It’s Christmas Time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well ladies and gentlemen it is that time of year. Bring on the Christmas cheer. People celebrating far and near. With everyone that they hold so dear (too much?)

Alright so the Christmas holidays have begun for us here in Uganda and I already have some stories about what I have been up to (what else is new?). But before that I am going to tell you about the wedding that I attended on Saturday. You remember the Introduction right? If not, visit the previous blog… or the one before the previous blog, I can’t remember.

Well for the wedding I’m afraid that I did not wear the Kanzu like I did for the Introduction. This time I wore a simple suit. The wedding was scheduled to start at 11 in the morning but, alas, didn’t end up starting till around 1pm. For weddings here, the Groom arrives with his best man and his groomsmen. They go and sit down on their side. Then, later on, the Bride, the maid of honour, and her bridesmaids arrive and they sit on their side, so they are both opposite each other.  Then the Groom, Bride, best man, and maid of honour get up and walk towards each other, and what follows is very similar to a wedding that would take place in America. Except for one key difference, the Bride and Groom do not kiss. So then the ceremony ends (it also takes somewhat longer than a wedding in America, some three hours or so) we all go off to the reception. The reception took place in the courtyard of one of the hotels nearby. When we arrived at the reception we took our seats under the tent and waited for everyone to arrive. After that, there were some speeches, the cake was cut and eaten, some of the cakes were given out to special guests or people who had helped out a great deal, we ate food, and we left at leisure. A good time. Two of the biggest differences that I found between receptions here and in America are those of time, time is very much kept in America, and dancing, there is no dance floor, people just kinda dance, when they are walking, when they are talking, its good fun.

                So that was last Saturday, on Monday it was the last work day of the year and we had an office Christmas party. Coolest thing ever: when they announced the employee of the year, the winner was the cook. Nobody ever thinks of this person. We always just assume that the food will be there or we think “cooking isn’t that hard” but we never realize the importance of that job. It was so cool to see the cook win. And it really challenged me and made me open up my eyes, because the people who hold these jobs are usually just forgotten. They work, much of the time, alone and we never realize just what they go through and the work that they put in. I don’t know, I just thought it was really cool. And it’s something that we all really need to think about, because I know that I am guilty of forgetting the people who hold these jobs.

                So now we are on to Tuesday, the first day of the holidays. We decided that today we would go up to Sipi Falls, somewhere that I’m told I must visit. I would agree. This place is amazing. The scenery is crazy. And it is really somewhere to go if you want to relax. But, you know me, I didn’t just go there to relax. No I figured I would try my hand at abseiling down next to the 100m water fall. SO MUCH FUN! Then, when I reached the bottom, I stood there, getting drenched by the spray coming from the water. Actually, when I got down, I wasn’t too wet. It was hanging around, climbing up on the rocks, and going down to the water’s edge that got me soaked. There was no way I was gonna come to a place like this and not take my time in experiencing it. The best image ever was me standing on the top of one of the rocks about 20 feet from the falls, just looking into these falls as the water crashes down and the spray goes everywhere… amazing. Then the long and, somewhat intense, hike back where part of the journey included a wooden ladder and a pathway that was 1 foot, if that, wide and included a massive drop off on one side. Good times. Except when I kept getting bitten by the blinking safari ants, so annoying. Then, before we came back home, we went and had lunch with Agnus’ brother in their house in the village. Such good food. Then getting back, resting, and waiting for tomorrow.

                Now on Wednesday we decided to visit some ancient rock painting in a place called Kumi. These rock paintings have been there for at least 300 years but many believe that they are much, much older. Also, one of these paintings in only found here… in the entire world (or at least that’s what I’m told.) Well it was really cool. We were able to walk around, take some pictures (of course), climb some of the rocks, see some monkeys, and relax underneath the rocks (oh yeah).  Then, after exploring for some time, we headed back. It was cool though because we went there with a local who was also a friend of ours so he was able to show us the places nearby and we rested for a bit in one of the villager’s houses. It was so cool. And, by the way, life there is very different to the village that I went to. This area is very dry and very, very hot; not like the mountains. Then, before we went back home, we ate lunch at our friends house, underneath the mango trees. (Sadly they weren’t in season.)

                On Thursday, we rested.

                Friday morning we woke up early to go hike up Mt. Wanale, about a 2 hour hike. (For those of you who receive my newsletter, Mt. Wanale was featured on the first newsletter from Mbale.) This was blinking exhausting but so much fun. It wasn’t like a gradual incline type of hike. There were parts where each step was a couple feet higher than the last. And then, before we reached the top, we climbed up a locally made ladder… yeah. It was safe, I think. Apparently it has been there since the 1940’s and they just keep adding wood to it. It doesn’t look much like a ladder. It was fun though; a good experience. Then, when we got to the top, I sat on the edge, looking out over the amazing view of everything, listening to the sound of the waterfall next to me. After a few minutes we continued on to one of the caves there and that is where we rested for some time while eating samosas and drinking lots of water. Good stuff. Never thought I’d be having samosas in a cave in Uganda but hey, life is like that. After resting, we walked back down (the not so fun part of the walk). We got home, ate lunch, and then I planned to rest for the remainder of the day but you know that never happens and I ended up traveling with Pastor Nelson and co. to the village where I spent the week. We were traveling in a van and, as we were going, we pulled over on the side of the road. I asked “what are you doing?” and Nelson’s brother casually replied “making business.” At that point, people who were also traveling to the same area as we were, started piling in the van. Gotta love it. The same thing happened on the way back home and that trip made them some good money. It was great. At one point on the way back I was sitting in the middle seat in the front, there was a bunch of bananas on the dashboard, as well as a plastic bag full of milk… that’s right. Oh, and also on the way back from the rock paintings we traveled in one of the taxi vans here. It is a 13 seater (or 14. One of the two). There were 21 people, a baby, a chicken, and two crates of cleaning equipment inside this van, and the boot (sorry, the trunk) was full of stuff and wouldn’t close. They needed to use a rope.

