more. extra. nyongeza

My first day at my faculty was a little surprising but nice. We were split into groups reflecting the different disciplines we were to discuss. The girl I sat next to said to me that she hadn't come prepared to use her brain given this is orientation week. I agreed with her! Anyway, we had to find someone to present our discussion points to the larger group. I should have volunteered but I didn't.

While in med school I heard people talk of a production that the Christian union was planning to raise money for ministry among patients in the hospital. There were frequent calls for people to join the drama team. I should have volunteered but I didn't.

Of course I could think of many, more serious examples where I know I could have done more. Sometimes it is so much easier to do just enough to meet people's expectations, to go over the bar that has been set. (For some strange reason, it is easy to miss the bar when the bar is our aim.) We analyse what everyone else is doing and once we have done as much as everyone else, we hang your tools and relax. 

I shared earlier that med school was no cup of tea for me. One day, I attended a conference where the speaker spoke on being excellent and diligent. I realised that in as much as things were hard, I wasn't doing MY best. Mine. Not anyone else's. MY BEST. I may not have been much of a reader but I was good with patients and in that area, I couldn't continue to be average when I knew that I could do better. I had to excel at what I did well. I went for my final semester determined to really,  really do MY best. I confess that in all my years of med school,(they were very many!) I have never done as well as I did in that semester.

There is a rather brief story in the Bible of 'The widow's offering' Mtt 21:1-4. Jesus said this of the widow who put into the collection 2 copper coins:

“I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others."  

Interesting! She put in the least but she put in the most!!!! It made me realise that God does not just look at the face value of out input. One might be perceived as very punctual , hard working, friendly, spiritual or whatever by friends because they are 'better' than them in those areas but if you know you can do more, you should do more. Don't be afraid to bake a cake when everyone else is bringing crisps, to study longer hours when everyone else is asleep. And if what you are giving feels so little compared to everyone else- you just need to remember that yours is to give your best.

I should be done but I must mention my room-mate on campus. She was amazing. I would return from Med school to find the room sparkling clean with ALL my textbooks arranged in height order! (This wouldn't last long unfortunately as I had to read the books ;-) ) But she would do it with a cheerful spirit. Never fussed or complained. She could do more than I could.. and she did. Thanks Kyosh. Miss you.

Go the extra mile :-)

Yamawe!

Saturday was a big day in my life. I felt like a child on their first day of school- exciteeeed but neeeeeeeerrrrvous!    It was raining(as if in a movie) and I went for my first day at University as a post graduate student :-) Orientation week has begun. My husband escorted me, walked me to the huge lecture room and sat with me for the first fifteen minutes. I know you are thinking that I am spoilt and I agree that that is possibly true.

I was glad he did because I felt a little overwhelmed:
1. I knew NO ONE in this room of about 300-400 people! I am kinda tired of being a 'stranger'. After being here for over 6 months, I expected that I'd at least recognise one face but that was not to be.
2. I felt black. I know I am not supposed to notice but sometimes its too loud to ignore.
3. Bulikimu kiri ku computer!!! Gwe! EH! I even have a laptop so I am not generally considered computer illiterate naye!!! BULUKIMU!!(everything) I know it is supposed to be a good thing but everything??!!!! In order to know where you are supposed to be when, doing what, paying how much.. everything is online! There isn't one secretary somewhere that you can ask. Tewali noticeboards!
4. There is a lot of reading ahead and it looks like postgrad is veeeeeerrry different from undergrad.. God please wake up my brain.

I know I will get the hang of it. I will!

Just because.. it doesn't mean!

That right there sounds like a pretty meaningless expression.

I take cooking very seriously. I have been told before that when I am in the kitchen it's like I am doing an exam- I can be super intense!(sometimes). The husband was blessed by God with an amazing appetite but a rather analytical palate. He can tell when I missed an ingredient and I don't mean something as major as salt but just know, he can tell! I feel bad (really sad) when the final product tastes nothing like what I visualised and believe it or not- this has happened before. More than once. However, I am now a fan of cooking competition shows like Master Chef and I have learnt one thing:  a kitchen disaster does not mean that I am not a good chef!

