Hello everyone,
Thanks to my brother, you can all view another video of my homestay. This is more of an outside tour of the house... since you have already seen the inside ;)
Note about video: When I say "east side of the house" I actually mean west.... I was a bit confused apparently :)
Enjoy!
Justin
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
A little bit of everything....
Hello Everyone,
Since I am struggling with knowing what to start on right now and since I will go home for lunch in about an hour I figured I would do a little blogging...
Hmmm.... what have I been up to lately.... Well... last weekend we went on a trip to Luweero, which I still don't know if it has one "e" or two, but oh well... On this trip it was mostly to get a first hand experience of working with AIDS orphans. Luweero is one of the places hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic in Uganda. We spent some time at a small place that a husband and wife had set up to serve people with AIDS. Basically, there story is: they used to work in Mukono at an orphanage there for many years... When he "retired" they decided to go back to Luweero and start something there to help people with AIDS. Mostly who they work with families that are directly affected by AIDS which mostly means families who have lost one or both parents due to AIDS and some or all of the children have it as well. Here in Uganda, even though they are one of the leading countries in dealing with AIDS there is still a lot of stigma associated with the disease. To give an example: One of the children in one of the families we spent time with was born without shoulder blades... so her mother brought the child to her mother because she didn't want it. The girl was seen as a sign of something bad in the family, a curse really , so the grandmother set the child out on the edge of the road hoping that a car would run the child over... Thankfully the girls sister would always go out and pull her away from the edge of the road, until someone finally came and took her into a family...
But, things like this happen all the time here, it really is sad. However, what is good news is there are many examples of people like who we worked with who have started places that care for these children and families. A lot of what they do is very basic, but necessary, and a big part of the basics is just showing these children and families love, because they do not get much of that. And that's basically what we went there to do... we played with the kids, ate lunch with them and learned a little about what this couple was doing...
Also part of the weekend was having two different speakers, a Anglican bishop, and Catholic Priest tell us about there work in the area and what their thoughts are about AIDS... Overall it was a good/interesting weekend, a little different flavor from our other trips...
On other notes, I have been struggling, along with everyone else, to regain motivation after our Rural homestays... yeah, I know it was a long time ago already, but that trip really sapped away the motivation... I have 4 papers and 2 presentations due within a 7-day period coming up shortly and have yet to start any of them... yay :( Everyone says I'll survive, but I'm not quite so convinced always... Plus, research here is really hard to do, because there aren't a lot of resources here, and power and the Internet are a little sketchy. Thanks to great librarians at Dordt though, I think I will survive... so, if you are a Dordt student reading this, first of all go thank the reference librarians who are so amazing, and second of all ask them for assistance because they are so amazing...
It really is amazing how our time is winding down here. Someone mentioned to me today that we only have two more weekends here, which is hard to imagine. Apparently, coming up this week is Thanksgiving, I know I'm terrible at dates, but when you live in a climate that basically never changes temperature beyond like a 5 degree shift it's hard to notice that time passes sometimes. We're going to be having a thanksgiving celebration/meal at our Directors house, which should be fun... maybe we'll have turkey :) but I doubt it... Mom, buy a really big one for Christmas... ;)
Umm... I have potential flight-time issues that I need to work out yet, but can't get a straight answer from anyone I talk to... basically I may miss my flight from D.C. to Minneapolis, or I may not... but it's going to be close either way... I just want to know what to do if I do miss it, but no one really seems to be able to tell me... grr...
Classes have been OK lately... for one class we are reading a really good book called "Mere Discipleship" by Lee Camp.... Basically it's an easier version of John Howard Yoder's "The Politics of Jesus" but still quite good. I would recommend to anyone interested but intimidated by Yoder...
I think that's about all... it's getting to the point here where it's kind of hard to know what to feel... I am really starting to feel at home here more than I have all semester, which probably makes sense, but I am really looking forward to being able to see you all again and be able to tell stories in person rather than through blogging and the occasional email...
OK, that's all, I'll see some of you in a few weeks...
Justin
Since I am struggling with knowing what to start on right now and since I will go home for lunch in about an hour I figured I would do a little blogging...