                So that’s it so far. Today, tomorrow (Christmas!), and Monday I relax. Then Tuesday we head off to Kenya. I’ll let you know if there are any stories from there.

Hope you all enjoy your Christmas and New Year’s.

                Until next time.

Its been quite an interesting few days

Well hello again ladies and gentlemen,

I have decided to be more prompt in this blog because I have been getting pretty lax, short for lackadaisical (which is dumb because you don’t spell it laxadaisical. And also, just because I’m already on the tangent, why is LAX short for Los Angeles International Airport? Does anyone actually know? I mean, come on, it’s not Los Angeles International Xport. But, that’s the topic for another blog. Back to the matter at hand). So I’m going to try and continue with blogging once a week again… no promises though.

                So this last week, from Thursday to Thursday, has been mildly intense. I say this because, on Saturday, I was fortunate enough to go to an Introduction (a traditional, pre-wedding event that can be anywhere from 6 months before to 2 weeks before the wedding). Then, on Monday morning, in the wee hours of the morning, I had to wake up because we were taking the football boys to Jinja for three days. So here I am on Thursday (I started writing this blog on Thursday), having arrived yesterday from Jinja, writing this blog to you. So let’s start from the top. The Introduction.

                So it’s Saturday morning and we are getting ready. I’m wearing a traditional Kanzu with a Jacket on top (to know what a Kanzu looks like, just look at my Facebook photos in the Uganda!!! Folder). The guests are supposed to meet at the church at 10 in the morning, where transportation will be provided. The plan was then to have us arrive at 11 in the morning and start the proceedings. Well… I don’t know if you know about timing here but it isn’t exactly “up to scratch,” as they say. Even though I knew this, or thought I knew this, I decided to arrive at around 10 anyways because the importance of keeping time was heavily stressed earlier in the week. But after waiting for a few minutes at the church, I decided to go to my friend’s house (which was two houses from the church) and wait there. To cut a long, and complicated, story short, we didn’t end up arriving until 4:30… in the afternoon. Now, although culture is often blamed for this, it wasn’t culture this time. In fact, I’m told that the general rule of thumb is the 2 hour delay. Basically, if you say 10 o’clock, it’ll start at 12. This isn’t the case for all, or most, things but for big events I’m told this is usually how it plays out. But this time it wasn’t culture. It was, at least in my opinion, lack of organization and discipline on the part of the guests. I’m not gonna go into detail but, as you can imagine, things got pretty stressed for some and tensions ran a bit high. Because of the people that I knew and the place where I was staying, I was able to see a lot of this and how it played out and it really helped me open my eyes. Usually as guests, we show up, dance to the music, eat the food, have a good laugh, and then go home, leaving the organizing, cleaning, preparing, disassembling, and whatever other work there is to do to the host. That is our job, if you will, as guests. And that is fine. But rarely do we realize what happens behind the scenes and I think that if we knew, we would have a little more respect and appreciation for the host… I don’t know. That’s just my opinion.

                But enough of that. We did, eventually get there and we did end up having a really good time. It was interesting to see how everything happened and what the proceeding were. Also, don’t know if I was ok with this (just kidding. It was fine), I was put in the front, on the couches, to trick the host and the members of the hosts village into thinking that I was the groom. (They obviously knew I wasn’t but it was just part of the whole thing that happens and they picked me to be that guy. I got a sweet view of the whole thing. Then, halfway through the proceedings, the bridesmaids got up and picked the real groom from among the group and I had to get off the couch and sit in the back where the view was, need I say it, not as spectacular.) I was also able to carry one of the gifts to the front and give it in (there were many gifts). It was a good time. We all ate the food with our hands (which they say actually makes it taste better because you are using more of your senses. I would agree). And afterwards we had cake. Blinking delicious. I don’t even know why. It was just so good. The cake was shaped like a cooking pot placed on three rocks, with matooke inside. After all of this was done we headed back. Off to sleep, then to church on Sunday, then to get ready for Jinja with 58 boys below the age of 18. Oh yeah. Oh and by the way, the wedding is next Saturday so I may also say something about that I one of the blogs to follow.

                Jinja. Oh man this was intense. 58 boys, 4 adults (yes I am counted as an adult thank you very much), three intense days. Oh yeah. Alright so Monday morning I woke up in the wee hours of the morning (6:15) and got ready to go to Beersheba by 7, where the boys would have been waiting since about 5 (African time doesn’t apply here because the boys would be so excited to go. And plus, there were two mzungu's (white people) here who were planning to leave on time). So we arrived, everyone arrived, and we waited for the bus. When it arrived, we all climbed aboard, took our seats and went on our way, the boys shouting cheers like “ Beersheba, Beersheba, FC, Beersheba, Beersheba, FC” (accompanied by constant clapping) and “We go, We go, Beersheba Boys we go” (this one was modified from Uganda’s football teams cheer.) Well, part way in the journey everything died down as impatience and waiting set in. If you’ve ever been on a long journey you know how it goes. First excitement, then restlessness, then anxiety, then excitement again. Two hours later we arrived, piled off the bus and went to sort out rooms. So before I continue I want you to do something interactive for a bit first. Take your left index finger and place it on your chin. Then follow the jawbone round to the left hand side to the point where it curves up and, right before that point, you notice a small gap between the bone and the neck. If you aren’t following, I apologize but just go to the place where the jaw bone meets the neck on your left hand side. If you are wondering why I asked you to do this, here is why. When we were sorting out the rooms, one of the boys jumped down from the third bunk (yeah they have three bunks) and, below him was another bed with a nail sticking out of the frame that holds the mosquito net. Well, imagine that the boy managed to aim himself in such a way that the nail went straight into the point where I told you to put your finger. Yup, straight into the gap between the jawbone and the neck. Don’t worry. He was fine, it was a pretty deep wound but he was taken to the hospital where it was cleaned and plastered and where he had a tetanus shot in the cabina (the *cough cough* excuse me. Buttocks). This kept him out of the activities for the first day but the next day he was able to continue because it was healing up quite nicely. What a start. Well, after that little incident, we organized everything, had lunch and the younger boys got ready to play some football while the older boys got ready to go on the challenge course. Heck yeah the challenge course. It was amazing. Oh man. I love obstacle courses. And there was a zip line to finish it off. I went twice throughout the few days. The boys loved it (at least most of them did) and we all had a great time. After all that, we ate a delicious dinner, and sat around to watch a DVD of footballs greatest mistakes… so funny.

