MY VERY FIRST USA TRIP DECEMBER 1- 18, 2010

I am now a consultant to the first long distance travelers.
On noticing my date and time after reschedule, 9hrs prior departure, I had to sort all my businesses within 4hrs. It is good to tour places, just to know what goes on there. I had never been to the airport, for the first time I had to LEARN on the spot. I have to cut these stories short otherwise I will not finish until next year.

The only being in the plane without a carryon I felt strange and “???”. My godparents who live in USA told me not to carry along cloths since they would buy for me winter clothings. Being a natural woman, I mind less on lip gloss, lip bums and or lip whatevers, makeups, name it. I did not see a reason of carrying a purse or a hand bag either. Everyone had carryon bags in hand as for me, I had my file at hand, I felt stupid after realizing I was the only odd man out. My own was to visualize at Washington from Entebbe Uganda.

Katherine (some people are angel beings on earth), Infectious Diseases Control Country Director of Nairobi Kenya (an American) observed this unique being at Amsterdam as we were waiting for our next flight to Washington , she came and sat next to me and began asking me about myself. She fell in love with Beatrice. Katherine was more concerned about me than myself, she took my contact address for the Washington hotel, just to make sure I reached safe and okay (I had to go to the hotel on my own, no one would come for me and it was same to everyone who went for the training). She lived in Maryland, she called, emailed and we got in touch. You know what she did? She came, picked me and took me to her house for dinner a day before I left for Iowa.

Bytheway I was on J1 visa, a diplomat one, you see? Now, at Katherine’s I eat the so many strange foods. She gave me a bunch of cloths including that pick warmers (gloves and neckskurf) and she drove me back to the hotel.
Wait, I started to feel like I was dreaming when we reached Amsterdam, so beautiful! AND I kept dreaming in my entire stay in America, I thought I was in heaven?!, to me it is another world, not my world, including the cold and the snow, talk of the foods; I had meatball, a BIG pork tenderloin looking like Australia, Turkeymelt,French fries and the like Hams (Turkey and pork), Pizzas name it. Infact I realized I was on earth when I got back to Uganda.

When in Iowa and at SCOLA www.scola.org, I enjoyed everything including the fun with the scola team from the top management to the bottom, Francis the president, John the vice, Dave the Contracts manager are amazing people, Francis is ONE in all and ALL in one manager, he has every bit of human behavior.

I was the youngest trainee of the four Jonathan head of Engineering of Nation Media Kenya in his late forties, Noura, Technical manager Television Zanzibar in her early fifties and Krishina Technical manager Radio Nepal in his mid forties. Only 27 and not as qualified as the other trainees neither the most qualified among the thousands that apply for these training each year and fail to go through.God remains God in all situations, when he says YES, NOBODY can say no. I was treated like a child throughout; I felt the love from everyone there.

Over the weekend, I had a chance to visit my godparents in Kentucky, my very first time of getting to their home since the year 2000 when they started educating me. I was a wonderful moment, I was a baby there I was soaked in love. Two days visit was like two hours visit. I can not explain the kind of love the Howards have for me.

Reading through the map; Washington, Maryland, Memphis, Minneapolis, Chicago, Houston - Taxes, Lexington, Omaha – Nebraska, Council Bluffs -Iowa where the places I was privileged to step into while in USA.

I earned a Diploma in Satellite and Internet Delivery of Educational Television and multimedia from United States Telecommunication Training Institute as well as a Certificate of the same from SCOLA. While training we learnt more of Television production that is to say script writing, video editing and film production. We also learnt the satellite technologies, installation and signal detection. I have all the pictures of every scene including truck driving, my very first time of trying to drive a car, Francis taught us and I gave him a ride!

If you have any questions, forward them this year, next year’s questions should be next years!

Prosperous new year 2011 to EVERYONE!

I Love you all!

Beatrice

Uganda