Closing Time

Thank you everyone who followed my blog.  I'm honestly surprised anyone other than my own mother was interested in reading my posts but since I've began this project I've received so much support from friends and family and even strangers.


My last few days in Uganda flew by.  On the 23rd I went to Jinja, the source of the Nile river, a few hours drive from Kampala.  The Nile is unique in that it runs south to north and starts in Jinja, Uganda and flows all the way up to Egypt and empties into the Mediterranean Sea.    

the road leading down to the Nile

The Nile river

Grace and I soaking up the Nile

Sampling a local beer brewed in Jinja dubbed "Nile Special" on the Nile!

Grace and I both share an affinity for Ancient Egypt and were thrilled to be at the Nile together.

A friendly reminder painted on the side of the Jinja bar

I spent Christmas Eve with the babies- I will probably never have another holiday like it for the rest of my life.  I hardly even remembered it was Christmas Eve until the evening when Hannah surprised all the volunteers with little handmade cards and gifts, since in Germany Christmas is celebrated on the night of the 24th and not the 25th.  (Which makes sense seeing as Jesus was supposedly born at night)  

Sanyu has taught me so much.  Watching the children play on Christmas Eve I realized how resilient kids truly are.  At the end of the day they're still children, and play no differently than kids their age that I supervise in the USA.  Despite all they've been through to end up here, they aren't charity cases, they aren't damaged, and it gives me hope and peace of mind now that I'm about to leave them forever to finally realize that they are and will be okay.  A child's capacity for trust and forgiveness and finding joy in everyday wonders will always impress me, and in this case saved me from the cynicism I couldn't help but develop after witnessing all the injustice that placed these innocent children in Sanyu in the first place.

Christmas Eve playtime

Two beautiful girls that have inspired me more than they will ever know or remember

Two boys I will never forget!  I can't wish them enough luck and happiness, though I know they'll pull themselves through

Love this boy

Christmas was pretty much like any other day at Sanyu with the exception of a few brand new toys distributed at playtime, and "sweets and biscuts" (British for  candies and cookies) for snack time

Everyone seemed to have a good time. Myself included.

Christmas Day I stayed with the babies in the morning and in the afternoon Hannah, Grace, and I went to a beach in Entebbe where we ate a picnic lunch and I (re)read Harry Potter 2 in the sun and sand.  When the sun went down the beach turned into a giant dance party and we stayed a few hours for that too.  I didn't make it back to Sanyu until after midnight, where on the bus ride home I befriended a 10 year old girl named Julia who wished she had my hair! I'm easily flattered. We sang "We Wish you a Merry Christmas" and how strange was it to realize that that was the only Christmas song I  heard or sang all week!  This was probably the most bizarre Christmas I will ever have in my life.

Ero Beach, Entebbe 

The taxi park- whenever I say I took the bus, I mean I rode in one of these white vans which are legally allowed to hold 16 people each!!!

On the 26th Grace, Hannah, and I walked to a mosque just down the hill from Sanyu.  I could hear the call to prayer every morning from my room during my stay here.  This mosque was breathtakingly beautiful!  The balance in architecture, the elaborately carved kufic script (arabic prayers) on the walls, the carpet, everything!  As women we had to wear long skirts and cover our shoulders and head for respect.

Approaching the mosque 

Me looking up at the domed ceiling.  

I loved that carpet too

note the writing on the wall- that's engraved it's not painted

The 27th was my last day- I left for the airport at 8pm that night.  In the afternoon I went back to the market for an hour with Grace, and spent the rest of the day on and off with the babies and packing.

I was met by a lot of juxtaposition in Uganda.  The cities were filthy, crowded, and smoggy, but outside of the city was lush vegetation, humble families, and blue open sky.  At the same time I met some of the most genuine, kind-hearted strangers, and some of the most objectifying, creepy strangers.  One boda driver told me my offered price was too high and let me know what I should pay him instead, another tried to charge me triple what I would usually pay, then asked me for my phone number.  I heard some of the most heart-breaking stories, and some of the most uplifting, hopeful stories.  

Now that I'm at the end of my trip, some lasting impressions:

- I never did get used to the city smell.  The pollution, the dust, the garbage.  I don't think I ever saw a single trash can outside during my entire stay.  For me it was a shock to see so much garbage on in the streets- it literally covered the roads and filled the sidewalks.  

