The End of the Journey

Sorry it's taken so long to write this final post, I know I need a bit of closure.  The writing might change a bit, since I wrote part of this post while I was out there, and I'm finishing the rest now.  Now here's the story of the end of my journey.

I’ve been unable to use internet for the past many days.  Friday morning was a mad rush to finish all my work, since I had a feeling I wouldn’t have time in the afternoon before Shabbat.  I somehow managed to finish before the women showed up (with all the kids staring at me and watching what I was doing).  I also got everything onto the hard drive just before my laptop died! (Though I freaked out later when Marjani said she couldn’t find my work and I wasn’t using my computer anymore… thankfully she somehow just missed it).

Work was rather sad.  We all just sat around chatting (and the alumni women brought more beads for us to buy… obviously).  The new women also showed up again, except for two of them, which was nice.  I also went into the office for a bit to chat with the women who had translated for us.  They asked if they came to the states if they’d turn lighter like we turned darker out here… not sure it works that way.  When our time was about done, the women did this really nice thank you, where they say “Suya suya” and then say things they’re thanking you for (though we didn’t understand most), while rubbing their hands together in circles.  It’s a repeat after me type thing, and Elizabeth lead it.  When they finish with the suyas, they clap to a rhythm (one two three, one two three, and then hold both hands out towards the person they’re thanking).  It was really nice.

We then got into a circle and Martha lead a prayer for all of us.  Most of it was nice, about how we should travel safely and hopefully come back and we’ll hopefully all see each other again.  Some was a bit uncomfortable for me since it was pretty Christian.  But it was a really nice idea.

Goodbyes were really tough, but I managed to hold it together.  Then Martha wanted to bring us to her home one last time to say bye to her kids too.  We decided to wait around a bit though, wanting to say bye to the kids at the school.  Marjani, Jack, and I stood on the steps waiting for them to finish their end of day talks, and Jessica stood at the bottom.  When they finished, they stampeded us.  It was like the scene from Lion King (which, by the way, we watched out here—took the place of the safari we didn’t go on).

They were all sweet saying goodbye, and it was really hard holding in my tears.  Once I saw Jessica crying, I lost it.  Marjani did too.  It had been all I could do not to cry all day, and I couldn’t hold it all in anymore.  A few of the kids teared up too, and Rebecca, one of the girls I’ve gotten to know, wouldn’t hug me since she was mad I was leaving (I finally made her).  A bunch of the kids walked with us to Martha’s, and said bye again.

At Martha’s her daughter wrote us all a really sweet note, and Martha gave us all bracelets and notes.  It was really nice being able to say goodbye in a calmer scene.

We then headed out, stopping by Esther’s since she apparently managed to buy a new house! (Unsure if it’s bought or rented but it’s really nice and pretty big, especially compared to her old house).  As her young daughter pointed out, she even has a tv now!  It was incredibly exciting to see the difference the money has already made for her.

She then joined us and we headed on to Veronica’s, where of course she’d prepared dinner for us all.  My sweet mukwano (friend).  She had also made me a necklace as a gift, which was very different from all the other necklaces.

Leaving was so hard, of course we took final pictures, and then Meredith and I hopped on our last boda out of Namatala, and everyone else got on others.  As we were leaving, Veronica, Martha, and Esther stood in the doorway to the shops Veronica is building, and all three waved goodbye until we could no longer see them.  I don’t think anyone caught it on photo, but maybe it’s better that way.  It’s one of those things I don’t think we’ll ever forget.  It was the perfect goodbye.

Back at the casa, our last night, we had major struggles with power, which was awful timing since the other girls were trying to finish up their work.  It was also annoying since I was hoping for a hot shower for my last at the casa, and while it was hot for a minute, the power then suddenly shut off, leaving me in the dark with cold water running that I couldn’t turn off since I couldn’t see.  So much for that shower….   And packing was a struggle since the room got so dark…  Daniel, the painter, also made us a bit nervous, not giving us our paintings until very last minute (mine ended up being on paper even though I’d thought it would be on canvas.  It’s beautiful, but I still wish it was on canvas)

At some point we all gave up for a bit, and Jessica, Avery, Meredith, and I went up to the roof to look at the stars since the power in the city was off so it was extra dark, meaning extra starry.  It was so relaxing just looking at all of the stars, making us all feel so small.

The next morning we got up early to finish all the last minute packing, and headed out early.  It was hard saying bye to the staff at the casa, since we’d become part of the family.  They’d told us to be at the 11 am bus by 9 am, since it generally just leaves when it’s full, not actually at the time it’s supposed to leave.  Turns out this one left when it was supposed to leave, so we were just sitting for 2 hours which was pretty annoying, though I guess it’s better than risking missing it.

For once, a seat was a seat, and we weren’t too squished.  It was sad leaving Mbale for the last time, though of course beautiful watching the landscape as we drove.  It will never cease to amaze me.

Along the way we made a pit stop, where if you needed the bathroom you just went behind bushes.  That was interesting.  We also stopped at a few places where venders held food up to the windows so you could purchase food and drinks out the windows.  One guy who Jessica bought a soda from handed us a love note with it. Weird?

As we drove into Kampala, we realized we saw tons of people in Uganda jerseys, blowing horns, covered in face paint, wearing masks and scarves, and we realized there was a futball game that day.  Turns out it was in Tanzania, but I think they set up big screens in the stadiums so people went to watch there.  It was fun seeing all of the country unite.  Venders even started coming up to the windows with jerseys, horns, and flags for sale.

Other than that, which was cool, Kampala seemed very crowded and overwhelming.  Maybe it was just because we’d gotten used to Mbale, but I think I’m glad we were there and not Kampala for 2 months.  There was also TONS of exhaust in the air, enough to give Avery a headache.

Anyway we got to this really nice guest house, (I can’t remember the name…) which was recommended to us.  We treated ourselves to a pretty nice dinner that night, with a great view of Lake Victoria, and the airport.  It was weird being so close and not yet leaving.

Oh, I can finally say this, Nile Special, a Ugandan beer, is actually quite good, and I would recommend it.  Tusker, a Kenyan beer, is also really good.  Waragi, a Ugandan gin, is wayyyy too alcoholic for me (and everyone else I know who has tried it.  None of us enjoy it and thankfully only had a tiny taste).

