Ahh safaris...don't they just embody all that Africa has to offer? NO. Good Heavens, no. But I'd be lying if i said i didn't have a blast on the safari we went on at Queen Elizabeth's Game Park in a beautiful corner of western Uganda. It was a pretty awesome way to experience nature, and if you know me, you know i love to experience nature!
It took pretty much ten hours to drive from Mukono to the reserve park, partially because of getting lost and partially because we were stopped by some silly elephants with their young, who apparently could have mauled our bus had we tried to cross their path ( we had a ridiculously humorous argument as to whether we should cross or not,, back of the bus in favor- front of the bus very against it! I think it would have added some excitement to our trip!). We finally got into the park and set up our especially cozy tents. While in my tent trying to sleep on rocks (and other various pieces of earth) I noticed grunting noises that seemed rather close. It was the precious little warthogs feasting on the grass around our tent. I could lie and tell you that it was soothing to fall asleep to grunting warthogs, but come on, that's nasty!
The next morning we actually got to go on our first safari! We took our bus and were joined by a pretty awesome tour guide. We got to see a whole bunch of animals that don't normally cross your path in the US of A. Elephants (and lots of them), Ugandan Cobs, mongooses?, buffaloes, water bucks, warthogs, hippos, many birds that have special names i don't know, and a lion or two-just to name a few! In the afternoon we took a boat safari, which i suppose was just delightful. After being on a bus or boat with 30 girls, i decided i needed some time to be a little secluded from crazy, so four of us decided to splurge on dinner at the lodge (it cost 35,000 Ushillings- the equivalent of $18....completely worth it). Best dinner of my life, not kidding. We ate it while looking out on Lake Edward, Lake Albert, and the mountains of the Congo- talk about nice atmosphere. After our little gluttonous interlude we decided to walk back to our tents. On our dark walk back there we met a few warthogs just hanging out and, oh yes, a hippo! I would like to think that the beasty could have eaten us alive and that's why I almost peed my pants (just in case you were wondering, hippos kill more humans than lions do, making them the most dangerous animal in Africa!!)...but don't worry it had its bootay to us and never turned to attack. It did graze frighteningly close to our tents the rest of the night, though.
The next morning was a beautiful and glorious Palm Sunday. We went on a quick safari and saw two lions! Sweet. It was quite a different way to celebrate this holiday, outside the church- in the heart of God's great creation. So i suppose if you go to Africa, i would recommend going on a safari...but i would recommend doing a lot more than just that, otherwise you will lose out on a whole cultural/African experience. Animals are cool, but people rock way harder.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Things left unsaid...
In comparison to all that I'm figuring out/experiencing, THIS BLOG IS WORTHLESS. I would apologize for how bad a representation of my trip this is, but hey T.I.A. (This is Africa!), my friends. Firstly, i don't know if i can ever truly express all this means to me. Secondly, the internet has been down for a about a month. And thirdly, i just don't know if i'm ready to stumble over my words...words that just might not make sense...words that could get in the way.
I could start this off by describing all the events-those are the easy ones to express- that i've left out. I guess I never really told you what my Mukono home stay was about! I stayed with an absolutely amazing family: Mama Winifred, Joa (16), Samula (15), and Jane (9). The father of the family tragically overdosed and passed away 3 years ago. Their home is small and tidy (one of the wealthiest 3% in Uganda simply because they have electricity, but keep in mind that they have a 2 room home and no running water...different than wealth in the states? I think so..). They showed me more love than i could ever express. Every night i came home from school, they ran to me and greeted me as if i'd been gone for years. I lived with them for 2 weeks. I ate what they ate, did what they did, pooped where they pooped (a hole:), and loved them as they loved me. I have had the amazing opportunity to continue visiting them every Sunday and i can't tell you how much i'm going to miss them when i leave. (Again, this is a very sad portrayal of what my time with them really means, so please, just ask me)
After leaving home stays we went to Entebbe to the Honors college retreat with the amazing Ugandans that we live with on campus. They welcomed us more than i could have ever imagined. We stayed at the same convent that we had been to our first night in Uganda. We played silly "get-to-know-you" games and had a surprising amount of fun doing it! Saturday we went to Lake Victoria for some swimming in leach/parasite infested waters! Haha, I'm happy to say i wasn't bothered by either. We went to the Entebbe zoo later and then back to the convent. Saturday night was the most fun part of the whole weekend because we started to build genuine relationships with the Ugandan students. A group of us played "hot seat" (according to my friend Jonathan "Tension" Otim) where we were asked to discuss difficult issues. We talked until 2 am about poverty, corruption, and Christianity. It was both intense and amazing. This weekend brought us all very close together and opened up so many new doors of opportunity. I'm happy to say that these have been lasting and wonderful friendships that i will mourn the loss of at our departure...
