A few days ago, Becca and I went to visit Sali. Not to pick favorites or anything but...she's one of my favorites. haha She's just wonderful. And her little girls Janelle and Charity are the sweetest things. Charity's only three months, but Janelle's 2 years old and has warmed up to me since my first visit and now just comes and sits in my lap and rubs my arm and looks up at my face every once ina while. This time she fell asleep in my lap. I could have held her all day. Not long after we had arrived, Sali's husband George came home from visiting his friend. We had never met him before, and inwardly I think we were both a little worried, 'cause it's almost like most Ugandan men and husbands have a bad rep because of how so many of the women are treated. But George was a breath of fresh air. He spoke great English, and him and Sali are both really young and fun to laugh with and talk to. He was just so in love with both his daughters and had no trouble taking care of baby Charity while Janelle was sleeping on my lap. He let Sali talk when she interrupted him. And then we all ate matoke together. I love them. And it was probably one of my most memorable visits.
Today, Kate and I visited with Jacinta. She has two little boys, that are near the same ages at Sali's daughters. Their names are O'Tim and Patrick (named after Kate's brother)...she made us matoke as well and we just hung out in her house and had a great time. She is very sweet and I love her to death. On the way to her house though, we were walking through Danida and were almost there, when this dog ran after us, growling and he nipped at Kate's ankle and almost got her, but missed by an inch. No exageration. We were kind of panicking, because we don't have our rabi's shots and also it would just suck to get attacked by some random mutt in a Ugandan village. He tried a few more times but the neighbor kids kept grabbing him away. He tried again when we left but failed...which made me happy. Not gonna lie.
Yesterday we went to Kampala to ship necklaces and run a few errands. We left at 6:45 in the morning and got there about three hours later. I just drank madh vani juice and listened to Regina Spektor the whole way...it was bliss, because of how early in the morning it was. No heat. Only the breeze from the drivers open window. We hire a driver when we go to Kampala or Entebbe, and we either take a van, or a car. But there were 5 of us yesterday (Rachel S., Becca, Rachel, Me and Monday), so we ended up taking the van. We were all super impressed and kind of in awe of how nice it was. Though later we decided, in America, it's totally ghetto.
Once we arrived, we took Rachel and Monday to one of the hospitals and dropped them off, so that Rachel could try and get this surgery for Monday's nasal polyps figured out. Still no luck I guess, after spending the entire day in two different hospitals, it almost looked like a dead end, but I guess there's still hope. You'll have to read Rach's blog. :)
We headed to one of the bigger, nicer hotels (that I can't remember the name of), because there's a FedEx inside and that's where we ship from. That didn't take long, but while we were there I needed to use the restroom, so I walked down a flight of stairs and low and behold...a REAL bathroom. Mylanta. Not four peices of canvas tied around sticks and a hole in the ground. We are very blessed to have a real bathroom at home on Magwa. But this was like one back in the States. Happy day. Also, a man from FedEx was surprised when he asked us where we were from and we said America. He said we looked Brazilian. We all three agreed it was a compliment. haha
Afterwards, Becca, Rachel and I went to this amaaazing cafe in the middle of Kampala called 1000 Cups. Again, I felt like I was at home. I had this wonderful African Spiced Tea and Coconut Bread...and then once we were finished eating (and watching CNN! Which was weird), we looked around about a million craft shops...ones that were connected to the cafe, and then about a million more across the street, until Hanza, our driver, came and picked us up in the luxurious ghetto van.
Next we went to this place called Cafe Pap, which is a great resturaunt...Rachel and I ordered American food and it was fantastic. Becca got Mexican. I really liked it there, I'm thinking we'll go back next time we're in Kampala. For sure...and then we headed to this HUGE market, and wondered down this one road until we found the place we were looking for. Which was this specific tailor shop that Herman, one of the Epoh tailors had told us about, so that we could go pick up scraps for the bags they make (sounds easy, right?)...the entire road was nothing but tailor shops. It took us about an hour, of running around and being bombarded by all these Ugandans who wanted us to buy their scraps and most of whom just didn't get what it was we were looking for. Eventually we did, but it was crazy. And we ended up in this multiple story building, which was dark and stuffy and loud and just too...real.