                Ok, that was Monday. Now on to Tuesday. In the morning we played some basketball, went on the challenge course again, and relaxed while playing dominoes. After lunch, the under 12’s played the under 15’s and tied, much to the under 15’s dismay. Then the Under 18’s played against the team from where we were staying. One of the most epic games ever. I won’t go into detail but it was crazy. So much fun to watch. I had to stop myself from jumping whenever the boys scored or whenever the other team was about to score. We walked away very happy from that game. A great end to a great couple of days (oh but it wasn’t actually the end). Then in the evening we watched Monsters vs. Aliens (Great movie. Hilarious. One of my favorites in fact. I’m not afraid to say it). We were gonna watch another one but it wasn’t being read by the DVD player. That’s alright. I’m not complaining.

                Wednesday morning everyone was up at around five (which was annoying because I was trying to sleep). When I did eventually get up around 7, I could tell that these boys were really sad to go. They were sitting there quietly, having packed, and were looking very, very sad. I could well understand. Most of these boys haven’t even been out of Musoto. A lot had probably never taken a proper shower before and had rarely eaten as well as we did on this trip. And that isn’t even including the fun things or the comfortable beds that they were able to sleep in. Most just sleep on a mat on the floor back where they live. But don’t worry. The trip isn’t over yet. At 8, we walked down to Lake Victoria (It was blinking far) and many of the boys were able to buy fish from the villagers which we then strapped onto the front of the bus for the journey back. The fish were able to dry out during the trip. We were also able to take many photos and ended up being very late back to the base where we were staying. After that, we had breakfast and packed up. Before we left for home we took a small bus tour around parts of the lake and also over the river Nile. But alas, we had to head home, and off we went, loving the memories of our time in Jinja, and mourning the fact that we couldn’t stay their longer.

And I’m afraid that marks the end of this blog.

Until next time

P.s. so I don’t know if you are interested but I decided to find out just why LAX is named as such. Here is what I found out:

“Before the 1930s, existing airports used a two-letter abbreviation based on the weather station at the airports. So, at that time, LA served as the designation for Los Angeles International Airport. But, with the rapid growth in the aviation industry, the designations expanded to three letters, and LA became LAX. The letter X does not otherwise have any specific meaning in this identifier.” (Taken from the LAX frequently asked questions page on the LAX website)

               

My week away

Well Ladies and Gentlemen,

I’m terribly sorry that I did not post a blog for the last couple of weeks. The plan was to post one two weeks ago, saying that I will be living in a rural village for a week and will let you know how it goes when I get back. But alas, that didn’t happen. So SURPRISE!!! I was able to live in a rural village last week and in this blog I am going to tell you about it.

A short pre-story: Basically we organized this kinda out of the blue. I thought it would be really cool to be able to experience what life was like in a rural village here (man did I not know what I was getting into) and the next thing I knew, it was organized and we were good to go. I was gonna stay there for a week, Monday to Sunday, and do everything (as much as possible) that the villagers do, just basically living their life. But enough of that, here goes the real experience. Enjoy.

(sorry, it’s quite long)

Day One: Monday

                We parked the car at around 2:30 on the side of the road. The village was up in the mountain (about a 20 minute walk up) and the only road that went there was not a road. It was a mud path that had definitely seen better days. There was no way the car was gonna be able to make it up. So we walked. When we arrived I was able to meet up with Andrew and his wife, the people whose house I would be staying in, Robert and Frances, two people who spoke English and who I would be working with throughout the week, and Amos, one of the sons of Andrew who spoke English and who would also be accompanying me throughout the week. While we were all there we went to visit some of the relatives and clan members of Nelson (the person whose house I stay at in Mbale. It is him and his wife Agnes). This was all interesting, being able to see the various people and get a lay of the land. We eat some food together, and then Nelson and Agnes left. It was from this point that I started to get some mixed feelings. Anxiety, excitement, nervousness, wonder, etc. But most of all, what the heck was I doing in a village on the side of a mountain, that doesn’t show up on the map, and with nobody that I knew? Oh man. Well by nightfall I was dead tired and, by like 8:00, it was pitch black (there was electricity… kinda. It was taken illegally from the main lines by using barbed wire and the family were able to rig up a system of tiny little lights that definitely make it not pitch black, but don’t do much more. My room was pretty much pitch black the whole time). So I went to my room, a 5ft by 7ft room with a bed and floor space for my bag. It was all that I really needed though so it wasn’t a problem. Goodnight and see you tomorrow.

                Alright so before I move on to Tuesday let me tell you about the house. It is a small house. It’s made of mud with iron sheets for the room. The kitchen is tiny, with about enough space for one… maybe two, people and it contains a pot positioned on three rocks with fire wood underneath. This is the stove. The washroom is next to the kitchen. It consists of a bucket that you fill up and wash with. Then there is the place where the chickens are kept, the place where the goats are kept, and the outhouse. Alright, day two.

