Loved and Needs

Being in Uganda has taught me a lot about wants and needs.

Like I need to learn the difference in actually being tan, and being so evenly dirty that I think its a tan...

okay.. now being serious:

I want power to be on all day long so I can have the fan running and then take a hot shower and then have internet.
I do not need power. Its nice. It makes my days easier. but it in no way contributes to my life in the way that if I didn't have it, I would die.

I want city water to be on when I want to clean my dishes and shower.
I do not need city water to be on (all the time).  There are other places to get water.  If the water is on, I don't always run to the sink to clean my dishes. I sit there and think about how I should.  When water is on, I take it for granted. When water is off, I whine. (which makes me want to slap myself).

I want cheese all day everyday. (less of a good example)
I do not need cheese.  There are other foods. I generally like the food I eat.  Yes, I would probably enjoy it more if there was cheese on it. but, it is in no way killing me to be without.

Loved and being a "good person"

Hi friends. This is one of my pet peeves. When people tell me I am a "good person" I want to correct them, because I'm not. Not really. I seem "good" because I am a child of my wonderful God. A lot of times I'm not "good" at all.

I'm full of sin, I am also full of redemption.

I struggle a lot. I struggle with small insignificant things. I struggle with big life changing things. I struggle with following directions. I struggle with being honest with God and with myself.  I struggle to let go of little things. I struggle with gossip.  I struggle with reading my bible every day and relying on my God.

I wrote in my journal yesterday: "I am angry over something I know is dumb, but I don't care." How ridiculous am I? I wanted to slap myself as I was writing it(and just now as I was reading it). I also wrote: "I need to get over it. Forgive and forget, right?"  It is so much easier to write or say or tell someone else than to actually follow it.

I don't like when people tell me I am a 'good person' for being here.  Honestly if it was my choice, I don't think I could say I'd be here and be one hundred percent honest. I'm here because my God is strong and mighty and loving and said "Go."

I am incredibly thankful that my God is loving and forgiving and knows my heart.

I am also incredibly thankful that my God has given me a spirit of power and love and self-discipline. And not a spirit of fear.

Lastly, I am thankful that people think that I am a "good person" because its nice to know that others thing positively about me and feeds my ego... but one of my sweet friends said something, I consider to be the highest of compliments... she said "You're so good for the world"  I like that much better because inherently, I am not a 'good person.'  I like to think that there are several positive aspects to me, but if I am being honest, those positive things are all not me - they are things God has graciously given me.

I don't mean to rant or sound like I hate myself - because I don't. I just want you all to know that I am in no way a 'good person' I am merely a sinner who is loved by an amazing God who is in all ways good.

Loved and just over a month (here)

hi friends!  I've been here just over a month.  I miss you guys a lot. I really really really miss my parents.  Some of you have asked for my contact information. I would love to receive emails/mail/skype calls from all of you.

You can mail me stuff at:                                 You can skype me at:
The H.O.P.E. Center Uganda              michelle.dipietro

c/o Michelle DiPietro

Kanoni Road Kigoogwa TC

P.O. Box 59

Mityana, Uganda

You can email me sweet things at:   michelle.dipietro@gmail.com

If you are going to mail me a package... things that I would like are american things and velveeta cheese. I am also working on decorating my school room.  So if you have school posters/maps/inspirational quote signs you were going to get rid of - I'd love them for my classroom. 

The best time to skype me is sometime after 2pm your time or 12-1am your time during the week.  During the weekends I'm more flexible.  

I do miss you all, but I am loving life here.  Uganda is beautiful.  Everytime I look outside my breath is taken away by how naturally beautiful it is and how lucky I am.  

Life here is simpler and I like that.  I like that my key is old timey. I like that I get to sleep with a mosquito net canopied around  me.  Its the simple things, right?

Let me know how you all are doing! 

Lots of love, 

Michelle

Loved and smells

This will be brief. I don't want to gross you all out too much. but this goes hand in hand with my previous post.

The thing I hate the most about the water being out is that everything smells like poop.  I mean everyone poops. I'm pretty sure there is a book titled everyone poops.  but if the water is out (and I am aware that it has just gone out)  I only have one flush on my toilet.... I have to use my "best judgement" on when to use that flush.  I can always go get more water and pour it in and the toilet does a 'semi' flush - but honestly I get one good flush. And that's how it is for all the toilets in the city (or whoever else's water is out).

