I would have posted my first official blog right after I posted my “intro” for Waiting in the Wings, but my knowledge of all things technology related has apparently left me and I have not been able to figure this website out! I’m still learning on how to work this, so if there are lots of changes throughout my posting, bear with me!

I’ve titled this blog post “Enjoying the Little Things” because when you live in a foreign country and don’t have the commodities that America has, you have to learn how to make the best out of some not-so-good situations. For example, we have scheduled – yes, I said scheduled – power outages here. We will be contacted by our power company and they will send out a chart that tells us what days of the week the power will go out, and how long the power outage will last. Half the time, power doesn’t even come back when the chart says it will.

So, during these power outages, my mom and I have started to play some cut-throat games of Scrabble with a flashlight in the middle of the table. We boil some water and make some tea, and get to playing. If the power is still out by the time we’ve finished, I like to pull out my ukulele or guitar and play some ironic songs that go along with the situation (songs like We Are The Light Of The World by Kari Jobe, I See The Light from Tangled, you get the idea).

This week has been particularly rough for me. A lot of things have been changing. I have one more month of junior year, then I immediately begin my senior year. That’s terrifying.

Two of my close friends moved back to the states for college, and my best friend, Cana, is back in the states for almost two months, but it’s only one more month, now. Friends in the states that I talk to everyday have jobs now and can’t talk as much as they used to. Three students from our class just recently left to go to the states for college as well, so only having two other students in class with me is oddly pressuring. I’m not home to be in acting or dance right now, either, so it’s hard getting to see my theater and dance friends, well, you know, do theater and dance. For some reason, I’ve felt more distant from America this week more than I ever have in this past year and a half.

However, I focus on the positives, and, you guessed it, enjoy the little things.

Our house-keeper, Lenah, recently started making mandazis. If you don’t know what mandazis are, they’re basically donuts without glaze. They taste just like a plain donut from America, and they’re DELICIOUS. She even puts lemon zest in them and it amplifies the taste by thousands. They’re amazing for a light breakfast, and will seriously help you start your day on a positive note.

I’ve recently remembered that I’m really, really into drawing. We moved here and I wasn’t able to bring a lot of my art supplies, so I haven’t drawn much ever since we moved. But, I picked up a sketch pad and pencil about a month ago and I haven’t been able to stop drawing. It’s so therapeutic.

Even though I may not get to talk to my friends in America as much, I still have fun during the little time we do get to talk, whether it be through video chatting or texting. We’re blessed to live in a generation where we are able to communicate people with such ease. Seeing a “hey, how are you?” message pop up on my phone or being able to see someone’s face even though we’re 8,000 miles apart really helps when I wish I could just be in America, surrounded by the people I love.

When I’m bored, I tend to dance outside with the girls and teach them a dance. So far they know The Macarena, The Cha Cha Slide, The Electric Slide, some dances that I’ve been taught from acting, and some original routines I’ve put together by myself. I love teaching them dancing styles that normally come from America, but I love learning Ugandan dances as well. I can’t choreograph a hip hop routine now without having a tiny bit of Ugandan moves mixed in there as well.

More little things that I enjoy will now be listed below.

• Home-made chicken nuggets with Chick-fil-A sauce sent over by my AMAZING Aunt Beth.
• Finding Muggle, (a dog that lives on campus) and watching her race towards me to say hello.
• Walking by myself to and from classes during the school day. It gives me time to breathe and think on what I’ve learned so far.
• Listening to our girls laugh hysterically as they crack jokes with mom.
• Listening to our girls sing the iconic “This is Me” song from Camp Rock without forgetting the lyrics.
• Our girls begging me to video chat some of my friends back in the states so that they can say hello. It gives them a chance to meet some family and friends that may not come visit, and it gives friends and family a chance to grow a small relationship with our girls.
• Learning Luganda.
• Speaking Luganda to someone in a village and seeing them smile wide and respond in Luganda.
• Grabbing milkshakes and having bible study with Cana.
• Watching another friend, Wyatt (who is actually here in Uganda and not in the states), try to dance on Wednesday night while the kids lead worship in chapel.

And last, but not least, I love little moments that I have by myself where I’m listening to some christian music and have a small moment that’s just me and Christ. Little moments where I stop moving and I close my eyes and praise Him for letting me live a life where I get to serve Him and share about Him daily.

When life here gets hard, I focus on the good and enjoy the little things. Hopefully, when life gets hard for you, you can focus on the good and enjoy the little things, too.

(P.S – one of the things that inspired me to write this was the fact that I’m “BABYSITTING” A KITTEN THIS WEEKEND, AND AS I WAS WAITING FOR MY BLOG TO LOAD, I LOOKED OVER AND SAW HIM SNUGGLED AGAINST ME, ASLEEP. I. Am. Blessed.)