It was nice to have a relaxing evening at the guest house and just sit around with the girls talking.  In the morning we had a really nice breakfast, each getting our own plates of toast and eggs.  We’d just expected one plate for everyone like usual.  It was great.

And then we were off, to begin what became yet another adventure.

We got to the landing where we would get picked up to go to the island.  We got there (squished in the car yet again), and saw the boat out in the water.

Meredith, Chanel, Stephanie, Jessica, Pelin, Avery, and Kelsey squished into the car

Some guys started taking our stuff to the boat (wading up to their wastes), and then came over and stared picking US up and bring us to the boat too!  It was a bit surprising and crazy, but they got us there safely (it was a bit annoying having them all say we were heavy, don’t offer to carry us then complain).

Kelsey being carried

It was a pretty long ride, around 2 hours.  At one point the water was pretty much lime green, which was a bit disconcerting.  Another time the boat got caught on a net, and the captain had to get it out of the motor.  We also went by a dead floating fish, which we stopped and the captain picked up (I’m pretty sure it ended up being our dinner that night).

We finally got to the island, with a rocky beach and a family welcoming us, along with five dogs.  

Avery and Ms. B.

The place is owned by Andrew, a 40 something year old Australian guy.  When people said they didn't eat fish, he asked if it was because of allergies or because they didn't like it, and when everyone admitted it was because they didn't like it, he convinced us all to just give it a try.  I found out we were eating Nile Perch, which I can eat, and it was delicious.  All weekend the food was awesome, from samosas (fish or veggie), to lasagna to fish and chips.

We had ordered a dorm room, but Andrew thought we'd prefer the guest houses and tents... he clearly didn't know our group.  Personally, I thought the guest houses were nicest, but most of the girls opted for the dorm room when they saw it.  Thankfully it could only take 5, so Avery, Jessica, and I took a guest house/cabin right on the beach.  There was a bathroom with 3 toilets and 3 showers, but the showers were pretty gross and only cold.  There was also an outdoor shower, with only walls, no roof, so you were basically standing in the rainforest showering.  That one was a hot shower, since at 4 Andrew would light a fire under a bin of water, and then you'd fill the tank with hot and cold water to make it the right temperature (and hope that you didn't run out of water halfway through the shower, as happened to a few of the other girls.

The kitchen and dining room were cute, with a great view.  During dinner one night we saw a stand off between a gecko and a spider.  I have never seen a lizard so stealthy.  It was literally sneaking up on the spider, moving one leg at a time so slowly at points you weren't sure it was moving.  Unfortunately for the gecko, the spider bolted, and the gecko only got a tiny fly, not nearly as satisfying a meal.

The kitchen/dining room building

There was another building, the "castle", which we learned was home to a cobra (thankfully we did not learn by personal experience).  We were told if we saw it not to move and it would go away, but there's a way to scare people.

However, the roof was supposedly a great spot to watch sunset.  Pelin and I went up the second night, and while it was pretty, I think I've seen prettier (it helps when you can actually see the horizon)

Pelin watching sunset from the roof of the castle

The first day was just a lazy one, laying on the beach, sitting and reading, playing games.  When night came, we had a really nice bonfire.  While we were sitting there, the smallest dog started barking.  He's apparently the alarm for if a hippo is nearby.  Turns out the hippo was close by in the water, but sadly we could only see his eyes.

Watching the fishermen use lanterns to attract fish at night as we sat at our bonfire

Monday I accidentally woke up really early and managed to catch the sunrise! Exciting but exhausting.

When everyone else got up, we decided to venture to the other side of the island with John, the American who has been staying on the island and helping out lately.  Jessica, Avery, and I wore dresses, knowing we'd be going to a village, but not thinking of the walk/hike over there.  Did I mention the island has HUGE spiders (almost as big as the ones I saw in Cairns, Queensland, Australia), so on the walk over we passed tons of them.  There were also ants that apparently if you step on them they attack, but thankfully we were all smart enough to step over them despite no one warning us.

Jessica at the top of the island

Anyway walking into the village was cool.  Since we were on an island it's obviously a fishing village, a bit different than the ones we've encountered.

Entering the village

The catch of the day

We went over to the boats, and found they had caught a HUGE Nile perch

John holding the perch

I know, you've all just been wondering what it looks like inside a perch mouth, well now you know!

We ended up with a big group of kids following us (as usual) so we went with them towards the beach and the skipped rocks and we played a bit.  Talk about pro rock skippers... They had an unfair advantage.

A guy offered to give us a ride back, which was nice since not only did we not have to walk, but we got to see another view of the island.

The afternoon was full of more relaxing, boating, swimming, and playing board games.

Chanel sailing with John

Black kite

It was a nice afternoon, but evening got annoying.  Andrew kept making fun of us for being Americans and for being girls.  He loved trying to freak everyone out.  When we went to the bonfire, he threw on a huge branch, purposely making all the fly/moth things scatter and end up all over us.  While he thought it was funny, it was pretty unpleasant having those things fly down my shirt, and made me and everyone else pretty frustrated.  Then, before bed, he told us a horror story about girls waking up with 2 green mambos (snakes) in their room (wrapped in their clothes).  Considering that it was clear it had to be in one of the cabins, my roommates were freaked all night, and none of the three of us slept well (I was also being eaten alive by ants).  It was annoying how a place that was so fun during the day was so bad at night, and it tainted most of our experiences.  The place itself could also just use some fixing up and cleaning....

When we woke up Tuesday we were all a bit fed up and just ready to leave.  The water was also choppier Tuesday, and there were some dark clouds, so we just wanted to get going and beat a storm if it was coming.  The boat ride wasn't bad, but we got pretty wet from sea spray this time, and it was pretty chilly.  We were all glad to be back on land.

As we pulled up, we expected that the guys would carry us again, but this was HORRIBLE.  We were pulling in, and all these guys charged the boat, sticking their hands in the sides trying to pull us out.  After a bit I finally found a guy who wasn't so grabby and let him take me.  Pelin was pissed and she and Chanel made them let them go on their own.  Turns out we were only up to our ankles, and just didn't realize it.  It was really annoying and quite a ripoff since they charged us.

Anyway needless to say we were all glad to check into our hostel, the Entebbe Backpackers.  It was fine, nothing special.  We found a cute place like Kapkwata (our favorite local place in Mbale), but more expensive unfortunately.  It was good for a meal so close to the end to be local food though.