The next weekend (which was probably around the middle of February..hah i can't even remember any more) a group of us went to Jinja to see the source of the Nile! We got to go on a sweet boat tour to see where the waters of Lake Victoria meet with the NILE. It might seem anti-climactic from my pictures, but i assure you- it was humbling to stand in front of the source of such a mighty (and Historically important) river! Friendships with my fellow USPers (Uganda Studies Program) were becoming more and more valuable with each new trip.
Another trip taken to Jinja was our unbelievable rafting excursion, previously described by yours truly. Hopefully from reading that blog you get a small picture of how intense it was. Good golly.
Trips to Kampala have been scattered throughout my semester. I don't even know how many times i've been to this crazy city (I'm here right now). If i could paint a picture in your mind of this place i surely would, but i really think you just have to come see it for yourself. Matatus (Taxi vans) and Boda-Boda's (motorcycle taxis) swerving insanely on roads with no traffic laws. Men selling odds and ends on the streets, quite literally walking up to your window offering things that nobody needs. African markets with all the souveniers you could ever want, but be ready to bargain so you don't get stuck with the Mzungu (White person) price. Restaurants and cafes. Pineapples and Mangoes. Trash and dirt. Random shopping mall: Garden City, where you find many a mzungu and buy overpriced American food. Loud music. Smiling faces. Excitement and depression. So many people working hard, yet doing nothing. Setting out goods that no one can afford...KAMPALA
The next big big event was our rural home stay. We traveled to the distant village of Soroti to stay in huts with bare minimum (or so i thought). We were paired with other USP students on what i thought would be the most intense 5 days of this trip. We pulled up to our home and found it to be the wealthiest we had seen in Uganda yet. Nicole and I stayed in our own HOUSE (not hut) with solar electricity and running water! Our family had 40 acres, 5 huts, 2 houses, 2 cars, 2 kitchens, and as i said, solar power and running water. I was so disappointed in not only their wealth, but also the fact that we didn't get to participate in rural life AT ALL! This may sound horrendously selfish, but the whole point of this trip was to teach us all about how the majority of Ugandans live...we didn't get anything close to that. We laid around and ate...that's about all. I am still not sure what to think about the whole thing. Our Papa was definitely wonderful and he imparted a lot of knowledge to us since he was formerly involved in East African politics. But our Toto (mother) barely even spoke to us. She cooked all day outside with the house girls. I thought it terribly confusing that a family of insane wealth (for Uganda) would still have the woman always cooking and nothing else. She lives her life from meal to meal, like almost every other Ugandan woman and the thought of living that way absolutely suffocates me. I spent my rural home stay bored and frustrated with they way things are, with the fact that I can't do anything about it, and most of all with the fact that maybe no one wants my help. My western mind and independent spirit were (and still are) confused at best, but mostly just angry. But now i'm getting into much more than just rural home stays...shame on me. I'll vent later.
Directly after rural/disappointing home stays, we went to a Peace Promoter's retreat. We traveled to a distant village that had not only been attacked by the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army), but also the Karamajong (Cattle raiders from the East). The LRA invaded in 2003, killing 107 innocent civilians and forcing hundreds more into internally displaced people's camps (that have horridly unsanitary conditions and poor treatment from governmental officials-rape, theft, and abuse). The Karamajong devastated this farming community and displaced hundreds more. Try coming up with something to say to people who've experienced all this and live in constant fear; that's how we felt. Pastor Sam (the leader of the peace promoter's group) said that true peace for these people is the ability to go to sleep without locking your hut and still being able to wake up without being beaten to death. That's quite a different picture of peace than our own, isn't it? This day was frustrating and difficult. Haven't worked it out in my head, like so many other things on this trip.
After that, we got a short mental break from devastation. We went to Sipi Falls in Kapchorwa, Uganda (central eastern Uganda). We camped out, ate wonderful food, and got to go on an all day hike that Saturday to 3 of the waterfalls. The hike was probably the most wonderful thing thus far! Some of the honors college students came with us on our journey. We started at the top of the cliff and hiked down through people's cabbage patches and yards! It was beautiful in a way that i've never known before. We climbed around all the falls and got a wee bit wet, of course! We hiked down crazy ladders and watched little Ugandan children basically run up them with bundles on their heads like it was no big deal, as we struggled to keep from falling! On the last fall, some of us climbed around the side to go behind the water. While on the rocks, i looked up to watch the sun reflecting off the falling water. Most awe-inspiring sight thus far in my life. No camera could have captured that goodness. Saturday night we all went up to the look-out point and stared at the stars. Again, sweet, indescribable goodness.