Rachel called and we went and picked her and Monday up on the street of this place called Uganda House, and then headed to a couple market places to pick up seed beads, pliers and colored papers. You seriously have to be on the ball when you walk around down-town Kampala. I mean, you have to be on the ball when you walk around Jinja, but Kampala's about 5 times bigger. haha You might get trampled. Or something. I definitely came this close to getting hit by a matotu...which is a van they use as a taxi here. They're everywhere, and remember I said pedestrians don't have the right of way? So when I say I almost got hit, I mean like, it touched me as it was rounding a corner, and I jumped out of the way and then the driver yelled at me and pointed his finger saying, "Hey you!". I was tempted to stick out my tounge and go, "Hey you!". But I didn't.
Once we were out of the madness of the streets and the market place and the insane matotu drivers and back in the safety of the luxurious ghetto van and our talented driver Hanza, we went to this super market. And when I say super market, I don't mean the ones that are like the little hole-in-the-wall-mom&pop-shops here...I mean it was almost like, a mall. It was in a mall. And they had Christmas trees. CHRISTMAS TREES. And they had Jiff. Like, Jiff. People, real peanutbutter! I defintely bought some.
It took us almost 5 hours to get home...we just laughed and talked and sat in traffic for hours and it was an adventure, to say the least. Yesterday was so much more intense than I probably just let on. But so much fun. So much fun.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Auntie, Ciao!
Randy left for home day before last. We already miss him! He gave us all hugs, and Alex and Rachel prayed for him...and as he drove out the gate, Kymbie went, "Uncle, Ciao!"...like Randy had taught him to. Hopefully not for the last time.
Yesterday at the Suubi meeting Rachel announced that Kate only has one more to attend. She cried. I think I'm going to bawl when it's my turn. The fact that half my time here is already finished, is mind boggling. I still feel like it couldn't have possibly been a year ago that I sent in my application and had been so anxious to be here. Time really does fly, and I don't think I like it.
Last night we all watched a couple Nooma's together and then talked as our little family. We talked for almost three hours, in the living room, in a circle. Laughing. These are some of my favorite memories from this trip I think. Kate leaves in a week. And Becca and Alex will be leaving a couple weeks later...I don't really want to think about it.
Even if all eight of us are somehow different back in the States, we all have one thing in common. And that's being here, in the same house, in the same situation, in Uganda. In Africa. In this place.
And we all bring something different to the house, with our personalities. Including Betty. Including Kymbie. Including Sharon. And somehow between all of us, it balances out. And it's almost always fun. And it feels like we'll all be here forever. It feels normal. It feels like life.
But still, I know that when I go home, something amazing will be waiting, even if I don't know what it is. I have so many decisions to make and so many things to do, I just want to go home and be content with not neccesarily the fact that I'm home in Alaska (because I love it!), but the fact that I'm not in Africa anymore. The fact that I'm not with these people.
One of the Nooma's we watched last night was about living in the here and now, which we hear all the time, but I think it's something that needs to be repeated. Because it's definitely something we all forget. I catch myself all the time, talking about "last summer"...and yeah, it's okay to remember that stuff, and enjoy it. But I need to remember what's going on right now, and not what happened a year ago. And so hopefully that's how I view my time here, once I'm home. Because once I leave, I need to be living in Alaska, not Africa. Or atleast not all the time.
Yesterday at the Suubi meeting Rachel announced that Kate only has one more to attend. She cried. I think I'm going to bawl when it's my turn. The fact that half my time here is already finished, is mind boggling. I still feel like it couldn't have possibly been a year ago that I sent in my application and had been so anxious to be here. Time really does fly, and I don't think I like it.
Last night we all watched a couple Nooma's together and then talked as our little family. We talked for almost three hours, in the living room, in a circle. Laughing. These are some of my favorite memories from this trip I think. Kate leaves in a week. And Becca and Alex will be leaving a couple weeks later...I don't really want to think about it.
Even if all eight of us are somehow different back in the States, we all have one thing in common. And that's being here, in the same house, in the same situation, in Uganda. In Africa. In this place.
And we all bring something different to the house, with our personalities. Including Betty. Including Kymbie. Including Sharon. And somehow between all of us, it balances out. And it's almost always fun. And it feels like we'll all be here forever. It feels normal. It feels like life.
But still, I know that when I go home, something amazing will be waiting, even if I don't know what it is. I have so many decisions to make and so many things to do, I just want to go home and be content with not neccesarily the fact that I'm home in Alaska (because I love it!), but the fact that I'm not in Africa anymore. The fact that I'm not with these people.