Then we went shopping yet again, and I finally bought my jersey, and Pelin, Meredith and I walked back since we had nothing to do all afternoon.  We ended up exploring a bit and found an Italian place where we made a reservation for our last dinner.

When Marjani and Jack showed up we all went out for a drink then headed to the restaurant.  It was a really nice final meal together, with lots of laughter and memories.

We had an annoying ride home, when our drivers totally ripped us off.  We then spent the evening just hanging around chatting and saying goodbyes, and watching the futball game that was on (I forget who was playing... Barcelona and someone else).  It was weird saying final goodbyes to Marjani and Jack, since they were leaving so early in the morning.  Avery and Stephanie also left early.

The rest of us had a relaxed morning, rearranging and repacking, and then headed to a cute place (Anne's Corner?)  for lunch.  We also picked up malaria pills (no the preventative kind, the cure ones), so that if anyone ends up getting malaria back home, the pills would cost less (they were less than $4).

Pelin, Jessica, and I then had to say our goodbyes to everyone else and hustle out.  Thankfully we'd asked the driver to come earlier than we'd wanted, since he was 15 minutes late anyway.  Security at the airport was much easier than we'd anticipated, and we ended up with about an hour in the airport, but thankfully we were together.  I wanted to buy a book but after the prices I was used to, $20 for a book seemed outrageous.

We couldn't end up sitting together, though Pelin was the seat in front of me.  I ended up watching great movies (42 is my new favorite, I loved it and really want to read books on Jackie now too.  The guy next to me and I talked a bit, his parents are Ugandan and his dad left him land there, but he was born and raised in London.  He's a tennis instructor for kids with special needs, which sounded cool, but he wants to go back to school to start designing sports clothing.  Interesting story.  I also inspired him to watch 42 since he saw how much I liked it.  I wasn't so subtle with my emotions watching that one.

When we landed in Dubai, Jessica, Pelin, and I went to Ben's Cookies, a place Pelin had checked out on her way to Uganda.  Basically you buy a coffee and it comes with a huge cookie, aka DELICIOUS! We each got a different cookie so we could split, and it was great to just sit comfortably and chat and eat.  We then got bored and started walking around to shops and guessing what things would cost.  It was a surprisingly fun game.  We found a toy section too which was fun for us:

Jessica and Pelin trying on Barbie sunglasses

It was a fun airport trip. Thankfully Jessica took a last look at her ticket, since it turned out we were all watching the wrong gate for her, and she was actually supposed to be in another terminal, so we said a very quick goodbye and Pelin went with her to make sure she made it.

And then I was alone for the first time in 2 months.  It was a weird feeling (and I couldn't even pick up internet).  I also hadn't slept in who knows how many hours but wasn't tired enough to sleep yet (in total I was awake for 38 hours I believe before I took a half hour nap).

The next flight was lonely and boring.  You know it's bad when it's boring to watch movies.

When I landed I was looking forward to no more frustrations, since I'd had my fill since we left Mbale, but then we landed and it took extra long to unload the plane, and my phone was unexpectedly not working, so I couldn't even find out if my sister was there waiting already.  My bags were then some of the last to come out, and in a flight that big, that means I waited an hour for my bags.  I was also incredibly dirty, and people kept pushing me, when I really just wanted a bit of personal space.

FINALLY I left and found my mom and sister waiting for me, very easy to find.  Thank goodness.

Since then, I've been struggling to readjust to air conditioning, that one's been pretty tough for me, I prefer just having windows open right now.  It's also weird having so many possessions.  I obviously didn't bother bringing that many out with me, so it's weird coming home and having so much, and I've gone into major cleaning/ give away mode.  I also don't see the need to buy so much, like I went shopping and it was fun trying things on, but I didn't feel that I needed any of them enough to actually pay for them, so I left them all.

It's nice being able to eat whenever I feel like it, and to have such variety in my food.  On the other hand, it was nice how fresh all the food was in Uganda and how little was processed.  Power and water are nice, too, not worrying they might just go out suddenly.  I also love drinking tap water and not needing to buy water bottles.  And the roads! Thank goodness.

Becca got in touch with me and asked if I'm happy being home and seeing my friends, and I must admit, while it's great seeing my friends here, I now miss my friends in Uganda.  You can never have both, can you?

Well, that's all for now.  Thanks to everyone who read, sorry if it was too long or anything, and as usual, please feel free to ask any questions.  I really appreciate all of the support I've gotten, first to get to Uganda, then while I was there.  It was a lot of work, but well worth it.  I grew as a photographer, but even more, I grew as a person.  I met great people, who I already miss dearly, and cannot thank them enough, both the other fellows and 1000 Shillings staff, and the women we worked with, and all of the other wonderful Ugandans I met along the way.  I truly hope I can go back and visit my friends there sometime, and in the meantime I hope I keep my promise to write.

Thanks again for everyone's support!  Jambo!

The More You Give

I still have 3 photo essays to finish up and I need to pack, but I just wanted to say a few words quickly.

I'm not sure if people know this or not, but I'm pretty bad at getting rid of clothes.  I don't buy new clothes so often, but even when I do, I struggle to give away old ones, because "what if they come back in style? then it's a waste to give them away." Or I just become attached and have too many memories with an article of clothing, or any other number of reasons.  Basically, I'm just not good with change.

This morning we did laundry to wash the clothes we wanted to give to the women, as well as do our final wash of our own clothes that we'll need for the next week.  When I started packing up the clothes to bring with me to Namatala, I decided to take some of the ones I'd been planning to keep.

After giving the women some snacks (including some treats like ice cream) and photos which they really appreciated and loved, we set all of our clothes on the table to let them pick.  I have never been so happy to give clothes away.  I'm so glad I decided to add to the pile.  Seeing the smiles on the women's faces, even if the clothes don't fit them, most of them are tailors, and will find use for the fabrics.  I have more clothes at home, and these women will find more use for them than I will.

Marjani then added her shoes to the pile, as did Kaliya and Jessica.  Toward the end, I realized that the only other time I'll want my shoes is when I come back here, and by then I'm sure I can get another pair.  I gave them to Peace, who I don't think would be able to afford the sturdy sandals I had.  When I walked out of the school room, all of the kids commented on how I was barefoot, and you know what? I was proud.  I gave my shoes to a good friend who needs them more than I do.  I have 3 other pairs of shoes with me here, and who knows how many at home.  If Ugandans can walk around barefoot every day, I think I can make it one afternoon.