Day Two: Tuesday

                Woke up, don’t know when exactly (my phone is off and I have no way of telling the time), I think it was around 7:30 though, and I took my first bucket shower. I’m feeling a lot better than yesterday and hopefully it’ll be a good day. As we are all getting ready for the day I saw a man walking on his hands and knees because he was crippled. He is the family’s neighbor and they help him with various things. Not gonna lie though, mildly intense. After a delicious breakfast of chapatti, Frances and I walked to the local market. Disclaimer: when someone here says it is not far, it is blinking so far away. The market wasn’t actually that far but keep in mind this is walking up and down the mountain. I think they said it was about 3 kilometers away. Then, on the way back we walked through the plantations, which was so serial. I don’t know why. It was cool though. Alright, well although the market was good, by lunch I was exhausted and disoriented and I didn’t really feel like spending a week like this. You see, I was exhausted from all the walking and disoriented from the fact that I didn’t know the time and the eating habits were different there and it felt like it was a lot later than it was… not fun. Then, in the afternoon, we rested, listened to the radio, and played cards (yeah we played a lot of cards during this week). We then went to fill up the water buckets from the stream (kinda. It was coming out from a pipe but the pipe was connected to the underwater stream that came from the mountain. I didn’t drink this water though. I brought my own bottled water). After that we went out for a “short” walk. Notice the quotation marks around the word short? Yeah, well Robert said it would be short… we were out from 4:30 to 7 o’clock. We weren’t walking all that time but just to put it into perspective. When we got home and had something to eat, though I was still confused as to the eating habits. I thought it was dinner but it was only supper (not that I thought there was a difference) and then, when dinner came, although it was amazing, I wasn’t able to eat much of it! I know! Not fair! Oh well, I guess I’ll go to bed and see you tomorrow.

Day Three: Wednesday

                So its morning and we are out in the garden digging (that’s right… digging) and I ask the time, presuming that it’s close to nine. It’s blinking 7:45 in the morning! What the heck. We had been digging for what felt like a long time but was probably only 45 minutes. It was good though. I was able to let a lot of my feelings from yesterday go as I dug. And, yet again, in the morning hours I felt positive towards the day. After digging we had breakfast and I got ready for the day. This morning Robert, Frances, and I would visit one of the local schools. Well this school also turned out to be blinking far away. (Sorry, I use the word blinking a lot). The school was interesting. I was able to learn a lot about school life there. Like how many of the teachers have over 100 children per class and how the children rarely get a morning or lunch meal at home. It was quite intense. Also the classrooms aren’t exactly at the peak of their existence. Well, after a while we had to head back though and we left the school behind and went home for lunch. By lunchtime I was extremely exhausted but my disorientation was easing so that is a plus. In the afternoon it was raining but only slightly so we went first to fill up the water buckets. Then we went to pick some pawpaw (akaed in the US as Papaya). That was cool because I was able to see how it was done and be a part of the process. We also picked some coffee beans and I attempted to carry the bucket of fruit on my head on the walk back. Oh man!!! That is so tough. I have a lot of respect for the people that can do that. In the evening I was able to help by crushing the Ground Nuts. They were put in a wooden bowl about a foot tall and half a foot in diameter and you take a big stick and just bring the stick down repeatedly, crushing the Ground Nuts. Btw, by repeatedly, I mean repeatedly, and for a very long time. So its evening, I’m exhausted, and the days still feel like they won’t end. But I guess it’s getting easier. I don’t know, we’ll see tomorrow. Goodnight.

Day Four: Thursday

                Happy Thanksgiving.

                We woke up early again this morning to go dig. This time I was able to work for a lot longer which was good. By breakfast I’m tired, but don’t worry. It’s the good type of tired. And I know its morning but I can tell that it is definitely getting easier. After breakfast we went to visit another of the local primary schools. I was able to see how some of the classrooms consisted solely of the frame of the room and the roof. No walls. We had a long talk with the main lady there which was really insightful. I was challenged just by seeing and realizing the intensity of the problem here in rural Uganda regarding many different things, including schooling. So after that we visited a family there and then went back up the mountain. When we arrived we had lunch, rested some, and after that, we planted tomatoes. This was really fun, unless you don’t like getting your hands dirty, but I didn’t mind that. After the planting, we were going to watch a local football game but it was raining so we waited a bit. Then, as the rain died down we went, only to be caught in the rain right before we reached the game. So we waited some time, then, as it died down again, we went to watch the game. It wasn’t a bad game. The pitch was slippery which made it hilarious to watch. The problem was that it was getting dark so we had to leave early (we had to walk up the mountain in the mud so we didn’t want to wait till dark). But as we got to the path we ended up being caught in the rain again so we waiting by the road at the bottom. There were some small shops here so we had some shelter. So, despite the efforts not to, we ended up walking up the mountain in the dark in and in the mud. It was alright though. I was in a good mood and you really just have to smile in those situations. Never in my life before now did I think I would be struggling up a mountain path in the mud and darkness, only to be heading to a mud house in a small rural Ugandan village where I would live for a week. Gotta love it. Alright so it’s still raining as I head off to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight.

By the way, my thanksgiving dinner consisted of Matooke (a species of banana that is eaten when it’s still green), greens, Posho (corn flour), and a sauce with cabbage and G-nuts in it… I think. I can’t really remember exactly. It kinda all blurs together.