- I will never forget how desperately strangers next to me on the bus, at the park, everywhere I went, wanted my life- wanted to live in America.  When asked where I'm from I would generally say, "I go to University in California."  I am living these people's wildest dream, and for me it just seemed like the standard step to take after finishing high school.  It gave me new appreciation for how lucky I am to have to opportunities that I do.

- It wasn't until I was sitting on my plane ride home (and eating airplane food) that I realized for the last 3 weeks I didn't eat any processed food!  This is funny to think about and something I took for granted until after I left the Uganda.  My meals consisted of fruits picked off the trees around us, chickens that were killed the morning of, rice, beans, and hand-made chipate (sort of like tortillas).  I never got sick from eating street food or locally prepared food and never ate packaged meals for my entire stay here.  Two volunteers that showed up in the last week I was there refused to eat any of the local food and ate exclusively boxes of easy mac and cup noodles they brought from home.  I'm pretty sure if that was all I ate for 3 weeks straight I would absolutely get sick.

- The people here live day by day.  Maybe its just because I'm in college at the moment but I always feel pressured to make long-term decisions about my career, my future, and what I'm going to do with the rest of my life.  Cell phones here don't have monthly plans, people only buy so many minutes at a time and get a few more as needed.  Same with gasoline in cars.  They fill up only as much as they need for the specific trip, never the whole tank at once. And people walk sooooo slow.  Its just a different pace of life, a different mentality, than what I have been conditioned to expect in the USA.

- Electricity goes out at least once every other day.  Really.  Hot water and water pressure is never a guarantee,  which also means that the toilets are not always guaranteed to flush.  These are things I never even think about at home.

- The children at Sanyu who have overcome more hardship by the age of two than I have ever faced in my cumulative 19 years still optimistic and trusting and playful.

I'm happy (and thankful) to say that David, who I had been concerned for throughout my stay for being sickly and withdrawn, only grew happier and more confident every day.  It was so reassuring to see the positive affect Sanyu has on these kids in as short a span as three weeks!

Thank you all for reading.  This will be the end of this blog for a while.  I may pick it up again the next time I travel somewhere note-worthy.

If you have any additional questions about Sanyu Babies Home, check out http://www.sanyubabies.com/ for more information.  They will tell you a bit more about work that Sanyu does and how to make donations and support the children.  They also post quarterly updates on the children and what's new at Sanyu.

A piece of their latest newsletter:

Quarterly Newsletter - Issue 13 - December 2011

In this issue:

Hello’s and Goodbye’s • New Washing Machines • Class Time Fun • The Arrival of Patrick • Rest in Peace - Oscar• Nutrition for the Children •Baptisms •The Sanyu Guesthouse • Volunteer Reports

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Yours in Christ

Dear Sanyu Supporters, Christmas is at hand. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s birth, more than 2000 years ago will soon be celebrated. We at Sanyu Babies Home do praise God for the opportunity God has given to us to model Jesus’ love for these little children at their most vulnerable. We thank you all for the support you continue to give to us, without which the task would have been virtually impossible. We are deeply touched by your generous support that has seen some of you even donate brand new washing machines to the home. Thank you. We encourage you to be even more generous during this Christmas season, so that the babies and all of us can join the rest of the world to celebrate the birth of Christ into our hearts. May God bless you always!

Rev. Prof. Sam Luboga – Board Chairman

The Gifts that Continue Giving: Washing Machines

There are some new shiny gifts here at Sanyu! A very servant- hearted volunteer completed the loving task of gathering funds before her trip here to Sanyu in order to purchase some much- needed appliances to make chores run even more smoothly here at Sanyu. She raised enough to purchase new washing machines! There are also two additional donors who bought another washing machine as well. What a gift! The laundry staff is thrilled to have these new additions to work with and are so grateful to be able to complete more work at ease.

With so many children who change clothes as much as three times a day and also need a fresh change of cloth diapers up to six times daily, the need and necessity for a smooth-running laundry schedule is essential for the rest of the day’s work here at Sanyu to run well! What a blessing these gifts are to the Sanyu family!

