I thought it might be a good idea to describe Uganda one tid-bit at a time. One part of the experience at a time- perhaps one or two each day for 30 days. This way Uganda is a painting, and your mind is the artist- you can add each color as you're ready- each shade as you are comfortable with.
During the day and into the early evening, the local music of Uganda beats out of the shops on Main Street. All types ranging from upbeat and rhythmic LuGanda music, to sweet and choir-esque church music, also sung in local tongue. Then there are shops that blare American music from dusty speakers covered in red clay from the streets. Sometimes it's Keith Urban, sometimes it's Shania Twain, and sometimes I hear Celine Dion- a favorite (from what I can see) among Ugandan citizens. After today's class, a little girl sang the entire Celine song, 'That's The Way It is' with Celine-like belt and all!
Because next week's organization, HADASSU, is closed on Monday and Tuesday, we split up this week: Mon-Wed with TAOST, and Thursday/Friday with HADASSU. We'll visit TAOST again next Monday/Tuesday to finish the five total days' work, and then HADASSU next Wed/Thursday.
Today, at HADASSU, we met with a group of about thirty students with vision impairments. The vision impaired children attend special classes at a government-funded school, Spire Primary. This school is set on approximately two acres of land, complete with agricultural plantations to provide for the children, soccer (or 'football') posts, and nearly ten big buildings with roofs that do not leak and doors that do not fall off. The principal (a female!) tells us that many organizations have raised funds to re-roof the buildings, re-paint the classrooms, put a TV in one classroom, provide desks, chairs, ...the works! This school is taken care of, and while it is technically a 'government-funded school', she gives the impression that the money is certainly NOT all coming from the Ugandan government.
Our work here will be specifically with the vision impaired students who are housed on a separate school ground from the others and thought less of (not on all matters, but mostly). We learn that when a child is born in Uganda with vision disabilities, their 'families' refer to them as 'that one'...they say "I have six children, plus that one". I'm getting stronger these days, and I feel less compelled to crumble into a ball on the floor when receiving this kind of news. Instead, I feel more motivated to meet the children and begin to teach them music, and more importantly, to teach them that they are not of little use to the world, as they have heard their entire lives, but rather significant and substantial children with great potential.
Becky, Kellie, Michelle and I took the younger kids in the morning and after lunch, we met with the older kids. Each of us will have 30 minutes a day with the younger group, and 30 minutes with the older group. I begin by telling them that music is universal and everyone in the world can have the courage to sing. We do fun warm-ups with our body and our voice and they giggle all through them. I teach them the Do, Re, Mi scale of music and we can sing it up and down in Rhythm. Then I ask them if they know who Ludvig Von Beethoven is. Crickets. I am so delighted to be the first person to tell them the incredible story of his phenomenal compositions, his numerous musical discoveries, and of his blindness. After the translator finishes the final part of my last sentence, there is a silence and a bit of a freeze- it's as if nobody moves or breaths for a full five seconds.
I stop and receive their silence as both slight discomfort and huge imagination. I hope it's more of the latter and I tell them I'm going to bring his music tomorrow for them to listen to....since there is no electricity in the building I haven't quite figured out how they are going to hear it, but I have all night and I will make it happen.
After the classes, we are playing with the kids- rolling balls to them and having them roll them back. Some of the girls have sat out to the side watching and when I come over to them this is when they sing for me the entire Celine Dion song. I record it on Chris' camera and they ask me to play it back to them. The sound is small, and they all press their ears around this 2x2 camera. When the sounds concludes, the singer, Simara, tells me "Madame, you give this to me." I chuckle uncomfortably and say "Well it's my husband's camera" (They do not really do engagements and fiances here). "Well then," she says, "Give me your dress then,Madame". "I'm sorry," I respond, "But this dress belongs to my mother".
"Madame, you give me your sweets then. In your bag you have sweets, give them to me."
"I do not have sweets in my bag Simara."
"What can you give me then?"
"Do you remember the Do, Re, Mi, that I taught you toady?"
"Mm".