Hmmm.... what have I been up to lately.... Well... last weekend we went on a trip to Luweero, which I still don't know if it has one "e" or two, but oh well... On this trip it was mostly to get a first hand experience of working with AIDS orphans. Luweero is one of the places hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic in Uganda. We spent some time at a small place that a husband and wife had set up to serve people with AIDS. Basically, there story is: they used to work in Mukono at an orphanage there for many years... When he "retired" they decided to go back to Luweero and start something there to help people with AIDS. Mostly who they work with families that are directly affected by AIDS which mostly means families who have lost one or both parents due to AIDS and some or all of the children have it as well. Here in Uganda, even though they are one of the leading countries in dealing with AIDS there is still a lot of stigma associated with the disease. To give an example: One of the children in one of the families we spent time with was born without shoulder blades... so her mother brought the child to her mother because she didn't want it. The girl was seen as a sign of something bad in the family, a curse really , so the grandmother set the child out on the edge of the road hoping that a car would run the child over... Thankfully the girls sister would always go out and pull her away from the edge of the road, until someone finally came and took her into a family...
But, things like this happen all the time here, it really is sad. However, what is good news is there are many examples of people like who we worked with who have started places that care for these children and families. A lot of what they do is very basic, but necessary, and a big part of the basics is just showing these children and families love, because they do not get much of that. And that's basically what we went there to do... we played with the kids, ate lunch with them and learned a little about what this couple was doing...
Also part of the weekend was having two different speakers, a Anglican bishop, and Catholic Priest tell us about there work in the area and what their thoughts are about AIDS... Overall it was a good/interesting weekend, a little different flavor from our other trips...
On other notes, I have been struggling, along with everyone else, to regain motivation after our Rural homestays... yeah, I know it was a long time ago already, but that trip really sapped away the motivation... I have 4 papers and 2 presentations due within a 7-day period coming up shortly and have yet to start any of them... yay :( Everyone says I'll survive, but I'm not quite so convinced always... Plus, research here is really hard to do, because there aren't a lot of resources here, and power and the Internet are a little sketchy. Thanks to great librarians at Dordt though, I think I will survive... so, if you are a Dordt student reading this, first of all go thank the reference librarians who are so amazing, and second of all ask them for assistance because they are so amazing...
It really is amazing how our time is winding down here. Someone mentioned to me today that we only have two more weekends here, which is hard to imagine. Apparently, coming up this week is Thanksgiving, I know I'm terrible at dates, but when you live in a climate that basically never changes temperature beyond like a 5 degree shift it's hard to notice that time passes sometimes. We're going to be having a thanksgiving celebration/meal at our Directors house, which should be fun... maybe we'll have turkey :) but I doubt it... Mom, buy a really big one for Christmas... ;)
Umm... I have potential flight-time issues that I need to work out yet, but can't get a straight answer from anyone I talk to... basically I may miss my flight from D.C. to Minneapolis, or I may not... but it's going to be close either way... I just want to know what to do if I do miss it, but no one really seems to be able to tell me... grr...
Classes have been OK lately... for one class we are reading a really good book called "Mere Discipleship" by Lee Camp.... Basically it's an easier version of John Howard Yoder's "The Politics of Jesus" but still quite good. I would recommend to anyone interested but intimidated by Yoder...
I think that's about all... it's getting to the point here where it's kind of hard to know what to feel... I am really starting to feel at home here more than I have all semester, which probably makes sense, but I am really looking forward to being able to see you all again and be able to tell stories in person rather than through blogging and the occasional email...
OK, that's all, I'll see some of you in a few weeks...
Justin
Monday, November 17, 2008
How 'bout some more pictures
Hello,
Since I have been pretty pathetic at getting up actual stories in my blogs lately, I will just let my pictures tell the stories... enjoy...
I wish I had more from this trip, but this is what I have for now, I'll have to get more of what we actually did from others...
http://picasaweb.google.com/JustinStruik/Luwero?authkey=1MnGfIftDoI#
Since I have been pretty pathetic at getting up actual stories in my blogs lately, I will just let my pictures tell the stories... enjoy...
I wish I had more from this trip, but this is what I have for now, I'll have to get more of what we actually did from others...
http://picasaweb.google.com/JustinStruik/Luwero?authkey=1MnGfIftDoI#
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Video
Hello Everyone,
I know I haven't actually typed anything in a while, but this will probably make you happier anyways... This is one video that I took of my homestay here in Mukono. I have another that I will try to get up sometime, but you can thank my brother Kirk, for posting this on youtube for me...