After talking with both Jennifer and Prossy, two of Sanyu’s dedicated laundry staff members, the gratitude and excitement in their voices was very evident. “We are so glad to have this donation. As you can see, there is much work to be done with laundry everyday!” Pictured here are these two lovely Sanyu staff members, who are happily hanging clothes that have been efficiently washed by the new machines.

This act of kindness and generosity goes to show how much benefit and love one person can give to so many by simply rallying others to give what they can to a worthy cause, such as Sanyu Babies Home. The volunteer who was able to purchase these items for Sanyu asked others she knew for help with funds to bring and benefit the children, and in result, she was able to provide so much for the staff

and children here! What a wonderful example of what others can do when they work together and give what they can.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we shall reap a harvest if we do not give up''

(Galatians 6:9)

2

Hellos and Goodbyes

New Arrivals:

Victoria Nassali ( 1 month) abandoned by an unknown person at Kevina - Nasmbya village 

Elisha Ssebbagala (18 months) abandoned on someone’s veranda in Nansana 

Justin Namutebi (9 months) abandoned by her mother in Kisingiri Village 

Eveline Nantongo (2 years) abandoned at the Assessment Center in Mulago Hospital Gideon 

Waswa and Melissa Nakato (10 months) abandoned at the Nutrition Unit in Mulago Hospital 

Elijah Wandega (4 days) brought to Sanyu after his mother passed away during labor

Catherine Kyakunzire (26 days) abandoned by her teenage mother in Kampala 

Isaiah Joshua Onek (18 months) abandoned in Mengo 

Kinsenyi Maria Kisakye (2 1⁄2 years) abandoned in the Acute Care Unit in Mulago Hospital 

Oscar Kasibante (11 months) abandoned in Kyebando Wakiso District 

Emmanuel Mbalasa (1 day) brought to Sanyu after mother passed away at Rubaga Hospital 

Patrick Kamya (3 years) found locked up in a house in Bwaise

Simon Ssuuna (18 months) abandoned in a garden near Old Kampala Police Station

Fostered/Adopted:

Cristopher Sarwadda Marvin Kiggundu Ernest Mayega Daniella Namukasa Harrison Otim Dominic Kayemba Ambrose Masaba Jude Senyonga Augustus Semuyaba Enoch Bukenya Johnathan Obalo Frank Kavuma

Reunited with Family:

Eveline Nantongo Elisha Ssebbagala Emmanuel Mbalasa

Feature: Patrick’s Arrival

Meet Patrick. Patrick was welcomed into the Sanyu family on 2nd November, 2011. When he first arrived, he was very timid, shy, and slow-moving. Not only were his spirits down, but he was also in need of health care. Patrick arrived at Sanyu weighing just 7.8 kilograms at approximately 3 years old. He was extremely malnourished and anemic. He also had a very high fever, a bad cough, and needed to be de-wormed. Nurse Silvia took wonderful care of him immediately by treating each of his medical needs, while also being sure to address his need for weight gain by adding supplements to his daily diet.

Though Patrick has only been here at Sanyu for a few weeks, it is already visibly apparent that his adjustment here has not only been smooth and positive to his health, but also to his overall demeanor and joy. Patrick now regularly participates during his morning class time, actively interacts with other children, volunteers, and mamas, and also smiles and laughs often. Patrick is one of the many children who came from a hard place and has now found a haven and good care here at Sanyu.

The picture you see of Patrick here is of him on his way to lunch time, after coming in from a fun playtime with his classmates. What a joyful smile he has! We anxiously wait to continue to see Patrick’s growth, development, and progress here at Sanyu as he is cared for by the loving staff. Today we thank God for the gift of Patrick!

Taken to His Heavenly Home – Oscar Kasibante

Oscar was welcomed into the Sanyu family on October 25th, 2011. Immediately following his arrival, the loving staff of Sanyu quickly assessed his health and medical needs. Oscar was severely malnourished with a very high fever, and he was also severely dehydrated. It was made clear that Oscar needed to be taken to Mulago Hospital for further care. After an assessment was done at Mulago, it was found that one of his arms and one of his legs was broken, indicating that child abuse may have occurred in Oscar’s earlier life. Members of the Sanyu staff stayed by his side for the next eight days of his life, ensuring he was given proper care, love, and attention. The staff of Sanyu daily lifted Oscar up in prayer, trusting that the Lord would do what He willed for Oscar’s life. Due to complications, sadly, on November 4th, 2011, Oscar passed away and was taken to his heavenly home to be with the Lord. Sanyu Babies’ Home respectfully held a funeral service in Oscar’s honor, and praised God for His life and for blessing the Sanyu family with his presence.