One of the Nooma's we watched last night was about living in the here and now, which we hear all the time, but I think it's something that needs to be repeated. Because it's definitely something we all forget. I catch myself all the time, talking about "last summer"...and yeah, it's okay to remember that stuff, and enjoy it. But I need to remember what's going on right now, and not what happened a year ago. And so hopefully that's how I view my time here, once I'm home. Because once I leave, I need to be living in Alaska, not Africa. Or atleast not all the time.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
When the truth is, I miss you.
So here I am, sitting at Flavours, drinking iced coffee, and listening to Coldplay...sounds normal, except for the fact that I'm in Uganda.
These last few days have been...well, let me just start.
On Friday, Rachel and I went to visit one of the women in Walukuba, Christine. Her baby, Randy, peed on me, or su-su'd. And then pooped on Rachel. That was gross, but we weren't too upset, Randy is only about a month old and amazingly adorable. Christine just laughed. Love her. I love how laid back Africans are about EVERYTHING.
On Saturday morning I went to the market and then piki'd home with Becca, and on the way back to Magwa, something big and black landed on my ankle and stung me. No idea what it was but it was painful. To say the least. Obviously it wasn't poisoness, because I'm sitting here typing. haha
On Sunday we went to The Nile River Resort and as we were sitting by the pool, we saw some monkey's in a tree close by...there were a ton of them and they weren't shy and got really close...I love it there! I think it's where I'll go for my birthday. :)
Yesterday Andrew stopped by to say hello on his way home from the last day of school (it's their Summer break right now)...I ended up piercing his ear. And Alex videotaped. It was a lot of fun and he didn't flinch. haha
Later on Adam, Alex and I went to visit translator Betty at her home in Walukuba West, where we watched SWAT and drank a ton of Coke. Afterwards her son and the guys wanted to play basketball at the Mormon temple up the road...so we walked there, and ran into Andrew on the way. I decided that instead of playing with them and getting my butt kicked, I would just hang out with all the little school kids there. They kept calling Adam, "Jesus". No idea why. And then all the little school kids threw a bat in my hair. I handled it pretty well, according to Adam and Alex, which means I actually did. Go me. It took me a second to realize it had stayed in my hair and then I just kind of shook it out, even though inside I was completely disgusted. It's all good...so I told Betty about it afterward when I came home and made some Nutella and PB toast, and was sitting on the counter eating it while Betty did the dishes...she said, "Oh, it was an accident?" and I told her it wasn't. "But Auntie, why?"...I told her it was because they were little stinkers. But she didn't get it. I tried to explain, but the only way she could understand was that they were stubborn, which is their word for it here I guess you could say. There are those who are stubborn, and those who are humble. And here I am called humble, and people like Kate (whom I love!), for example, who is outgoing, are called stubborn. It's not neccesarily a bad thing, just the opposite of "humble" I guess.
Today we went over what each of us it contributing to our Thanksgiving dinner next Thursday...I am waaaaay too excited! You are a vegetarian when you live here, and that's totally okay with me since I don't really eat meat anyway, but you hardly get "real" food here. So we're all gonna go hunting around town to see what we can scrape up...one of many things I won't take for granted once I get home to the US of A, is the ability to walk in ANY store and pick up whatever it is you're looking for. And know that it's not infested with worms or who-knows-what-else. And know that you're paying the same price as the next person, no matter what color your skin is. Another thing I won't take for granted is the "luxury" of walking past every guy I see and not having to keepy my guard up, or expect them to touch me in some way. It gets really annoying here.
A little bit ago I was next door at this shop, where Angelo (a really famous artist here) works and has his "studio", which is this little courtyard in the back of the building...and I ordered this painting that is one of his recent works, and the one I had been eyeballing forever...it's gonna cost me a bit, but it's totally worth it. And it's an original, and I know even a Ugandan would pay the same. I am so excited to have it finished before I leave!
At night we have been going "Hopper Hunting"...and we just slip on some shoes, throw on a hoodie (we're so use to the climate here now, that at night we get cold) and walk down Magwa a-ways while watching the heat lightning and listening to the crickets until we reach the random street lights and run around and try to catch them and scream if they fly into our heads or land on us. Basically it's amazing good fun. And once we get home, we will let them go, or give them to Betty to fry up and eat. They're Kymbie's fave.
