Adventures in Mefloquine

Hello again! I hope you guys are all doing well! What a day I’ve had – even though I feel like I say that basically every day. Today has been an emotional rollercoaster for me, but I think I’ve identified a probable cause for it. Apparently my anti-malaria medication can have some crazy side effects for some people. My vivid/strange dreams over the past few days on top of my random mood swings lead me to believe I am one of those people.
Case in point: This morning I had a mini freakout over the thought of being here so long. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d bitten off more than I could chew, and spent some time in my hut having a small panic attack.
HOWEVER, by the end of the day (now), I feel absolutely awesome and I can’t wait to experience everything in store for me during my stay! Praise the Lord for the upward mood swings because they are really great. I think my good mood is also coming from the fact that I had a super fun afternoon with some of the kids. One girl, Diana, saw me reading a book Janelle had given me about Ugandan culture. Ironically, in Ugandan culture, sitting by yourself is seen as a sign you are lonely, so she invited me to join her and some others in their practice for a performance tomorrow. They helped me learn a few songs all about how God is good and He never leaves us alone. I made some new friends and probably looked very dumb trying to dance along with them, but that’s okay. If I came all this way, why shouldn’t I take part in everything I can?
I think on Friday or Saturday, I’ll be spending the night in the home called Love, since the girls have invited me to stay sometime. They are so sweet and are really helping me to feel welcome here! It makes me so happy to have such good friends so soon into the trip.
Also, today I got a chance to teach in the nursery, the class for the 4-5 year old kids! Some of them claimed to remember me, but I have no idea if that’s true at all. I taught about 10 of them by myself for an hour or two, which was an interesting challenge! They are so adorable, but they also have endless energy and love to fight each other. Now, I’m constantly seeing a couple of them peeking around corners to spy on me wherever I am. Oh man, they are so funny.
But I’m very glad the day ended up being so good because it really reinvigorated me to keep going with a clear mind and open heart. God is good, even when my meds take me for a loop.
{Haley}