Our return to campus was surprisingly comforting. Cold concrete floors, squeaky doors, having to carry toilet paper to the bathrooms, cock roaches in the sinks, random rats in the restroom, rabid dogs barking up a storm, freezing showers, dirty feet, sitting in class learning about insanely impossible issues, rice and beans, Ugandan dorm mates singly loudly 6 am, and mosquito nets. i never knew i could feel this way. i'm going to miss it. Friendships, smiles, laughter, tears, joy, anger, confusion, resolution (? just kidding, i haven't had much of that), sweet pain. Have you felt it? Do you understand it? Maybe I'm way behind...or maybe you should take a little trip to Africa to see it for yourself. Don't come here to evangelize or to pretend that you're saving anyone's soul. Come here to live with these people. To smile joyfully with them, to wail mournfully with them, to cook, to dig, to work, to sit in the afternoon sun doing absolutely nothing, to be confused, to be frustrated, to go without, to trust in God in the most overwhelming situations of your life. Come to Africa just to be here...then maybe you'll be able to help me make sense of all this.
I could start this off by describing all the events-those are the easy ones to express- that i've left out. I guess I never really told you what my Mukono home stay was about! I stayed with an absolutely amazing family: Mama Winifred, Joa (16), Samula (15), and Jane (9). The father of the family tragically overdosed and passed away 3 years ago. Their home is small and tidy (one of the wealthiest 3% in Uganda simply because they have electricity, but keep in mind that they have a 2 room home and no running water...different than wealth in the states? I think so..). They showed me more love than i could ever express. Every night i came home from school, they ran to me and greeted me as if i'd been gone for years. I lived with them for 2 weeks. I ate what they ate, did what they did, pooped where they pooped (a hole:), and loved them as they loved me. I have had the amazing opportunity to continue visiting them every Sunday and i can't tell you how much i'm going to miss them when i leave. (Again, this is a very sad portrayal of what my time with them really means, so please, just ask me)
After leaving home stays we went to Entebbe to the Honors college retreat with the amazing Ugandans that we live with on campus. They welcomed us more than i could have ever imagined. We stayed at the same convent that we had been to our first night in Uganda. We played silly "get-to-know-you" games and had a surprising amount of fun doing it! Saturday we went to Lake Victoria for some swimming in leach/parasite infested waters! Haha, I'm happy to say i wasn't bothered by either. We went to the Entebbe zoo later and then back to the convent. Saturday night was the most fun part of the whole weekend because we started to build genuine relationships with the Ugandan students. A group of us played "hot seat" (according to my friend Jonathan "Tension" Otim) where we were asked to discuss difficult issues. We talked until 2 am about poverty, corruption, and Christianity. It was both intense and amazing. This weekend brought us all very close together and opened up so many new doors of opportunity. I'm happy to say that these have been lasting and wonderful friendships that i will mourn the loss of at our departure...
The next weekend (which was probably around the middle of February..hah i can't even remember any more) a group of us went to Jinja to see the source of the Nile! We got to go on a sweet boat tour to see where the waters of Lake Victoria meet with the NILE. It might seem anti-climactic from my pictures, but i assure you- it was humbling to stand in front of the source of such a mighty (and Historically important) river! Friendships with my fellow USPers (Uganda Studies Program) were becoming more and more valuable with each new trip.
Another trip taken to Jinja was our unbelievable rafting excursion, previously described by yours truly. Hopefully from reading that blog you get a small picture of how intense it was. Good golly.
Trips to Kampala have been scattered throughout my semester. I don't even know how many times i've been to this crazy city (I'm here right now). If i could paint a picture in your mind of this place i surely would, but i really think you just have to come see it for yourself. Matatus (Taxi vans) and Boda-Boda's (motorcycle taxis) swerving insanely on roads with no traffic laws. Men selling odds and ends on the streets, quite literally walking up to your window offering things that nobody needs. African markets with all the souveniers you could ever want, but be ready to bargain so you don't get stuck with the Mzungu (White person) price. Restaurants and cafes. Pineapples and Mangoes. Trash and dirt. Random shopping mall: Garden City, where you find many a mzungu and buy overpriced American food. Loud music. Smiling faces. Excitement and depression. So many people working hard, yet doing nothing. Setting out goods that no one can afford...KAMPALA
The next big big event was our rural home stay. We traveled to the distant village of Soroti to stay in huts with bare minimum (or so i thought). We were paired with other USP students on what i thought would be the most intense 5 days of this trip. We pulled up to our home and found it to be the wealthiest we had seen in Uganda yet. Nicole and I stayed in our own HOUSE (not hut) with solar electricity and running water! Our family had 40 acres, 5 huts, 2 houses, 2 cars, 2 kitchens, and as i said, solar power and running water. I was so disappointed in not only their wealth, but also the fact that we didn't get to participate in rural life AT ALL! This may sound horrendously selfish, but the whole point of this trip was to teach us all about how the majority of Ugandans live...we didn't get anything close to that. We laid around and ate...that's about all. I am still not sure what to think about the whole thing. Our Papa was definitely wonderful and he imparted a lot of knowledge to us since he was formerly involved in East African politics. But our Toto (mother) barely even spoke to us. She cooked all day outside with the house girls. I thought it terribly confusing that a family of insane wealth (for Uganda) would still have the woman always cooking and nothing else. She lives her life from meal to meal, like almost every other Ugandan woman and the thought of living that way absolutely suffocates me. I spent my rural home stay bored and frustrated with they way things are, with the fact that I can't do anything about it, and most of all with the fact that maybe no one wants my help. My western mind and independent spirit were (and still are) confused at best, but mostly just angry. But now i'm getting into much more than just rural home stays...shame on me. I'll vent later.
