Juliet's Big Day!

Long time, no see … I know, I know. Over my Christmas holiday, I gave myself a little break from blogging, but I’m back now! This week Sherry, Sarah, Driver Henry and I have been running around getting everything ready for the team to arrive and take care of some ministry business. But this blog is not about us. It’s about Juliet. Juliet’s Big Day, to be exact!

It all began back in July, when we unsuspectingly met Juliet, a vivacious young girl, in an elderly home. Team members were drawn in by her contagious laugh, easy smile and delightful way of showing her joy: shrieks and squeals, as it should be with any little girl. She had been left at the elderly home, with no opportunity for an education, though she is very bright. In fact, she had never been to school. She couldn’t walk and her days were spent scooting around on the floor and chatting with the other residents … that is, until the team fell in love with her and found a sponsor for her to go to a school. The school doesn’t begin for a few weeks, but first she needed her assessments done. And now, her big day begins!

I knew the moment Juliet spotted us from the joyful shrieks that were echoing over the premises. To our surprise, she met us using a walker! She came rushing towards us and didn’t stop until she reached the car to get going. I think she was excited! And we didn’t hesitate to catch her excitement … off we go to our first stop of the day, the doctor’s assessment.

We arrived at the doctor’s on time for our appointment, but as I’m quickly learning, if you arrive on time, you are EARLY in Uganda. But, Juliet got to play with some toys in the waiting room and though they were what we would consider “baby” toys, she was happy to just have a toy, any toy. Finally, it’s doctor time. He believes, as we do, that she is a smart girl. And the best news, he believes that with the proper physical therapy, Juliet could walk on her own! Praise the Lord!

With the doctor assessment over, we now head to the disability school, where she will receive a full education plus the benefits of physical therapy. We met with Deputy Sam, (I just love that we call him “deputy” Sam; it sounds like an old movie) who assessed Juliet. While waiting for some paperwork, Juliet was laughing, joking, clapping. Her joy radiating with each moment.

We finished with Deputy Sam and had to go get ID photos of Juliet for the school. I’m not sure she has ever had a picture of herself for her very own, but she does now! And since there was a little market nearby, Mama Sherry thought we should get ice cream. More squeals and shrieks of delight!

The day ended for Juliet where it began, back at the elderly home. But this time, with the full confidence that in a few weeks she would be where she has always wanted to be. School (I’m sure there will be a blog about Juliet’s 2^nd Big Day!). She was greeted with claps and smiles from the elderly residents, all of whom are happy to see her realize her dream of school.

I cannot do justice to Juliet through any words or pictures, though I have tried. This precious girl, who has never been to school, who has crawled on the ground for the better part of her life and who has not even been outside the walls of an elderly home for 3 years, cannot quelch the amazing spirit that bubbles over and spills out for all to see.

There are many people I admire. There are few who I truly look up to. And even fewer who I stand in awe of. Juliet is now one of those. 

Where's your home?

Earlier this week, Mercy told me “I wish Sunday would never come.” I didn’t get it right away, but it finally dawned on me that yes, Sunday is in fact the day that I’ll be heading “Home for the Holidays.” And today, after church, as we are all piling into the taxi, I hear both Teddy and Sharon say “Auntie, I’m sad.” I try to console them: “I’m coming back!” “It’s only for a little while” “Guess who’s coming with me when I come back – Mama Sherry!” Though I’m very excited to be seeing friends and family back home in Indiana, I can’t help but be a little disheartened at not being here for Christmas – especially when the kids want me to stay so badly!

I think on some level, all of us yearn for “home” whenever there’s a holiday. Wherever your “home” may be. For me, I have 3 homes: my first one in Indiana, where my treasured family lives; my home away from home in CA, where friends really are family; and here in Uganda, where 18 children call me Auntie. And no matter which “home” I’m in, there’s a part of me that misses the other homes.

It makes me wonder if in His 33 years on earth, Jesus ever yearned for home. As a baby, a toddler, a young carpenter, did he ever want to go back home? I mean think about it. Really think about it. The perfect place. Streets of gold. Pearly gates. Forever in God’s presence. After 33 years, Jesus did go home - in an actual blaze of glory. If you believe, as I believe, then we have a home in common: Heaven. And though I’ve never been there, my soul was created for it.

You may find it odd that I’m talking of Heaven and Jesus' death when the season we are in is the celebration of His birth. But I have to be honest … though the miracle of His coming is wonderful and amazing, I can’t help but look at Baby Jesus in the manger and see Savior Jesus on the cross. And that, friends, is the greatest miracle of all. He gave us all someplace to call home.

Empty Fridge

An empty fridge means it’s time to go to the grocery store and stock up. I’m infamous for going to the grocery store without a list – something my mom did NOT teach me. You know the grocery store rules: buy off your list and don’t go when you’re hungry. Yea, I break those all the time!

An empty fridge in Uganda means the same thing in this house – time to go to market (fyi … many Ugandan families do not have a fridge. And many can go hungry much of the time. The children in this home do not take their meals for granted. They thank God for each and every morsel!).

So, off to market we go. It’s so colorful, with all the fresh fruits and veggies. And Ugandans certainly know how to make a display. I LOVE the way the tomatoes and potatoes are stacked. Buying for 18 children + mamas + aunties means a lot of food. Thankfully we have our usual vendors that look forward to our coming each Saturday. I remember my first trip to market. We had potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, green pepper, watermelon, pumpkin, eggplant, onions, greens and more. I stood looking at our loot thinking “how on earth are we going to get all of this on a boda?” 

Alex tethers our loot to his boda boda.