"I can give you as much knowledge about music as you can hold in your head- but I can give you nothing that you can hold in your hand. I'm sorry"
I am moved to tears because if I hadn't only packed 7 days worth of clothing, I would have shed my dress right then and there, if I had a piece of candy in my bag, I would have handed it to her; but none of these things will last.
Each organization asks for material things. The culture is so deprived of them that they can only feel the lacking and the deep desire to fill. Fount of Mercy, however, is not that kind of organization- we don't bring materials unless we have written grants, drawn proposals, and funded the purchase entirely. For MOHM, we left them with a hand-made trunk that they can store their books and papers in so that when it rained, their things would not be ruined and local textbooks, one per subject per grade. We are told not to promise them material things, and further to explain to them that that's not what we are here for; and yet, and the beginning of every new organization we meet, I find myself thinking- "What could I send back to them once I return to the states? What can I give?" If I had to see it through their eyes, what would they need?
I'll be thinking about that...probably for the rest of my life.
More soon
Love, Carly
Friday, July 16, 2010
Shaking' Like a Polaroid Picture
7/13
So although I made a deal with the gym “opener” to open it for me at 7:30 the next three weeks, surprise surprise...guess who didn’t show up. Instead Mmy morning was filled with great conversation with Carly, African tea, and enough pineapple for the rest of my life. We then headed to the office to go out to MOHM. This is a women’s organization that plans activities with each other and supports the women. The women were SO great to work with. With smiles as wide as the world, they came to greet us and take all of our materials.
We made dress forms for our class today. The women were very hands on and really enjoyed the project. MOHM meets at an orphanage every Tuesday so we got to hang out with the kids too. So cute! I wanted to take this little boy home with me; I swear if he could fit into my pocket, I would’ve! My heart has melted... The women cooked us this great lunch: rice and beans with kasava, beef, and this mashed banana thing that is not tasty but I only took a bit.
The women also put on a small dance performance for us which was awesome. I danced with the ladies and they were yelling, laughing, pointing at me and my hips that were shakin’ like a polaroid picture. Although I swear those women have extra joints in their hips... When we returned we got the office a bit more set up and then headed to Barraza for some Indian food and debriefing. The internet is still down since UTL (the biggest internet provider) was down because of the bombing. It should. I’m told, be up and running tomorrow. Thank goodness!
Lindsay Dorcus
So although I made a deal with the gym “opener” to open it for me at 7:30 the next three weeks, surprise surprise...guess who didn’t show up. Instead Mmy morning was filled with great conversation with Carly, African tea, and enough pineapple for the rest of my life. We then headed to the office to go out to MOHM. This is a women’s organization that plans activities with each other and supports the women. The women were SO great to work with. With smiles as wide as the world, they came to greet us and take all of our materials.
We made dress forms for our class today. The women were very hands on and really enjoyed the project. MOHM meets at an orphanage every Tuesday so we got to hang out with the kids too. So cute! I wanted to take this little boy home with me; I swear if he could fit into my pocket, I would’ve! My heart has melted... The women cooked us this great lunch: rice and beans with kasava, beef, and this mashed banana thing that is not tasty but I only took a bit.
The women also put on a small dance performance for us which was awesome. I danced with the ladies and they were yelling, laughing, pointing at me and my hips that were shakin’ like a polaroid picture. Although I swear those women have extra joints in their hips... When we returned we got the office a bit more set up and then headed to Barraza for some Indian food and debriefing. The internet is still down since UTL (the biggest internet provider) was down because of the bombing. It should. I’m told, be up and running tomorrow. Thank goodness!
Lindsay Dorcus
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Sew far Sew Good
Sew Far, Sew Good
Considering how unprepared most us felt, we had a very successful first day of class. We started by assessing each student with a sewing test. Next, we spent some time oiling and tuning up our three brand new Singer treadle machines. The machines are beautifully old fashioned looking with tiny little waists. Since they don't require electricity and are not very heavy, you can set them up anywhere. We dragged them out to the porch where there was more light and a nice mild breeze. I'm still getting the hang of them and learned a lot by watching the women set them up. In addition to the non electric machines, we bought a few old fashioned coal powered irons and some spray bottles to produce steam. This was after I observed that one of the main problems with the quality here is the lack of professionally pressed seams. Next, we demonstrated french and flat felled seam finishes and explained that they were a quality alternative to serging seams. (Only one woman has a serger and everyone else would have to pay someone in town to finish raw edges with a serger).