Directly after rural/disappointing home stays, we went to a Peace Promoter's retreat. We traveled to a distant village that had not only been attacked by the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army), but also the Karamajong (Cattle raiders from the East). The LRA invaded in 2003, killing 107 innocent civilians and forcing hundreds more into internally displaced people's camps (that have horridly unsanitary conditions and poor treatment from governmental officials-rape, theft, and abuse). The Karamajong devastated this farming community and displaced hundreds more. Try coming up with something to say to people who've experienced all this and live in constant fear; that's how we felt. Pastor Sam (the leader of the peace promoter's group) said that true peace for these people is the ability to go to sleep without locking your hut and still being able to wake up without being beaten to death. That's quite a different picture of peace than our own, isn't it? This day was frustrating and difficult. Haven't worked it out in my head, like so many other things on this trip.
After that, we got a short mental break from devastation. We went to Sipi Falls in Kapchorwa, Uganda (central eastern Uganda). We camped out, ate wonderful food, and got to go on an all day hike that Saturday to 3 of the waterfalls. The hike was probably the most wonderful thing thus far! Some of the honors college students came with us on our journey. We started at the top of the cliff and hiked down through people's cabbage patches and yards! It was beautiful in a way that i've never known before. We climbed around all the falls and got a wee bit wet, of course! We hiked down crazy ladders and watched little Ugandan children basically run up them with bundles on their heads like it was no big deal, as we struggled to keep from falling! On the last fall, some of us climbed around the side to go behind the water. While on the rocks, i looked up to watch the sun reflecting off the falling water. Most awe-inspiring sight thus far in my life. No camera could have captured that goodness. Saturday night we all went up to the look-out point and stared at the stars. Again, sweet, indescribable goodness.
Our return to campus was surprisingly comforting. Cold concrete floors, squeaky doors, having to carry toilet paper to the bathrooms, cock roaches in the sinks, random rats in the restroom, rabid dogs barking up a storm, freezing showers, dirty feet, sitting in class learning about insanely impossible issues, rice and beans, Ugandan dorm mates singly loudly 6 am, and mosquito nets. i never knew i could feel this way. i'm going to miss it. Friendships, smiles, laughter, tears, joy, anger, confusion, resolution (? just kidding, i haven't had much of that), sweet pain. Have you felt it? Do you understand it? Maybe I'm way behind...or maybe you should take a little trip to Africa to see it for yourself. Don't come here to evangelize or to pretend that you're saving anyone's soul. Come here to live with these people. To smile joyfully with them, to wail mournfully with them, to cook, to dig, to work, to sit in the afternoon sun doing absolutely nothing, to be confused, to be frustrated, to go without, to trust in God in the most overwhelming situations of your life. Come to Africa just to be here...then maybe you'll be able to help me make sense of all this.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The Rafting of the NILE!!!
Well, as you may have guessed from the title of this post,, I HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN WHITE WATER RAFTING ON THE NILE!! (This happened 2 and a 1/2 weeks ago...sorry my blogs are so backed up...internet is very touch and go, you know?)You know that river that Moses floated down in a wee little basket?? I got to float down it in my life-jacket in between deathly rapids...I respect that wee little basket, it must have been pretty sturdy. I have never been tossed about, dragged under rapids, or swallowed so much river water in my life...and it was AMAZING!!
It was an all day trip and you should have seen the scenery: rolling hills, beautiful trees, and the big groups of wonderful Ugandans bathing and washing clothes on the side of the river (some of them even rode in our rafts for a little bit:). We all baked in the equatorial sun quite a bit, especially our knee caps. Knee cap burns are surly! As soon as we got in the raft we learned the standard strokes and then we learned the boat flipping procedure...which was a little bit of foreshadowing since our raft flipped twice and we lost a few members on another wicked rapid! In the event of a flipping, we had to crouch down-hold our paddle in one hand and the side rope with the other, then you hold on tight! If the rapid isn't too grizzly, you should be able to keep hold until you clear the waves...if it is that grizzly you let go so your arm doesn't separate from your body!!
Our raft went WILD instead of mild, which means we took the hardest parts of the rapids as opposed to the sissy parts,,,haha no parts were all that sissy- I'm just competitive, so I feel the need to insult unnecessarily. We went down 4 level 5 rapids (one of them was basically a 6, which is the highest level), several level 4 and a couple 3s. It was a sweet work-out and just a kick in the pants in general (that means it was thrilling and fun). Our whole boat capsized on the second rapid and while we all managed to hold on through the waves, one of my friends tore a ligament in her arm (HARD CORE!!). The next gnarly rapid was called Big Brother. It basically maimed our boat and we still have no idea how it didn't flip! We lost 5 of our rafters, who were sucked under the water for about 10-12 seconds (which feels like an eternity when you are being knocked around like that). I was one of the lucky ones who somehow stayed in the raft and I was the only one left with a paddle!! I tried, in vain, to steer and paddle without a guide- it was a good time. Then we stopped at lunch islands for some deliciously wonderful sandwiches.