So I discovered that all this time I have been calling women, "Miabo" it's actually "Niabo". Go me.
Here the pedestrians don't have the right of way, so it's completely up to you not to get hit. Plus there are no traffic rules. So everytime you go to town and walk around, or trust some random guy on a boda who may or may not have any experience driving the thing, it's a risk. But I just like to call it adventurous. Mostly it doesn't even cross my mind but sometimes it freaks me out. haha
Have I mentioned I love it here?
Me and Anita at Santa's in Walukuba
These last few days have been...well, let me just start.
On Friday, Rachel and I went to visit one of the women in Walukuba, Christine. Her baby, Randy, peed on me, or su-su'd. And then pooped on Rachel. That was gross, but we weren't too upset, Randy is only about a month old and amazingly adorable. Christine just laughed. Love her. I love how laid back Africans are about EVERYTHING.
On Saturday morning I went to the market and then piki'd home with Becca, and on the way back to Magwa, something big and black landed on my ankle and stung me. No idea what it was but it was painful. To say the least. Obviously it wasn't poisoness, because I'm sitting here typing. haha
On Sunday we went to The Nile River Resort and as we were sitting by the pool, we saw some monkey's in a tree close by...there were a ton of them and they weren't shy and got really close...I love it there! I think it's where I'll go for my birthday. :)
Yesterday Andrew stopped by to say hello on his way home from the last day of school (it's their Summer break right now)...I ended up piercing his ear. And Alex videotaped. It was a lot of fun and he didn't flinch. haha
Later on Adam, Alex and I went to visit translator Betty at her home in Walukuba West, where we watched SWAT and drank a ton of Coke. Afterwards her son and the guys wanted to play basketball at the Mormon temple up the road...so we walked there, and ran into Andrew on the way. I decided that instead of playing with them and getting my butt kicked, I would just hang out with all the little school kids there. They kept calling Adam, "Jesus". No idea why. And then all the little school kids threw a bat in my hair. I handled it pretty well, according to Adam and Alex, which means I actually did. Go me. It took me a second to realize it had stayed in my hair and then I just kind of shook it out, even though inside I was completely disgusted. It's all good...so I told Betty about it afterward when I came home and made some Nutella and PB toast, and was sitting on the counter eating it while Betty did the dishes...she said, "Oh, it was an accident?" and I told her it wasn't. "But Auntie, why?"...I told her it was because they were little stinkers. But she didn't get it. I tried to explain, but the only way she could understand was that they were stubborn, which is their word for it here I guess you could say. There are those who are stubborn, and those who are humble. And here I am called humble, and people like Kate (whom I love!), for example, who is outgoing, are called stubborn. It's not neccesarily a bad thing, just the opposite of "humble" I guess.
Today we went over what each of us it contributing to our Thanksgiving dinner next Thursday...I am waaaaay too excited! You are a vegetarian when you live here, and that's totally okay with me since I don't really eat meat anyway, but you hardly get "real" food here. So we're all gonna go hunting around town to see what we can scrape up...one of many things I won't take for granted once I get home to the US of A, is the ability to walk in ANY store and pick up whatever it is you're looking for. And know that it's not infested with worms or who-knows-what-else. And know that you're paying the same price as the next person, no matter what color your skin is. Another thing I won't take for granted is the "luxury" of walking past every guy I see and not having to keepy my guard up, or expect them to touch me in some way. It gets really annoying here.
A little bit ago I was next door at this shop, where Angelo (a really famous artist here) works and has his "studio", which is this little courtyard in the back of the building...and I ordered this painting that is one of his recent works, and the one I had been eyeballing forever...it's gonna cost me a bit, but it's totally worth it. And it's an original, and I know even a Ugandan would pay the same. I am so excited to have it finished before I leave!
At night we have been going "Hopper Hunting"...and we just slip on some shoes, throw on a hoodie (we're so use to the climate here now, that at night we get cold) and walk down Magwa a-ways while watching the heat lightning and listening to the crickets until we reach the random street lights and run around and try to catch them and scream if they fly into our heads or land on us. Basically it's amazing good fun. And once we get home, we will let them go, or give them to Betty to fry up and eat. They're Kymbie's fave.
So I discovered that all this time I have been calling women, "Miabo" it's actually "Niabo". Go me.
