movie "Ramona and Beezus" (which btw is a really precious movie) and this song came on while Ramona was running away from home and i totally resonated with it...which is funny because im not really the biggest fan of Taylor Swift. But all personal pregudice aside this song became the theme song for my life! Check out the link below.

Theme Song to My Life.

So all you readers get the really special opportunity to tell me what the heck to do! Thats right im letting you decide my future because i am having an exceptionally hard time deciding what the heck to do so i am giving up! ... here are the choices:

1. Administrative Assistant: which includes going to community college to get an Admin Assistant Certificate.
2. Hairstylist: which includes going to beauty school
3. Property Manager: which includes going to community college to take some classes in real estate and possibly real estate school.
4. Airline Stewardess: helps to learn another language and maybe shrink a little
5. Disaster Relief: requires moving to the east coast
6. Slash if you have any other suggestions i'm seriously open to anything and if you feel like i would be good at something that i haven't mentioned then please suggest them.

I really would like some direction. Right now i'm waking up and praying for enough faith to get me through the day, it has definitely been really rough waiting to see what is going to happen. Im going into my last week at HYP which means i will no longer have an income. Also thanksgiving is quickly approaching and i cant even think of facing my family and having to tell them over and over that i am not doing anything with my life. I know that God has something for me, but i'm feeling super lost and confused on where i'm supposed to be and where my gifts could be used most for the Lord.

HELP ME!!!!!!!!!

In the mean time i have been distracting myself with projects. I moved all my furniture around in my room and went shopping for a bunch of stuff to decorate it. I know not the best idea to go out and spend money on something that isn't necessary when you don't have any solid source of income, but i honestly needed to do something to make myself feel productive. Im also going to sand down and paint 3 pieces of furniture in my room, so that should take a lot of time, i am excited to see what the finished product will look like. Lauren and I went antique shopping on Saturday and found this awesome shop in downtown La Mesa that carries designs by this company called "Red Door Interiors". All of her stuff was sooo cute i had to practice some serious self restraint over this furniture. I also fell in love with this desk, that unfortunately was not for sale, but the owner of the store said he would call me if they got anything else like it in. I am going to have to become a frequenter at this place!

I will be sure to take some before and after pictures and when i'm done with the furniture and my room i will post them pics. Im excited to see how it turns out.

christmas list

This is the list that i sent my mom of things i want for Christmas...

I normally dont know what i want which makes it so my mom buys me random stuff and i dont like nicknacky stuff, so i am excited to have a list of items i actually want.

The longboard i want... so i don't have to steal my sisters anymore :)

Rosetta Stone: Italian Level 1

Nixon Watch:

I got used to wearing a watch while i was in Uganda and all i have is my $6 target watch that is kinda tacky and i don't like it.

Sorry the picture is tiny but this is the wallet i want

Steve Madden Boots

So if you need to buy me a gift here are some ideas... jk... well unless you want to buy them for me (my #1 love language is gifts)

-H

501

Hello Readers-

The last week and a half has been very unproductive, in fact the only thing i have made progress on is watching 3 movies on the 501 must see movies list. Yes you read that right 501 movies.

A few years ago me and my best friend Jen were at Costco and looking at our guilty pleasure (books) and stumbled upon a book of 501 must see movies. I rambled about how uneducated i am when i comes to movies and all i watch is new release chick flicks and disney channel movies (which is very true) and how there were a lot of movies that people always talk about that i want to watch but never have. So for christmas the following year Jen bought that book for me and i honestly hadn't opened it since then.

But since i got back i have looked into getting netflix because blockbuster sucks and redbox doesn't have a wide variety of movies. And i just have to say that netflix is the best thing EVER! It is only $8.99 a month to use netflix and you get one movie at a time and can keep it for as long as you want. They also have movies online that you can watch at anytime. I figure even with a job i can afford $9 a month (its about the equivalent of 2 cups of coffee) for endless entertainment, thats a fabulous deal if you ask me. So after signing up for netflix i have watched "When Harry Met Sally", "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Little Shop of Horrors" which are all fabulous and all are out of the 501 must see movies. I am excited to watch the moves in the book, although there is a whole section of war movies that i am really not looking forward to watching.

It is going to take us a long time to go through those 501 movies, but when both Jen and I are unemployed it makes life a little easier.

I decided not to take the internship that i spoke about in my last post because she didnt have a set schedule of when she would need my help which makes it very difficult to get a paying job ontop of it. I was offered a job working at HYP until June but i decided to turn in down in search of something that provided more hours and little more of a future. I love working for HYP but it cant really be used on my resume for anything unless im working at another child care place. I will be working there the net 3 weeks to cover for someone else so that gives me a good buffer time to find something else to do after that. I have an interview with Chase next week and i am sure that where ever i am supposed to be will work out.

The message at Existence was so legit today and i am excited to find times and situations in which i can be bold of God and live a radical life for him, wherever that may be. In the mean time i will be educating myself on movies :)

Much love- H

On To The Next One

Well i have been back exactly 1 week and it seems that luck is on my side because i landed a pretty sweet internship with Raincoat Records today. I sat down for coffee with Gayle Skidmore today and talked about details. Things are pretty crazy right now because her cd is being released on Nov. 13th (i think thats the date) but i'm excited to learn about the music industry and see where this takes me. The only unfortunate thing is that there isn't a set schedule of when i will be doing any work for her or anything, it depends a lot on what is going on that week. I could be working at her shows at night or help do promo during the day it all depends, which makes it hard to get an actual paying job along with the internship. I guess that is why i love Marions so much! I think i will work out for me to post availability for Marions all the time and then just take it off when Gayle has something for me to do. As long as i am persistent in getting this jobs then i should be okay financially... hopefully!

Other than that life has been pretty boring around here... i guess im just used to being in a different country every day. Im going to look into buying Rosettastone soon (whenever i have enough money for it) so i can start getting my Italian on. :)

I went to San Luis Obispo this last weekend with ADX and AGO and played team mom to the girls. I seriously love that kinda stuff (cant wait to be a soccer mom) The girls did awesome finishing in 2nd, couldn't be prouder! Plus i got to spend 6 hours with the amazing Duke in the car on the way up to SLO, very exciting stuff.

I unfortunately have to make a phone call to France tomorrow because the hotel double charged my card so i have two charged for over $400 that i need to get back. It will probably cost me a small fortune just to make those phone calls anyways. Rough... but it will be nice to have that little chunk of change back in my pocket.

Im very excited for the Manors Halloween Party on Saturday... the Condo's costumes are coming together nicely and i am very excited to see what everyone else has up their sleeves.

-H

Ti Amo Roma!