Next we broke the 10 students into 3 groups. I am in charge of teaching the two more advanced students. They are a disabled man named Emma and a very intelligent woman named Sarah. Both Sarah and Emma have their own shops. Sarah's business is doing particularly well. She just aquired a second shop front that is on a busy road and it is stocked fabric and machines. Emma, however, has only a bare concrete space with two machines where he makes a very small living making school uniforms and doing alterations. His craftsmanship is very low, but he is eager to learn. Since Sarah is sick with malaria, I worked one on one with Emma and our translator Peter to show him how to use cardboard, brown paper, straight pins and a tracing wheel to copy a patten off a shirt. Though his legs are crippled, he is able to maneuver pretty well around the table and he picked it up fast. He opted to copy Peter's stylish western style shirt, which is slim cut and accented with piping and hand embroidery. Peter seemed very interested in the process as he translated and eventually began to hint that he would like to have the new shirt when it was completed. I told Emma, " great, you already have a paying customer." In the morning, I am meeting Peter early at the fabric store so that he can choose his fabric.
Meanwhile, Bobby and Lindsey taught the beginner and intermediate students two different simple bag projects. Most finished their projects and left happily with their brightly colored new bags. Tomorrow, they will start making a simple man's shirt.
Posted by Polly
Considering how unprepared most us felt, we had a very successful first day of class. We started by assessing each student with a sewing test. Next, we spent some time oiling and tuning up our three brand new Singer treadle machines. The machines are beautifully old fashioned looking with tiny little waists. Since they don't require electricity and are not very heavy, you can set them up anywhere. We dragged them out to the porch where there was more light and a nice mild breeze. I'm still getting the hang of them and learned a lot by watching the women set them up. In addition to the non electric machines, we bought a few old fashioned coal powered irons and some spray bottles to produce steam. This was after I observed that one of the main problems with the quality here is the lack of professionally pressed seams. Next, we demonstrated french and flat felled seam finishes and explained that they were a quality alternative to serging seams. (Only one woman has a serger and everyone else would have to pay someone in town to finish raw edges with a serger).
Next we broke the 10 students into 3 groups. I am in charge of teaching the two more advanced students. They are a disabled man named Emma and a very intelligent woman named Sarah. Both Sarah and Emma have their own shops. Sarah's business is doing particularly well. She just aquired a second shop front that is on a busy road and it is stocked fabric and machines. Emma, however, has only a bare concrete space with two machines where he makes a very small living making school uniforms and doing alterations. His craftsmanship is very low, but he is eager to learn. Since Sarah is sick with malaria, I worked one on one with Emma and our translator Peter to show him how to use cardboard, brown paper, straight pins and a tracing wheel to copy a patten off a shirt. Though his legs are crippled, he is able to maneuver pretty well around the table and he picked it up fast. He opted to copy Peter's stylish western style shirt, which is slim cut and accented with piping and hand embroidery. Peter seemed very interested in the process as he translated and eventually began to hint that he would like to have the new shirt when it was completed. I told Emma, " great, you already have a paying customer." In the morning, I am meeting Peter early at the fabric store so that he can choose his fabric.
Meanwhile, Bobby and Lindsey taught the beginner and intermediate students two different simple bag projects. Most finished their projects and left happily with their brightly colored new bags. Tomorrow, they will start making a simple man's shirt.
Posted by Polly
Three Days of Safari
7/5 First day in Uganda I got to Red Chilli hostel. Following the brightly colored tunnels boasting with African music made our way into the check-in/dining area. After we ordered dinner (let’s just say I only ate the avocado in my avocado and bacon on a toasted baguette) and drinks (did you know NILE beer was brewed by South African brewing company? Same as Miller...tear! Little piece of home!) we hit the hay. Needless to say my bug check of my room was extremely thorough even though I found a little lizard!