Susan, Mary, Lofisa, Peace, Sarah, and Hadijjah sifting through our clothes

I Learn Something New Every Day

I just read an article about breastfeeding in public in the States.  It's kind of funny reading it here, since here it's no issue.  If a baby is fussy, the mom picks him up and feeds him, no matter where she is.  She doesn't use a blanket to cover or anything.  Whether in prayer services, at work, during a conversation, during a meeting, if the baby is hungry, it eats, and the mother has no shame.  It's just a part of life and no one thinks twice.

Anyway I've been pretty busy these past few days.  Thursday and Friday we gave both groups of women the receipts for how much money we paid them (we put it in the bank for them).  It was awesome seeing their reactions, the new group apparently wasn't expecting as much as we gave them (they expected less than half of what we paid).  Along with the receipts we gave them business plans that Stephanie wrote up based on the information they've been telling us during the classes.  Mary was so appreciative and said how having the business plan will help her remember to keep at it, even if it seems hard, as it will help her keep an eye on her goals.  It was great hearing that.

From top L: Jovia (the baby), Susan, Beatrice (a social worker intern), Hadijjah, Jack, Mary, Peace, Chanel, Sarah, Betty (another social worker), Hope (the baby), Lofia

Bottom L: Pelin, Marjani, Stephane, Jessica, Kelsey

(The photographers are missing in this photo, we plan to take one Tuesday with everyone)

Pelin brought her laptop to work Thursday, and she was editing videos.  She showed Hadijjah some of the videos of her family, and Hadijjah and Susan thought it was great! Hadijjah didn't even want to walk away for an interview, even though she sees her family every day, but seeing them on screen is better.  She asked if it was like a small tv, and we said yes.  Even for their interviews, we mic them, which is fun, as they all laugh and don't really understand what's going on but just trust us and do what Kaliya or Pelin tells them.

Hadijjah and Pelin

A few language things: Thursday afternoon some of the kids at Child of Hope asked me what "What's up?" means... and I learned how difficult it is to describe what "slang" or "cool" are.  I did manage to tell them that it's like asking how are you, but I couldn't describe the rest.  They also asked my tribe, and I didn't know how to say I have no tribe without them being confused, and they wouldn't believe me that my language is English.

A photo one of the kids took

Veronica also taught me the word "mukwano".  She kept calling me that so I finally asked what it meant, and apparently it's friend (in Luganda).  She also told me she wanted to bring me a chicken to bring home, but I told her we're not allowed to bring them... so she said she'll make me a necklace instead.

Friday morning we went to Mary's, hoping for pictures of what she does around the house, since she doesn't have a business yet, so I wanted to photograph her every day life.  Instead, we got there and her husband, Max, decided to show us around, which turned into a 3 hour walk (thank goodness I'd thought to put on sunscreen just in case, as it was HOT).  None of us were quite in the mood for a 3 hour walk, but I will admit what we did was pretty cool.  (All we did see was Mary cleaning the house with cow dung, which apparently is the world's best natural cement)

We stopped by a place where they grind cassava to make cassava flour, which is what Mary plans to sell, so it was actually pretty useful.  Towards the end of our trip we also stopped by the actual place she plans to grind it and sell it from and store it, and we met her boss.

Jessica and Max

We also went to the sewage, where all the sewage collects in one "pond" and then it filters into the next and next, four total until it is almost clean and then goes through streams to get to Lake Victoria in Jinja.  It was a bit weird to see, but they keep it pretty clean.  And all around are grown lots of crops since it's such fertile land.  Child of Hope even grows its own rice, though they plan to make the plot of land into a pond for fish after they harvest the rice so they can feed the kids fish instead of always giving them beans.

Jessica and Max walking between the sewage- on the left is when the sewage first comes in, the right is after one round of filtering

The man who proposed to me (right next to the sewage, how romantic) but said he was a Christian but wasn't saved and asked if that was an issue.... He proposed by asking "can I marry a mzungu?" and pointing straight at me, I thought to say "Sure, just not this one' but thought that'd be rude, so instead said I was too young

Max then brought us to a government school (public school), where two of his kids go.  They didn't end up being in at the time, but it was interesting seeing the school.  Apparently a normal class can have 100 students to 1 teacher, since they've grown so much.  Just like us, though, all of the classes are mixed girls and boys, and they teach basically the same subjects we do, including art, phys. ed., and music.  They also had pretty inspirational signs around (as do most schools we walk by).

We went by police stations (which you'd never guess until you read "Police" on the motorcycle), a prison, a slaughterhouse, people making local brew, people drinking local brew in bars (we sat at one for a while but refused offers to drink-- also remember it was like 10 am).

We learned that they make local brew from different sources, with maize being less strong than from millet.  On another note, we learned that the government plans to build new roads, which will end up knocking down numerous houses and businesses, and the people will just have to find other homes and land.

I'm not sure if I've explained before, but Namatala has multiple cells/zones within it (maybe 3? I'm not positive).  Each has its own councilmen/peacemakers, and leaders.  I'm not sure I understand the borders and all that, but they exist.

We also went to the train station.  The train apparently runs to South Sudan, and has started up again, so far only carrying goods.  It comes by Mbale Wednesday mornings (though we've never seen it).  They're hoping to start a passenger train eventually as well, but even the goods train is good since it helps business.

I am currently reading a book about Haiti, and realize that much of what she describes is what I've tried saying about Uganda and the people here, only the author says it much more eloquently.  Maybe I'll throw in a few quotes sometime.

Overall, it was an exhausting but very educational trip, and we finally said we needed to leave because we had to get to work (all true).

After work Marjani and Jack took us out and gave us popsicles.  Talk about an amazing treat! We've all been craving ice cream for who knows how long so it was perfect.  Pelin, Jessica, Avery and I also played a game of pool (on a small table with the balls just 2 colors) and Avery and I won! (after a very long game that by the end we all just wanted SOMEONE to win).  It was a great day for an outing after work though, we all deserved it.