Justin
I know I haven't actually typed anything in a while, but this will probably make you happier anyways... This is one video that I took of my homestay here in Mukono. I have another that I will try to get up sometime, but you can thank my brother Kirk, for posting this on youtube for me...
Justin
Sunday, November 9, 2008
More Pictures!
Update: If you have already looked at the pictures from my homestay, go look again, because I added some captions to help...
Hello Everyone,
Here is a link to some pictures from my Home here in Mukono, which is probably what you've been waiting for the whole semester. I also posted some up the other day of our Bwindi trip from way earlier in the semester... so you should be able to find them if you click around a bit... I am working on a couple video's too, but those are a bit more difficult... Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/JustinStruik/MukonoHomestay?authkey=fmRZNp6b4rE#
Justin
Hello Everyone,
Here is a link to some pictures from my Home here in Mukono, which is probably what you've been waiting for the whole semester. I also posted some up the other day of our Bwindi trip from way earlier in the semester... so you should be able to find them if you click around a bit... I am working on a couple video's too, but those are a bit more difficult... Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/JustinStruik/MukonoHomestay?authkey=fmRZNp6b4rE#
Justin
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Picture update
Hello Everyone,
Here a couple links for some pictures that I have finally succeeded in putting up. I have the locations of the pictures, but nothing specific about them as that would take much more time than what I have. If you have any burning questions, though, feel free to ask...
Sipi Falls from this weekend:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JustinStruik/SipiFalls?authkey=DOkHwKhRngI
Jinja trip, from a while back in the semester:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JustinStruik/JinjaTrip?authkey=qvuXUJE73V4
Enjoy
Justin
Here a couple links for some pictures that I have finally succeeded in putting up. I have the locations of the pictures, but nothing specific about them as that would take much more time than what I have. If you have any burning questions, though, feel free to ask...
Sipi Falls from this weekend:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JustinStruik/SipiFalls?authkey=DOkHwKhRngI
Jinja trip, from a while back in the semester:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JustinStruik/JinjaTrip?authkey=qvuXUJE73V4
Enjoy
Justin
Cow Dung: Penetrates, Stains, Seals
So, hopefully Minwax doesn't find this blog and sue me for copyright infringement, but I couldn't resist the title(Sorry to all of you out there who don't know wood stains).
Anyways, one of the most interesting things I experienced at my Rural Homestay was the smearing of cow dung on the mud floor of the kitchen hut. Believe it or not they actually used this to "clean" the floor. My mom started by mixing some ashes from our fire into a basin of water then went out to find a few fresh cow pies. She mixed the ash-water together with the cow dung until it was the consistency she wanted and then proceeded to smear it over the entire floor of our Kitchen house. She made sure I took pictures ;) and you can find them here, along with others from my homestay: http://picasaweb.google.com/JustinStruik/RuralHostFamilyHome?authkey=ubeYLmBg0FE
Apparently this process is done every week or two to keep the kitchen floor clean. My host-mom in Mukono was telling me last night that if it is not done, these nasty little flies that we have had on our chickens a few times come around, so this is done to prevent them. Anyways, that is just one little story I wanted to share about my Rural homestay, there is more to come later...
Justin
Anyways, one of the most interesting things I experienced at my Rural Homestay was the smearing of cow dung on the mud floor of the kitchen hut. Believe it or not they actually used this to "clean" the floor. My mom started by mixing some ashes from our fire into a basin of water then went out to find a few fresh cow pies. She mixed the ash-water together with the cow dung until it was the consistency she wanted and then proceeded to smear it over the entire floor of our Kitchen house. She made sure I took pictures ;) and you can find them here, along with others from my homestay: http://picasaweb.google.com/JustinStruik/RuralHostFamilyHome?authkey=ubeYLmBg0FE
Apparently this process is done every week or two to keep the kitchen floor clean. My host-mom in Mukono was telling me last night that if it is not done, these nasty little flies that we have had on our chickens a few times come around, so this is done to prevent them. Anyways, that is just one little story I wanted to share about my Rural homestay, there is more to come later...
Justin
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