We've got a bleeder!

As many of you may know, my nose has a tendency to bleed rather easily. When I was younger, I used to get nose bleeds multiple times per week. I have mostly grown out of it, but which I get in high altitude (Kampala is around 4000 ft above sea level) and get dehydrated, my nose can get worse. This past week, it has definitely been an issue. It has bled most days this week. One day, it bled for around an hour before I got it to stop. I am trying to drink as much water as possible, which has helped a lot already. This is something I would really appreciate your prayers.

The transition into the new culture is going well. The longer I have been here, the easier it is to navigate the city and accurately interact with locals. One of the things we learned in culture training is that other cultures are not wrong, they are just different. Trying to remember that has been very helpful. For example, when men are holding hands with other men as they walk down the street (a normal sign of regular friendship), I need to remember that it's not wrong, it's just different. I think that will be something to remember even as I come back to the states. There are so many different subcultures there and its becomes easy to judge others for how they live differently when it isn't necessarily wrong.

I went to a local church yesterday. That was definitly a new experience as most of it was in Luganda (the native tongue). As a result, I didn't know what was going on most of the time. At least the preacher gave the message in English (translated in Luganda). The worship style is much different than I am used to. Everyone is singing and dancing and jumping. It was really cool, I just wished I could have understood the music so I could follow along.

There is also a lot of poverty here. Even living on a missionary's stipend, missionary's are some of the richest people here. There are many huts and small shacks all around with less than ideal living situations (according to western standards). It definitely has been an eye-opener, and we are in an area that is actually relatively well off.

I will post more project information soon. I know several of the projects that I will be working on. I just don't have too many details yet.