Day Five: Friday

                We woke up later than usual because we were not going to dig this morning. Then went and had the most delicious breakfast of Milk Tea, Ground Nuts, and a Chapatti. It was a lot because we were going to be moving around the market later on in the morning and we needed all the energy we could get. So after breakfast we walked down the mountain to the road and got a Boda (if confused, see earlier blogs) to the market. We were going to walk but we didn’t because, for me, it was blinking far. For the people here it wasn’t bad. The market was insane though (it was a different, bigger market than the one on Tuesday). There was a mass of people, vehicles, food being sold, and mud. It was crazy. There were just people everywhere selling everything from shoes to rabbits to sweet potatoes. I loved it, just being able to move around and see this completely new experience. We were able to look around a bit before we got what we needed to get, along with some other things, and headed back to have lunch. After lunch we rested for a bit, because it was raining, and played some cards. After a while, though it was still raining, we went out to go slash the garden (a different garden). Ok, so there are two types of slashing the garden. One is when you use a device similar to a golf club only that the end of it is a double edged knife. You pretty much just swing and you cut the grass. Or there is the other way, for gardens with less grass and more weeds and other plants. Basically you take a machete, bend down, and just have at it, cutting the plants as close to the ground as you can get. Yeah we did the later of those two. It was kinda fun but also really hard work. I felt like a wimp though because the area that I cut looked so bad compared to the rest. I started to get the hang of it after a while though. We did this for a while and then went to go cut some matooke for dinner (in yet another garden). When we arrived back at the house we rested for a bit and then I was able to learn how to make Mandazi’s (which, btw, are so delicious). Man we ate a lot of Mandazi’s that night. Alright so that’s the end of that day, see you tomorrow.

Day Six: Saturday

                Church today. After a massive, and slightly odd, breakfast of matooke, potatoes, chicken, and Mandazi’s, we got ready for church. And here, like in Mbale, dressing up for church is pretty important. The only difference here is that there is mud. So I’m standing there in a smart dress shirt, dress pants, and… gum boots. It looked pretty legit. So we headed off to church, which was so far away, and on the way we had to cross this stream but there wasn’t really any stepping stones and the only stone there was slightly submerged by water. It was good fun. When we got to the church we entered a small mud building and sat down. At the end of the service the mother where I was staying got up and thanked me for staying with them and she said she really liked having another son for the week and she wished I could stay longer. Oh man. Touched my heart, let me tell you. I think that one moment right there made the entire week for me. If nothing else, the fact that they appreciated me being there was enough for me. After she said that, we left and headed back home. For the rest of the day we just relaxed and, in the afternoon, visited different families. This was really interesting because I was able to meet with many of the people in the village and talk to some of them (the ones that knew English). After that we just went home and chilled till dinner time. Oh yeah, we also played a lot of cards… good stuff. Well that’s all for today, check back in tomorrow, the last day!

Day Seven: Sunday

                Well, because a large part of this trip was to get experience, I ended up attending church on Sunday as well. Although the family didn’t go to church on Sundays, Frances did and I went with him. The thing was, his church was blinking even further than the one I went to on Saturday. First you walk down the mountain, then you take a Boda, then you walk back up another blinking section of the mountain. After getting off the Boda and looking up the mountain I asked how far away it was. “It’s not far, about half an hours walk up.” HALF A BLINKING HOUR (sorry). It was so far up this mountain and by the time we reached I was done. I was so tired. So we rested for a bit. Luckily the church didn’t start for a while so we had time. When the church did start it was so much fun. It was a meeting of all the churches connected together so there was a bunch of dancing and singing and clapping hands. Good stuff. But, alas, I had to leave early to get ready. So we walked back down the mountain, took a Boda, and then walked back up the mountain to the house. From there I packed up and had lunch. I didn’t actually get picked up till around 5 so for the rest of the day we just relaxed again and talked. Then, when they did arrive, in keeping with the culture here, we talked for a bit and went up to visit other members of the village before heading back down. Not gonna lie, it was kinda sad to go. The mother was definitely holding it back. I could tell she really appreciated me coming. And honestly, though it was tough, I’m glad I had the opportunity (but I’ll talk about that later. Back to what happened). So what follows is another reason why I’m glad I came. Basically, in local culture, if a visitor comes and you enjoyed their presence, you give gifts. So, as I’m leaving, the mother gets the boys to chop down a big thing of Matooke and she gives it to me. (Actually someone else carries it down on their head because I can’t). I felt so touched. But it didn’t stop there. By the time we reached the vehicle there were 4 big bunches of matooke (I didn’t even know about two of them), a pawpaw, a couple smaller gifts from Frances and Robert, and a chicken. (Heck yeah a chicken). And I just want to say real quick, it wasn’t the fact that I now have this stuff. It was the fact that it meant that much to the family that I was with. I’m so glad that they enjoyed having me for the week. Well anyways, all good things must come to an end, and we all said our goodbyes and we drove off, not into the sunset because the sun had already set, but into the darkness. An end to an intense week.

                So, pretty much, the week was intense, nerve-racking, fun, exciting, tough, stressful, relaxing, insane, crazy, rewarding, enlightening, humbling, difficult, and totally worth it. I learned so much that week and I am so glad I chose to go. If not for anything else, for the fact that it meant so much to the family that I stayed with. Looking back, I loved the experience. It was blinking tough and at times I hated it. But it was so worth it and I think the tough times helped to make that. I was able to realize what it was like for a rural villager and, although I will never know entirely because I was just there for a week and there were many things that I didn’t do, I was able to get a taste of life there. So worth it. They are amazing people and it was an amazing trip. Would I go back?… not sure. If I got the opportunity to go back there specifically I think I would. But if I got the opportunity to go somewhere I would want to go somewhere different because there is so much else in the world and so many other cultures and people groups that I would want to continue learning from as many places as possible.

                So there you have it. My week in a village in rural Uganda, attempting to live life like the villagers; learning as much as I can and experiencing life there. My main fear is that this description of the week doesn’t do it justice but I hope it gives an insight into what happened. Oh man, so good. It was one wild ride that’s for sure. I hope you’ve enjoyed my telling it.

Until next time.

This One is Bigger than just Uganda

So i'm afraid i've posted another deep blog (or at least deeper than the stories). But its stuff that i run into due to being in another country and I figure maybe someone might find it interesting. enjoy.