Class Time is Fun Time!

If you have ever volunteered at Sanyu on Monday-Friday between the hours of 9:00am-12:00pm, you know that “class time” is the highlight of this first part of the day at Sanyu! The children here have the blessing of attending class every week day here in a structured, loving environment. They have the opportunity to participate in many different types of activities, learn by playing with others at their developmental level, and begin to develop important life skills for their continued growth. The children are separated into two different classes depending upon if they are crawling or walking. Each class is equipped with two qualified, trained, loving teachers who work each day to best meet the needs of the children under their care. Each day of class is structured into a routine that allows the children to thrive while also providing them with a variety of fun learning activities. The children sing, do art and craft activities, and learn life skills such as sharing, taking turns, and respecting others. In addition to these offerings, the teachers also enforce the rule of speaking in “English only” during class time, which provides the children here the opportunity to learn and practice English at a very early age.

An average day in class for the children will begin with an hour a structured play time with various toys (teachers take special care to regularly change out and switch toys in the classroom around to give the children more variety with their learning through play). Then the children enjoy a snack together and practice good hygiene habits such as washing hands before they eat, while also learning good mealtime habits, such as praying together and raising their hands to ask for more if they’d like it. After snack time, the children are offered a wide variety of teacher-led activities, ranging from practicing with letters or books, dancing, playing outdoor with sand toys, sports equipment, or water, or the children are offered more life-skills practice, such as encouraging walking (in the baby class) and encouraging more English conversational skills (in the top class).

Featured Daily Happenings: Nutritious Food for Healthy Babies

Because of the generous donations that kind and loving people make to Sanyu Babies Home, the children here are truly blessed with good, daily nutrition. Unlike many children in their situation who may only be offered posho and beans once or twice a day, the children of Sanyu are able to be provided not only with multiple snacks throughout each day, but are also offered a wonderful variety of flavors good nutrition in their three meals a day.

Children here eat foods high in essential vitamins, all necessary for continued healthy development. In a typical week, children are blessed to eat nutritious and filling foods such as fresh pumpkin and squash, nuts, greens, fish, beef, and chicken, boiled eggs, potatoes, bread and rice, and are also offered a wide variety of fresh fruit on a daily basis such as pineapple, bananas, and papaya. Many of the foods served here not only contain vitamins and minerals that encourage growth in children, but also foster essential brain development.

The Sanyu family knows it is such a blessing to be able to provide what they do to the children here. Sanyu counts on donations from caring people like you to continue to be able to provide the nutritious foods required to keep the children here happy, healthy, and growing. Even a donation of a pineapple or a tray of eggs makes a huge difference to the children here. It is not only about donating money, clothing, and toys, but it is also so wonderful for the family of Sanyu to receive anything you can provide from the simple comforts of your own backyards – what do you already have that you use that you can share with others? Every little bit helps!

DONATIONS NEEDED

Sanyu Babies’ Home relies almost entirely on the generosity and support of friends like you. Over the years, we have received many donations which have been enormously valuable to the home and especially the children. We thank you for all your love and support.

However, we are always in need of contributions to keep the home running. Our wish list is endless and includes some of the following:

Lactose free baby formula milk 

Baby formula milk 

Feeding bottles 

Pampers

Baby wipes 

Food 

Milton sterilizing tablets 

Cleaning products

If a Lion Could Talk....

