Letter from Tori!

Hi everyone :) We just got a long letter from Tori. She's currently without internet so we figured we would put it on here so everyone could see what she's been up to. God Bless! -Kelsey Engelstad

8/10/2008
I can't believe that I am in Africa!! The flights here were long and tiring and the jet lag is still making me a little sleepless at night and tired during the day It probably doesn't help that we all stay up late talking and have to wake up at 6:30AM...
There are 27 volunteers in my group. Most people are from the MidWest. Ohio, Illinois, Montana, Minnesota, with a few from California, Philly and upstate New York. Training in Philly was fun. We learned very general Peace Corps rules and approaches to development. The flights were fun because we all knew eachother but were still getting to know each other so everyone was telling really amazing stories and joking so even though we were tired we still had a good time. We arrived in Banana Village around 10:30 on Thursday night and we were introduced to the Country Director who is basically our overseer for the time we are here. The training staff is four Ugandan women who have worked for the Peace Corps for years. The're amazing and kind and have been a great resource.
Training in Banana Village was fun because it's like a small resort. we lived in little huts (with electricity + running water!) and we had the whole place to ourselves. We've gotten a few shots and some current volunteers came in and spoke with us about their experiences and they answered our millions of questions. On Saturday, we went to language training in the morning and spend the afternoon on a tour of Kampala. Lugandan is pretty easy (although I won't be speaking it. I'm assigned to the west where they speak Runtoora..I'll explain later)
Kampala was an insane experience and the city is very interesting. "Uptown" is clean and has big buildings. "Downtown", the roads aren't paved and it is incredibly crowded. It was really overwhelming and to be honest, I hope I don't have to go there too often. Whoa, I can't believe I forgot about the craziest thing ever. While im Kampala, we were instructed to buy a bucket. This bucket is for one purpose only. In Ugana, they've named it "the long call." When you are in your host family's house or your house and it is the middle of the night (too dark/dangerous to go outside and use the pit latrine) this is the bucket you have to use. Mine is blue.
So today, Sunday, we packed up our things and left Banana Village for Wakiso where our training center is and wehre our host families live. My family is the Semugera family. They have four children. Their oldest daughter Martha is in Washington state working in advertising. Their second daughter Rachel is applying to medical schools and their two sons, James and Fred, are at home for the holiday. What holiday? Who knows. Both of them are Ryan and Brendan's age!
They will be leaving in two weeks so it will just be me and Mr. and Mrs. Semugera. He is a government inspector and she is a vet. I actually haven't met them yet because they've been at an event all day watching their close friend become ordained. (They are Anglican)
There is a Catholic church down the street and I'm planning on going to mass (in English!) next week.They all speak Lugandan and English in the family so that's nice but I will say I'm the luckiest girl in the world because they have electricity AND running water. Only 1/2 of the homestay houses have electricity and all this talk of poop buckets and bucket baths made me think no one in Wakiso had running water. They seem to be a very well off family and their sons have been very nice to me and have been talking to me all day. Mr. Semugera has another wife in another district. Polygamy is legal in Uganda, but homosexuality is illegal...interesting.
The food in Uganda has been ok...they eat a lot of starch and not much fruits or veggies. I think they are very expensive. When I move to the west I'm going to be exited to be able to cook for myself and buy things I think I'll like.

So, like I said, I'm assigned to the West. They haven't told us exactly where we'll be staying or working, but they put up a map outlining which langugaes are spoken in which regions and I was placed into the Rutoro group (with 9 other volunteers) so we will be moving West. I'm really happy because those Ugandans I've talked to have all said the land out there is beautiful, the people are friendly, and that life moves a little slower out there. Perfect. Plus, it is not in Kampala where there are a billion people are you have to make sure you don't get run over by a matatu or a boda boda. They say there are cities/towns in the West where you can get most everything you need, but it just won't be in a supermarket. (BTW-their commercial grocery stores are called ShopRite!)
The weather out West is supposedly cold which I believe because it is definitely a lot cooler here than I thought it would be. If I just sleep with a sheet, I'll wake up freezing and grab a blanket. Sleeping under a mosquito net is fine, although only three of my four corners can be tied up tonight so that will be kind of awkward. There are two girls here who I am becoming really fast friends with. One of them is in my language group and the other is in the region right South of us. They're really sweet and funny and they're supportive when I got sad on Friday.
Anyways, I'm feeling much better now and I'm really loving it here in Uganda. I'll be getting a cell phone on Tuesday so you'll probably hear from me before you get this letter in the mail!

You're all in my prayers and I'm sure we'll talk soon!
Love you,
Tori


If we get any more letters before Tori gets internet we'll be sure to post them!

Aaaahhh!! I leave in an hour!!

I am sitting anxiously in JFK airport right now listening to two of my fellow PC trainees play their guitars and sing songs. David & Melissa have such great voices! How amazing is it to be surrounded by all of these people. Everyone has incredible stories. Everyone has travelled so much. And they're all so humble! I'm so blessed to be surrounded by such kind, supportive, hilarious, and talented people. I've not even known them for three days, and I like them all so much already. I'm feeling a little nervous right now, but we board soon so it's more excitement than anything.
I miss everyone so much, and I'm praying for all of you. Thank you so much to my family and friends who came to my house this weekend to wish me goodbye. It meant a lot to see all of you, and I hope to hear from you soon! To those of you who really wanted to come but couldn't, your phone calls meant so much, and I'm so happy you made the effort to contact me before I left.
God Bless you all & please pray to our Mother Mary and St. Christopher that I have a safe journey to Uganda!
(I love you so much- Mom, Dad, Ryan, Kelsey, and Brendan. Talk to you soon!)

Life is calling...

I'm leaving for Uganda in about two weeks. July 30th will be (hopefully) the last time I will ever waitress. Waitressing has been a love-hate thing because I loved the people I worked with, but sometimes a disgruntled customer or two can really put you in a sour mood. All in all, I think it taught me patience, humility, how to not sweat the small stuff, and how to put on a smile when you really just want to punch someone in the face. The money I've made will all be used for travelling over the next two years. I want to see some gorillas.
My motivation to go was totally rooted in the things I learned and saw and the people I met while I was at Catholic U. My Habitat trips showed me the joy and rewards of physical labor, the Opus Prize opened my eyes to service abroad, and Mission Jamaica encouraged me to make a real connection with the poor and vulnerable. I'm called to service. I'm called to dive in head first and give my whole life to others.
If anyone has ever been in my room at school, I hope they saw my HUGE Barbara Bush poster. My favorite quote of hers is this: "Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others." Not only is Barbara Bush sexy, she can articulate so perfectly my feelings for service. When I am performing service, whether it's building a new house for someone who has never lived in one or teaching a Jamaican child to read using my Scrabble letters, I feel closest to God. I feel totally myself. I feel home.
I'm going to miss everyone a lot, and at times throughout the last year I was tempted to give it all up and find a job in DC or something. However, through all the preparation, I've never felt so right about something, and I know I'll see all of those whom I love when I get back (or when all of my gorgeous friends get married & I have to fly back for their weddings). I love you all so much. It would be impossible for me to do this without knowing how much support I have from you.

The Invitation, by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithlessand therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day,and if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.