7/6 I arose from my bed the next morning as the sounds of monkeys, call to prayer, large birds started squawking. Anyway, had breakfast (I’m officially addicted to passion fruit) and headed 6 hours in the van to the Red Chilli campsite in Murchison Falls for our Safari. (Spoke to Brigitte and Norbert, two Germans who have traveled to Uganda 9 times! She is in finance and prompted many discussions on how to teach the women next week how to sustain their business and set themselves apart from others. It was so great to have someone to talk to about this!) We stopped in Masindi at this yummy restaurant and for only 6,000 shillings (about $3.00) I got a Coke and amazing cod fish and chips! It was delish!
7/7 After dodging the wild warthogs around my tent before I fell asleep, I woke up at 5:30am to catch the bus to the safari. We drove to the river and Sam, our driver, drove the van onto this crazy, we’ll call it, “carferry.” We hoped on with a prayer that we wouldn’t fall in along with men in army green uniforms with shotguns. I got very suspicious until we got to the other side and one of them hoped in our van and was like “hey guys, I’m a ranger for the UWA.” He carried the gun in case any of the animals threatened us so we were very happy to have him aboard. With a beautiful African sunrise in the background, we drove through the jungle and plains. One of our first sightings were 2 male lions walking right next to our van! It was insane. Words cannot describe. I learned that if you see a male lion by himself he was probably banned from his pride because otherwise he’d be with them. We also saw a ton of Antelope, Uganda kob, water buffalo (which chased one of the lions! Lions won’t attack the buffalo if they are by themselves,) giraffe, and warthog (pumbas.) We joked that we just really wanted to see an animal kill and eat another one to see the complete “circle of life.” The amount of Lion King references/puns made is quite sickening actually. All I can say about this safari is that you just have to go on one. It sounds like a phrase from the Wizard of Oz when I type it otherwise.
Back at camp for lunch, we ate some amazing rosemary lemon chicken and played the card game “Cheat” (Americans call it B.S.) with Jenny and Georgina. They are two really sweet girls I met from England who collected 20,000 books at Edinborough for schools in the area. We left for our boat safari. Saw a ton of hippos, elephants, and birds. Also saw where one of Hemingway’s airplane crashes was. They named an area after him; did you know he had 3 crashes? Learned some Swahili from our boat guide, Kenneth. Miawannaming kiboko! (I saw many hippos :) ) Back at camp practicing my Swahili, playing Trivial Pursuit with the group, eating cinnamon crepes and drinking some Smirnoff...ah life is good.
7/8 Watched the sunrise in the mist and ate some amazing fruit. As a side note, the showers are FREEZING so we all were pretty nast by the end of this whole thing...eh, when in Rome. (or Uganda.) We left for the rhino sanctuary. When we got there, we were able to see them roaming only 30 meters away! We learned a lot; did you know that there are only 80 white rhinos left in the world? Hence the sanctuary where they are trying to breed more. Even more interesting, rhinos are monogamous.
We headed back to Kampala to the hostel but on the way hit a huge pothole. I hit my head and jammed my finger but all is well. You think that Madison potholes are bad!? You haven’t seen ANYTHING like this before. Met Tara (the director for Sewing Hope) and her friend Becky for dinner. We had some street vendor Samosa and then headed to bed.
Lindsay Dorcas
7/6 I arose from my bed the next morning as the sounds of monkeys, call to prayer, large birds started squawking. Anyway, had breakfast (I’m officially addicted to passion fruit) and headed 6 hours in the van to the Red Chilli campsite in Murchison Falls for our Safari. (Spoke to Brigitte and Norbert, two Germans who have traveled to Uganda 9 times! She is in finance and prompted many discussions on how to teach the women next week how to sustain their business and set themselves apart from others. It was so great to have someone to talk to about this!) We stopped in Masindi at this yummy restaurant and for only 6,000 shillings (about $3.00) I got a Coke and amazing cod fish and chips! It was delish!
