calendar marks

Calendar marks by My Favorite Highway. Hannah(s)--- check it out. You'll love it. You're welcome.

I love my Ugandan family. We watch a marvelous Spanish soap opera called Hidden Passion that's dubbed over with terrible English every night as a family. At first I thought it was a good laugh, but now I find myself anxiously watching the kitchen clock for 8pm every night to go see what Franco will do next! My sisters are hilarious and loud and beautiful. :) Feels like home to walk there every night to tea time and conversation, Spanish soaps and visitors popping unceremoniously in and out always.
Typical morning in my Mukono home: instant coffee.
Reading the 6th Harry Potter as a nice no-brainer way to get myself going. Don't judge. I know you all love those books too.
Mosquitoes that never actually land on you/bite you.
Bread and butter.
Greeted in the arms of whatever fool HC boy is out of his dorm that early in the morning when I walk back to campus with a "Welcome back, sister!"

Speaking of family: Honours College is most definitely family now. Can't really say much else, other than I find the relationships there completely unlike any other and so welcoming, so intentional, so comfortable. I'm blessed.
I got to get into Kampala the other day (finally!) with a bunch of the IMME (students living with families for the whole semester) kids. We went to the New York Kitchen in Garden City for good ol' American pizza. Beautiful. I hit up the book store on the way out and just the smell of books took me back to Borders… LYNNSAY: I miss you desperately. You and our book dates. People here think I'm crazy. They're all homesick for foods and family members- I miss books and snow. Dear January: I will see you in the Bangor Borders. Every day. Open to close. ALSO was escorted over to a legit coffee shop with real coffee for a latte and slice of chocolate cake. I miss coffee. And coffee shops. And coffee culture. But as much as it was nice to indulge in an American day in Kampala, I think I'm all set for the rest of the semester with spending that much money just to "taste" home. Rice and beans are fine with me.
Went to the consecration of the new Bishop of Mukono on Sudnay. 8 hours of my life I'll never get back. Did get to see the President though- when he showed up about 5 hours late with a car as a peace offering and congratulatory gift for the new Bishop (aren't things like that illegal during election season in the US?).
Nanny sent me a package of peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars the other day. No note. No letter. Just pure grandma love in chewy bar fashion. Perfect. Nanny- if Sue or Mom pass this honorable mention on to you- may it be known that you're the favorite grandmother of every USP student since there was enough to share and you knew just exactly the way to our desperate-for-chocolate-hearts. Thanks :)
Note: if anyone would like to compete for that title…feel free to send packages :)

Uganda Studies Program
Alli McPhedran
Uganda Christian University
PO Box 4
Mukono, UGANDA

I read this last night in a poetry book from my African Lit class:
Epilogue by Grace Nichols
I have crossed an ocean
I have lost my tongue
From the root of the old
One
A new one has sprung



You have my attention like a shout through an empty sanctuary

Speak but a whisper...