Here the pedestrians don't have the right of way, so it's completely up to you not to get hit. Plus there are no traffic rules. So everytime you go to town and walk around, or trust some random guy on a boda who may or may not have any experience driving the thing, it's a risk. But I just like to call it adventurous. Mostly it doesn't even cross my mind but sometimes it freaks me out. haha
Have I mentioned I love it here?
Me and Anita at Santa's in Walukuba
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
I came along, I wrote a song for you, and all the things you do...
Yesterday was a pretty busy day for me...Randy took Adam and I all around town to places that are connected to our project called Epoh (the bags, not the necklaces) and showed us where we could buy the supplies that the tailors need on a regular basis...he showed us these things because he is going home this month and Rachel is going to need to help keeping up with it all. I think I got it all down. haha
On the way home I stopped at Midvani after running into Rachel on Magwa...it's this tiny little market closest to our home and I buy juice from this man there. I don't know his name, but he's really sweet and all he does all day is sell his juice in this little stand in the middle of this cramped, little, dirty market. He knows our faces...his juice is possibly the best you will ever have in your entire life. I'm going to crave it once I'm home-home. He mixes five different fruits, adds a little water and puts it in old water-bottles that he's cleaned out. He has one little refrigerator in his little blue stand, and he keeps them in the freezer. Sounds a little sketchy, yeah? Yeah. I was kind of worried when I first had some, but now I drink it all the time and I'm not dead yet. haha
We had dance yesterday, also. We meet up with the women of Suubi on Mondays at three and they do their traditional, tribal-type dancing and it's basically fantastic, let me tell you. We have drums and gourd shells that we play and whoever is leading the dance blows a whistle. Oh, so much fun.
Afterward, Becca, Alex and I went to visit Emily, one of the women from Suubi. She didn't live far from where we were dancing in Walukuba. Emily is married to a Mzungu, named Stanley, from the UK. They're older and live in this little two room house, just like everyone else. It kind of surprised me since her husband is white...but who knows! Emily is actually the daughter of a Head Chief of this tribe, that I can't remember the name of. So Stanley calls her a princess, which I guess technically she is. And she's the last one. She came from Gulu during the war. And none in her family are left because of the genocide. This is reminding me of some romance novel, the more I think about their story. It would be a good book, not gonna lie here. Anyways, he has bought her this thing called a washing machine (we all know what that is, but everyone here is amazed when I tell them I don't wash my clothes by hand back home in America)...and here that's like, as good as it gets. So she doesn't have to do all the laundry by hand. They have a television, and a DVD player...and they watch music videos from the 70's and 80's all the time, especially ABBA. and basically they are just content to be together in their little house with all the furniture cramped so close together you can barely move...I love it.
Becca and I took a boda home from Walukuba, and as I walked in the gate, Adam was heading to the boys home and asked if I wanted to go. I hadn't been in over a week so I ran in and changed and off we went. Possibly one of my favorite times there...I wore jeans instead of a skirt so that I could actually play with them and the dogs in the mud...and they were so happy, and they said, "Auntie! You play! You always sit!"...haha So we ran around playing tag in the dark with a whole bunch of little boys that were pretty much camouflaged and the dogs and they would all grab my hand and tell me which way to run and yell, "Auntie, Auntie!" and whenever I got tagged one of them would "sacrifice" himself so that I didn't have to be "it". I'm assuming it's because I'm a girl. And I'm white. haha Later on when we were all still running around some of the older boys brought out empty Jerry Cans and started playing them like drums...and the younger ones started dancing and then they told us to make a "big, big 'sarncle' (circle)" and we started playing this game that neither Adam or I could ever figure out, until we decided to go home because we were hungry for dinner and didn't really want to eat there...so the dogs walked us home in the dark, and knew exactly where we lived and once we were inside the gate, they walked back to the boys. One of the dogs is so familiar with me now, Max, the white one I love so much, that every time I come over and sit on a stool and talk with Mama Grace, he just sits at my feet and won't let the other dogs near me.