The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein made the famous observation, "If a lion could talk, we could not understand it."  This implying that a lion's frame of mind is so vastly different from our own that even if they could speak our language it wouldn't make sense to us.
Throughout my time in Uganda I have been confronted by women whose daily life is so far removed from what I consider normal in the US that I know I could never understand their mindset or get a grip on their reality. 
I had a long conversation with Ivan's mother, a wonderful lady who unfortunately I do not have a picture of.  I talked to her about the cultural differences between how she grew up in a very traditional and strict Ugandan village and how only a generation later she is raising her own children in  a whole new Africa.  I also talked to her a little about some of the differences between Japanese and American culture as I perceived them.  She said from what she understood about Japanese culture she liked it a lot and found it similar in values to her own native culture. 
Ivan's mother told me in her village marriages were supposed to be arranged and dating was non-existant, but that she used to secretly see a boy she liked in her village, and that after the first time she had sex with him at 18 years old she became pregnant.  She said she panicked (naturally), and pleaded with the doctor to let her have an abortion so her parents wouldn't find out, but he wouldn't, and so she tried for months to self-abort her own baby.  She said she had no knowledge of sex education, or pregnancy, or abortions.  She tried everything she could think of from punching herself in the stomach to swallowing a whole bottle of asprins at once; anything she could possibly think of she said she tried, but to no avail.  By the time her baby was due she feared that it would be born with all sorts of birth defects from all the terrible things she did to herself to kill the baby inside her, but he was born a strong and healthy boy.  
Luckily for her, the boy's family acknowledged her and so she dropped out of school and moved from her parents house into his parents' house and they were married.  She had three more children, all boys (the second being Ivan), and when her sons were two, four, six, and seven years of age her husband died in a terrible accident.  She was only 25 years old at the time with four children, and has spent the last 17 years raising them all by herself.  She was dropped out of school and pregnant with her second child living in her in-laws house when she was my age, and she's spent the last half of her life as a single mother raising four boys- her life is so wildly different from my own. I am amazed by her grit, although she brushed off my sentiments and doesn't think what she has done is anything exceptional.
I had a strange feeling talking to her, because although looking at each other our lives are so different, they aren't necessarily uncrossable.  It's the same reason Oedipus still makes its readers so uncomfortable- not because what Oedipus did makes him an unrelatable stranger (he that he killed his father and slept with his mother) but because you look at yourself and realize that he was not responsible for this terrible fate, and that it could have happened to anyone- to you- and that's a strange and terrifying reality to face.  I am not so different from this woman sitting across from me, who I met that afternoon and who brought me into her home, cooked me dinner, and confided in me her incredible life story.  We differ in resources, but not much else.  What I mean is if I was born into an African village like she was, without the resources or options I have in the US, I could easily now at 19 years old be on the same path she was, for no other reason than chance that I was born in the US and not Uganda. 
On the 21st Grace, Hannah, Denise, and I went to a teen moms' home.  I think the name is pretty self-explanatory: it's a place of refuge, running for one year now, that is open to teen mothers and their babies who have no where else to go.  This is a much needed facility in Uganda, and yet there is very little support out there for these young women.  The way I see it the country/culture has set these girls up for failure and its heartbreaking and frustrating that they don't get more support. 

First of all there's the enormous issue of rape and sexual assault being perceived as a "private" and "personal" problem that leaves the women as damaged goods making them reluctant to report it because 1) it will brand them for the rest of their life and 2) there is not a strong, reliable legal support system so what's the point? Instead it should be recognized as a public and political issue that does not stigmatize the women but protect them, and appropriately punish and stop the men responsible.
Secondly abortion is illegal, in nearly every case across the board.  If carrying out the pregnancy is not directly going to kill the mother, it is illegal.
Thirdly, birth control is not made easily accessible, is expensive, and is not well understood- so the why and how is not there.  Basically women (and men) just don't know their options and what they mean or how or why they work. 
Issues 1-3 when added up, of course are going to result in unplanned, unwanted pregnancies, but where are the men in all of this?  Somehow they've escaped from the equation, although they have an equal, if not greater, role in the country's very serious problem of abandoned babies.  Like I said in an earlier post currently 1 out of 16 people in Uganda is an abandoned baby like the ones at Sanyu- thats an estimated 2.5 million children.
Factor this in with my fourth issue, which is the stigma attached to these young mothers by heir community.  They have no support, and are judged so that instead of eliciting sympathy (which I think 1-3 added up ought to) or help they are blamed.  The man and woman who set up this specific teen moms home, a rarity, said it took them three years from the time they had all the documentation and plans drawn up to get approval to start up because no one was willing to support the cause. There is a lot of reluctance by their community to face these girls and own up to their role in the Uganda's abandoned baby problem.  It's not just the young mothers' fault.  Its no wonder so many girls and women, with no support and no means of raising a baby on their own leave them in parks, or in hospitals, on the steps of churches, all over the place.  Its terrible, but not exactly an enigma.  

