Satisfied?

Hello to Mrs. Branson’s class at St. Pius in Greensboro, NC. As we write this blog today we thought it would be nice to describe where we are and how it differs from the United States.

We are staying in Ggaba a fishing village in Uganda, Africa. It is located on Lake Victoria near the capital city of Kampala. Lake Victoria is the second largest lake in the world. The view of the lake from our home is magnificent. It is lush green with mountains and lots of tall trees. With the heat and dry air the lake is awfully inviting It is however polluted so getting in the water is not a possibility. There are long canoe like boats on the water and men fishing for their next meal or catching fish to sell at the street market. This takes us to the streets. Wow-I don’t even know where to begin with those. They are dry dusty  roads and are filled with large potholes. There are not only boda boda (motorbikes)flying by there are a few cars, vans and lots of people including children and toddlers. Let’s not forget the occasional long horned steer and lots of chickens and goats. They all share the narrow two lane street. It is buzzing with open air market type shops with lots of the same goods up and down the street. We actually bought some live grasshoppers for Florence, the cook at our home, to fry for us tonight. It was also suggested by David, our dear African brother that we try cow small intestines and well as stomach. So we purchased a bag (about 5 lbs) out of a cage in the market and brought it home to cook tonight. Some of us are anxious to be apart of this cultural experience and some plan to leave the room. This describes the streets in the city-when you get into a village it is much more desolate without as much market area and the only difference is that the potholes just get deeper. It is still dry and you will see hut type houses, some with walls and ceilings and others just lean to type structures. There are always children within eyesight and lots of adults in and around the road. The children are usually wandering around with little to no clothes on and they rarely look clean. Of course the living is so different here that honestly when we have been in the field the “dirt” doesn’t really matter. It adds to the simplicity of this life in Uganda and makes you literally apart of the earth. Isn’t that we are supposed to be anyway? How can we really get a feel for where we come from without getting in the dirt.

Our hands are meant to be dirty helping others or working this land we are so blessed to have. I feel like that is one of the differences in our mindset in America. We make our way through our days somewhat cocooned in our own environments. We seldom have to live in and from the earth. We are cooled when we need it and when we are cold we turn the heat up. These beautiful people rely on the earth to survive. If it is hot they are hot, if it is raining they are wet. If the ground isn’t producing food they do not eat. It makes our grocery stores, conveniences and housing appear a lot different to you after you witness this. As sad as these circumstances seem to us at times-we have learned to see these people for what they are. They are a joyous people with eyes that light up when you meet them. For the most part they seem so content with so little. It is refreshing and when you are around them you forget about all the things you wanted or needed. When you meet someone for the first time they want to sit and tell you about themselves-and they want to know about you. There is no concern for what you have on, what you look like or where you live. They look into your eyes and are truly blessed by your presence. There is no rushing, time schedules, school sport practices or errands to run. Conversations and relationships are the most important event of the day. When you look around at the dirt floors and the meager amenities you could wonder how in the world they are satisfied. They are satisfied with the richness of life and its fundamental rewards: God, family and relationships.