On kind of a side note...I did talk with Mama Grace last night, when I wasn't playing with the boys and she told me some of her story. Grace came from a village in the North, down here to Jinja to work at the boys home, so that should would have a steady job, and left two of her three daughters with her mother-in-law, who is now sick and cannot care for them anymore. Their names are Vicky and Brenda. And I believe they are 11 and 9....I knew she had three, so I asked where the third was and she told me that she was living with the father in Kampala. This confused me because I did not understand why Grace wasn't living with him, and then she mentioned that she was separated from him because he is an alcoholic who would cane her. He's abusive. And he has this little six year old girl named Gloria, and he beats her and does who knows what else and won't let Grace have her. She can't even visit her. And not only is Gloria living with her abusive father, but also Grace's two brothers...who are the same way I guess. This frustrated me so much, but I know there's nothing I can do about it. Grace has gone to the Police several times but every time they tell her she is crazy and sick and needs to see a doctor...because she is a woman. Basically last night I wanted to kick some Ugandan man-booty. I'm still really frustrated...but I realize that this is happening all around me, in probably most of the homes I walk by everyday, and I can't do anything...and it happens all the time in America, too.
So once we got home, we watched the Corpse Bride and made the necklaces for next month's "Flavour of The Month"...I can't say what it is, but they take awhile to make, and I think they're brilliant and I'm definitely buying an extra one. haha Later on Adam came in and asked if I wanted to try a "hopper" since I had said I wanted to try one earlier...I guess Sharon had fried him up like, four and he had eaten them. So I went out back to Betty's place with Kymbie and Adam and Sharon, and just sat and talked in the dark, and Betty fed us tea and beans and hoppers (which was my second dinner, because I had already eaten casava fries and chipote bread, I went to bed full, let me tell you)...which I didn't end up eating, 'cause I chickened out after holding it and looking at it in detail before it went into the fryer. Plus Rachel came out for a bit and said I was also eating it's poop. I'll do it eventually. For sure. We talked about how Betty misses all the volunteers that come in and out, and she would rather be away from the house when they leave, because she said to her it is like she is burying them, because she knows she will most likely never see them again. I'm going to miss Betty.
She asked how old I was for the first time last night and so I told her and she had this look of pure shock on her face and looked at Adam and goes, "She is a baby! A baby in Uganda!"...I know you guys don't know Betty, but she is super bubbly and crazy and fun. Kymbie slipped and hit his mouth on the door frame and she was holding him while he cried and she began smacking the door frame and saying, "Why do you hurt baby? I beat you!" and Kymbie smiled.
Sometimes it is hard to be here, and sometimes it's easy to be here. Sometimes I think to myself that I never want to come back to this wretched place, and other times I think of how much I want to live in this beautiful place. Uganda brings on a whole new mix of emotions and feelings...but I really do love it here. And who knows what will happen during the rest of my time here? God I'm sure has more in store than I can imagine...He's already revealed Himself in a million ways. Even if I have been blind to most of them...
Psalm 33: 11 But the Lord's plans stand firm forever, his intentions can never be shaken...
On the way home I stopped at Midvani after running into Rachel on Magwa...it's this tiny little market closest to our home and I buy juice from this man there. I don't know his name, but he's really sweet and all he does all day is sell his juice in this little stand in the middle of this cramped, little, dirty market. He knows our faces...his juice is possibly the best you will ever have in your entire life. I'm going to crave it once I'm home-home. He mixes five different fruits, adds a little water and puts it in old water-bottles that he's cleaned out. He has one little refrigerator in his little blue stand, and he keeps them in the freezer. Sounds a little sketchy, yeah? Yeah. I was kind of worried when I first had some, but now I drink it all the time and I'm not dead yet. haha
We had dance yesterday, also. We meet up with the women of Suubi on Mondays at three and they do their traditional, tribal-type dancing and it's basically fantastic, let me tell you. We have drums and gourd shells that we play and whoever is leading the dance blows a whistle. Oh, so much fun.
Afterward, Becca, Alex and I went to visit Emily, one of the women from Suubi. She didn't live far from where we were dancing in Walukuba. Emily is married to a Mzungu, named Stanley, from the UK. They're older and live in this little two room house, just like everyone else. It kind of surprised me since her husband is white...but who knows! Emily is actually the daughter of a Head Chief of this tribe, that I can't remember the name of. So Stanley calls her a princess, which I guess technically she is. And she's the last one. She came from Gulu during the war. And none in her family are left because of the genocide. This is reminding me of some romance novel, the more I think about their story. It would be a good book, not gonna lie here. Anyways, he has bought her this thing called a washing machine (we all know what that is, but everyone here is amazed when I tell them I don't wash my clothes by hand back home in America)...and here that's like, as good as it gets. So she doesn't have to do all the laundry by hand. They have a television, and a DVD player...and they watch music videos from the 70's and 80's all the time, especially ABBA. and basically they are just content to be together in their little house with all the furniture cramped so close together you can barely move...I love it.