The only issue ended up being that it started storming, and after a while of trying to wait it out, we finally decided to brave it and head home.  It was AWFUL.  Marjani gave us all scarves to try to protect ourselves.  Chanel and I hopped on a boda, me squished between her and the driver.  I had the scarf mostly covering my arms and then also over my head, but thankfully it was thin so I could see out to be sure to tell the driver where to turn.  I was huddled against the driver, and Chanel was huddled against me, trying to block our faces and just giving in to the fact that our clothes would soak through.  Thankfully Chanel had the idea to pay the driver before we left, so we wouldn't have to stand in the rain searching for money (it was also getting dark).  When we got to our turn, the driver said he was out of gas... aka we had to walk the rest.  We hopped off and started running, with people under overhangs watching and laughing.  I gave up on keeping my head covered, more worried about my arms which were freezing.  We arrived back in the casa dripping, and Aisha provided us with towels to dry off.  It was quite the evening.

Unfortunately, after all that, dinner was not enough that evening, and we all were still hungry, but most of us had no interest in braving the rain to get more food.  Some ended up heading out, but I just stuck to the biscuits that Max had bought for us that morning.  We also discovered that the donuts that aren't so great actually taste heavenly when you dip them in nutella, almost like real chocolate iced donuts.

Today was pretty uneventful, lots of reading and we went to the pool at Mbale Resort (a good price and a much better pool than Mount Elgon Hotel).  I actually swam which I haven't done since arriving.
Annette, one of the women, came for dinner, which was nice.  I think she was slightly overwhelmed, but I bought her a soda and she seemed to like the food.  She left quickly, but we think she had to be home in time to feed her kids.

Tomorrow I'm finally heading to Nabugoye with Avaran to go visit one of the conservative Jewish communities.



7/21

Sunday morning we finally headed out to Nabugoye Hill, probably about the same distance as Putti but a different direction.  On the way we passed Hadassah Primary school.  When we got there we saw a group gathered, turns out they study Talmud every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday morning.  They wrapped up just as we arrived, and I met Rabbi Gershom, the rabbi of the community.

This community seems more established than Putti, with an already functioning clinic and lots of buildings.  A guy named Samson showed me around.  Turns out he's from Kenya but came here to help connect the communities.  He said next time I come maybe he can bring me to Kenya to see the community there.

First he showed me the synagogue, which generally gets around 200 for a typical Shabbat morning.  The building isn't big enough, so some have to sit outside.  Apparently they hope to build a bigger synagogue to accommodate everyone.  They mostly use the Sim Shalom siddur, but I don't think they have quite enough (they also pass on some books to some of the other conservative synagogues in Uganda-- he named them all for me but I don't remember).  They also have the Torah translated into Luganda so that people can understand even if they don't speak English, which was really cool to see (I'm not sure if it was translated by missionaries though... I also learned from it that Eseza, a name we've heard, is the same as Esther).

In addition to the synagogue, they have a computer room, where they teach people to use computers, and it also doubles as a library for Jewish books.  There is also a clinic, the Rabbi's house, and a secondary school, where Samson goes.  He explained to me that you can do 4 years, like high school, but if you do 2 extra, advanced, years, you can go to college for less time, and decrease the tuition you need to pay.  Also, I'm pretty sure here the secondary school is separated by gender.  There's also a beautiful guest house, with a little gift shop.

On our way back, we stopped by a place where we'd heard music coming from (Samson knew what it was but I didn't).  It turns out there are a lot of orphans who live on Nabugoye Hill.  For now they are placed with families, but they are planning to build an orphanage. In the meantime, to distract them, they have taught the kids traditional music and dance.  It was fun watching them, as they practiced for a graduation ceremony later that day.  Overall it was a really nice visit and I hope next time I come I can spend a Shabbat there (maybe I'll switch back and forth between there and Putti).

When we left we went to Miryam's house in Namatala.  I hadn't been there before so it was nice seeing where she stays, and eating her cooking (I also had porridge which was really good).  We also stopped by Tarphon and Ruth's to say hi.  I think their baby is starting to get used to me, she even let me hold her for 5 seconds without crying.  One of the neighbors tried to run away though, scared off by the mzungu (that's me).  I tried asking Avaran why they call us all mzungu, and he said it's because we say "blacks", only the difference he doesn't seem to understand is that's not a term I'd use to address him.

We took Miryam and continued on.  I thought we were heading to Putti, but as usual, we made plenty of stops along the way.  First, we stopped by Miryam and Shira's parent's house, where they grew up (and Miryam sometimes still stays there).  It was nice meeting her family, and we stopped by a few of her sisters' houses too.  We also stopped by the Nasinye? synagogue, another synagogue that I didn't even know existed, where apparently their parents go.  This one apparently gets around 100 people every Shabbat.  Unfortunately it was padlocked, so we couldn't go inside, but I got to peek in which was neat.

I'm not sure why I decided it was ok, but I let Avaran drive me for a bit.  It wasn't too terrifying, except at parts, and he decided to test how fast I'd be ok going, but on the dirt roads we were on I quickly made his stop.  This was the one time I decided I'd use his calling me "government property that I must protect" to my advantage.

When we finally got to Putti, Shira and Enosh were out, but it was nice saying goodbye to the kids.  Avaran decided to leave and told me to stop by on the way out, though I never ended up having a chance.  It was cool while we were there they were dropping off dirt to help with some sort of building for the clinic (which JJ and some other kids were using as a hill to play on and get dirty in).  It's nice seeing progress each time I stop by.

While we were waiting, Miryam finally dished that she has a boyfriend (Moshe, one of the two who was sponsored to go study at Yeshiva in Israel)! She was surprised I didn't know, and told me they've been dating for 9 years I think? And they'll get married after they both finish in school, aka I've got a Ugandan wedding to prepare for!

She found out Shira was actually by his house, so we headed out there so I could say goodbye.  Oh, I forgot to mention, basically everyone I met this day asked if I would sleep at their houses, so I think next time I come I might be house hopping to fulfill all my promises that I'll stay with them all next time...)

I finally learned the greeting they use (I don't remember the name of this language):
Person 1: "Kwaizeyo"
Person 2: "Tuliyo, Kwaizeyo"
Person 1: "Tuliyo"
Then there's more but I don't know how it goes.

So that was most of Sunday, a very nice day.

Monday 7/22

This week is going to be pretty crazy.  Saturday we're leaving Mbale, so all our work is due Friday (hence why it's taken me so long to get this post up).  Monday morning I spent doing lots of work.  We all bought fabric so the women could make us scarves that we'll pay them extra for.  After splitting it up between them, we sat around chatting (since there are only 2 sewing machines).  We learned a LOT.

We discussed death, and they think it's weird how the Indian population burns their dead.  They also told us that they burn old people alive, but we wonder if that might be a rumor that one group starts about a group they don't like so much...