I love Rome... almost as much as i love New York!!! (and that says a lot!)

I sent today riding the hop on hop off bus tour in Rome. There were less stops here than there were in London or Paris so i had time to ride it the whole way around and then to get off at different stops and wander the city, and i can tell you that is the only way to really see Rome. Most of the buildings in Rome are 4 or 5 stories tall which means you cant see what's coming until you have found it because it is all surrounded by buildings. You will be walking down a random street and turn a corner only to find the Trevi Fountain, or a beautiful church.

Speaking of church... i miss it terribly! Don't get me wrong i have had some really sweet God moments during my trip but i haven't been to a real church service in almost a month! The first sunday i was gone i went to a church service all in dutch, then the second sunday i went to a kids service in africa, the third sunday i was driving from Jinja to Entebee in the morning, and this sunday i was being a tourist in Rome. I miss fellowship and cant wait to have that back. I guess its true what they say... you dont know what you've got til its gone!

The other beautiful thing about this city is that there are 5 gellato shops on every corner! I was tempted to have one ever 2 minutes but restricted myself to only 2 the whole day! haha

But overall i love Rome... i love the feel of it and the people and just everything! I definitely loved London and Paris but there is something about Rome that just makes me feel more comfortable and at ease. With all its ruins and old architecture and culture it almost has a vulnerability to it that i cant place. I wish i could spend more time here but its time for me to start making my way home!

Tomorrow i go back to London for the night and then on tuesday i have an 11 hour flight that is going to trip me out since i am taking off around 9am and landing around 12noon (time change)

48 hours and 40 minutes until i am back in the states!

Arrivederci!!

-H

ciao

Hi Everyone-

After what feels like forever I have reached my 5^th and (almost) final destination…ROMA! I can say without a doubt that Rome will be my favorite. When I arrived here I checked into the hotel then went out to explore. I got a scoop of gelato and walked around until it started to rain. I love the rain, and it wasn’t very heavy so I kept walking and exploring. I love that you will be walking down what looks like a regular mundane street and then out of nowhere a fountain appears or some roman ruins, its incredible! Tomorrow I will be taking yet another double-decker bus tour (my third one this week!) just to make sure I cover the entire city in the limited time that I have.

Since I haven’t gotten the chance yet to report much on Paris I will take this opportunity to do so…

Paris of course is beautiful but I don’t know that I will be in a hurry to go back there. The first night there I went out to eat some French cuisine and it was soo good the entire time I was wishing that my sister were with me to enjoy the fabulous spread laid out before me, because if there is one person that enjoys food more than me… its my sister! The next day my meals consisted of baguettes and crepes… that’s it! Lol I had to take advantage of the fact that I was in Paris.

One of the highlights of my day was seeing the Moulin Rouge in person! I don’t know… maybe I have see the movie one too many times but I expected it to be bigger and more grand… but I still stood looking at it for about 10 minutes taking it in. Another thing checked off the bucket list! J

The street that my hotel was located on was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen. When I decided to go to Paris my uncle suggested this hotel since it is the one he stays at on his frequent visits to Paris. The street was very market like lined with fruit stands, bread and cheese shops, delis, cafes, and flower carts. Before coming to Paris I had a vision in my head of what it would be like, and this street is the epitome of the vision I had.

Although there were a lot of great sights to take in in Paris, I was slightly let down by the fact that most of the city looks exactly the same. On every corner there are the same cafes and patisseries and the same shops that sell the same tired Paris souvenirs.

If you have not been following the news France is currently experiencing strikes because they changed the retirement age from 60 to 62. Both days that I was there touring the city I saw protests starting and lots of police everywhere. But this strike did make today a little stressful for me. I had a flight from Charles De Gaule airport in france at 10:10am. So I plan to leave my hotel at 6:30 to make my way to the airport. I have to take 3 different metro lines and I think that I am making good time until I switch to the last line to the airport and some of the metro workers who are striking don’t show up for work which means there are less trains. So I get on a train and ride it a few stops then they make an announcement that the train isn’t going any further and that I have to find another one. Then they keep switching the platform but I don’t know because they are making all these announcements in French. I go to get on one train and this guy starts speaking French to me and telling me not to get on. I don’t understand why but he keeps pointing up. Finally I find a guy about my age and his Mom who are dragging along suitcases and they seem to know where they are going so I ask them if they are trying to go to the airport too, and lucky for me they are and the boy speaks both French and English. Finally we find the right train, but at this point I am running behind and kind of stressed out as to whether or not I will be making my flight. It is nice to find some Americans that I could talk to since over the last few days the deepest conversation I have had is with someone I am ordering food from (I miss normal human interaction!!). The boy and his Mom are from New York and he is here studying abroad and his Mom came to visit! I make it the airport about an hour before my flight. Luckily I don’t have any bags to check which saves time for me and I get to my terminal with time to spare.

I am excited to really experience Rome tomorrow, but I cant help to count down the days until I come home! I think I have decided to pursue learning Italian, but we will see if tomorrow makes me want to learn it more.

p.s. I watching the Lizzie McGuire movie in preparation for coming to Rome… J

Bonjour

I have never felt more inadequate in my life! I understand now why other countries hate america tourists! lol I NEED to learn another language so i can stop looking so uneducated! I looked into buying Rosetta Stone which is like $250 but i think would be worth it. Anyone use it and had success?

Ill just start by saying that i have an impeccable sense of direction... but put me in the middle of a city i have never been to before and im so lost. Today when i got to paris i was following the directions i was given by the travel agent and somehow i got on the wrong metro line and wasted about 30 minutes trying to find my way. Then when i got off the metro i wandered around for an hour and a half looking for my hotel before i realize that it was within a 2 blog radius of the metro stop i got off at. Silly me

After checking into the hotel i went out to explore a little since the eiffel tower is only a 5 minute walk from my hotel. I ended up checking off a bucket list item... climbing up the stairs in the eiffel tower! This was such a cool experience but i can tell you that my legs will be extremely sore tomorrow!

Im about to go out and eat some french cuisine since today all i have eaten is a baguette and a small thing of gellato! lol But tomorrow i am looking forward to crepes and expresso! :) I will me pairing this with a double decker bus tour to see the one and only Moulin Rouge and all the other amazing sights of Paris.

I love you and will do my best to keep you updated on the rest of Paris and what happens next in Rome!

-H

Winning London

"Woke up in London yesterday. Found myself in the city near Piccadilly..."