Many of my friends know that some of my years in Med school were particularly hard. I remember walking into my father's office in my 4th year crying and telling him that I was done and wanted to stop doing medicine! He was quite shocked but I explained myself and almost had him convinced. Unfortunately(or fortunately?), all my work was undone when he went home and had a chat with my mum! It was so hard for me to believe it then.. On the days when I sat in the library failing to learn anything from the textbooks. The days when I sat in a tutorial wondering what everyone was talking about. The days on the ward when I wanted to stand at the back and pray that no one asked me a question. The day I was told off by my professor during an exam.. Yes, in those days, I would have found it hard to believe what I now know to be true: Just because I don't know that, it doesn't mean that I am stupid.

Oh how easy it is to let things or other people define us! To let having or not having a great job, money, a husband/boyfriend, things that we consider 'success' to make us come to conclusions about ourselves!

I heard this once: An orange tree is an orange tree regardless of whether it produces oranges or not. Producing oranges does not make it an orange tree. NO!! It produces oranges BECAUSE it already is, an orange tree.

Sometimes, you just need to get up and try again. Keep trying, keep going... Other times you just have to wait for the blooming season and concentrate on maxing whatever season you are in right now. The 'oranges' will come.

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, 

           “In just a little while,he who is coming will come and will not   

            delay.

”And,

“But my righteous one will live by faith.
    And I take no pleasure
    in the one who shrinks back.”

 My God give us all the grace not to 'shrink back'. Not to shrink from responsibilities just because we failed before, from a chance of a good relationship because of a previous broken heart, applying for jobs because we weren't chosen at previous interviews, praying because it has been 'dry' before.. May we not be the ones that shrink back but those who stand firm in faith and are saved.

Camouflage

It's an art and if we are honest, many of us are guilty of it - Hiding in plain sight.

I got a text from my mother about two days ago telling me that my dad had been arrested. Most of you probably heard about it as it caused a bit of a stir in Kampala. He was arrested with a couple of other anti-corruption activists and detained at the police station for a couple of hours. I must confess that I had mixed feelings when I read the text as I was concerned for him but I wasn't surprised- we had been expecting something like this or worse for sometime now.

One of the main reasons why I was concerned about my dad's arrest is because I realised that it would bring to the foreground the different conflicting views abut him and the stand he was making. I hate to admit but it saddens me that he isn't as liked as he was ten years ago. People have different opinions: some think he has lost his mind, others support him, while still others mock him saying he is a priest and should stick to church business. Listening to my thoughts, I realised how concerned I am of the opinions of others not just about my father but worse still of myself and I shuddered!

I like to please people. Some would argue that it is just a character flaw being a sanguine but sometimes putting things in boxes can keep us from addressing serious issues. Why do I care so much if people think I am fat? If they think I am clever or not? Why am I 'walking on my tip-toes' in conversations, careful no to offend? Laughing even in the midst of coarse humour that is offending me just not to offend my company? Why am I willing to shelve my opinions just so people can accept me or I can fit in without looking soooo different from everyone else?

I have to grow up! Realise that not all my friends believe in my Lord- some seriously scorn Him. Not everyone will understand or agree with my life choices or political choices. I can not be neutral or sit on the fence because I am afraid of standing out. I have to accept that we are not the same any more in more ways than one and now, especially now, I must, and I need to embrace that I am different. I should not be afraid of going against the tide - if no one had, slave trade would still be legal!

To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

17“‘We played the flute for you,

and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge

and you did not mourn.’

18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”(Mtt 11: 15-19)

Jesus was basically saying: Regardless of what you do, you will upset some people. Bottom line is,'they' should not be the reason you do or don't do things. You should be wiser than that. And the truth is, we shall have to give an account to God. I pray that God will give us the courage we need to be different when we should. To stand up and be counted without worrying about what other people think. That also means that we need to figure out what we really think about issues, life etc... what are our own convictions and perceptions.

"No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.(Lk8:16)

Bikukwatako? (How does it touch on you?)

Competition. It is such a part of our lives. Right from when we are children, there are positions in class, when you run a race, play a game, even our country is called a third world country.(3rd is generally considered a good position unless there's only 3). It gets really complicated when we get older and we still want to be the first or at least, not to be the last. I think it was easier when we were in class and it was clear what the competition is about. But now, everything gets all mixed up!

Some argue that competition is not healthy and can lead to self esteem issues; they go as far as giving all the children medals and saying that 'everyone is a winner'. Others argue that absence of competition encourages severe mediocrity.

