Goodbyes

Africans have some funny traditions. One of them is that when a visitor (especially a white one) leaves they put you up at a head table and give speeches. These speeches are often terribly long and slightly awkward.

So last night I knew I was in for it. Yes, a head table. Thankfully several Africans joined me, including a Kenyan who is also leaving today. But this time it wasn't so terrible. This community has the art of brevity! I love it! So people said very kind things and I felt very loved. They gave me at least 3 yards of beautiful fabric to have a dress made from! Hooray!!

Father's comments were beautiful, and almost too much. I am going to miss him and this community a lot more than I am ready to admit. (no tears, no tears, no tears)

I thought about this a lot today...

4 years and 2 months ago a 19 year old semi punk girl from the states was wandering around Rome by herself. During that trip she met many amazing people, and has worked hard to keep in touch with many of them. They have graciously returned the favor.

And now, one of those people has totally changed this now 23 year old African wanderers life. The time here at Yesu Ahuriire Community has changed everything... in a beautiful way! Father Emmanuel is an incredible human being, whom I am excited to be working with for many more years.

I love how these crazy adventures all end up mingling together to make something which is surprisingly beautiful.


Just a note: The next stage will take me to Masaka for 9 days. Then I am off to Kenya. I am very unsure how much internet I will have in Kenya. So if you don't hear from my for a while... that is why!

A Little Book, Laughter, Laundry, Lakes, and Leaving

A little book I brought with me has been causing “trouble”.  No, it’s not the bible, though that book causes lots of people trouble.  It is called “Charity in Truth”, it is the most recently letter written by the Pope of the Catholic Church to the world.  It is all about International Development.  So every where I have gone, I’ve talked to people about it.  All sorts of people too.  Many people have borrowed this little book and been inspired by it. 

When I arrived in Mbarara, I asked Father Emmanuel if he had read it.  He hadn’t, so I promptly gave it to him.  This morning at breakfast he gave it back.  ... with the announcement that it will be the topic of the huge conference they have every January!   Crazy... it really inspired him (it is really inspiring).  At the conference the goal will be to make the stuff in the book practical, which is exactly what I want to do with my life!   

I am leaving Mbarara on Friday, and am sad to be going.  Today I was cleaning my back pack and drew a crowd of different people.  After a few moments we were dying of laughter over my impressions of how they communicate.  Definitely a good moment.  I love that I have been able to find ways to make Ugandans laugh.  They are very beautiful people and when they laugh their whole faces light up.

Laundry here is a challenge, as we have no water in the tank.  Today I struggled.  I first put too much soap in one of the basins.  This meant there was a ton of soap in my dress and towel.  Now, rinsing the soap out without running water is almost impossible.  I asked for help, but there was a communication breakdown, as often happens.  I managed to rinse all my clothes well enough, except my towel.  Next time you do laundry, think of me holding a jeary can between my knees trying to get soap out of my clothes.  (A note on Laundry:  We do it in basins, leaning over, with nothing to scrub the clothes on.  Yet the water gets SO dirty. It is crazy how dirty clothes get here!)

I went to Kabale for a 24 hour visit.  It is in the far south west of Uganda, very close to the border with Rwanda and DRC.  I had been invited by an elderly German couple, Manfred and Inguard.  The husband teaches at a university there.  They are lovely people, and it was a good time of conversation and visiting.  They are moving to Mbarara soon, so we may have more contact in the future.  They were enormously generous and took me into the mountains and showed me the lake which has many islands.  This country is so beautiful. 

So I am leaving Friday for Masaka.  I will settle there in the afternoon, then go to Kampala on Saturday for a wedding.  I will be working with a development agency and orphanage in Masaka.  I am very sad to be leaving here, and would rather just stay.  But I know that the road is calling again.  My bag has been unpacked for too long... it’s time to go. 

Beautiful Children at one of the schools Father has helped established...we were there to see about their new latrine (the one which cost 55 USD) They sang us some beautiful visitor songs!

This is their "bathroom"... that this one is actually still ok, it was the one on the other side which had caved in.

These are Matoke Trees! They grow 3 together, one big, one med, and one tiny. The big ones produce the bananas we eat all the time. There are over 19 different types of banana, all of them taste differently and are cooked differently. I won't be eating bananas when I go back to the states!

This is Shalom Center!! (a few weeks ago, now it has a roof and some walls) It is an incredible house, in fact I want it someday (or one very much like it). It will do amazing work for the mentally ill and orphans! (the man in the photo is Father Emmanuel)

The other night Elizabeth and I spent over an hour doing her hair... hair is totally different in Africa! This is pre putting it in hot water. Hehe...

The little one with the water bottle is Faith. These children stay at the current House of Love Africa in Bushenyi. They are currently building their new house! Give me 4 years and I might adopt Faith.

These are the twin lakes in Bushenyi.  The whole area is this beautiful.  Father E randomly turned off the road, into the bush and we broke out to this view.  Life change and awe inspiring (behind us you can see the whole stretch of Queen Elizabeth National Park)

Fishing!  It's a bit different here than in the States, and whole community event!

 These are the butter scotch mountains... we drove into them for the AIDS meeting and visiting schools

 AIDS meeting in the mountains, they are dressed in Sunday best.

Father tempting a very large baboon! (we had one on the front of our car.. those photos will come sometime, they are amazing!)