I was singing that song to myself all day as i roamed throughout London. I had such a fun, long, exhausting day! I rode the London tube into Westminster where i saw Big Ben and Abbey :). I took in the sights on the London Eye and rode a ferry down the river themes. Then i covered the rest of the city on a classic london double decker tour bus. I even got lost in China Town as i was searching for an H&M so i could buy a coat (its hard to spend October in London when you packed for living on the equator). Im ashamed to admit that i did not test out my british accent on anyone to see if it would pass as legit. I was so obviously a tourist that i think it automatically gave me away.

Tomorrow im excited to report that i am taking a day trip to Stonehenge and then seeing the Broadway Musical "Chicago" at night! I think it will be more of a relaxing day... where as today i was trying to see as much of London as i possibly could.

I have realized tho that it doesn't matter where you are as long as you have good people with you to enjoy the experience with. I was in London today... one of the most beautiful cities and i couldn't help think how much i missed just hanging out with the girls back home! Im for sure going to enjoy the rest of my time here, but i'm ready to have life be somewhat normal again! Anyone wanna teleport and comes see me in Paris or Rome?

-H

How does time go by so fast and yet so slow?!?

This is my last blog post from Uganda (even tho by the time i am actually posting it i am in London)

This blog is titled "Take the Walk" amd you might be thinking, well that was short walk... a stroll even. If you are thinking in reference to Uganda then i would have to agree with you. But when i look at all the people i have met and everything i heave learned i would not trade this stroll for anything. And even though going to Uganda might have been a leap of faith, trusting in the Lord to provide i think coming home so soon might be a bigger one. I have no idea what opportunities i will be presented with, what i am going to do in terms of a job, or where i will be lead next, all i know is i have somewhere to sleep and right now that is good enough for me.

So as i sit in gate 4 of Entebee airport trying to remember the smell of the Ugandan air (a combination of dirt, B.O., and burning trash...a smell which i surprisingly have come to love) i think about how so many people in Uganda, Holland, and back home told me i would regret my decision to leave so soon. But the emotion im feeling is not one of regret, but of excitement. Dont get me wrong, i was sad to say goodbye to the kids, and the friends i have made in Uganda but i know that those relationships wont stop there... if anything i have gained somewhere to stay if i every visit Holland again.

As we were leaving Jinja yesterday (since i had to stay the night in Entebee... but thats a whole other story for another day) we were driving in the taxi with the windows down (Jenny in the front me in the back) i hear the call so familiar to me... "Muzungu Muzungu." As always i respond with a smile, wave, and "hello". The boda boda who was calling "my name" proceeds to yell after us " I LOVE YOU". Immediately in my head i register this as Uganda itself telling me it loved me and would miss me so i stick my head out the window and yell back "I LOVE YOU TOO!" Of course nothing would come of my brief romance with the boda boda but i know this is not where my love for Uganda, heck all of Africa would end. Who knows, i still have 5 months left on my 6 month multiple entry visa... haha RIGHT!

I eagerly anticipate the next 8 days of travel through Europe... but what's beyond that, God only knows and I'm eager to find out!

Keep reading for updates on London, Paris, and Rome. Maybe i will surprise myself and live like Amanda Bynes in London, get a passport to Paris like Mary Kate and Ashley, or have a Lizzie McGuire experience in Rome (are there any pop stars that look like me? Im still in search of my dopleganger)

Until then -H

p.s. Uganda has the most gorgeous sunrises, the first of which i enjoyed this morning over breakfast while waiting for my taxi at the airport. Never seen one? You should!

Exotic Local Wildlife

Last night i experienced something that i PRAY i or any of you reading this will never experience again!!

As i was standing in the bathroom going through my "getting ready for bed" ritual i was looking for some bobbypins that i had places on shelves that were above the toilet. Then out of the corner of my eye i see something black coming up the toilet. You might automatically think oh thats gross the sewage backed up... but before you starting making your predictions i will give you one more clue... it was alive! Yes this black thing was now splashing around in my toilet trying to get out! Any guesses?

If you said a rat you are correct! Yes you read that right... in the pipe that you flush water and whatever else down the toilet a rat had managed to find its way through and come up my toilet!

As you can imagine i screamed bloody murder and Prossy (the woman who runs the guest house) and a guy that works for her come running. They are shocked to find what i was screaming about. And while the guy knocks the rat uncontious with his sandal, Prossy continues to tell me about the rat problem that Uganda has! She claims that they normally stay outside of the guest houses, and that this has never happened before. When the rat is finally uncontious they decided it would be best to just flush it back down the toilet! ICK... this whole situation grosses me out so bad and i am visible shaking at this point, swearing up and down that i will never use that toilet again!

As i was lying in bed last night trying to fall asleep i was praying thanking the Lord that 1. i was not sitting on that toilet when the rat came up and 2. that this is my last night at the guest house in jinja! Oh how i am so excited for London, Paris, and Rome!

btw... details have been finalized...

i will be in Entebee on the 10th

Flying into London the 11th and staying there until the 14th

Paris the 14th-16th

and Rome the 16th-18th

Finally spending the night in London again on the 18th and back to the states on the 19th!

Shout out to my mom for arranging all of that for me instead of working :)

Even with all those exciting details i still cant stop thinking about that rat!!!!

-H

Ride on the back of a motorcycle... *check*

Sooo like i mentioned yesterday, i got the ride on the back of a Boda Boda (motorcycle). it was the COOLEST THING EVER!! i always thought that i would be scary, but it was so fun! I decided that i would have no problem staying in Africa longer if i could just tour the continent via Boda Boda.

I was also very psyched that i got to go on this ride because it gave me a slight experience of what a safari might be like. As we were driving down the street i was looking at everything around me and a monkey jumped down from a tree and looked at me. This monkey looked a lot like Marcel from "Friends" and it made me happy to see some actual Africa wildlife since the only animals around here are chickens, goats, cows, and these HUGE stork lookin' birds.

Also this event also made me very excited about my bucket list and checking things off of it. So last night i sat down and created a bucket list journal where i can make my list and also write down my experiences completing the things on that list. I only have like 20 things so far, including driving across the country, reading the top 50 American classics, bungee jumping, and riding a mechanical bull among other things. The first thing i need to do when i get home tho is actually watch the movie "The Bucket List" since i have never seen it.

But i have also decided that since i started this blog to share with all of you the adventures of my life, i figure why does it need to stop when i come back from Africa. That's right... it doesn't! So even when i return to the states i will continue to update you on the attempts to complete bucket list items and do other ridiculous things that i feel completely necessary!

Also... update on my Europe adventure: Dublin is a no go since my cousin will not actually be at her house when i was planning on going there! So instead i will enjoy Rome! That's right London, Paris and Rome in 8 days! Who knows maybe i will find something else to cross off my bucket list while im there!

Well until then ill keep you posted... but i have only 3 days left in Jinja and im going to go make the most of it!