I hate saying this, but sometimes it smells gross here.  I mean jaja does her cooking outside my window - so whatever she cooks (morning, noon, and evening) I can smell. I can also smell the charcoal (which she heats up and cooks on), the chickens/turkeys who insist on pooping everywhere, and anything else that wafts through my tower.

(*disclaimer* sometimes jaja's cooking smells delicious - but most of the time its mixed with all the other smells and its not so yummy smelling)

Loved and it's electric

I am still loving Uganda.  Sometimes it feels like this was always part of me, I  mean the need to here and the life style.  Everything here is so relaxed and even though I am normally so high strung, its teaching me how much I need to rely on God.  

I was going to make a potato vegetable bake yesterday... but I wasn't able to get what I needed, because there were other bigger issues.  So instead we took out some ground beef and let it thaw.  We are without a microwave this week because it is uptown at the samsung store the orphanage operates and we are doing demonstrations to the Ugandans. (they don't really understand all the wonderful things you can do with it)  Anyways, thawing meat without a microwave takes a long time to sit out. So when it was time to cook dinner - I scraped what was thawed and started with that. Luckily that was enough for everyone who was eating to eat with the tortillas made earlier. Then I proceeded to place the frozen chunk of meat in the pan and alternate scraping the sides so that the rest would be cooked for today. (and we could heat it up in the pan because we are still microwave less). 

So since yesterday we didn't make the potato dish - and all my potatoes came in yesterday evening, I was going to make it today. Well the power was off today... but honestly it wasn't a huge deal.  We had left overs heated on the stove (we have a gas stove but an electric oven).  Tomorrow we will have pancakes so maybe on Sunday we will have potato dish. 

So yesterday I also had to buy an "Internet Everywhere" stick.  Its a little stick that you pay for in advance for a certain amount of time and it gives you internet any where you are. (read:it almost makes me have a mental breakdown to get it started because its finicky).  But after paying about $60 so that I would have internet for sure when I am working on school work (specifically tests).  I had a 15 minute fight with it earlier today, while the power was off (and I was looking up a fact for my students).  and a 20 minute fight with it tonight while trying to take my test. (Katie, Heather, Melody - I cannot even explain how incredibly thankful I am for that email you sent me).  I got the internet stick to work. I took my test. 

The other thing that I am learning how to deal with is the water.  I always have to check to see if city water is on.  We have a rain water storage that is connected to the main house, but my princess tower is connected to city water.  I have to have city water and power to take a shower.  Last night, I was SO lucky and took a nice hot-ish shower.  The thing I am learning though is the difference between my wants and needs.  I want to take another hot-ish shower tonight, but I don't need it. ( I don't smell bad yet).  

I want to have power and electricity all the time - but I don't need it.  I am by no means saying I am ready to live without it - because I am not. I'm having so many struggles without a microwave this week, but when I say to you all, "Electricity was out today, or City water has been out." What I am really saying is that its been a small inconvenience which has caused me to do a little extra work or have a slight inconvenience (like go get water from the rain water storage or not being able to charge my phone).

I am learning the difference between my life necessities and my life nice-ities.

Loved and sounds

I am loving it here. But there are some big differences. This week I am struggling with what we will call "night time noises".

The church down the street has a microphone and speakers that creates the loudest racket I've ever heard. I say racket because I cannot understand anything, there is some awful background music, and no one I've met has positive things to say about that church/pastor.

The "guard" dogs love to chase anything and get into everything. Including the outdoor kitchen (when it isn't locked). I use guard loosely, because they are pretty sweet dogs, but ugandians are terrified of big dogs.

When the water goes out and turns on in the middle of the night. It sounds exactly like (sorry to be crude) someone is having explosive diarrhea. Which is due to the air bubbles in the pipes.

Also the turkeys (and chickens). Gobble gobble gobble. I am going to gobble them up if they continue being the loudest animals... Every single morning... And by morning I mean at 5 am.

Factor in the occasional crying babies, water pressure release from the tank each night, and the car horns (which are used constantly here) and that includes the sounds of Mityana... At least where I am. Which is why I feel like I am never asleep, because I'm always listening.