Beatrice, one of the social workers, is very forward and aggressive in her opinions.  She was saying something about Islam, and Hadijjah just sat there and stared.  I kind of wonder what was going through her head, and if Beatrice was right or not, but Hadijjah didn't speak up.  Someone female circumcision was also brought up, with all of the women being strongly against it.  It's interesting since there was actually also an article in the NY Times about it yesterday: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/23/health/report-finds-gradual-fall-in-female-genital-cutting-in-africa.html?hp&_r=0
I'm kind of curious what it would have been like to talk to someone who is actually part of one of the tribes who practices female circumcision.

We also learned that polygamy is not uncommon.  Even one of the women we work with is her husband's second wife.  They're apparently neighbors to each other.  Also marrying outside of your religion is not uncommon, and there seem to be less issues between religions overall.


And finally for today: I'm not gonna say much.  It's been a lot of work today, tons of photos and all.  Also, I bought an ornament and gave it to Veronica, since she loves Christmas.

Alright well we have tons of product shots and edits to do, so I'm gonna go be busy.  I'll try to update again when I can, but I'm not sure when that'll be.

Another Day and a Few Answers

This morning Pelin and I went to Hadijjah's, which was fun as usual.

Then at work Sarah, from Help International, taught us how to make the purses. If only I knew how to use a sewing machine... That'll be the next step.

After work Jessica, Pelin and I went to Betty (the social worker who helps translate for us)'s house.  She lives in Namatala, so we were expecting her house to be similar to that of the women, but it wasn't.  She lives in a house with a walled/gated in yard in which she is able to cultivate crops (mostly maize).  She has a hot plate (though she also cooks on charcoal), a tv and DVD player, and even a FAN.  We had gone in hoping to only stay for a short time, but between the tv and fan (and obviously great company) we decided to stay.  Also, we finally realized that her niece whose name we couldn't understand, hearing "maacee" was actually Mercy.  Glad we got that one covered now.  We taught them some hand games and they showed us one of theirs, and we taught them tic-tac-toe and dots, and we all drew some.  As usual, a nice evening.

On our boda ride back we passed a market that was still open despite the darkness, and each stand had a candle to light it.  It was a beautiful scene and something I've never seen before.

To answer a few questions I've gotten: Just because the women are pretty much done with the products, doesn't mean we're done with our jobs, I still have some photo essays I need to finish up over this next week and a half (everything is due next Friday and that's also our last day with the ladies).  While we continue our work, we will be continuing business classes with the ladies, as well as having them make extra products that we can buy straight from them for ourselves, giving them a bit extra money and giving us some nice gifts to bring home.

And about the Jewish community: Putti is a village of around 400 people, of all religions.  It is about a 20 minute boda ride from Mbale town.  Putti synagogue has around 100 members (not including children), though not all of the members are actually from Putti Village, and they cannot all afford to come every weekend.  Putti synagogue is the only orthodox synagogue in Uganda, though they're trying to start one in Kampala.  They get a minyan basically every Shabbat, and sometimes during the week but not always.  I believe there are 5 conservative synagogues in Uganda, one nearby in Nabugoye (a hill nearby) that I have been trying to visit but have not made it out to.  The Putti community is supported by many, but in particular by Rabbi Riskin, the chief rabbi of Efrat, who donates tfillin, tzitzit, siddurim and chumashim, and lots of Jewish books.  He's visited I'm not sure how many times but it sounds like many.  Others have helped donate the buildings, but I'm not sure their names.

As usual, feel free to ask any questions and I'll try to answer.

Elizabeth's House

This morning most people left early, so it was just me and Stephanie (and Jack but he did his own thing).  We decided we were bored of sitting around, so we headed to some fabric stores (since most of the women are finished with their products, they will be making extra scarves that we can buy from them if we bring them the fabric).  It was incredibly overwhelming, fishing through all of the fabrics, most of which I had no interest in, though there were some great ones mixed in.  Lots of loud colors and some crazy patterns, but some very nice.  I didn't end up buying, since I was feeling indecisive, but it was a good experience.

Medina (who is our chef and works at the Casa) and Stephanie trying on the fabric, wrapping the scarves in African and American style

Around the Casa we talked with Daniel, the artist, who might be making us paintings, which will be fun.  He also asked if I'd visit his village, but I told him I'm not sure I'll have time at this point...

Two paintings by Daniel, done in the hallway

Then we headed to lunch at Kapkwata, where they recognize us by now, and I've become friends with one of the waitresses, Annette.  The guy at the cash register also knows us and always asks how we're doing.

Work was pretty normal.  I finally had a real chat with Annette, one of the women from last year who is much quieter.  It was nice talking with her a bit more and learning more about each other.  Peace was also horribly sick, but refused to go home early despite our telling her she could, and Lofisa was exhausted from having brought people around her village, but similarly wouldn't go (she has Polio and so one of her legs is a bit messed up and walking is tiresome for her).  I had a nice time with Aidah, joking around a bit despite not really speaking the same language.  They've been talking a lot lately about us leaving, and we told Elizabeth we'll be sure to write, and Aidah chimed in "even me" aka "to me too".  They keep talking like we'll forget them, but I have no idea how they could think that.

After work we finally managed to go to Elizabeth's (I was supposed to go Sunday but between not feeling well and crazy time problems I never made it).  Pelin and I went with her to her stall at the market for a while.  It was nice going and just hanging out there, instead of just going to buy food or take photos (I already have PLENTY of market photos, though clearly I took more, but it was nice not having photography be the sole purpose of visiting).  By just hanging around for a while, we had the opportunity to really see Elizabeth in action (and the market as a whole, since it was evening so more people were around buying).  One guy even bought us bananas, the first time someone has bought me food in the market instead of begging me to buy for them, and Hellen, Elizabeth's friend who has a stall nearby, gave us each an orange.  It turns out these oranges are hybrids between orange and lemon, which is the perfect mix of sweet and tart.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth used corn husks to tie together onions to sell, cut cabbage (and let me help, too) and helped customers, measuring rice and selling other crops.  It was fun to watch her really working, and I even gave it a try for a second.  Hellen also had us watch her cook a bit, and Elizabeth described how to make g-nut paste.  It was a lot more fun just hanging around than we'd expected it to be, a nice break after work.