After lunch we floated a while to the next rapid, which was a 16 foot waterfall. Awesome blossom. The rest were pretty tame until we got to the last one...THE BAD PLACE. Before we reached this rapid of doom we had to get out of our boats to walk up and a around a level 6 rapid that basically would have killed us. We came back down from our little barefoot hike to more white water, where we just got in the rafts and went for it. We were warned by our guide that we would most definitely flip...and ohhh did we flip. The Bad Place is a water pit that flips the boat right before a 12 foot wave smacks you around a little bit more. Sucked under, hurled around, coming up for a breath maybe every 10 seconds...I thought I might die. But when I came up, you better believe I had a smile on my face!! We were rescued by the little kayak men and brought back to our boat. All trauma and injuries aside...it was a fantastic ADVeNTURE. And don't worry, because I bought the DVD, so I'll probably try and make you all watch it, whether you want to or not!!
Glory, Glory, and a Hallelujah- it was SO fun!! The whole trip reminded me of God's awesome power, because you know if water can do that much, He can do SOOOO much more. It also made me realize that nature's entertainment is priceless. God seems to me to be a God of adventure. What an exciting God to follow. I am so thankful to have that experience and, of course, to have lived through it!!
It was an all day trip and you should have seen the scenery: rolling hills, beautiful trees, and the big groups of wonderful Ugandans bathing and washing clothes on the side of the river (some of them even rode in our rafts for a little bit:). We all baked in the equatorial sun quite a bit, especially our knee caps. Knee cap burns are surly! As soon as we got in the raft we learned the standard strokes and then we learned the boat flipping procedure...which was a little bit of foreshadowing since our raft flipped twice and we lost a few members on another wicked rapid! In the event of a flipping, we had to crouch down-hold our paddle in one hand and the side rope with the other, then you hold on tight! If the rapid isn't too grizzly, you should be able to keep hold until you clear the waves...if it is that grizzly you let go so your arm doesn't separate from your body!!
Our raft went WILD instead of mild, which means we took the hardest parts of the rapids as opposed to the sissy parts,,,haha no parts were all that sissy- I'm just competitive, so I feel the need to insult unnecessarily. We went down 4 level 5 rapids (one of them was basically a 6, which is the highest level), several level 4 and a couple 3s. It was a sweet work-out and just a kick in the pants in general (that means it was thrilling and fun). Our whole boat capsized on the second rapid and while we all managed to hold on through the waves, one of my friends tore a ligament in her arm (HARD CORE!!). The next gnarly rapid was called Big Brother. It basically maimed our boat and we still have no idea how it didn't flip! We lost 5 of our rafters, who were sucked under the water for about 10-12 seconds (which feels like an eternity when you are being knocked around like that). I was one of the lucky ones who somehow stayed in the raft and I was the only one left with a paddle!! I tried, in vain, to steer and paddle without a guide- it was a good time. Then we stopped at lunch islands for some deliciously wonderful sandwiches.
After lunch we floated a while to the next rapid, which was a 16 foot waterfall. Awesome blossom. The rest were pretty tame until we got to the last one...THE BAD PLACE. Before we reached this rapid of doom we had to get out of our boats to walk up and a around a level 6 rapid that basically would have killed us. We came back down from our little barefoot hike to more white water, where we just got in the rafts and went for it. We were warned by our guide that we would most definitely flip...and ohhh did we flip. The Bad Place is a water pit that flips the boat right before a 12 foot wave smacks you around a little bit more. Sucked under, hurled around, coming up for a breath maybe every 10 seconds...I thought I might die. But when I came up, you better believe I had a smile on my face!! We were rescued by the little kayak men and brought back to our boat. All trauma and injuries aside...it was a fantastic ADVeNTURE. And don't worry, because I bought the DVD, so I'll probably try and make you all watch it, whether you want to or not!!
Glory, Glory, and a Hallelujah- it was SO fun!! The whole trip reminded me of God's awesome power, because you know if water can do that much, He can do SOOOO much more. It also made me realize that nature's entertainment is priceless. God seems to me to be a God of adventure. What an exciting God to follow. I am so thankful to have that experience and, of course, to have lived through it!!
A Critical Insight...