-H

COMO?

So now that there is a family from Holland hear all of my meal times are consumed with Dutch. I honestly couldnt tell you anything that has been said at a meal in the last 2 days. Another family from Holland arrives tomorrow which will mean more speaking in Dutch! JOY!

Actually i am finding some joy in it... for those of you who watched the tv show big brother you might remember when Lane and Brittany would make up things that Rachel and Brendon were saying to each other. They would watch them from the kitchen and come up with ridiculous dialog that goes along with what they are saying... well i have taken this up as my new dinner time hobby. As they speak in Dutch i come up with funny things they are saying in my head! I know this might sound pathetic but its quite entertaining.

Anyways since i have been exposed to so much culture lately i have decided that i really want to learn another language. I have landed on either Greek, French, or Italian. I dont know how i will decide which one i want to go... but who knows maybe i will enroll in a class at Grossmont next semester.

Well i better go, today i am taking a boda boda (what they call motorcycles) ride to one of the villages, and i dont want to be left behind!

I will be home on the 19th!

Much love- H

change of plans...

So there has been a change of plans since i last posted (only a few hours ago)...

This Sunday i will be driving down to Entebee and spending the night in a guest house there. Monday morning i will be flying out of Entebee airport to London. From there i will spend 8 days exploring London, and maybe Paris. I am also planning a flight to Dublin to spend some time with my cousin in the green hills of Ireland.

I was really stoked on the idea of a Safari but the guy that Mandy books safaris with does not have another group going for many weeks! Which means i would end up paying over $1000 for a safari just for me... and i am not about that! So instead i will spend my money exploring Europe.

Any suggestions of things i should see or do?

Much Love- H

Living the Life of a Celebrity

Now that is has been over a week since i have been in Uganda i feel that i have a good idea of what life could be like here. There are so many different, unusual, and Beautiful things here that define their way of life. I am going to ATTEMPT to explain a few of these things that i have picked out...

1. Teeth:

For those of you who know me really well it will come to no surprise that this is the first thing i choose to talk about/ the first thing i noticed in Uganda. And if you dont know me very well... you should know i have a slight obsession with teeth and it is often times the first thing i notice about a person.

I just have to say that the people of Uganda have BEAUTIFUL smiles. Yes of course, there is the occasional jacked up grill (like the lady from the orange store yesterday), but the majority of them have naturally straight teeth. One of the older girls who lives at Welcome Home has the most gorgeous smile i have ever seen.

But this makes me wonder... what went wrong in America that almost every child needs to get braces in order to have decent smiles? Something to ponder...

2. Riding in the Car:

The other day on the way to church we had a 12 passanger van (in Uganda a 12 passenger van is smaller than most American mini vans) that was loaded with 30 children, all under the age of 5, and 6 adults. AS you can guess most of these kids were sitting on top of each other... not in car seats mind you. On the way back from church i was sitting in the front seat with a 2 year old on my lap while not wearing a seat belt. On top of that the entire way home Mandy was talking about the aweful drivers in Uganda. Call it irresponsible... call it whatever you want, but in Uganda its normal.

But the kids LOVE riding in the car. They scream whenever we go over a bump, they comment on everything that is out the window (water water, goatie goatie, moo cow moo cow...). Whenever a farm animal is seen it prompts verses of "Mama Mandy had a farm" to be sung. Its an unforgettable experience.

3. Showers:

At home i am so pampered its retarded! Here in Uganda, in order to have hot water you have to turn on a solar powered hot water heater 45 minutes before your shower. I was blessed to have a room with a good hot water heater, the dutch girl Jenny often complains about her cold showers that give her a headache and bad hair. lol.

I should also mention that my room does not have a shower curtain. I dont know if thats typical here, but for me it is. The bathroom floor is always drenched by the time i'm done, but i guess the more water outside the tub the best because the water inside the tub takes FOREVER to drain. I'm going to be very honest with you, living in Uganda you get DIRTY. There is red dirt every where you walk and it gets all over your legs. Then when your with kids all day like i am then your twice as dirty. So the water after a shower is a sick shade of brown.

I also will never again complain about water pressure in America. That is all i will say about that.

4. Living the Life of a Celebrity:

I mentioned in my last post about people constantly calling me Muzungu. Well after i got over being self contious about people looking at me constantly i have started to embrace the celebrity status. I can now pretend that my name in fact is Muzungu and whenever im around and i hear it in hushed tones or being yelled at me i will always respond with a smile and a wave.

I think also the attention i get is greater because i am so tall. The other day we were walking down the street and this man passed us. Jenny automatically goes "you get looked at a lot because you are tall" to which i respond "we get looked at a lot because we are white." But she insisted that the guy who walked passed us looked me up and down. I dunno... maybe im just used to it. but people were are on the shorter side....

In another instance Jenny and i were walking from the guest house and we walked past a guy leaning against a tree. This man walked up behind us and said you Jenny "If i want to be your friend what can i do?" Jenny being from Holland could play dumb like she didn't speak english. He repeated himself a few times before he got frustrated and left us alone. But i can say that has never happened to me in the US.

5. Sleep:

My sleep pattern in Uganda has been so completely different than it was in the United States. Here it is unsafe to go out after dark. So we eat dinner around 6pm and from there i go to my room to devo and read. I am normally in bed by 8:30pm...so i read with a flashlight until my eyes are tired. The only reason i read with a flashlight is because otherwise i would have to untuck and retuck my mosquito net (which i am not now a pro at if i do say so myself) to turn off the light.

A few nights ago i was getting ready for bed and the power went out. Apparently this is normal, and they used to only have energy for 1 hour a day (thank god that isnt the case anymore) but it was the first time it had happened to me. I was brushing my teeth and looking at a lizard on the wall when it went black. I clamored around in the dark trying to find my flashlight so i could finish brushing my teeth. I never did see that lizard again tho.

I have to give a shout out to Halee H. for suggesting a sleeping mask. It is now my new best friend since the sun comes streaming through the curtains at 5:30am.

Anyways i normally fall asleep around 9:30 and wake up at 7:30. A solid 10 hours of sleep yet i am still tired at the end of the day.

6.Food:

Well i will just say it could be a lot worse.

For breakfast we normally have a friend egg with bread and pinapple. But this morning she made this thing called a Rolex (yes like the watch). It is an egg cooked with some veggies and rolled into a tortilla type thing, almost like a breakfast burrito.

For lunch we often eat at the orphanage. So that means either posho (sp?) which is maze flour mixed with hot water to make this rice like consistency and that is served with beans. Or there is matoki (sp?) which is banana that is cooked and mashed like a mashed potato. On mondays they have tripe (cow intestine) and i will not be eating that!