Why is it that the one thing that has created a more advanced world, the one thing that has eradicated diseases, the one thing that has benefitted mankind beyond belief, is also the one thing that has killed more people than anything else, the one thing that has isolated more people than anything else, and the one thing that causes society to come to a standstill?

            There is an advertisement that is on the TV here quite often and is actually kinda annoying as advertisements go. But the whole premise behind it is very powerful. The advertisement is two babies talking to each other about how they are not HIV positive because their mothers tested when they became pregnant and started on treatment. The ad continues and then, at the end, a voice says “A HIV-free generation is possible.” The first time I heard that I was dumbfounded. It is such a simple concept. People have been trying to find a way to cure HIV for the longest time (which, by the way, I think is very important and we still need to keep striving to find the cure). But the trouble is, even if they do find a cure, it will most likely be insanely expensive. Too expensive for many of the people that need it. And then this one simple idea about testing to avoid passing on HIV to the next generation comes along. This idea which, undoubtedly, has been around for a while, could completely eliminate HIV from the world. That is huge. It got me to thinking though, because, really, it seems so simple, so easy. Almost too easy.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, that one thing that I’m talking about in the first paragraph is the human mind. It is what we pride ourselves on. It is the thing that, supposedly, makes us different from all other animals. Ideas have formed from the human mind that have shaped the course of history; that have caused scientific discoveries to be made; that have enabled us as people to live longer and more comfortably. And yet, the human mind was also the cause of the enslavement of millions of African; it was, and is, the cause of the enslavement and trafficking of millions and millions of children, children who should be leading normal lives, going to school and making friends. The human mind has caused the destruction of nations, simply because one person, or a group of people, wanted something for themselves.

That ad about the HIV generation is simple; arguably the simplest solutions to the problem of HIV. And it has the potential to work. But the thing is that there are many people in this world and with many people come many ideas, many religions, many beliefs, and many different ways of doing things. This is where the idea in the advert meets its biggest barrier. If you were to tell someone who believes in the practice of the traditional healer that medicine is better, they would think you’re ridiculous. Likewise, if someone thinks that HIV is a punishment from God for doing something evil, and you tell him otherwise, he won’t agree with you. Once we think we know something indefinitely it is next to impossible to convince us otherwise. (See the connection now). Once we are bent on a certain task, there is almost nothing that can stop us. And once we decide that our way, our belief, our whatever, is right and all the other are wrong, we are ruined. The only barrier that the “HIV-free generation” idea has to face is the barrier of the human mind. And the sad thing is that might be where it meets its end.

But this is about more than just one advertisement and one idea that could change the world. We all need to realize and take this on board. Because, we don’t know everything and we need to be able to consider other ideas. A very smart man by the name of Aristotle (I think you’ve heard of him) once said that “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” I couldn’t agree more. We should all have something that each of us thinks is true and something that we each take a stand on. But we should also be able to consider other ideas without immediately branding them as stupid or ridiculous. If we aren’t able to do that, then we are done, and some of the greatest progresses that human beings could have made, will be lying in ruin.

Thank you for your time.

So its been about a month now

I have been here in Mbale a grand total of one month and, let me just say, I love it here. Sure, there are tough times and moments where I wonder if this is where I should be. But over all I really enjoy it here. This can be tough and can really stretch me as a person but I know its right. I know I should be here.  But enough about me. You want to hear about Uganda. So here are some of the things that have happened since we’ve been together last. (Although I am the main character in most of these stories so I’m afraid it’s still about me).

                First things first, I pulled a no-hander all the way from home to work on the Boda… Oh yeah (If your confused, see blog number 3 titled I’ve Been Here Two Days And…

                Ok, story number (the thing about the Boda was just a little factoid, not a story), have I told you about Zed? Well one morning, he blinking nicked my Chapatti!!! That’s right. He stole what was rightfully mine! And I was looking forward to that Chapatti. Zed is a cat, by the way. He lives with us at the house where I’m staying and he enjoys chapattis very much. I think I mentioned about chapattis before. Well if not, just know they are a heavenly nutriment (food). Anyways, this cat Zed (why? Zed… I’ll wait for a few seconds for you to get that one……….. And now to explain to the Americans. In Britain, and other places around the world, the letter z is pronounced zed. This was, apparently, why zed got its name, because when you ask why, the answer is zed. X, why, Zed. See? Anyways.) This cat is a tough cat. Not unlike one of the streetwise cats you find in classic Disney movies. And he is also a cool cat, but not the day he nicked my chapatti. What happened was, me and Dave were supposed to share the last chapatti. Zed, however, wanted his piece of the pie and the trouble with cats is they have cat-like reflexes (logically). So, as Dave put my half of the chapatti down, Zed jumped up and blinking took my piece. (Sorry, I use the word blinking a lot). And he didn’t even finish it. He just left a part of it on the floor to taunt me. Well I was furious. No, actually I wasn’t. We had a good laugh over it. Zed gets into a lot of mischief when it comes to breakfast time and he is always trying to outsmart us humans to get food. I must say though that, after that day, I have been on top alert and he hasn’t been able to outsmart me. Even when he sneaks out from under the couch to try and take us by surprise (true story).

                Story number two. (Heads up, this is a long one). The Rain. Oh man. So I think I already told you about the rain over here and how it rains most days. Well two days ago it definitely graced us with its presence again. I was coaching football with one of the schools that I am working with and the field was about a 20 minute walk from the school (there isn’t much open land here so we h to travel pretty far). Anyways, this is the day and the hour in which it decides to chuck it down. Typical. So I’m coaching the football and the clouds begin to roll in. We all saw it. I was praying “don’t let it rain during practice.” You know what I should have prayed? “Don’t let it rain till I get back to where I work.” We ended practice and a drop landed on my head. We have to move. So we start walking and it increases slightly but not enough to affect our progress. There is one part of the journey where there are no houses and we have to walk through the fields. Luckily for us, (luckily being in the relative sense of the word) the heavens open up right before we hit that point. So we raced towards the last house that was there. This house was under construction (but luckily, again being relative, the roof was fully completed) and the guys building it let us stay there. They were amused to see a Mzungu (white person) running to escape the rain. It was kinda fun waiting there because there were wooden poles that ran across to allow planks to be elevated so the men could work on painting the ceiling. It was fun because we had to navigate our way around.

