Hi family,
We hope this update finds you well. We have been busy here with classes the last
few weeks and are so excited about all that we have been learning. Thank you to
those who have written emails to us! We have loved hearing of what you are up
to as well. Just because we are in Africa doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in
your lives, so keep those emails coming!
So, as usual, we have had our share of excitement here. The other day during our morning break, I
decided to be brave and go use the latrine. I’m still not fond of the place,
but hey, when nature calls you must go. Our block of latrines is up a path
behind our hut. As I bravely tucked my toilet paper roll under my arm and
walked up the path to the “hole” as our friend Devin calls it, I rounded the
corner only to see a gecko do a “superman” off the roof of the latrines right
at me. It all happened so fast. I was brave and then I wasn’t. I do have to
give myself credit though that I did not scream. Yay for me. So, when Superman
landed he landed on his back on top of my sandal at which point he wiggled at
an incredible rate of speed to try and flip himself over and then ran into the
nearest bush. I stood silent and still, turned and resolutely walked back to my
room, toilet paper still under my arm, and sat down on my couch. Nature wasn’t
calling anymore. Score one for the lizard, zero for Aimee.
As much as I try to bring humor to all of my bug encounters
or animal incidents, some days the humor is more difficult to find. You should
ask Chris, he could tell you that I have good days and bad days. For instance,
one evening we were house sitting and were “relaxing” at their home when I
noticed these large bugs that buzzed around and dive bombed like a wasp or
large hornet might. I was having a bad bug day and was seriously on the verge
of a breakdown but was trying so hard to chill out. Chris killed one of these
creatures because he could tell I wasn’t going to be able to tolerate sharing
the room with it. I decided to sit next to him and took a deep breath and was
really trying to enjoy our evening in a home.
Then, once again, everything happened so fast, the remaining
large creature dive bombed the curtain next to my hubbie and Chris lost sight
of it. I didn’t. It was crawling quickly from my husband’s mid back up towards
his neck. In my terror I made a choice. I had to save the man I love. I took my
journal and slammed it down hard. The bug had to die, right? The look on my
husband’s face was indescribable….he may have been thinking did you seriously
just kill that bug on my back and hit me that hard?! I thought I had acted bravely and then
realized I just abused my husband in my bug panic.
Then I heard buzzing. It was coming from his now vacated
chair and as I saw the bug fighting for life I cried out in a loud voice, “It’s
not even dead!!!” Like that would have made my actions ok. Chris began to speak to me but I burst into
hysterical sobs. Literally, I totally lost my attempt at calm. Balled like a
baby people. My husband being the amazing man he is took me in his arms and let
me completely fall apart as I yelled my dislike for bugs. After I stopped
crying and we were getting ready for bed, we did laugh about this, but it was
one of the things that wasn’t at all funny at the time but a story that will be
told around the dinner table for years to come.
My next story has nothing to do with bugs, unless you count
the hairy caterpillar that took refuge in the door frame of our shower. He
behaved himself however, so we won’ t talk about him much. Let me first explain that Uganda has wet and
dry seasons. We are now in a wet season and it is lovely. I adore rain and
think that the rain here is one of the things I will miss most when I leave.
It’s powerful and loud and rains for awhile once it starts. Sometimes it’s in
the evenings after a hot day, and then other time we wake up to the sound of
rain on the roof and it is a cozy and cool way to start the morning. I LOVE
IT.
Anyway, Chris and I try to take our showers in the evenings
as then our mornings aren’t quite as hectic and you feel refreshed before going
to bed after you’ve been hot and sweaty all day long. So a few afternoons ago,
Chris took a shower first (remember these are outside for us and out of a
bucket) and he made it inside right when is started to rain. He doesn’t like
rain too much because he doesn’t like to get wet so this was lucky for him.
Anyway, I thought to myself, well, I can wait and shower later in the dark with
all the creepy crawlies or I can take my chances with the rain. I bet you can
all guess what I chose.
So out the door I ran. First, I had to go to the place where
we fill our jerry can with water. Up the hill and around the corner I went
where Betty was cooking and watching me standing in the rain getting water. She
thinks I’m so funny. Then back down I ran to the shower stall attached to our
hut. It’s basically 3 concrete walls with no roof attached to the house. The
rain was really starting to come down now. So I grabbed my stuff out of the
house, Chris offered me the umbrella to rest in the corner of the stall to try
to keep my towel dry, and off I went. I screamed twice, once when I saw the
caterpillar, and the second time when my plastic box holding my clean clothes
fell on my head. No problem, really, I
was fine.
Needless to say I was soaked through before I even started
my shower. Trying to get wet clothes off is a chore and the stall is just the
right size that the water was pouring off of our roof and off of the umbrella
right onto my head. Now don’t get me wrong, I was enjoying this. It was crazy
exciting and I thought, hey God, if this is how you answer my longing for
running water than so be it. I will praise the Lord.
I must say the
lightning towards the end freaked me out and although the umbrella kept my
towel dry there was no way to dry off out there, the water was coming from all
directions. So I put my wet soaked dirty clothes back on (putting a wet long
skirt on was a task) and made a run for the door. I burst in and Chris calmly
looked up at his dripping wife and said, “You’re a crazy woman.” I can be
crazy, as you all know, but I was so full of joy. God knew I needed a rinse
from Him and it was wet and cold and glorious. Thank you Lord.
That’s all for now, I have to go to class, but there are
more stories to tell so I will write again soon. Love you all and I pray that your day holds
something joyful for you; a gift from His hand, like the rain here is for me.
With joy,
Aimee and Chris
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