Day One on the Ground in Uganda --
We started out the day with a delicious breakfast from our cook, Florence, and a group devotional. We didn't have electricity most of the day, but really didn't miss it except for wanting to toast our bread at breakfast! ;) The cold showers actually felt great since our fans weren't able to work during the night and most of us were still getting used to the warmer temperatures in Africa! When we arrived in Uganda late Sunday it was dark on our drive from the airport to Gaba. There are no street lights, so we were anxious to get out and see Uganda and the people.
Our in-country facilitators, Patrick, David, and Eddie took us out on a walking "tour" of the surrounding area where we are staying. We first went to Wentz Medical Clinic and then walked down the street where we're staying. We encountered many Ugandans of all ages, and enjoyed shaking their hands and hugging the children, who were calling out "muzungu, muzungu" (what they call white people). The streets are dirt, uneven because of erosion from the rain, and trash everywhere. Chickens roam the streets with the people and many folks are just walking, without any particular agenda. The children often carry yellow plastic containers that remind me of gas cans that we found out is what they carry water in from the clean water sources in the area. To the children, it was like us muzungus were on parade - like the circus had come to town. These children may have never seen muzungus or don't see them very often based on their reactions. We took lots of pictures and the children loved seeing their pictures on the screen on the camera.
The smells are so distinct in Uganda - probably more so than any other place I've seen. I was not as surprised by the sights that I saw (although it is disturbing nonetheless to see what we've seen) because we've all seen pictures and video of Africa. It's the smells that have made the biggest impressions - the smells of dirt, sweat, burning trash (a common practice), fish, coal, exhaust from cars and boda bodas (motorcycles), vegetation, food cooking, etc. It's unlike any place we've ever been and all of our well-traveled teammates have commented on the distinct smells unique to Africa.
"Smitten with charm" is a way one of our teammates have described the people in Uganda, and I couldn't have captured it better. The people here are so warm and welcoming and seem thrilled to talk with us and interact with muzungus. I was afraid that we would be met with some outsider mentality, but instead we were welcomed with open arms by approachable people.
I cannot get over how absolutely BEAUTIFUL the people are. "Oli Mulungi" is how you say "you're beautiful" in Luganda, and we've definitely used that phrase no less than 1000 times when interacting with the people. Their chocolate brown smooth skin, big brown eyes, long eyelashes, beautiful smiles are so striking that you cannot help but want to go up and hug and talk to them.
After our walk in the village of Gaba, we headed to Sozo House where college students from Alabama have started an orphanage for 17 children ranging in age from 3 to 11. Mercy, the youngest of the bunch, is the feistiest one in the bunch and Esau, the 11-year-old, was definitely the "big brother" of the bunch and took care of all of his younger housemates. We served them lunch of rice, beef, and potatoes, and were all amazed by the manners that were exhibited by these children.
In preparation of eating, they were responsible for getting out the tablecloths and silverware and did so without complaint. They sat quietly patiently waiting on their meal without any bickering. As the meals were being served, they waited until everyone had been served and the blessing was said before even touching their plates or silverware. There were no special orders, you could tell the cook wasn't a "short order cook" like so many of us are for our children. Everyone ate the same meal and cleaned their plates without saying things like, "I don't want this" or "I'm not hungry" or "Can I get up now?". Once everyone was finished, plates, cups, and silverware was cleared by the children and their after-lunch treat was a soda in a glass bottle. We all complained that we wished our children could be exposed to this and see how 17 children ate in complete peace without complaining or bickering. I know Kevin and I have been convicted that we may be raising a "brat" by being too lenient with Whit during mealtime.
While at Sozo we were able to love on the children, playing games of soccer with them, letting them wear our sunglasses (which they loved!), letting them use our pens and paper to draw, and talking with them. Sarah was glad to see that Michael, one of the boys in the house who had come there from Mercy Orphanage, was not only alive but 100% healthy. On her last trip, Michael had been deathly ill - in fact if you look through this blog and see a picture of Sarah holding a lethargic little boy whose ribs are showing, that's Michael.
After our visit to Sozo, we headed to Bweya to the Mercy Orphanage. The children weren't there - Franklin Graham's organization, Samaritan's Purse, had come to take them on a field trip to the zoo and the beach. We were able to tour the facilities and assess the needs they have. We are planning to take them firewood in the next day or so because they had food, but no firewood to cook the food with. The dormitories are open-air, and many of the beds did not have mosquito nets. Everything is dirt there - the floors, the grounds - there is no grass there. We saw Success, but his brother, Prosper, was not there that day.
There are so many things we've observed already about Uganda and the Ugandan way of life that is far removed from our reality:
- In America, we constantly see "For Sale" signs - here in Uganda you see "Land NOT for Sale" signs. In Uganda, people don't build houses until they have the money for construction - there are no mortgages. You see several houses or structures that are under construction because people build their homes as they can pay for them, so many times it takes much longer to build. The good news is that once the structure is finished, it's paid for!
- In Uganda, people walk everywhere. Now, you see lots of vehicles and boda bodas, but for the most part, if you can walk, people do. Children walk to and from school - even children as young as 3 who are in nursery school.
- Even though the people don't have much, they are incredibly happy. In America, oftentimes we have everything but still cannot find happiness.
- Ugandans put new meaning to the words "free range" when speaking of animals. Cows, goats, and chickens roam freely throughout the towns and villages.
- There are no school buses for students except in the expensive, private schools.
- Going to school is a privilege - school costs money in Uganda, so not all children are able to go to school. The school year is broken into three terms, each lasting 1-2 months with a 3 month "holiday" in between terms.
- Lake Victoria is HUGE and constantly in view. From most places we've been, Lake Victoria is there. She's beautiful, peaceful, and like the arms that wrap around this part of Uganda.
- Ugandans have a distinct handshake unlike ours in America - when we get back, ask one of us to demonstrate for you. The locals are thrilled when we shake their hands like this and put ourselves into their culture in ways like a simple handshake. Ugandans also love to do a fist bump/pounding knuckles just like we do in America.
On the bus ride back to our house at the end of the day, I asked one of our facilitators, David, what advice he would give to people visiting Uganda, specifically what should we not miss or definitely see while we're here. His response was that Kampala (and other larger cities) don't give an accurate representation of Africa. He would suggest that people go into the villages to see the people - places like Bweya Village is what he described as "real Africa." We all feel so blessed to be given this opportunity to travel across the world to a foreign land to see and experience God in a new way. We're glad God is giving us the experience of the "real" Africa and it's mulungu people!
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