For dinner mandy has been spoiling us by taking us out to dinner. I have eaten the ugandan version of Chinese, Indian, and Dutch food, none of which compares to the real thing but what are you gonna do. Typically the hostest at the guest house cooks us dinner, which is normally talapia, rice, beans and tortilla.

7. Television:

From what i can tell they have one channel and it plays the most random stuff. I have watched spanish soap operas, the news, Americas next top model, Opera, and to my surprise the other morning i came in for breakfast and a Major League Baseball game was on! I was so excited, Jenny thought i was loosing it. The game was between the NY Mets and Washington and of course the Mets were loosing. But i was so happy to get that little bit of home!

Well i hope i have painted for you a good picture of what my life has been like here so far.

An adopting family from Holland is coming today and i am excited to meet them, but slightly jealous because Jenny is so excited to be able to speak in Dutch with someone, which will leave me in the dark (beyond the words i mentioned in the last post lol )

Well i love you and miss you all.

-H

p.s. Sometime after Sunday i will be going on a 3 day safari, from there i will stay the night in entebee and then fly to London. I will spend 3 nights in London and then fly back to the states. i still dont know dates. but in about 2 weeks i will be home!

Hallo

I am sorry it has taken me this long to post anything from Africa. There have been some technical difficulties with internet usage. On my way over i was told by Mandy that i would be able to buy a wireless internet hookup for the guest room where i am staying and i was really happy about that and the possibility of being able to Skype with a few of you back home. So i bought the modem and paid for 3 months of internet (if you pay for 3 you get the 4th month free, i thought it was being smart) then i go to hook it up to my computer and the thing wont download. i even took it to the store and they couldn't do to fix it. They said it is something wrong with my computer and the only want to get it fixed would be to go to an Apple store and as you might guess there isn't one in Jinja. So here i am out 360,000 shillings (which is roughly $180) and still no internet. So instead i have opted for going to the local internet cafe which costs me 3,000 shillings for 2 hours ($1.50 US Dollars) which isn't bad at all.

Anyways... so much has happened since i arrive in Jinja 6 days ago!

I have been spending my days with the children at the orphanage. They have a very steady routine that all the children are very familiar with. I am not sure yet where my help is needed or even when i should be doing, but i have fun playing with the kids (even though i cant understand a word they are saying) and taking pictures of them. They dont see what they look like very often so they love when i take their picture and then show it to them on my digital camera. They point at the camera and say their name over and over again.

All the kids at the orphanage (after they got over calling me Muzungu, which means white person) call me and every other woman Mommy. I feel like i might never escape this nick name (First ADX, then horse camp, then hyp, now Welcome Home). But i have to admit i kinda love it!

One of the things i get to do at the orphanage is show the kids who are being adopted the pictures of their parents that are coming soon. They do this so they can get used to what they look like and start understanding that they get to go home soon! So i sit them down and show them a picture of themselves and ask them "who is this" and they say their name and then i show them the picture of their mom and dad and i say "who is this" and they point and say mommy and daddy! They are so happy it get to see the houses they are going to. Some of them have picture of the pets they will have at home and their rooms. Most of these kids have never had their own room, toys, or clothes. I'm really excited for them.

I am lucky to have with me another volunteer from Holland. Her name is Jenny but in Holland they pronounce in Yenny. It is funny she looks at me and sees that i am white and starts speaking Dutch to me and then i look at her like she is crazy and she realizes she is speaking Dutch to me and that i dont understand. I think she has started to get the hang of the fact that i only speak English. Actually most people here think its very strange that i only speak English. I tell them that i speak some Spanish. One guy i met yesterday started to ask me questions about Spanish words and then told me that he watches Spanish soap operas but doesnt know what they are saying most of the time. I am very rusty in my spanish (lets be real, i was never very good at it) so i can answer some of his questions but i look like an idiot!

Most of the kids that are being adopted are going to Holland so Mandy asked me and Yenny to have class with them and teach them some Dutch words. I am learning about as much as the 5 year old children are learning (again, i'm going to be real... they are better than i am lol). But now know how to say Hello (which is the title of the blog post), mommy (mama), daddy (papa), pee (plosen), poop (poopen), How are you (hoe gaat geet), i am fine (hat geet guede), and goodbye (doie). Yeah i probably didnt spell any of that right... but whatever! Anyways the kids are excited about learning the new language.

In town yesterday Jenny and i met two other white girls our age. One of from Oklahoma and was here on the World Race and the other one is from Canada and is here with WYWAM. When you are white here you stick out like a soar thumb. Everyone you walk by gets really big eyes and says "MUZUNGU MUZUNGU"!! So when i see another white person i too get very excited. It is incredibly easy to strike up a conversation with a random stranger here because more likely they are very excited to talk with you too.

Last night over dinner Jenny and i were talking about home and exchanging pictures of friends and family. I proudly whipped out my scrapbook from my going away party and showed her all the pictures of my friends. She has never been to America before so i was telling her alllll about it. And it was then that i realized how much i freaking love our country. It sounds funny but America is all i have ever really known so i didn't think about how other places are sooo different. As i sat last night contemplating that thought i realized how lucky i am to have the opportunities have had.

The same guy that was asking me about Spanish soap operas was asking me about college in america. I told him what my major was but then as always added that i dont know if i will end up using it in what i choose as a career (especially since i dont know what i want to do). he looked at me like i was crazy! "You dont know what you want to do?" In America it is a fairly typical thing for a college student to change their major many times throughout their college career (i changed mine 4 times) and for someone to change their career many times in their life, but here there are not as many options for making a living... you know what you want to do when you go to college. For him he couldn't even understand how i didn't know what i wanted.

So last night as i was thinking about how much i love my country and how i am so blessed to have the opportunities and the chances in life that soooo many other people around the world can not even fathom. I decided that it was right for me to come home!

yes you heard that right... im coming home! I will finish out my 2 weeks that i paid for at the guest house i am staying at and then spend a few days in London on the way back. But i will be home in now less than 3 weeks!

I will be happy to explain more... but right now Jenny is waiting for me to leave!

I will leave you with this... cherish the times on clarity that you have with the Lord. Cherish the times on the mountain when you feel his presence so strongly. But dont force yourself to turn those things into lessons. I asked myself over and over "what have i learned here" "what am i going to take back with me" and "how will i be a different person from this experience". And i can say i have learned a lot, but most of all that God has been slowly tearing down who i am and building up my character in him. That is the lesson i will bring home.

I hope to write on here again soon! I love and miss you all!

9.25.10

Well here i am sitting in Holland with a bowl of the most delicious cereal (that i wish they sold in the US), listening to Hanson, and wondering what whirlwind of events has brought me here...

