Team Five Morris

Well, I don't have much new news to tell. It has been really hot here. The kids survived their first week of school. We are moving Hannah back to a lower grade as the homework paired with 10 hour school days was too much. I have to say, the education here is so different. I really struggled with pulling them back out this week. School here is strict. Kids get "beaten" (their word for is here not mine) in class for any number of offenses. Most of the hours are spent copying information off of the board only to come home and write for another hour of homework. I cried and cried last night as I watched my exhausted kids struggle through bizarre questions. But after talking to the headmaster this morning and deciding to move Hannah back I feel much better. Aiden is doing fine and we will continue to practice phonics on Saturdays (I'll make it fun though!). Hannah will now come home at half past midday with Benjamin. So all is well. They have friends and seem to enjoy it even though it is as far from what they were used to in private Chrisitan schools in America as you can get. Who knows...maybe they'll pick up a little discipline too!

Tonight we had a tribute to our american lifestyle. We went and got ice cream ( the ingridients were in this order: sugar, milk, milk substitue powder, coloring and perservatives...no joke), we ate popcorn (a tribute to the Robert's family...you know who you are) and we watched the only movie we brought with us....Wall E. It was nice to cuddle up on the uncomfortable couches and just have a regular night. I could almost pretend we were in Montana except for the overwhelming smell of DEET in the air and my soggy armpits. ( Too much info?)

We met an American lady from Oregon by accident today. We are currently looking for a vehicle to buy and were directed to a company called City Cars. We walked in expecting more Ugandan faces but were shocked to meet an American lady and a British gentleman. They run a company that takes people on safaris, gorilla expeditions and general car trips around Uganda. How nice to just sit and talk to someone just like me in speech and appearance. We didn't find a car but we found valuable contacts who know this city well. And we have found it's all about the connections here!

We go to bed tonight excited to be able to sleep in tomorrow. The 6 am mornings were tiring to say the least. The sounds of babies crying and crickets chirping and a movie house blaring some horrible sounding movie in dubbed Lugandan send us off to sleep. As of monday we will have been here for one month! Thanks for the love! Miss you all as usual!