                So there we are, looking out at the rain, wondering when it’ll stop. I’m worrying about getting back and if people would have left and a bunch of other petty thoughts. Then, as I looked out, it was as if God just said, “Quit worrying and enjoy the view.” And he had good reason to say that. It was amazing! As soon as I looked past the worries of the rain I saw how incredible it was. The mountain was in the distance, with the clouds surrounding it, and between it and us were miles of greenery, trees, and a couple mud houses here and there. There was also a small pile of rocks right in front of the house due to the construction. And the rain only made this picture more incredible. I can picture it now. It was amazing. So I stopped worrying and starting enjoying the moment. It was magnificent. Simple, yet beautiful. So the rain finally quieted down and we headed back; it was still raining, just softer. The walk back was also fun because the path was muddy in places and it was like a puzzle, trying to figure out where to go. Also, there was a river of rain water running down the path (this path, mind you, is about two feet wide, without the river) so we had to navigate around it. The whole experience was amazing. And completely worth getting a little wet. (Here comes the philosophical part) I think we as humans are afraid of getting a little wet from the rain, and it’s because of that, that we never fully realize the amazingness of what’s around. The rain casts a different light on everything that’s around and, in order to see that, we need to quit worrying, and be ready to go out and see that for ourselves. (Sorry but that’s really what I felt as I reflected on that experience so I decided to put it in there).

                And lastly, a little anecdote. This is a true story. My friends friend had a nighttime security guard who came up to him one morning after work and told him that he had a dream last night telling him that harm would come to the family…

                … Ironic seen as the one man who was supposed to be protecting the family during the night was asleep during the night…

Ok so I have more stories but it would get quite long if I shared them all so I decided to just try and pick out the best. I hope you enjoyed them. I will see you again soon. Au revoir  

P.S I just want to give a second shout out to my now eleven fans. I see you.

Uganda. The Beautiful Paradox

Sorry this took so long. I wrote it last thursday but we didn't have internet for a while. Anyways, here it is.

Again I sit, writing my blog during a power cut. Because it is past sundown, the only light is the one from my computer screen. I’m afraid that if you were hoping for a comical uplift from this particular post then you are out of luck. This post is quite a bit more serious than the last. This post looks at Uganda through a different lens. A lens that shows the paradoxical nature of this country. Once I came here I could not help but realize the serious cry of this country. Amongst its beauty there is a layer of sorrow and a call for help. Like many African nations this country holds the potential for greatness and the ability to thrive. This potential, however, is hidden by the reality of life here. I give you, The Beautiful Paradox.

            When I first arrived in Uganda I was struck by this countries beauty. There is greenery everywhere and a great variety of plants can, and do, grow here. In Beersheba, we grow mangoes (delicious), papaya, peppers, bananas, cassava, oranges, beans, onions, staple crops, and watermelon and pineapples have grown in the past. Uganda also has a lot of rainfall every year, causing the ground to be very fertile and the ability to grow your own food is ever present. There is rarely a shortage of food and one can generally always feel full at the end of a meal. Sounds great, doesn’t it? The land flowing with milk and honey. What more would someone want. How about the ability to drink water without having to boil it first? Or maybe being able to swim in Lake Victoria without having to take tablets to avoid catching a nasty parasite. Behind the beauty of this country is a fact that roughly 1 in 20 people here have HIV; a virus that has already claimed the lives of over 25 million people worldwide. (I must add, however, that Uganda has done a great deal to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in its country and props must be given for that. Still, there is always room for progress.) Feeling full at the end of a meal is great, but what if that full feeling is because the majority of your meal is carbohydrates and, if you were to bust out the food pyramid, you’d realize that you don’t ever really have a well-rounded meal. The worst part about that is it isn’t because it’s impossible to acquire those much needed foods. You just need a little help; help from the global community. Rain is also a wonderful thing, but not when it turns into overdrive. I have personally met a man whose garden has been ruined due to too much rain at the wrong time. But has he given up? No, he is replanting in a different place and trying again. Perseverance.

            I want to take this time now to add probably the single most important thing I have to say. What I stated earlier does not, in any way, make us, as westerners, better than someone from Uganda and what we have in the west is not necessarily better than in Uganda. We have the ability to aid a country full of potential, but we must not come in and attempt to westernize it. We must first learn from this country. We must learn because it is only after we have learned that we can help. There are many lessons here that can be learned and many things that can teach us to grow as people. If we come in just to aid and not to be aided then we will be destroying the opportunity that we have to become better. Every country around the world has something to give. If this can be utilized then we, as a world, can grow, and every culture will still be preserved. As they rightfully should.

I’ve only been here a week and a half and I know that, the longer I stay, the more I will learn about this country and the people here. Thank you very much. I will see you later.

P.S Ok so because this post was quite a serious one you can expect, perhaps, a more comical write up subsequent to this one. (I didn't just come up with that word off the top of my head; I used the thesaurus that comes with Microsoft… sorry)

I've only been here for two days and.....