When two of her daughters, Resty and Fiona, showed up, we walked back to her house to meet the rest of the family.  On the way, Pelin asked Elizabeth what this thing that looked sort of like bamboo was.  Turns out it's sugar cane, so we bought some to try.  Back at the house we met the rest of Elizabeth's kids (except for the eldest who lives in the village), and we all shared the sugar cane and took pictures (as usual) and played around.  Sugar cane is AMAZING! Why in the world do we use sugar? There must be some better way, cuz this stuff was great.  It was sort of refreshing, while still being sweet.  We got to take some home but left the rest with the family.

Elizabeth's family is quite interesting.  They have a pretty small house for all of them, 5 kids living with her.  The youngest is a little girl, 1 and a half years old, who someone (Elizabeth says her sister, but again, I'm not sure if it's a sister from her mother or not) left with her 4 months ago, and Elizabeth hasn't heard from her since.  Elizabeth then rents a second house so that her son, who is 18, can live there on his own, so he doesn't have to stay in such close quarters with the rest of the family.

This visit was the perfect end to the day, and tomorrow we're headed back to Hadijjah's house.

Looking out of Elizabeth's house: from L: Elizabeth, Pelin, Fiona, Resty, A neighbor, A friend, Elijah in the doorway partially blocking his brother, Silas, and the friend's son

Dance Party and Back to Putti Village

I forgot to write, Thursday morning Pelin and I went to Namatala early to wander through the market for some footage.  Elizabeth was there (she told us the reason we usually miss her is she leaves around 3 to make lunch for her family and comes back around 5), and apparently she bought herself a scale! That's what she's been hoping her next step would be, to be sure she wasn't accidentally undercharging for rice, and now she has one!  It was so exciting to see!

We then continued walking, and I've known Veronica is building some shops on land she owns so she can rent them out, but today when we walked by we actually saw them building which was pretty cool.  It's crazy how we've just been here for fewer than 2 months and have seen so much progress with our own eyes.

These guys also called us over to photograph them playing a game, they called chess-o which was cool.  It's on a board that looks like a double mancala board, minus the ends.  It is also played with little marble like pieces, but I could not, for the life of me, figure out what was going on.  I photographed for a bit and Pelin recorded, but next time I want to ask them to teach me.

Also, it's crazy how common malaria is. I'm pretty sure Mary has it right now, and Saleh had it, and I think this guy Ibrahim, a Peace Corps worker who usually only stays here on weekends, is around now because he has it too.  I guess good to know it's not as serious as we all make it out to be (as long as you can afford to treat it).

We've been struggling with power and water- Friday morning we awoke to find we had neither.  After Pelin and Kelsey went on an adventure for Pelin to get a haircut and Kelsey to get a dreadlock (which turned out to be 2 in the end), we headed to lunch then Namatala.  The ladies were late, but this time it was kind of a good thing.  It was game day at Child of Hope, with the grades competing against each other.  For those with nothing to do, they had music playing, and all the kids starting dancing.  After watching for a bit, Jessica, who loves to dance, decided to join in, and then Marjani and Jack and I joined the fun.  Avery and Kelsey came in, too.  I can't describe how nice it was to just relax with the kids and have a good time.  While they did laugh at us a bit, they would pull us over to dance with them (and to have me take their photos).  We taught them some of our dances, and they tried teaching us theirs, though how they can isolate different parts of their bodies so well I will never understand.  (Unfortunately, the one day I was in the sun for an extended period of time was the one day I forgot to put on sunscreen and was wearing a tanktop...)

Marjani and Jessica dancing

A photo one boy took of me (but then the kids started fighting for the camera so I took it back)

Kelsey and Avery joining in

I didn't mention, but I wasn't feeling my best either (and I'm sure all that time in the sun didn't help much).  I had scheduled to go back to Putti Village (where the Orthodox Jewish community is) and would have cancelled if I didn't know this was the last weekend I'd be able to go.

Avaran (my friend from the Jewish community who has visited a few times at the Casa), came to tell me he was going to change then would come back.  Sometimes we have miscommunications, though, as he seemed to think I'd call him to come back, whereas I thought he'd just come back for me.  Everyone left and I was left hanging out with Max (Mary's husband/ the security guard) and some of the teachers and kids who hung around... Betty let me borrow her phone and after a while through a roundabout way (calling Shira, the rabbi's wife, to call him) he finally showed to pick me up.

When we arrived Miram, Shira, and JJ (the 3 year old) were there to greet me warmly.  Unfortunately, only a small group showed up Friday night, so we had to skip some prayers since there were not 10 men present.  It was a nice service though, with great singing.  Afterwards, we went and had dinner in Shira and Enosh's house.  Unlike last time, when it was all men inside, Shira sat inside this time, so I felt like I was in the right place.  Most of the conversation took place in their language this time, too, I think because they are more comfortable having me around. It's funny listening and hearing a few English words and a few Hebrew words thrown into the conversation, so I could often get an idea of what they were discussing, but didn't really understand.  Then other times there was nothing I could understand, except maybe a few hand motions, and they would ask me if I could guess what they were talking about. (This happened throughout the weekend)

At some point I figured out that they were talking about the raid on the Entebbe airport by the Israelis after a plane was hijacked and the passengers kept there.  I managed to chime into the conversation and asked if they ever saw the movie.  They said that they've read about it but have never had a copy of the movie, so I'm hoping to send them one when I get home.

Since I wasn't feeling great I tried to get to bed pretty early.  Then, I woke up in what I thought was the middle of the night, and needed to pee (figures since I'd had so much water on Friday).  I didn't want to bother anyone, so I tried staying in bed.  I also heard howling outside, which I thought was their dogs but was nervous was something else.  Finally I couldn't take it (good thing, as when I looked at the clock it was only 11;15 and there's no way I would've made it till morning) and went to leave, but the door was locked and I was scared it would wake everyone when I tried to open it.  I heard Miram coughing so I got her and she opened the door (turns out there was no way to do it quietly so I may as well have just done it myself).  Anyway it was kind of a restless night with not feeling well, and at some point it poured, meaning pounding on the roof.  (Sorry if this story was too much info...)

Saturday morning more people showed, I think around 15 men, 15 women, and around 30 children (I'm still impressed with how the children manage to stay relatively quiet).  There was a little girl sitting in front of me (maybe 6 years old?) and I was showing her where we were, following along in the siddur (prayer book) with my finger, pointing to the words, and she was loving watching, though I don't think she knows any Hebrew yet.  Yay I made a friend! (Though I don't know her name...)