3 days before... 9.22.10
After i had said all my goodbyes and held it together for all but one (thanks jazz) i was feeling pretty confident about my decision to go to Africa. But as i was sitting in the car on the way to the airport the weight of my decision started to hit me a little bit and i began to ask myself "what was i thinking going to Africa?" I started to have a little freak out but of course kept it to myself because it was too late to turn back.

After getting past security I get a text message from one of my friends who in the last 24 hours had made a big decision so I give her a call so I can be updated on it. Without sharing anything with her about what I am feeling or how scared I am she proceeds to tell me about her decision and how God was speaking to her to take a leap of faith and trust him. She reminded me of the story of Abraham and Isaac and how all God wanted to know was that Abraham would follow the Lord even if it wasn’t what he wanted. Then the Lord knew that Abraham could be used. I felt very encouraged by her faith to do what God was calling her to even if it wasn’t what everyone expected, or what might be seen as acceptable by parents or friends. After getting off the phone with her I spent some time reading over that story and in prayer about what I was about to do. The verse “do not be anxious about anything but in everything with prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” came to me and I knew that it would be okay.

So after that minor freak out things have been going relatively smooth. Our flight out of LAX was delayed until 1030pm. Then when we arrive in London we booked it from one flight to another, thinking that we only had 30 minutes between each flight. Also in London they make you go through security again when you are switching flights so we had to deal with that. We arrive at our terminal on time only to find that it had been delays 3 ½ hours, giving us time to hang out. I went on the internet and got send some emails and facebook chat with friends back home which was good. We finally arrived in Amsterdam at 1130PM (Holland time, 9 hrs ahead of US time). All of our bags got there which was good news. We then drove an hour to Aliberts house, were we are currently staying. Luckily Mandy has great friends here who have been letting us stay with them and feeding us. Holland is a beautiful but expensive place so I’m glad to not have to be paying for food constantly.

9.24.10
After 5 hours of sleep and whole lot of jet lag we were off to eat breakfast (lunch meat, bread, these Dutch chocolate sprinkles that you eat on bread lol) and then Leah and I took an hour train ride into Amsterdam. In Amsterdam I was introduced to Anita who spent 6 months in Uganda doing what I am going to be doing. It was really awesome to talk with her and hear her stories and advice about my time there.

In Amsterdam we went on a tour of the Anne Frank Hois, walked around the town, saw the red light district, ate food from a wall (they have these literal holes in the wall where you put a pound or so in there and you open a door and food is in there. Anita had me try it because it was Dutch food and didnt know what it was/ still couldn’t really tell you), took a canal boat tour. Im sorry I don’t have pictures for you right now but I am currently using Aliberts computer. When I get to Uganda and have those pictures on my computer I will do my best to be patient and take the time to put some up.

For about an hour yesterday we sat at a little café sipping coffee and playing “guess what country they are from,” which turned out to be really funny. I am really bad at guessing, but the one thing I could spot was an American dad from far away. They are all wearing jeans or cargo pants with white tennis shoes, baseball caps, sunglasses, and cameras around their necks (typical tourist haha). What can I saw I know my people. One thing I did find really great was that there were so many people wearing New York Yankees caps. I wasn’t really paying attention the first part of the day but when I saw one person wearing one I started to look more and more and saw at least 6 people wearing them. It made me really happy and felt like a little piece of home came with me to Amsterdam.

On the train ride home I was telling Anita about the United States because she has never been there before. I showed her pictures off my camera of ADX banquet, graduation, and a baseball game. She thought all of it was funny but really great! I kinda miss the US already! Haha

Holland is soo gorgeous and green! There are canals everywhere you go and people ride bikes like crazy over here. I was telling Anita I don’t remember the last time I rode a bike and she thought it was crazy. It is also raining randomly so I am always cold. It is hard to pack for Uganda where I will be living on the equator and stop on a colder place on the way. Everyone keeps making fun of me for being cold all the time.


I apologize for the long post in the future I will try and keep them shorter…

I will leave you with 2 things… 1. I found out on the way here that I will have internet in the guest houses. The internet will still be slow as molasses (lol) but I will most likely be able to check email and post things on this blog more than once a week!
And 2. I love and miss you all! Keep our travels in your prayers tomorrow!

-H

Goodbyes

How is it that words are never adequate when you need them to be?

9.22.10

I cant believe the day has finally arrived... I am leaving for UGANDA TODAY!!!!

Even though i have said most of my goodbyes and i am fully packed (3 bags.. all of which are pushing the 50 lb. limit!) it still doesn't seem real and doubt that it will feel real until i am on a plane or even standing in a place i have never been before.

*Tangent: It is probably the most frustrating thing to try and pack for a place you have never been before. I kept asking my mom if i needed anything else because she has been there before and she would give me a few items and i would go buy them. When i would get back she would have a whole new list for me. I swear the people at Target knew me by name after i was done buying everything i needed. But who knows if i even have everything i need. Also i hate Fry's... its probably the most ridiculously designed store ever!

Anyways, this will be my last post from the United States. I am not sure if i will have internet in Holland, but i spent most of last night modgepodging composition books so i have lots of paper to keep track of everything that happens and will update this blog as much as i possibly can. While in Uganda i will most likely check email and blog once a week depending on how much it costs. We will see... i pretty much don't know what i am getting myself into, but thats the exciting part! :)

The itinerary as far as i know goes as follows...

Wednesday

- 10:30 am: leave San Diego for LA

- 1 pm: meet Mandy at her house for prep

- Around 6 pm: fly out of LAX for JFK

- Layovers in New York (i really wish i could get out of the airport and wander through central park for a little but sadly i cant), and London

Thursday

- Land in Amsterdam

Friday

- Sight seeing in Amsterdam. A girl who just spent time volunteering and doing what i am about to do is from Holland and is going to show me around. Im excited to get to know her and hear her stories and advice about her time in Jinja.

Saturday

- In meetings with Mandy about the kids.

Sunday

- Attend church in Amsterdam and maybe sight see a little more before heading for the airport again.

Monday

- Land in Uganda!!

After that who knows. Mandy says she will have lots of jobs for me to do so i am excited to see what that entails.

I found out something interesting today about Jinja! It is actually the second largest city in Uganda. It is about 20 blocks by 3 blocks. Its crazy to think about when the United State's 2nd largest city is Los Angeles and we all know how large that is. I also found out that they have motorcycle taxis there that you can ride around on the back of. But apparently women have to ride side saddle which will be interesting to say the least! I have a feeling i will be knocking out bucket list items left and right!