I remember coming home with either results from a test/exam or a report card. Sometimes I would explain my poor performance to my father by stating that the WHOLE class performed badly! Somehow, that excuse never worked even later when I joined a school where they would give us sheets with everybody's marks. My dad only looked at my marks and would always insist that I could do better. It was like he wanted me to be the best that I could be and that had nothing to do with everyone else.

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them...

When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”   John 21:20-22

Its like Jesus was telling Peter: Bikukwatako? How is it your concern/ business what plans I have for him? Do your part, which is to follow me. Sometimes we can get so preoccupied wondering what other people are doing: if they are dating, married, what job they have, how much they are earning, what car they are driving..compared to us? We sometimes think, we were in class together in Primary school but this person is already soooo ahead, how did I get left behind? We begin frantic catch up measures such as dating the next bum that shows interest, taking paying jobs whilst passing up ones that we are really interested in, taking loans we can't afford to service to buy a car we can't afford to keep on the road!

I had to be honest with myself that what was hard for me about this phase of my life- when I am not working or studying or having babies is I felt like I was being left behind. Like we were all running, I had started well but now, I was being left behind. The question is, behind who? The more I thought about it, the more I realised everyone was living their own lives.  I have had to relearn a few things:

1. Run your race - I believe God has a race 'marked out' for each one of us and it is not the same. (Heb 12:1b) Sprint runners aren't good at marathon and vice versa. I had to ask myself: What is my race? 

2. Compete with yourself (Gal 6:4)

3. It takes a little time sometimes. Yeah, it took Joseph close to 20 years before the fulfilment of his dreams, Jesus started His ministry at 30 years!

The bottom line is you have to be honest with yourself. Are you really giving your best? Trying your hardest where you are at? Can you do better or more? If the answer is yes, be committed to that.

Australia day :-)

So.. The 26th of January happens to be a pretty important day on two different continents for 3 reasons: 1. NRM day (when the leading party in Uganda took over governance)

            2. My dear friend J.A.K's  birthday. (Happy Birthday by the way :-) )

            3. Australia day (commemorates the arrival of the first British fleet in Sydney)

Yes, it is a bit strange that they do not have an 'Independence day' like we do and one could thus argue that 'independence' is over-rated. The Queen of England is technically considered to be the head of state though she has a representative here.

Australia day is such a big deal- there were even fireworks on Melbourne! A lot of people feel very patriotic wearing the colours of the flag and partying. I really appreciate the fact that since the day fell on a weekend, Monday is automatically given as a public holiday nationwide! Everybody is clearly in high spirits about having an extended weekend. In the spirit of partying, we(the husband and I) were invited for a barbecue breakfast which was loads of fun. Lots of flags, food, great company and I even got someone to sing me the national anthem :-) 

There are a couple of things that are considered 'Australian'. For example, saying Australia without pronouncing the 'l' (try it!), Billy tea and Pavlova. Pavlova is a really yummy dessert that has a meringue(pronounced 'merang' please!) base. I decided that in honour of Australia day, I had to take up the challenge. The recipe includes eggs, sugar, cornflour, vinegar and lots of fruit. The outcome was not perfect but there were no left overs so I think that is a good sign. I took a picture for the visa office- maybe it will convince them that I belong here.

P.S The next time I am in Uganda, I really need to get a flag! Maybe I can host a party here on Independence day. I wonder what food I would serve people?

Nakolantya????!!!!

"And help us to be wise,
In times when we don't know.."

You might have heard those lines in The Prayer by Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin. I have been in that time for a while now. The time when 'I don't know'. Its kinda hard to describe unless you are in it or have been in it but I'll try.

To study or not to study? Studying is a great idea but where is the money for it? To dump the dude or just stick with him? He ain't no prince charming by far but there doesn't seem to be any of those in sight.  To stay put or quit your job that is draining the years out of you and yet there isn't another a knocking? To tell her you like her or to accept and just be 'good friends'?

I was encouraged recently by Gen 12: 1- 2

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing."

God did not give Abram a heads up as to where he was leading. No map. Just an assurance of His presence (guidance). Sometimes God doesn't show us the whole path but He leads us a day at a time, a step at a time, little by little(Ex23:30). But we can trust His presence and that He is looking out for us to make us a blessing. Sometimes you have to take the leap of faith. Other times, you have to wait patiently for the right time before you jump. May God help us to be wise in times when we don't know.  

"We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2Chron 20:12