adventurelife!

"So you gon' da Uganda?"

What have I done? Why did I think this was a good idea?

After 29 hours of travel, I finally got off the plane in Africa. Another couple hours of travel (kill me) found me safely at my new home. It's a little compound with a big wall and a gate that's guarded by a native guy. It feels pretty secure, Mom :) It's got a cute exterior and certainly stands out as the nicest place for blocks around--though that mostly means that sheet metal is not one of the major construction materials. The area seems a little rough.

Once I got inside, it really hit me: What was I thinking, moving out here? I seem to have finally remembered that I'm... not... "low maintenance." I'm not sure that this is my thing. I'm in a tiny room with six girls bunking on top of each other. We have no shelves, drawers, or storage space. We all share a bathroom similarly lacking in space to put things. And the kitchen.... I'll try and upload some pictures soon.

What have I done?? What exactly am I trying to prove to myself?

Of course, it's not all bad. The other girls are great. They've been here for a couple days and have been helped me get situated. They all agree that things will look better in the morning light, haha. I'm sure once I get settled in, get a shower, find some money and some food, and hit the gym, I'll feel better. But for the moment, I'm mostly just feeling like a spoiled American who misses home.

You want me to do six weeks of whaaat?

Mitt, if only you knew what I sacrificed for you!

This semester, I’m pretty much just having a grand time in Washington, D.C., and my dear grandma suggested about a week ago that I start a blog to keep track of my adventures. I don’t really know anything about blogging, but I do know you don’t say no to Grandma! So I have rustled up this attempt.

This weekend, eleven other kids from the Barlow center and I headed down to South Carolina to campaign for Mitt Romney, because it's a fairly important state to win. This may shock those of you who know that I’m a Democrat. Thus, let me lay out my reasons for going on this trip.

1. Let’s be honest. It sounded like a party.
2. Mitt Romney is something I like to call “ultra-attractive.” I wanted to see him in person to see if this was the case off the TV screen. It is.
3. I believe in fair politics. I’d love to see the two most deserving candidates go head-to-head for the presidential position, and in my mind those candidates would be Obama and Romney.

So what exactly did I get myself into? We…

1. Knocked doors, like the Mormons we are
   
2. Put fliers on cars, since we all know that doesn’t annoy anyone.
3. Called people dozens of times to remind them to vote, since that also annoys no one.
4. Stood on street corners in the cold and the rain to shout Romney’s name and dance about. (My personal favorite!)

Romney's ride.

Some of the group--and donuts!

Bryan, valiantly phone-banking 20 minutes before the polls close.

Republicans and Democrats coming together to knock doors.

DRENCHED.

Our fearless leader!

Honestly, though, this weekend really was a blast. I got to shake Mitt Romney's hand multiple times throughout the course of the weekend, we crazy Barlow kids got to know each other on a whole new level, and the campaigning in itself was also rewarding, though exhausting.

In sum, this little Democrat gave Mitt Romney everything she had this weekend: warmth, dryness, nutrition, a ton of sleep, a whole lotta money, my iPod's screen, and--I'll admit it--some degree of my dignity. Unfortunately, as you well know, it wasn’t enough. We were creamed in South Carolina, and I’m kind of taking it personally, to tell the truth. But it’s not over yet....

Plus, this picture makes me feel better anyway: