Going to Africa has been something I have wanted to do for about 8 years. I wanted to go as a freshman in high school but didn't know how to make that happen. I found a program at Mizzou that was going, but I think that nearly gave my mom a heart attack when I told her about that. So here I am so many years later sitting in a coffee shop in Gulu, Uganda trying to use the free wifi next to one of the best teachers I've ever had.
Mr. Magee and I must be quite a sight walking down the streets. Everyone just stops and stares (and laughs) at his height and I'm usually a few feet behind trying to walk/jog to keep up. An even better sight--us riding bodas (motorcycles). This is the easiest way to get around here. For my first time getting on one, Mr. Magee told the driver that it was my first time and to go slow so he told me "sit like a man," meaning to sit normally and not side-saddle, which I definitely would have fallen off doing. What I've loved the most so far is meeting people and speaking with them. What better way to meet a person than holding on to them for dear life! The boda drivers have been so kind and welcomed me to Uganda. It is so different than getting into a cab at home and barely speaking with the person driving. I wish people in the US took the time to be kinder and more personable to strangers.
Our first few days in Kampala we stayed with a friend of Melissa's, Annitah, and her family. I've never met a nicer, friendlier, subtly-sassier person. She tells it like it is and treats you as though you are already a friend. It was the best introduction to Africa I could have had and it has really set the tone for all of the people I have met. I have met some of Mr. Magee's former students and friends here and I have already been able to see them on the street and say hello to them again as though I have known them for more than 24 hours. If this is how the first week has been, I can only imagine how awesome the next two weeks will be and I can't wait to find out!
---Hayley
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