7/7 After dodging the wild warthogs around my tent before I fell asleep, I woke up at 5:30am to catch the bus to the safari. We drove to the river and Sam, our driver, drove the van onto this crazy, we’ll call it, “carferry.” We hoped on with a prayer that we wouldn’t fall in along with men in army green uniforms with shotguns. I got very suspicious until we got to the other side and one of them hoped in our van and was like “hey guys, I’m a ranger for the UWA.” He carried the gun in case any of the animals threatened us so we were very happy to have him aboard. With a beautiful African sunrise in the background, we drove through the jungle and plains. One of our first sightings were 2 male lions walking right next to our van! It was insane. Words cannot describe. I learned that if you see a male lion by himself he was probably banned from his pride because otherwise he’d be with them. We also saw a ton of Antelope, Uganda kob, water buffalo (which chased one of the lions! Lions won’t attack the buffalo if they are by themselves,) giraffe, and warthog (pumbas.) We joked that we just really wanted to see an animal kill and eat another one to see the complete “circle of life.” The amount of Lion King references/puns made is quite sickening actually. All I can say about this safari is that you just have to go on one. It sounds like a phrase from the Wizard of Oz when I type it otherwise.
Back at camp for lunch, we ate some amazing rosemary lemon chicken and played the card game “Cheat” (Americans call it B.S.) with Jenny and Georgina. They are two really sweet girls I met from England who collected 20,000 books at Edinborough for schools in the area. We left for our boat safari. Saw a ton of hippos, elephants, and birds. Also saw where one of Hemingway’s airplane crashes was. They named an area after him; did you know he had 3 crashes? Learned some Swahili from our boat guide, Kenneth. Miawannaming kiboko! (I saw many hippos :) ) Back at camp practicing my Swahili, playing Trivial Pursuit with the group, eating cinnamon crepes and drinking some Smirnoff...ah life is good.
7/8 Watched the sunrise in the mist and ate some amazing fruit. As a side note, the showers are FREEZING so we all were pretty nast by the end of this whole thing...eh, when in Rome. (or Uganda.) We left for the rhino sanctuary. When we got there, we were able to see them roaming only 30 meters away! We learned a lot; did you know that there are only 80 white rhinos left in the world? Hence the sanctuary where they are trying to breed more. Even more interesting, rhinos are monogamous.
We headed back to Kampala to the hostel but on the way hit a huge pothole. I hit my head and jammed my finger but all is well. You think that Madison potholes are bad!? You haven’t seen ANYTHING like this before. Met Tara (the director for Sewing Hope) and her friend Becky for dinner. We had some street vendor Samosa and then headed to bed.
Lindsay Dorcas
My First Day of Sewing Hope work
We hopped in our van which was I swear the same van from “Little Miss Sunshine” horn and all. So through my long fits of laughter, I was then completely grossed out by the breakfast Peter (our translator) was eating...chicken gizzard and chips. mmm Who would want Cheerios when you can have that? On we went to about 10 min. outside of Jinja to meet and assess the teachers that we would be teaching. We visited about 8 people who brought us in their home and showed us what they do. Emma was great: an extremely crippled man who just loved to sew! He taught free classes, did alterations for only 200 shillings (about 10 cents) and made custom garments for 1000 shillings (about 50 cents.) He seemed very enthusiastic about what we were going to teach him.
Another place that touched my heart was a small barn room. One side was raising turkeys the other side sat 10 women making necklaces, mats, pillow cases, and other crafts. One woman even made her own knitting needles from bicycle spokes!
The last place we went to was a school for the deaf. The kids were SOOO sweet. They even gave me a sign language name. My hair was braided in the front so they took their right hand in an “L” (for Lindsay) and brushed it from left to right across my forehead. (Although now that I think of it that could’ve just been for “loser.”..dang.) I learned a lot of Lusoga signing; it was truly special to see these children.