Since it was Avaran's bar mitzvah, he read the first aliyah (section of the Torah), and gave the dvar Torah (talk about the Torah portion).  This one he did in English, which was nice.  Like we do at home, we threw candy at him when he was done, and the men danced around with him as the women sang "Siman tov u'mazal tov", a song of congratulations and job well done.  I'm glad I got to be a part of it and see how they celebrate here, which is not different from how we celebrate at home.  Just like at home, all of the kids ran around collecting the candy we'd thrown and eating it and sharing it.

When services were over and we went for lunch, I knew my place this time, and sat with the women.  I was holding one of the babies, Akiva, and then his mom left and left me with him, so I sat and fed him some sweet potato, until I needed to eat so they just put him on the ground.  It was weird watching him look for food on the ground.  I think he ate a lot of dirt...

The synagogue has more seats now that they got benches (this is an improvement from when I was there 3 weeks ago)

Some of the men played draft, their version of checkers, and then Moses and Yosef (two guys in their 20s I think) decided I had been sitting too long and needed to walk around, so we wandered a bit and chatted about family and hobbies.  Yosef told me in a year he'll come to the states and we'll get married since that's when I finish University.  It's funny how they just say these things.  He also wants me to sing for a recording he's making (he records some music) but I'm not sure that'll happen.

After a while the men had left, so I went over and played some draft with Avaran, finally getting pretty good and winning a few times.  It's interesting how the men and women generally sit separately and talk separately.  It was a nice afternoon, with lots of just listening, and a few walks, escorting people to go to their homes.

I learned that the woman who died was a woman who was part of Avaran's mother's clan, but not actually his grandmother.  Apparently, also the same day, a young boy died suddenly, they are unsure why.  This is the third child of that mother's to die of unknown cause, and it was her last living child.  It's terrifying and incredibly sad that that can happen.  Apparently the custom here is to give some money to the family who is affected, as many visitors come to mourn with them, but they become a burden because the family must then feed them but cannot always afford to.  The money also helps to pay for the coffin, which is another burden on the family.  For some reason Shira thought that westerners are scared of death, which I guess we are, but not in the way she thought.  She seemed to think I wouldn't attend a funeral or visit the family, but I told her I have done all of that at home.  It's often interesting what we are told of one another.  (Another misconception that Yosef told me was that no one in the states lives on farms, they all live in cities and just go to the farms to work).

Sorry to suddenly switch topics, but they also spent quite a while discussing my hair and their hair.  They told me the only way for them to have long hair is with a weave, which is nice since they can change it easily, but they wished they could grow long hair like I do.  With how dry my hair has become out here, I think I see why theirs doesn't grow long.

As evening hit, Enosh and Shira were out, so I spent time with Miram and the kids.  One of the boys was putting together a folder for his school work.  It was interesting to see how he had bought the individual pieces to make a binder, instead of buying the expensive completed one.  We then brought out the draft set again, and I beat Miram at her own game, as she said, the student beat her teacher.  It was a nice evening, they brought out the radio and we listened to music as we sat around chatting and watching people play.  The kids also took my camera and tried using it (it's easier in smaller groups like this).

Miram, me and Avaran

A bunch of the kids (Mose, Moses, Avaran, Raquel, JJ, Aharon, and I forget the last one's name...)

Sunday morning Shira talked to me about how I am like her sister and she must take care of me while I visit her, so if she ever comes to visit I will take care of her.  She kept telling me how I should feel at home and my parents should be comforted that I have another home out here.  She also sent a gift for me to give to my parents.  She took a picture frame off her wall, took out the picture, cleaned it off, and told me I have to give it to my mom. (sorry to ruin the surprise)  Maybe we'll send a picture frame back for her to put that picture in.

On our way back into town, Avaran and I stopped by Tarphon's house (another member of the community who was unable to make it out this Shabbat), and I got to meet his wife, Ruth, and daughter.  They were recently married and gave me a bencher from their wedding.  Ruth is from Nairobe, where they apparently have a much bigger Jewish community.  I had no idea and would be curious to go sometime.  When I asked her how she likes it out here, she said she's getting used to it (but didn't sound so enthused, it must be hard to leave home).  Tarphon is in the process of translating a movie someone made about their community, which I hope to get a copy of when it's finished.

Thankfully Avaran had said we'd leave at 8, since we ended up leaving at 10, and then finally at 12:15 I said I really needed to leave Tarphon's and get home.  (I also really wasn't feeling so well).

Back home we went to the pool, where it turns out they're having troubles keeping it clean so they raised the price from 6,000 to 35,000... aka we won't go there again.  Thankfully we didn't have to pay and could just sit and order food and drinks instead.

Then Jessica and I had to do a quick turn around back to Namatala to visit Veronica.  She was expecting more of us, but unfortunately everyone else was busy.  Betty (a worker at Child of Hope) was there, which we hadn't expected, and another teacher, Ronald, came.  While we waited for Veronica to prepare food (we'd hoped to just come take photos of her family and leave but that's never what happens), we went with her daughter, Shakira, who showed us their land and the kids, and we saw how they make bricks and she taught us to use a hoe.  Then we played some hand games and marbles, and Shakira taught us this thing kind of like a handshake but with your feet.  It was fun but confusing, Jessica got the hang a lot better than I did.

Digging

Playing marbles

Foot game with Shakira

When we went back, Veronica had made us spaghetti with butter and salt (yum!) and a delicious mix of irish (potatoes), matooke (starchy banana things), tomatoes, onions, and herbs.  We had a nice time but were anxious to get back to do our work that was due Monday.

We were still having trouble with power and water, so we worked a while at Mount Elgon Hotel (despite the annoying pool prices).  It's like at the beginning again, when power went on and off pretty often.

Yesterday I really wasn't feeling well most of the day, and it was a pretty normal work day.  We did decide that for our last half week we're going to a group of Islands in Lake Victoria to relax and have a vacation (we'd tried to find cheap safaris but they were all booked and this seemed simplest and like a nice ending).
Then since I wasn't feeling great I tried to get to bed early.

I know it's a fast day, but since I haven't been feeling well I've decided I probably should keep drinking water, just stay away from snacks.  I'm feeling much better today but don't want to risk getting sick again.
 צוֹם קַל to everyone fasting.

It's crazy how quickly everything is wrapping up and we're getting to the end.