There are twenty girls at this teen moms' home which we visited between the ages of 16 and 20, most with one baby, some with two.  One girl shared her story with us- she's now 19, like me, but has an 18 month old son.  When she was very young her parents both died and her and her older sister lived together and took care of each other from then on.  She was always late for school because without a mother to help she had to do her share of the housework before she could leave for the day.  One day while walking to school late there was no one else on the road except a man coming toward her walking in the opposite direction.  She was raped, impregnated, and her sister couldn't afford to house them both so she was homeless in the city until she found the teen mom home and has been there since.  I don't understand what kind of world this is where so much chaos finds itself in the presence of one girl's life, but that's the world we've got.  She began to cry as she told us over and over again that she doesn't know who her baby's father is, and he will never know that he has a son.  Again, this girl, Rachel, is my age, but I can't in the least way relate to her mindset or what her daily life is like as a teen mother with no family.
I told all of the moms there that they should not be ashamed for finding themselves in their predicament, in a shelter, but that they should be proud that they stayed with their babies.  I was requested infront of everyone after Rachel shared her story to please tell all of the girls something to inspire them.  I felt conflicted in doing this because what could I possibly offer them?  I don't presume to understand what they're going through or how to advise them, and was very humbled to be there.  Plus I was overwhelmed from having just heard her story and being put on the spot like that.  It was the first and only thing I could think to say at the moment.  It's hard to think about all the babies in Sanyu who I have grown so fond of, to look at Myrian and wonder who are the parents who left her for dead?  How could they not love her?  And even though they are so well taken care of at Sanyu, the children still need parents.  It's so obvious they are desperate for more attention- they need parents!
I think the fact that these girls stayed with their babies despite their circumstances is highly commendable, and I'm thankful places like this exist to give them a sense of security and belonging so they don't feel alone, because they aren't alone.  

A very inspiring day with the teen moms

One of the teen mother's children. 

Side Story:  As I walked to the grocery store this afternoon I passed by a 10 year old girl squatting beside a naked barbie doll with a plastic cup filled with soapy water.  She was bucket-washing her doll's clothes.  I thought this was one of the most special moments of my entire stay in Uganda.  You would never see an American girl her age do this.

Patient Day

On the 20th Grace, Hannah, and I went to UCCI, the Ugandan Children's Cancer Institute, because Grace's friend Ivan who we played soccer with works there and hosted an event called "Patient Day."
Ugandan pace of life is killing me by the way.  I'm a busy-body, I tend to cram my days and keep a very structured schedule or else I feel restless.  In Uganda, however, time estimations are always given with the implication of "plus or minus an hour or two."  For example- if someone says to meet them at 11am, they really mean "I'll probably get there by 12, but it also might not be till 1pm."
Even for scheduled events!  Hannah was invited to attend church with one of the teachers last week and was told the English service starts at 9am and it takes over an hour to get there, so Hannah should be ready to go between 7 and 8am.  Teacher Ellen did not come to pick up Hannah until 8:30, and admitted that they will probably miss the English service altogether, but when they arrived at church the English service did not even begin until 11am.  I couldn't live this way I'd go mad.
Anyways, Patient Day was supposed to begin at 8am.  We showed up at 10:30am and just as we arrived the sound system thanked everyone for their patience and announced that they would begin shortly.  The point of the event was to spread awareness of what UCCI is and does, distribute basic health information, and to celebrate the children who are patients there.  It was pleasant and informative, and included a catered lunch of traditional Ugandan food.

Grace and Ivan (in the yellow) listening to a speaker

One of the celebrated children- they all had their faces painted

Enjoying our lunch of musaka, (cooked green bananas- tastes sort of like mashed sweet potatoes) rice, beans, and peas.

After Patient Day, we were invited back to Ivan's house once again to have dinner with his family.  This time we took pictures! And played a little more soccer, too.

In the middle of Ivan's neighborhood on the way to his house.  Its a more rural community around 40 mins outside the city, and they pretty much never get foreigners so every child ran into the streets to look at us.  I felt like the pide piper. 

Grace swarmed my the neighborhood children.

These people were unbelievably hospitable.  Everyone smiled and hugged us, inviting us into their homes and offering whatever it was they had to offer at the moment- "paw-paws" (papaya), sugar cane, bananas, jackfruit, tea, you name it.  Truly the most friendly people I've ever met in my life.