The last Saturday that I spent with my host family we decided to go into Mukono town to buy some ingredients for the tasty meal of peanut butter and jelly I was planning on preparing. I had been to Mukono several times before and I did not think this time would be any different. As we were leaving, one of my brothers (we’ll call him X) said he would catch up with us in town, so the rest of us set off on our journey. The whole trip was filled with stares, eyes questioning: “Who is that mzungu and why is she with that family?” When we reached the market, peoples’ heads were turning, comments were flying at me left and right, some of which my other little brother (we’ll call him Y) wouldn’t even translate. Right in between annoyance and anger, I saw X standing at a distance. He was looking right at us, but still not joining us. I was slightly confused at first but then it dawned on me. Could it be that X knows how much of a spectacle I am? And why would he want to be a part of the freak show? I asked Y if that was the reason X wouldn’t even look me in the eye. He hesitated and then said, “Yea, he doesn’t want to be seen with a white person. He doesn’t want his friends to laugh at him at school.” I had no idea how deeply that could hurt. My own little brother didn’t want to be seen with me. The only thing that kept me from crying in the middle of the market was the tight grasp of my little sister’s hand.
I had noticed the stares before this experience, but this was the first time I FELT them. My indifference regarding this attention was replaced with incredible discomfort. I was a piece of foreign material. I know that on a scale of all the heinous prejudices in the world, this doesn’t even rank, but it was the first time I felt a tiny bit of that sting. I had no idea how ugly it could make me feel. When walking through a city in the States no one even looks at you, let alone stares. I like that. I’m used to it. But it is different here, I should have known that. The color of my skin is my insecurity and there’s absolutely nothing to be done about it. I am a minority for the first time in my life.
This insight did more than bring tears to my eyes, it got me thinking. I have never considered myself racist or prejudiced, but I’m realizing that it takes more than the simple absence of prejudice to make things right. I need to fight prejudice, no matter how small, in everything I do. Personally, I know I have been insensitive to people without meaning the slightest offense. And I understand that the curious Ugandans I saw that day in the market were not trying to make me cry. But I think so much of our prejudice is born out of our ignorance of who we are and who others might be. We don’t think that far beyond ourselves.
It’s becoming evident that according to some people here I have all the flaws of Western society embedded in the pastiness of my skin. If I ever want to disprove that, I have a long process to go through that requires selfless patience. Shame on me for not realizing that it might be painful. Shame on me for pointing fingers and getting so frustrated. Shame on my selfish need for comfort. In his book, Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller speaks eloquently on how easy it is to think that we are good when we might actually be the problem! Although he is speaking on a different topic, his words rang true after my little market incident: “I wondered what it would be like not to live in a house of mirrors, everywhere I go being reminded of myself” (Miller, 22). There’s no need for my extreme feelings of discomfort. I’m the one who has chosen to come here. I AM different. I DO stand out in crowds. After being surrounded by so much black, even I do a double take when I see some white in the mix! This is my home for the next 2 months. I became a minority by my own choice, unlike so many others who have no options.
This realization has brought new insight into my life and into my own character. Stretching like this is part of the growing process that I hope continues all my life because I can never change anyone else if I can’t let change affect my life. John Taylor, in The Primal Vision, speaks to this truth by saying, “For you do not ‘understand’ until you have been touched (affected) yourself, until you get a new insight into who you are yourself” (Taylor, 16). I have never had to break through so many presuppositions for someone to see who I am. My first reaction to this was frustration until I realized that I still don’t even know who I am. Perhaps I can see this occurrence as a learning experience. It is in these small lessons that I begin to find myself. Along the road to finding myself it is my hope that I might realize “how beautiful it might be to think of others as more important than myself” (Miller, 22).
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Things i'm LOVING....
-Learning so much every day (about others and myself)
- Ugandan Friendliness- Smiles for free!!
- The Ugandan laugh
- The way Ugandans nod their head and raise their eyebrows to say yes!!!! I LOVE that!!
-The fact that Ugandan men are pretty much all beautifulJ
- The accent!! (When I can actually understand itJ)
- Fresh pineapple banana smoothies by FRED- Fred’s the coolest.
- African breeze
-The thunderstorms!
- Fresh avocados to spice up the matoke I eat every 5 seconds!
- Having an African family that loves me as if I’ve been theirs forever. Love you Mama Winifred, Joa (16), Samula(15), and Jane (9)!!
- Being looked up to as an older sister. (I remember how much I thought of my older siblings when I was little—and it means a lot to me to have that now. Oh and I still look up to my older siblings)
-Samula teaching me how to sweep and mop.
-Joa coming out to squish two massive cockroaches by the latrine for me.
-Teaching my family card games like Go Fish and E.R.S.
-STAR SPINNING with my brothers and sister when the power goes out (which it does every day) and running face first into clothes lines!!!
-Eating Kikajjo (sugar cane) with Mama on the back porch until my teeth hurt.
- Tea time—Milk tea= my favorite!!
- Fresh coconut, mangos, and pineapples!!
-Insane amounts of JACK FRUIT!!!
- Bathing out of a bucket
- Being given an African name by my family: Nasamula (which I’ll have you know means Princess!!)
- Chapotis and Samosas at the hut canteen
- Neighborly generosity and hospitality (Open door policy baby!!)