Becca and I took a boda home from Walukuba, and as I walked in the gate, Adam was heading to the boys home and asked if I wanted to go. I hadn't been in over a week so I ran in and changed and off we went. Possibly one of my favorite times there...I wore jeans instead of a skirt so that I could actually play with them and the dogs in the mud...and they were so happy, and they said, "Auntie! You play! You always sit!"...haha So we ran around playing tag in the dark with a whole bunch of little boys that were pretty much camouflaged and the dogs and they would all grab my hand and tell me which way to run and yell, "Auntie, Auntie!" and whenever I got tagged one of them would "sacrifice" himself so that I didn't have to be "it". I'm assuming it's because I'm a girl. And I'm white. haha Later on when we were all still running around some of the older boys brought out empty Jerry Cans and started playing them like drums...and the younger ones started dancing and then they told us to make a "big, big 'sarncle' (circle)" and we started playing this game that neither Adam or I could ever figure out, until we decided to go home because we were hungry for dinner and didn't really want to eat there...so the dogs walked us home in the dark, and knew exactly where we lived and once we were inside the gate, they walked back to the boys. One of the dogs is so familiar with me now, Max, the white one I love so much, that every time I come over and sit on a stool and talk with Mama Grace, he just sits at my feet and won't let the other dogs near me.
On kind of a side note...I did talk with Mama Grace last night, when I wasn't playing with the boys and she told me some of her story. Grace came from a village in the North, down here to Jinja to work at the boys home, so that should would have a steady job, and left two of her three daughters with her mother-in-law, who is now sick and cannot care for them anymore. Their names are Vicky and Brenda. And I believe they are 11 and 9....I knew she had three, so I asked where the third was and she told me that she was living with the father in Kampala. This confused me because I did not understand why Grace wasn't living with him, and then she mentioned that she was separated from him because he is an alcoholic who would cane her. He's abusive. And he has this little six year old girl named Gloria, and he beats her and does who knows what else and won't let Grace have her. She can't even visit her. And not only is Gloria living with her abusive father, but also Grace's two brothers...who are the same way I guess. This frustrated me so much, but I know there's nothing I can do about it. Grace has gone to the Police several times but every time they tell her she is crazy and sick and needs to see a doctor...because she is a woman. Basically last night I wanted to kick some Ugandan man-booty. I'm still really frustrated...but I realize that this is happening all around me, in probably most of the homes I walk by everyday, and I can't do anything...and it happens all the time in America, too.
So once we got home, we watched the Corpse Bride and made the necklaces for next month's "Flavour of The Month"...I can't say what it is, but they take awhile to make, and I think they're brilliant and I'm definitely buying an extra one. haha Later on Adam came in and asked if I wanted to try a "hopper" since I had said I wanted to try one earlier...I guess Sharon had fried him up like, four and he had eaten them. So I went out back to Betty's place with Kymbie and Adam and Sharon, and just sat and talked in the dark, and Betty fed us tea and beans and hoppers (which was my second dinner, because I had already eaten casava fries and chipote bread, I went to bed full, let me tell you)...which I didn't end up eating, 'cause I chickened out after holding it and looking at it in detail before it went into the fryer. Plus Rachel came out for a bit and said I was also eating it's poop. I'll do it eventually. For sure. We talked about how Betty misses all the volunteers that come in and out, and she would rather be away from the house when they leave, because she said to her it is like she is burying them, because she knows she will most likely never see them again. I'm going to miss Betty.
She asked how old I was for the first time last night and so I told her and she had this look of pure shock on her face and looked at Adam and goes, "She is a baby! A baby in Uganda!"...I know you guys don't know Betty, but she is super bubbly and crazy and fun. Kymbie slipped and hit his mouth on the door frame and she was holding him while he cried and she began smacking the door frame and saying, "Why do you hurt baby? I beat you!" and Kymbie smiled.
Sometimes it is hard to be here, and sometimes it's easy to be here. Sometimes I think to myself that I never want to come back to this wretched place, and other times I think of how much I want to live in this beautiful place. Uganda brings on a whole new mix of emotions and feelings...but I really do love it here. And who knows what will happen during the rest of my time here? God I'm sure has more in store than I can imagine...He's already revealed Himself in a million ways. Even if I have been blind to most of them...