So here I am. Mbale, Uganda. As I am writing this it is the end of my second full day in Mbale. I arrived here on Tuesday but I was picked up and went to Cherish Uganda where I slept and was then picked up and taken to Mbale (this was the case because Cherish was closer to the airport and I arrived late tuesday night). So far I really enjoy it here. It was a little overwhelming at first because it was a newe place and it can still feel daunting but I definately feel a lot more comfortable. I will be working at Beersheeba (Disclaimer: Beersheeba is the project where Oasis works. It is the place of the offices and where a lot of stuff "goes down" i.e happens. The words Beersheeba (which comes from 1 Kings 19 v1-19), and project mean the same thing and will be used interchangably.) I will be working mainly with football (for you americans that is soccer... not american footbal). but I also have other jobs and things that i will do. But enough of the boring stuff.
I have been here two days and already have a number of stories. First off, there is a blinking annoying cockoral (or however you spell it) that wakes me up at about 6:45 every morning. I need to wake up about then anyways but the sound of one of those beeping aarm clocks that progressively get louder would be nicer. Annoying yes, but not as much. And yeah, life in Uganda starts early. Also, the main way of transport here is the motorbike, known as Boda Boda's or Pickey's (again, interchangeable). This seems like no big deal until you are holding on to a small metal bar behind you for dear life as you zoom across these dirt, and mind I say EXTREMELY bumpy, roads, hoping that you make it to your destination. It actually wasn't that bad for me because the driver was apparently going slow. Some go much faster. What is really fun though is that the rain can collect in parts and some places can be muddy to the point where you kinda feel yourself sliding out as you drive across. Its all good fun though.
Powercuts are also kind of common here. Commen being about once every two days (im told) and I am currently writing this during one which means that my scream is extremely bright and i can't really see anything else for about a minute after i look away. What was fun though was that I played a good game of chess against Dave, a fellow white peson who works with Oasis, via candle light. He was the blck pieces and it was hard for him to see some of them which gave me an advantage. There is also another boy who lives here who plays with us. It is all very fun. Second Disclaimer: These is really no racism here, but Ugandans do tell it how it is. For example. The term Mzungu means white person, or rich person, but it is not derogatory. It is just fact. So if I say the dave is a fellow white person there is nothing in that statement, only that it is true. So that is pretty much it for today folks. There will, undoubtedly, be more stories to come. I will most likely be chopping and changing between serious and funny blogs and some may even be both. But here I will leave you with one last humorous story. On the way back from the project yesterday there was a herd of cows coming towards us. This herd were all in a groupwalking slowly, except for one... We looked and saw a cow running (some would say charging but that word is quite strong) right towards us with a man running behind it trying to control it. Mildly scary, you say, for a regular cow to be running at us. I agree. Even more scary when this cow has horns that are slightly shorter than the lengh of my forearm. But no worries, you just step to the side (rather quickly) and let the cow run on past. Everything worked out fine. Although I can't speak for the cow as I don't know what happened to him.
So although that story was mildly scary you do still have to laugh (you too mum) and move on. Because things are gonna happen whether your in LA, London, or Uganda and you have to roll with it. Plus you be careful, that definately helps. So goodbye, this time for real, as opposed to the last paragraph. Sorry this is so long. There was a lot to tell. Anyways, see you soon.

P.S Get ready for my next post Uganda: The Beautiful Paradox
But don't get ready quite yet cause it will be a few days.

Ok so heres the deal. The electricityis kinda sporadic here. They do what they call load shedding which is basically turning the power off to certain places cause there is too much. Anyways, that means the internet is down when the power is down and I can't post my blog. So this was supposed to go up on saturday morning but didn't.

Post Number Two

Alright so first off, I promise you that this will be the only post (other than the first) to be named after the order in which it was posted... if that makes any sense.

Anyways, so the trip has begun. Alas, I am not in Uganda yet but I am in Britain. I am currently in Reading, staying with the lovely Steve and Grace Hammond. Thank you very much for letting me stay here. I was previously in Wales with the family there and will then be heading over to Oxford tommorrow (did I spell tommorrow right? It doesn't look like I spelled that right. Also, is it spelled or spelt?... anyways). I will then be back in Reading briefly before going to Heathrow to fly to Uganda. I want to thank everyone for their prayers. They are much appreciated and I know that I will continually need them as this will be a challenging, but, mind you, ever so fun, trip. Please continue praying as I embark on this adventure and please keep me in your thoughts.

This post is relatively brief because I have not actually arrived in Uganda and therefore, no stories are really available for me to tell. Oh heres an interesting one. On my way from LA to the UK, I travelled on a vehicle of some manner for a total of 13 hours (not including the time spent at stopovers) and was up for 31 hours in total with only a slight time for a rest. Not interesting enough? In that time I managed to have two breakfasts and two dinners but no lunchs... not quite sure how that worked.

Well thats all folks. I think its time to bid you adue. See you in Uganda.

P.S Although right now I only have like three followers (shout out to Grace, Charys, and Kevin) others of you may join and you may realize that I have been in Britain and not been able to get to see you. Please note that I do wish to see you and will be in Britain again after Uganda (if everything goes according to plan) and would love to see you then. I also have more time then. Plus i'll be much more interesting to talk to because I will be able to talk about my experience in Uganda.

My first post

So here it is ladies and gentlemen, I am officially starting my blog. I am writing this initial post to let those of you following me know that this is, in fact, Josh Potter, the guy who just graduated high school and who is going to be going to Uganda at the start of October. During my time in Uganda, I hope to be able to convey to you what it is exactly that I am doing in Uganda and how it is going. I know that it will be a fun, yet challenging, time for me and I hope that you will be able to follow my journey through these blogs. I do, however, apologize in advance for not being a very good blogger. This is the first time I have ever used a blog and, even on facebook, I am not known as being the most "up to date" person. This being said, I notice that I must rise to the challenge and I must accept and embrace the fact that I am now a blogger and need to act and go about life as such. Life, in this case, being my time when I have the opportunity to blog. You must also know, though, that I will be quite busy and may not be able to blog as much as I, or you, want me to. This is the sad truth, but we must be able to get through it together.

So I now bid you adieu for the first time. There may be several other blogs between now and october documenting my preparations for Uganda. If, however, these blogs do not materialize, I will be seeing you in October (or november).

Good day