After a long day of traveling to the teachers’ homes, we came back to the office and started setting up our classroom. We cleaned and set up 3 sewing machines and got our room ready for Wednesday class. We hopped on a boda boda which is basically like a small motorcycle/big moped that they use as taxis here (think Yamaha Exciter circa 1981...) (As a side note, the first time I rode on one I fell off, not while driving only after we stopped. My backpack was so heavy and I couldn’t get my foot off. The large turtle shell on my back pulled me back so fast and I got a big cut and scrape on my leg. I mean seriously, when was the last time I got a scrape?! I’m so B.A. ) After we all debriefed at a nice dinner at Gately. Time to sleep...hopefully.
Lindsay Dorcas
Another place that touched my heart was a small barn room. One side was raising turkeys the other side sat 10 women making necklaces, mats, pillow cases, and other crafts. One woman even made her own knitting needles from bicycle spokes!
The last place we went to was a school for the deaf. The kids were SOOO sweet. They even gave me a sign language name. My hair was braided in the front so they took their right hand in an “L” (for Lindsay) and brushed it from left to right across my forehead. (Although now that I think of it that could’ve just been for “loser.”..dang.) I learned a lot of Lusoga signing; it was truly special to see these children.
After a long day of traveling to the teachers’ homes, we came back to the office and started setting up our classroom. We cleaned and set up 3 sewing machines and got our room ready for Wednesday class. We hopped on a boda boda which is basically like a small motorcycle/big moped that they use as taxis here (think Yamaha Exciter circa 1981...) (As a side note, the first time I rode on one I fell off, not while driving only after we stopped. My backpack was so heavy and I couldn’t get my foot off. The large turtle shell on my back pulled me back so fast and I got a big cut and scrape on my leg. I mean seriously, when was the last time I got a scrape?! I’m so B.A. ) After we all debriefed at a nice dinner at Gately. Time to sleep...hopefully.
Lindsay Dorcas
Thursday, July 8, 2010
11 Days
Written By Michelle Johnston (Fount of Mercy Volunteer, Photographer)
Uganda is quickly approaching and I feel anxious, excited and slightly nauseous with butterflies in my stomach. I think it has a lot to do with the unknown. Not knowing what I will see and how I will feel, but that's a pretty exciting feeling in itself. Every time i get to decline an invitation to something because i will be in Africa I feel like a bus just hit my heart, making me realize that it’s really happening, finally!
I’m happy to say that my fellow travel buddies have arrived safely in Uganda and I can’t wait to meet them there. Carly, a fellow Jersey City girl and an absolute DELIGHT is teaching music & theater classes and is also chronicling her first time in Uganda with Fount of Mercy here, http://carlyvoigt.blogspot.com/
Uganda is quickly approaching and I feel anxious, excited and slightly nauseous with butterflies in my stomach. I think it has a lot to do with the unknown. Not knowing what I will see and how I will feel, but that's a pretty exciting feeling in itself. Every time i get to decline an invitation to something because i will be in Africa I feel like a bus just hit my heart, making me realize that it’s really happening, finally!
I’m happy to say that my fellow travel buddies have arrived safely in Uganda and I can’t wait to meet them there. Carly, a fellow Jersey City girl and an absolute DELIGHT is teaching music & theater classes and is also chronicling her first time in Uganda with Fount of Mercy here, http://carlyvoigt.blogspot.com/
First Day
By Carly Voigt (Fount of Mercy volunteer, educational development, focus: music)
The day was so long yesterday and SO much to take in, that I opted not to try to put anything into words. Today, after eight hours of sleep, I feel like I can speak a full sentence again.
Their are so many beautiful moments from yesterday- and also some extremely trying moments. The transit was the most challenging. We take what is called a Mutatu from Jinja to Ingaga, and then take the boda taxi to the countryside where our first organization, MOHM, or Message Of Hope Ministry, is located. Waiting in the Matatu can take 10 minutes, or an hour, but the drivers wont head out to our destination until every seat is full (often with more than one body), so it took us two hours to arrive at MOHM on our first day.
When we arrived at MOHM, in an effort to keep from disturbing the children's school, we walked up to the sleeping quarters for the children- Complete with full bedding and mosquito netting for each bunk. They have acquired enough funding to build a well to access their own water! It's been three days into the digging and the men are nearly 80 ft. down by this point. They tell me they have a week and a half left of digging to do before they hit water.