Well i need to go to sleep... i have to be awake in 5 hours to get ready to meet Kelcie for coffee and finish some last minute packing and putting away stuff so my room doesn't look like a tornado went through it the entire time i am gone.

Please keep my travel safeties in your prayers tomorrow.

-H

P.S. HAPPPYYY BIRTHDAYYYY JAZZZYYYY!!!

I love you girl and hope you have the most amazing 19th! Wish i could spend the day with you! Your Nana loves your very much!

p.p.s Listen to this song... it super great and pretty much my theme song right now!

Good Life-OneRepulic

Is this real life?!?!?!?

I feel slightly like this kid right about now...

David After The Dentist

PARTAY!!!!

Hi Everyone-

There are now 10 days left until i leave. (HOLY COW!!!)

In preparation for leaving my friends threw me a going away party. It was a fabulous night spent celebrating Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentines Day, Halloween, my Birthday, and any other holiday that i will be missing while in Africa. There were some really fabulous costumes (shout out to Susu who dressed as my birthday present).

Me and the condo girls represented our favorite holidays/ the holidays with the best colors through tutu. Danae was Valentines day, Lauren: New Years, Jen: Christmas, Sara: Mardi Gras, and I was dressed as my 23rd birthday!

Reflecting on the night i definitely felt very blessed to have the best friends anyone could ask for. I am so stoked for what God has prepared for me in Africa, but at the same time i'm sad to leave my friends behind. You guys are like family (and yes that means just as ridiculous as my mom... but i still love her) and i wouldn't trade you for anything!

If you missed the going away party i picked some of my fav pics of the night to put up on here...

Some of my faves :)

Love Birthday Presents!!

TOMY hiding under my ridiculous tutu

Ending the party with a splash!

Love Them

Christmas outside with the swimpool

Temptation and Self Control...

If you are reading this blog you probably already know that i am leaving for Africa in 15 days! Despite this fact i was very tempted to make a major investment in something i could not take along with me for the trip....

Aren't they so cuteee!!!

I have always wanted a St. Bernard, but the obsession grew a little stronger when i was walking through Grossmont Mall one day and low and behold there was a 3 month old St. Bernard puppy sitting in the pet shop! I asked to hold and play with it, and despite the fact that i refuse to buy dogs from pet shops, i wanted her so bad and had to hold back from naming her. I was tempted beyond belief... but had to say no because 1. i'm leaving and i would not want my mom to raise that dog and have to deal with the repercussions when i come back and 2. she was $800... on sale :) Both these reasons were enough to have me get a grip on some self control and walk away!

So flash forward a few days and i get a call from a friend who is puppy shopping on CraigsList.com (best place to find anything! haha) He informs me that there is an 8 month old St. Bernard for FREEE on there. The owners love the dog but had to move and don't have a big enough yard for her. That news almost made me cry (and if you know me i'm not a crier). It got rid of the second reason why i said no to the first one and i was sooo tempted to give up the love of hundreds of little africa children for the love of one big hairy dog. I snap back to reality and convince myself that i cant have one right now and probably not for a long time.

It probably makes it harder to get over the idea of having a St. Bernard when the first puppy i talked about is my background picture on my phone...

On another note...

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my ankle! It is still a bit swollen and large... but the bruising on my toes and heal are all gone. There is still some on my mid calf which i am not really sure how that happened but i have accepted it. I wore normal shoes for the first time on sunday and went without an ankle brace :) I have also started driving with my right foot again which makes my life a little bit safer!

Despite the annoyance that is caused by having to wear an ankle brace and at times a post-op shoe, i am going to kind of miss it. While wearing the boot random people were either curious or moved with compassion enough to strike up a conversation with me about how i hurt myself. Left and Right i was hearing other peoples stories about how they hurt themselves, and telling me that i hope i get better soon! Typically i don't get the opportunity to talk to random people at Target, Coffee Bean, the Gas Station, or just walking down the street, and i have to admit it was pretty cool. At times i wish i were more outgoing to just be able to talk to people randomly without injury! Maybe going to Africa will bring that out in me... Who knows!

Going Away Party this Saturday! Better be there :)

- Haley

Prayer

On Wednesday night i was playing volleyball with a bunch of friends at the SDSU ARC like i do quite often. About 20 minutes into the game i went up for a block against someone from the other team and when i landed i landed on top of his foot and rolled my ankle really badly.

It started to swell right away, and luckily one of the girls that was there has her degree in sports medicine and was able to help me and give me advice about what to do for my ankle. I finished my last two days at HYP on crutches, which was difficult, but really cut because the kids all wanted to help me carry things and get around. But since wednesday i have been on crutches and honestly my foot hasn't gotten that much better. It is still very swollen and discolored. So i have an appointment tomorrow at the doctors to get x-rays and make sure that it isn't fractured. I am not sure what i will do if it is/if i have to get a cast since i will be leave for Africa in less than a month.

Please keep my ankle in your prayers and that Gods will would be done in the situation.

Thank you!

-Haley

Does living in Africa make things acceptable that would otherwise be unacceptable?

Since i wont be wearing makeup, doing my hair, or have cute clothes... why not rock shape ups while I'm there! haha. How far do i really wanna go?

New Swag

Im trying to decide if it would be a good idea for me to invest in buying one of these to have in Africa. It will be hard for me to take as many books as i am going to want to read while i am over there. What do you guys think?

My mom has been hounding me about finding a guitar that i can take with me and to Africa so i can play for the kids over there. The guitar have right now its pretty nice and quite large so it would be difficult to have with me let alone travel with. She was trying to convince me to spend money on a Baby Taylor which is around $300+. And when you are saving up to go half way across the world 300 bucks is kinda steep. So instead i went to the swap meet and found this great little guy. Only $30!!! Some new strings a little elbow grease and she will be as good as new. I think she's pretty cute... any name suggestions?

27 days til i leave... and only about 7 days where i don't have something planned!

-Haley

8.20.10

Today is officially the one month marker from when i leave!!!

It is insane how time has flown even just over this last summer. I only have one more week of working at HYP, and one month left to prepare myself for leaving. Its insane!!

As i mentioned in my last post i had to go get shots for my trip. I spent wednesday morning at Kaiser where i got 4 shots (two in each arm). Im not afraid of needles and the shots didn't really hurt which was great! Although the nurse failed to mention to me that i would have any side effects from the shots, so i made plans with my friends to go to LA to see the filming of a TV show. We were in line and had just got past security when i started to feel a little light headed and nauseous. I thought maybe if i sit down i would feel better, so regardless of what the other people in the line thought of me i sat down on the ground in line! Even though we were in the sun in 90 degree weather my face started to feel really cold and i was sweating like crazy. Unfortunately at that point i started to feel really sick and had to get out of line. When i got out of line i didn't have the option to get back in line unless i wanted to start the very begining again, so at that point we gave up on seeing the show. :( Turns out it was just a wave of sickness that lasted maybe 20 minutes, but came at the exact moment that i would least want it to happen. It could have been a lot worse because i called my mom after and asked her if it was normal. She said the first time she got a shot for typhoid she was sick for 24 hours afterwards. All i have to say is that if that is what it feels like to have typhoid, i'm glad i got the shot because i never wanna feel like that again!