Psalm 33: 11 But the Lord's plans stand firm forever, his intentions can never be shaken...
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Psalm 33:15 He made their hearts, so He understands everything they do.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays we sometimes go to a part of Jinja called Masese, and it's on Lake Victoria, on a hillside. And we feed about 1000 street kids...rice, beans and a fruit, usually a banana or an orange (that isn't really orange, it's more like green or yellow)...it takes about three hours of sitting in the sun on a wooden bench, bent over a huge pot of beans or rice or a bin of fruit. First time I went I had to stop myself from crying. There are so many of them, and when we open the gate they flood in like no tomorrow. There are so many that are so small and I think to myself that no one in America, in their right mind, would let a child that small go out by itself. But it's what they have to do I guess. And as much as I want to smile at every one of them, I can't because we are dishing out food as fast as we can.
We walked home from Masese...it takes over an hour. Alex, me, Adam, Rachel...we get about half way and Alex decided to boda, and offers to loan me small money so I can too...but I decided to walk with Adam and Rachel. So off we go. About half an hours walk from home on Magwa. And it begins to drizzle. And then it begins to hail. And then it begins to pour. Rain. The roads are flooding. But Rachel is just laughing...and soon I was too. "Mzungu! Are you okay? Come in! Out of the rain!"...we say no to about a million of those and just keep walking, through the flooded streets. Soaking wet. Until we got home and Betty brought us towels...and Alex just laughed.
I love it here.
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We walked home from Masese...it takes over an hour. Alex, me, Adam, Rachel...we get about half way and Alex decided to boda, and offers to loan me small money so I can too...but I decided to walk with Adam and Rachel. So off we go. About half an hours walk from home on Magwa. And it begins to drizzle. And then it begins to hail. And then it begins to pour. Rain. The roads are flooding. But Rachel is just laughing...and soon I was too. "Mzungu! Are you okay? Come in! Out of the rain!"...we say no to about a million of those and just keep walking, through the flooded streets. Soaking wet. Until we got home and Betty brought us towels...and Alex just laughed.
I love it here.
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Sunday, November 1, 2009
Happy Halloween! From Uganda.
So here I am, sitting in my room, typing, listening to Frank Sinatra. And running to the bathroom every ten minutes. Oh the joys of Ugandan food...
Actually, it hasn't been that bad and this is only the second stomach problem I have had. This makes me happy...not gonna lie.
This morning we went to Bujagali Falls, we Boda'd and it took forever! I really loved it there though...on the Nile, and hiking around. I must've taken a million pictures. However, toward the end was when I started feeling sick, so I left early and let me tell you, that Boda ride was a nightmare. haha On the dirt road, in the heat with all the pot holes.
I finally got back to the house and the gate was locked, so I rang the doorbell and Alex came out, "Who goes there?"..."Emily!"..."Are you here to see the wizard?", as he peaks his face through the little hand hole that I usually would have used to open the gate..."No, I'm here to throw up."...he laughs. "Why are you alone?"..."Because I need to throw up.".."Oh! You were serious! I'm trying to find the right key!", and so Betty comes over and helps him unlock the gate. I laughed...ran inside, changed my clothes, laid down in bed and felt a little better. I'm doing okay now, I just ate some rice, which is the first thing I've eaten all day and it's seven at night.
ANYWAYS, enough about my stomach problamos! No one wants to hear about those. haha I just thought the whole gate issue was kind of hilarious, but maybe you had to be there.
Yesterday was Halloween and so we dressed up for the Suubi meeting...Kate and I wore traditional Ugandan dresses and the ladies all yelled (by this I mean like, African tribal scream haha) and made their little clicky noises when we walked into the room...it was fantastic. Rachel (Stroud) dressed as a cowgirl, and Becca was a Hippie. We handed out sweeties. And Kate and I were told that we looked very smart by atleast every woman. So funny.
On the way home we gave Christine and Jennifer a ride, and I got to hold baby Adam (the one that was named after Adam haha)...he is so cute and has gotten so big! I told Adam that he looked just like him. He didn't laugh. But I did.
We gave random village kids sweeties on the ride home. They were pretty happy. And it was pretty stinkin' cute! As usual.
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