Hannah and I in one of Ivan's neighbor's house, looking at their family album and enjoying freshly prepared fruit from the trees in their yard.

Standing on the edge of the soccer field... gorgeous landscape!

Sanyu volunteers in the middle of the soccer field

 

A boys team was starting strength training while we were there- I opted out of joining them in rounds of push-ups

I love soccer!

Fact of the Day: In Uganda Sr. citizen discounts begin at age 40!  Life expectancy is 51 years old.

Variety and the Local News

As silly and as shallow as it is, being in Uganda for two and a half weeks has made me realize how much I appreciate America's spirit of consumerism.  In other words; variety.  In Uganda if you go to the grocery story and want to buy cereal, you buy corn flakes.  That is your only option.  And its true for just about any product you could want to buy- toilet paper, televisions, jam, mattresses.  You get whatever one is available.  While I'm not necessarily saying this is a bad thing, I do miss having my isle's worth of cereals to choose from when I go to the grocery store.

Someone left a local Sunday newspaper in the communal kitchen the other day and flipped through the pages.  I recommend this if you're in a new place and can speak the local language- I found much of it's content very interesting.  I'll show you what I mean:

First sentence: "Hardline Islamists have condemned four young Somali men to a double amputation for stealing mobile phones and guns.  They will each have a hand and a leg cut off after being convicted..."

You don't see headlines like this in the U.S.

The blurb under the headline reads:

"Change of thought. In the past it has been said that women's concerns are 'cultural,' while men's concerns are 'political.'  Accordingly, rape has been regarded as private and cultural, rather than criminal and political."

later on: "To disarm the weapon of rape, we must recognize- once and for all- that it is not a 'private; issue to be silenced.  It is a political and security issue that demands a political and security response."

Some food for thought.  If I had flipped through a paper earlier in my trip I definitely would have picked up on the dominant Christian influence over the country right away.  The fact that the grocery store down the hill from Sanyu is called the "Christ Saves Grocery Store" is a bit of a tip-off as well. 

More Daily Happenings

Apologies for the delay in a new post.


The day after the Christmas party I spent the morning with the babies and in the afternoon Grace, Hannah and I went to the "beach" in Entebbe, meaning we went to the shore of Lake Victoria.

us with Rodney at the beach- these were random children who approached us we don't actually know them

View was beautiful, water warm but visibly polluted.  We walked around knee deep but didn't actually swim.  A lot of local men there called out to us and approached us for our number and not so subtly took pictures of us as we stood in a circle talking to each other.  As if we were on display.  We asked our friend Rodney what they expect to get out of this and he said a majority of the men here honestly believe if they can get a white girl to like him, she will take him back to the USA.
The dream of moving to the US to find a better job and save up money is very much alive here.  Almost every single person I've talked to tells me they wish they lived in the US, their dream is to go to the US, but its a very difficult and expensive process in Uganda to apply for a passport/visa and buy a plane ticket.  It's very humbling as an American citizen.  That being said I've been asked some really strange things by local men; things like "So do you have an ipod?...Where is it can I have it?  Will you buy me an ipod?"  I've been asked by strangers (men) to buy them a laptop, and to help them get a passport (I've been asked this more than once and don't understand how its perceived that I have this ability), I've been asked, "So you're an American citizen?  If I marry you do I get citizenship?"  "Do you find black men attractive?/ Would you ever marry a black man?" (seriously)  Its very tiring because in reality I only ever go out in the same clothes I wear to take care of the babies, and never have a purse on me or anything more than a few dollars at a time, and yet I can never escape this sort of attention no matter where I go because my skin color  and gender automatically makes me a gigantic target.  Its a very different experience living in a place where I CANNOT ever fit in where ever I go.

A typical street corner in Kampala

entrance to Mengo's public pool- painted with a beer logo and a sign that reminds us that "guns & knives are not allowed inside"

The next morning, the morning of the 19th, I witnessed the most incredible downpour of rain from within the guesthouse.  I don't know what our roof is made of exactly but it sounded like someone was running a food processor in every room, the rain was that loud.  That was the highlight of my day.

Pictures of the sky in the morning, a few hours before the rainstorm

Photographing the rain was more difficult than I thought...

But trust me- it was incredible