By this point, the children know that we 'Mazungas', or white people, have arrived and they stream from their modest school house to sing us their welcome song-
'Our Home, This is our good home
Our Home, This is our good hope!'
They sing it again and again until they have successfully hugged me, Michelle, and Kelly. Although the other two girls have been to MOHM many other times, this is my first- and I am simply overwhelmed. The joy that spills from these tiny children as they sing to us and flood us with hugs is touching in a way I have never felt before.
Our first lesson is a combination of me learning how to use my assigned translator, Julius, and the children learning quarter notes (I'm teaching music). These kids are SO SMART! They pick up not only the note value of each eighth note, quarter note, half note, and whole note, but they also understand that it is the 'Mathematics of Music' and can clap and keep the beat of each note line that I give them! Julius is a huge part of the success of the lessons, however, as in their culture, he is slightly uncomfortable with translating my praise to the children. As I catch on, I tell the class: 'You sound wonderful' and ' I am so proud of how quickly you pick up on this!' and then I turn to Julius and wait as he nervously rubs one eye or scratches his nose while he translates my enthusiastic remark with the excitement of a peanut.
Still, I love Julius, which is good because he'll be working with me as my translator for the duration of the teachings. I asked him his story, casually on my first Mutatu ride to the school, fully expecting to hear how he became a translator. Instead I felt like I was socked in the stomach when he tells me of his parents death at the age of twelve.
I have so much more to learn, and so much more to find out- explore-see, and I cannot wait. I already am wondering if what I teach these kids will even compare what they teach me.
More soon
With love, Carly
The day was so long yesterday and SO much to take in, that I opted not to try to put anything into words. Today, after eight hours of sleep, I feel like I can speak a full sentence again.
Their are so many beautiful moments from yesterday- and also some extremely trying moments. The transit was the most challenging. We take what is called a Mutatu from Jinja to Ingaga, and then take the boda taxi to the countryside where our first organization, MOHM, or Message Of Hope Ministry, is located. Waiting in the Matatu can take 10 minutes, or an hour, but the drivers wont head out to our destination until every seat is full (often with more than one body), so it took us two hours to arrive at MOHM on our first day.
When we arrived at MOHM, in an effort to keep from disturbing the children's school, we walked up to the sleeping quarters for the children- Complete with full bedding and mosquito netting for each bunk. They have acquired enough funding to build a well to access their own water! It's been three days into the digging and the men are nearly 80 ft. down by this point. They tell me they have a week and a half left of digging to do before they hit water.
By this point, the children know that we 'Mazungas', or white people, have arrived and they stream from their modest school house to sing us their welcome song-
'Our Home, This is our good home
Our Home, This is our good hope!'
They sing it again and again until they have successfully hugged me, Michelle, and Kelly. Although the other two girls have been to MOHM many other times, this is my first- and I am simply overwhelmed. The joy that spills from these tiny children as they sing to us and flood us with hugs is touching in a way I have never felt before.
Our first lesson is a combination of me learning how to use my assigned translator, Julius, and the children learning quarter notes (I'm teaching music). These kids are SO SMART! They pick up not only the note value of each eighth note, quarter note, half note, and whole note, but they also understand that it is the 'Mathematics of Music' and can clap and keep the beat of each note line that I give them! Julius is a huge part of the success of the lessons, however, as in their culture, he is slightly uncomfortable with translating my praise to the children. As I catch on, I tell the class: 'You sound wonderful' and ' I am so proud of how quickly you pick up on this!' and then I turn to Julius and wait as he nervously rubs one eye or scratches his nose while he translates my enthusiastic remark with the excitement of a peanut.
Still, I love Julius, which is good because he'll be working with me as my translator for the duration of the teachings. I asked him his story, casually on my first Mutatu ride to the school, fully expecting to hear how he became a translator. Instead I felt like I was socked in the stomach when he tells me of his parents death at the age of twelve.
I have so much more to learn, and so much more to find out- explore-see, and I cannot wait. I already am wondering if what I teach these kids will even compare what they teach me.
More soon
With love, Carly
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