-Pickup football games…bare feet and all
-Stoney Tangawizi (the ginger ale they have here)
-Mukono town!!
-The craziness of the market
-Nearly being mutilated by the Boda-Boda motorcycle taxi’s on the side of the streets (it’s thrilling, really!!)
-The fact that I’ve been here for almost 4 weeks and I haven’t caught ebola!! Or gotten sick at all!!
-“Rolling”: going out at midnight with our Ugandan friends to get Rollexes (fried eggs rolled up in chapatis) at a street side stand. “Once you roll, you lose control”!!
- My fellow USP students and how close we’ve already become
-Ugandan dorm mates
-Fruit parties
-Thrashing out huge issues and struggling to find answers, not necessarily in the same way but definitely with the same passion! beauty
-Swimming in
-Men holding hands in the street (heterosexual men)
- Lingala music!! And getting stranded by the rain in a music shop!!
-Pickup trucks with speakers blasting African music in the streets.
-a different kind of love
-a different kind of beauty
-a different kind of time
-Community Worship
-The
-simplicity
-BREATHING
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
THINGS I'M LEARNING...
-Patience with the unreliability of the library system while still expected to be a good student.
-How to adhere to "African time" when it doesn't actually work to my advantage (because when it does work to my advantage- you know i love that i can be 5 minutes late to class because my prof will probably be 10 minutes late!!)
-Patience with technology, since it basically doesn't work
-Lack of privacy/independence on my home stay
-How to walk slower, or stroll- if you will, so as not to look like an idiot amongst all the strollers and also so i don't sweat like a pig!! baha.
-Patience with the first year women's soccer team when about 5 people show up for practices and our first game was played against 9 year old boys without shoes. How is that for frustrating?
-How to learn-inside and outside the classroom
-Adapting to the blatant and unapologetic stares that my pasty white skin attracts (it's not all that exciting anymore... but so be it)
-How to be a MINORITY!!
-How to relieve myself in a pit latrine (my good friend THE SQUATTY POTTY) because i definitely had some aiming troubles at first! bahaha- too much information??
-Sleeping on top of a 3 decker bunk bed with two A.D.D. children underneath me who squirm for 30 minutes before falling asleep! God Bless 'Em :)
-Checking for cockroaches before i bathe.
-Peeling matoke and squishing ground nuts into that purple sauce i told you about earlier
-Hand washing clothes
-Trying to understand the accent (difficult at times)
-Speaking Luganda and get laughed at for my poor attempts!!
-Feeling like sometimes i have all the stigma of Western flaws embedded in the color of my skin and desperately trying to prove that that is NOT who i am.
-Having to prove to my neighbor boy that i'm a footballer. Because before i showed him pictures, he thought i was too fat to run...haha funny story now- not so funny at the time.
-Shoveling down INSANE amounts of matoke (squishy, hot, banana goo) and sweet potatoes at 10 pm,,, all with a smile on my face. (i'm starting to taste matoke in my sleeeep!!:)
-How to make Chapatis with my African mother
-Falling asleep to the sound of howling dogs and unidentifiable insects flying around my mosquito net....
-Random power outages pretty much every day
-Not letting little setbacks and unreliability ruin my day
-Generosity
-Seeing trash everywhere like you wouldn't believe and randomly smelling poop at any given moment
-Trying not to be so stubborn in a country of very stubborn people! It's a difficult task, my friends.
-That adaptation is synonymous with STRUGGLE/RESISTANCE...and that sometimes i have to let go.
oh yes...and so much more....
blessings from Mukono!!
lauren. s .peffley
-How to adhere to "African time" when it doesn't actually work to my advantage (because when it does work to my advantage- you know i love that i can be 5 minutes late to class because my prof will probably be 10 minutes late!!)
-Patience with technology, since it basically doesn't work
-Lack of privacy/independence on my home stay
-How to walk slower, or stroll- if you will, so as not to look like an idiot amongst all the strollers and also so i don't sweat like a pig!! baha.
-Patience with the first year women's soccer team when about 5 people show up for practices and our first game was played against 9 year old boys without shoes. How is that for frustrating?
-How to learn-inside and outside the classroom
-Adapting to the blatant and unapologetic stares that my pasty white skin attracts (it's not all that exciting anymore... but so be it)
-How to be a MINORITY!!
-How to relieve myself in a pit latrine (my good friend THE SQUATTY POTTY) because i definitely had some aiming troubles at first! bahaha- too much information??
-Sleeping on top of a 3 decker bunk bed with two A.D.D. children underneath me who squirm for 30 minutes before falling asleep! God Bless 'Em :)
-Checking for cockroaches before i bathe.
-Peeling matoke and squishing ground nuts into that purple sauce i told you about earlier
-Hand washing clothes
-Trying to understand the accent (difficult at times)
-Speaking Luganda and get laughed at for my poor attempts!!
-Feeling like sometimes i have all the stigma of Western flaws embedded in the color of my skin and desperately trying to prove that that is NOT who i am.
