We Have Arrived!

   We are here! After a very, VERY long flight we made it to the ground around 10pm on Sunday evening Uganda time (8 hours ahead; 2:00pm CST), got to our van around 11pm, and got to our hostile about 12am!  We did not get all settled in until about 1am and had to wake up at 6:30am (remember this is about 10:30pm CST) to get to our class in the morning!  It was a very long day of lectures yesterday (Monday), we were busy 8:30-5! We stood out very much as we all began to fall asleep in class around 2pm or so because we were totally exhausted, everybody noticed.  But I think they were understanding of our jetlag.
   Regardless of our falling asleep during lectures, the topics and information we were learning was very interesting and there has been very good discussion with it.  We have a very small class compared to anything in the US, there are about 20 of us.  We have been learning a lot about the different structures in the health system here and about infectious disease.  The diseases we are learning about are very interesting to me as they are not anything we have been exposed to while studying in the states! I love it so much! The main difference I find in what we are learning here is that in the classes I take back home focus very much on genetics causing disease and treatment where as the classes here focus very much on pathogens and vectors (such as the tsetse fly causing trypansomosis), it is very interesting and different and I really am enjoying it.
   We have found out more of our itinerary as we were mostly left without knowing it before we left!  On Thursday we will begin our journey to Western Uganda where we will travel to Kibale National Park (has primates, birds, and lab work). Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area (Hippos, Lions, birds, water buffalos), Lake Mburo National Park (antelope, livestock ranches), and the only crocodile farm! I also was told we will be able to see a giraffe which I'm totally stoked about since we were told that we would not see one here and I was a little bit sad about that. We will arrive back from western Uganda on the 29.  We will have a free day here in Kampala (the largest city) where we will probably be doing some tourist stuff, and then head to eastern Uganda.  In eastern Uganda we will be visiting mostly health centers, farms, and a research institute in trypsanomyosis.  We will also be doing a bit of site seeing on this part of our journey.  We will be climbing a mountain, visiting the source of the nile and crossing over the nile (AWESOME), and visiting a national forest.  We will then have another free day in Kampala.  After that we will have a boma, which will last a few days, where there is a fire, food, and sharing between cultures we were told there will be approximately 150 people there.  After the boma we will attend a conference for about 2 or 3 days.
   I have already learned so much while here! I am loving my time here. Some may say it is still in the "honeymoon phase" but I believe I truely like it here.  The food is not AMAZING, there are about 3 types of food here, rice, posho (cooked plantains--a type of banana), and matoke (corn starch).  But it is not so bad.  I have made friends with people from all over Africa; Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Rwanda! Sweet deal!
   God is so awesome! I love that he has given me the opportunity to be here with people that are all so different, but essentially all the same.  That is what this all comes down to.  We all have differences but we all have the same concerns, issues, and in the end just want to meet new people and experience the world.  Some of our concerns may have a different face, prevalence but at the very core we all want to help improve the conditions we are living in regardless of where we are in this big world. 
   Until next time...ta ta!!