There isn't much update beyond that other than if you would like to send me mail while i am gone the address is posted below. The best way to contact me is through e-mail, which am hoping to check once a week or once every other week! My e-mail address is halesip@gmail.com. But it would be fabulous to see some hand written letters every once in a while! :)

-Haley

Welcome Home Ministries Africa

Volunteer: Haley Sipan

PO Box 1043,

Jinja Uganda

East Africa.

Gettin Ready

Two Exciting Pieces of Information...

1. Everyone save the date... September 11th is going to be my going away party. The theme is very exciting, but you will just have to wait for the Facebook invite to see what it is! :) But i really hope you can all make it. I would love to see your faces before i leave for 6 months!

2. This is kinda exciting, yet scary! Next week i get my shots so i can live in Uganda without dying of yellow fever or malaria! Great things to avoid if i wanna make it back to the states!

Its weird to think there are only 2 weeks left of HYP for the summer! I have gotten to the point where i am going to miss it a lot, and really love these kids. I am trying to figure out what i should do with myself from the time that work is over on August 27th until i leave on September 20th. Any suggestions?

I think that is all for now... ill let you know how the shots go!

- Haley

Holland

Hi Everyone-
So i have very exciting news... I talked with Mandy (the woman that i am traveling to Uganda with) and she told me about how she is going to Holland on her way to Uganda when she goes in September, then she offered me the opportunity to go with her. She is going there to meet with one of the adopting families and since i was planning on traveling with her before she had plans to go to Holland, it seemed good for me to go with her to Holland as well.

But since i am going to Holland that means i will be leaving around the 20th of September instead of beginning of October like i had been planning on. I am more than excited to have this experience and as the time gets closer for to me be leaving i get less and less nervous and more and more excited about with this adventure holds.

A lot of people have been asking me about what it looks like in Uganda so i went on the website for the orphanage and picked some pictures that will give you a good idea of what my life will be like for the 6 months i will be over there. I don't know how things are going to work with me posting pictures of my time over there but i am going to do my best to keep everyone updated through this blog and emails.

Typical market in Jinja, Uganda

Kids from the Orphanage I will be working in.

Outside of the Orphanage Building

Looking toward Jinja with the Nile running through.

I also wanted to let everyone know that i am well on my way to having all the financial support that i need in-order to spend 6 months in Uganda. I have been immensely blessed by friends and family who have provided financial support for this trip. I am also currently working at Horizon Youth Programs (HYP). Each paycheck from this job is going directly toward my time in Uganda. I will have all $6,000 raised by the end of August. Thank you to everyone who supported me, and for everyones dedicated prayer for me and this trip.

In light of me going on this trip my friend Robert took me to get African food (which i have never had by the way) at this place called "A Taste of Africa Cuisine". It was a really funny experience because i was legitimately the only girl in the entire restaurant. According to Robert every man that walked into the restaurant did a double take when they saw me sitting there. Probably the best part of this place was the fact that when you walk up there are about 25-30 Somalian men playing cards or dominos out in front. There is also no menu for their food, you walk in and tell them rice or pasta and he just brings you something. I would recommend it to anyone, such a funny experience! It made me so happy/excited to eat out in Africa!

I will be posting this every once in a while leading up to the trip to keep everyone updated on how they can pray for me and what the Lord has prepared for me.

p.s. please check out the Welcome Home Africa Website for more info about the orphanage and to look at more pictures of... welcomehomeafrica.com

Support Letter

Hi Everyone-

If you have not heard, Starting in October i will leaving for Uganda for six months. I wanted a way of communicating with people back here in the US to share my stories and experiences and thought a blog would be the best way to do so. I will start with the preparations for leaving while i am here in San Diego, and then will be sharing what exactly i am doing over in Africa.

Below is the support letter i have sent out to my family and friends. I really appreciate the support of all of you whether that is through prayer or giving financially.

Keep checking my blog to receive updates on information and to hear how fundraising is going.

I love and appreciate you all!

Love- Haley

Dear Family and Friends,

Over the last four years, God has brought me through a lot - from the loss of my dad, Thomas Sipan to the amazing experience of joining Alpha Delta Chi, the Christian sorority at SDSU. I have learned a lot over the past few years about myself, and what I desire to do with the rest of my life. As graduation approached, that question was asked of me over and over again: “What are you doing to do once you are done?” I have been overwhelmingly blessed my whole life to live in the beautiful city of San Diego. But now with my new status of being graduated and not having anything tying me down, I know this is the best time for me experience life outside of San Diego. As you may know, for the last 2 summers my Mom has been traveling to Africa, volunteering in orphanages and doing AIDS-related trainings with church leaders. One orphanage in particular is operated by close family friends, Luke and Mandy Sydo. I have recently been in contact with Mandy, and in October will be starting a six-month volunteer program in Jinja, Uganda with Welcome Home Africa Ministries.

During my time in Uganda, I will be working with the children currently living in the orphanage from preemies to toddlers, helping with medical runs to the clinic, and participating in outreach to kids in villages, schools, hospitals and adults in prison, along with anything else that needs to be done around the orphanage.

I am sharing this information with you because there is a lot of planning and preparation that goes into making this trip possible. First I ask that you partner with me in prayer, that I would find guidance from the Lord leading up to and during this trip. It is a leap of faith for me to dedicate myself to spending this extended period of time in a country I have never been to before, and your prayers would be very much appreciated. I have also created a blog that I will be posting updates on about my time in Africa. The link is http://WelcomeHomeAfrica111.blogspot.com. I would love it if you would follow me during my time abroad. I will be posting on there different things that I am doing in Uganda, prayer requests, and possibly pictures. Another way that you can help is to support me financially. For this trip, I will need to raise around $6000 to pay for airfare, lodging and food. I have already saved a little over $3000. Please do not feel obligated to give, but any little amount will help tremendously! If you do decide to give please make any checks out to Haley Sipan and write “Africa Mission Trip” in the memo area.

Again thank you for the support you have given me over the last twenty-two years. I would not have been able to accomplish the goal of graduating from college without each of your invested interests in my life.

With Love,

Haley Sipan

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make tour paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6