-Having to prove to my neighbor boy that i'm a footballer. Because before i showed him pictures, he thought i was too fat to run...haha funny story now- not so funny at the time.
-Shoveling down INSANE amounts of matoke (squishy, hot, banana goo) and sweet potatoes at 10 pm,,, all with a smile on my face. (i'm starting to taste matoke in my sleeeep!!:)
-How to make Chapatis with my African mother
-Falling asleep to the sound of howling dogs and unidentifiable insects flying around my mosquito net....
-Random power outages pretty much every day
-Not letting little setbacks and unreliability ruin my day
-Generosity
-Seeing trash everywhere like you wouldn't believe and randomly smelling poop at any given moment
-Trying not to be so stubborn in a country of very stubborn people! It's a difficult task, my friends.
-That adaptation is synonymous with STRUGGLE/RESISTANCE...and that sometimes i have to let go.
oh yes...and so much more....
blessings from Mukono!!
lauren. s .peffley
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Arrival in Uganda
Greetings everyone!!
I have safely arrived in Mukono, Uganda and i'm pretty sure i've been smiling for the past 48 hours. As soon as i stepped off the plane, i took a deep breath- Ahhh AFRICA!! I cannot ever express to you how full my heart is. The people here are incredibly beautiful and so friendly. I've already interacted with many of them and they are always willing to help a confused mzungu (whitey) like myself!!
We first arrived in Entebbe and were driven to a little seminary where we spent the night. My first sight when i walked into my room was a little gecco on my window (i'm pretty sure he was my first African friend!!). I hardly slept at all that night due to excitement and the chorus of noises coming from many different creatures outside our window!!
Monday morning we drove thru Kampala and into Mukono where Uganda Christian University is located. We unpacked (it only took like 30 minutes...i love living simply!!) and went to lunch. We ate a big pile of mushy plaintain in a pretty purple sauce!! It tasted like potatoes, and i think i rawther like it! We scheduled our classes after lunch and explored campus, which is quite a site to behold...You wouldn't believe it!! We then hiked up Mukono Hill which they call MONKEY hill, where i saw at least 6 or 7 monkeys jumping from trees and providing a symphony of monkey sounds (whatever they are called!). After that i spoke with the women's soccer coach, who is gladly accepting 3 of us USPers (Uganda Studies Programmers) to the team!! Practice starts tomorrow!! ee gads i am excited!
There's about a million things on my mind and even more on my heart. All i can say is that i love it here and feel strangely at home. I am so looking forward to the rest of my travels, friendships, and perhaps some connections i might make that could lead me to a lifetime of service in Africa. I love you all, thanks for reading...cuz these won't happen very often!! The only reason I'm posting so soon is that my friend Beckah and i went down into Mukono town for a lovely lunch of goat and rice (it was amazing, don't knock it til you try it) and were shopping around when it started torrentially downpouring. So we found this sweet internet cafe and there you have it...Lauren's first post. Ahh,, AFRICA!!!!!!!!!!
I have safely arrived in Mukono, Uganda and i'm pretty sure i've been smiling for the past 48 hours. As soon as i stepped off the plane, i took a deep breath- Ahhh AFRICA!! I cannot ever express to you how full my heart is. The people here are incredibly beautiful and so friendly. I've already interacted with many of them and they are always willing to help a confused mzungu (whitey) like myself!!
We first arrived in Entebbe and were driven to a little seminary where we spent the night. My first sight when i walked into my room was a little gecco on my window (i'm pretty sure he was my first African friend!!). I hardly slept at all that night due to excitement and the chorus of noises coming from many different creatures outside our window!!
Monday morning we drove thru Kampala and into Mukono where Uganda Christian University is located. We unpacked (it only took like 30 minutes...i love living simply!!) and went to lunch. We ate a big pile of mushy plaintain in a pretty purple sauce!! It tasted like potatoes, and i think i rawther like it! We scheduled our classes after lunch and explored campus, which is quite a site to behold...You wouldn't believe it!! We then hiked up Mukono Hill which they call MONKEY hill, where i saw at least 6 or 7 monkeys jumping from trees and providing a symphony of monkey sounds (whatever they are called!). After that i spoke with the women's soccer coach, who is gladly accepting 3 of us USPers (Uganda Studies Programmers) to the team!! Practice starts tomorrow!! ee gads i am excited!
There's about a million things on my mind and even more on my heart. All i can say is that i love it here and feel strangely at home. I am so looking forward to the rest of my travels, friendships, and perhaps some connections i might make that could lead me to a lifetime of service in Africa. I love you all, thanks for reading...cuz these won't happen very often!! The only reason I'm posting so soon is that my friend Beckah and i went down into Mukono town for a lovely lunch of goat and rice (it was amazing, don't knock it til you try it) and were shopping around when it started torrentially downpouring. So we found this sweet internet cafe and there you have it...Lauren's first post. Ahh,, AFRICA!!!!!!!!!!
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