If you read my last blog, Ugandans know how to transport almost anything by boda, huge piles of groceries included. You would be amazed at how many items can fit in a burlap bag and then strapped to the boda for the ride home.

I get a lot of stares and “Hey Mzungu” at the market. One day, I was waiting for Sarah at our potato vendor and a man came up to me saying something and “Mzungu”. We was waving his fist at me and I had know idea what he wanted. I just said “no thanks”. He finally walked away. Only later, when I shared the story with Sarah, she laughed and said “He wanted a fist bump.” To which I responded, “Do all Ugandans think that Mzungu’s fist bump?” Apparently the answer is yes. So on your next trip to Uganda, please remember the fist bump!

Once we are done at the fresh food market, we hop in a taxi to the supermarket (Capital Shoppers, Quality Supermarkets or Shoprite) for the rest of our weeks supplies. We fill 2-1/2 carts and quite obviously THAT won’t all fit on a boda, so we call our trusty driver, Ivan.

Now depending on what time of day we go or what is happening in town, this trip may take as little as 2 hours or 4 hours. And if I’m lucky, we may stop and get a chapatti and samosa (my favorite Ugandan treats!) for lunch.

P.S. To all my faithful readers, this concludes my series on “Ugandan living”. So many had questions about day-to-day life and I hope I covered them all (if not, let me know). Hope you enjoyed. Coming up next year, is something I’m really excited about. I’ll just leave you in suspense and hope you keep reading until then.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

It’s no secret that I love to drive. And I’m really good at it – no matter what some former co-workers might tell you! I may have missed my calling as an Indy Stock Car or Formula One racer, which may have led to the wildly popular conclusion that I drive fast. But I’ll have you know that my driving record is completely clean. Since being in Uganda, I (quite obviously) have not been doing much – er, any – driving. I kind of miss it, but I’m also having a lot of fun getting around in other ways.

1. Boda Boda. The fun, albeit somewhat dangerous, and usually fastest way to travel is on a boda boda. It looks like a cross between a motorcycle and a scooter (at least to me). I absolutely L-O-V-E riding on the boda. It’s fun and freeing … with the wind in your hair. And I have actually held out my hands and shouted “I’m on top of the world.” Yes, I’m THAT girl. Ha ha! Here are a few pointers in getting around via Boda Boda:

Uncle Alex, one of our trusty boda drivers

1. Always know your driver. It’s not exactly safe to just simply get on anyone’s boda boda. It’s best if you use the same drivers. Get a list in your phone and call when you need a ride.
2. Always board the boda boda from the left side.
3. If you sit “side saddle”, both legs must go to the left side.
4. You can literally carry anything on a boda boda. I’ve seen bodas loaded with sugar canes, brooms, bed frames, 5 people, luggage – the list goes on and on.
5. You can hold on if you must, but you kinda look like a sissy. (haha! That’s for Kristal)

2. Taxi. No, these are not the cute little yellow cars with black and white checks. These babies are 15 passenger vans that will stop anywhere along the side of the road to pick anyone up and cram more than 15 people inside! And of course, there are important rules to follow here as well:

We hire a taxi to take us to Church every Sunday, but
normally, Sarah & I simply catch one on the side of the road

1. Never get in an empty taxi. There are stories of kidnappings – not that I’ve been witness to this or even know of it’s validity. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
2. Always be aware of your personal belongings. There are also stories of sophisticated robberies on board taxis. For example, someone may ask you to close the door, while another’s got their hands inside your purse. After claiming your wallet, then shove you out of the taxi and take off. Again, I’ve never seen this, but one can never be too careful.
3. Always listen for the taxi route. You want to go to Shoprite? The taxi is going to Kampala. Well, Shoprites on the way, right? Not if the conductor doesn’t say Nakawa. Listen up or you’ll get on the wrong one (kind of like bus routes in the US).

3. Private Hire. Many people make their living by hiring themselves out as private hire drivers. They have a car. They can drive. Might as well make a business out of it. And of course there are companies that some drivers are employed by as well. Typically, we use these on Saturdays to pick us up from the grocery store or to be dropped off or picked up from the Airport.

4. Walking. The way to get from here to there – walking. A LOT of Ugandans simply walk wherever they need to go. Most school children walk, regardless of whether it takes them 2 hours to get to school or not, as many simply cannot afford transportation costs.

There you have it. And I use ALL 4 methods every Saturday. Fun, huh?

Oh, just to give you a better flavor, I should probably talk about TRAFFIC. Live in SoCal and think the 405 is bad? Live in NorCal and think 880 is bad? Live anywhere else and imagine and think the traffic jams you’ve been caught in are the worst? Now add 1000 massive pot holes, boda boda’s weaving in between the cars, taxi’s stopping on the side of the road (sometimes blocking traffic) then pulling back in, people walking everywhere (including in the road, between the cars), and exhaust fumes. And throw in people creating their own lanes for good measure, and now you have Kampala traffic. Seriously, I’ve been in taxi’s that create their own lane in the middle of the road to pass a slower vehicle – even when there is oncoming traffic. The craziest thing, no one gets mad. I’ve rarely seen road rage here. You just go with the flow; you let people in; you slow down for pedestrians. A car just cut you off – no problem! I should probably learn some of these lessons myself. :)

P.S. I love the looks of the people in the taxi’s when I climb in. I don’t see Mzungu’s very often in the taxi’s. hee hee!

P.P.S. There are big buses and such for in-country and inter-country travel. I just haven’t experienced them (yet!)

World Aids Day

Every Thursday, Sarah & I trek into Kampala to go to Watoto Kampala Church (formerly KPC) for Bible Study. Tonight, was a little different than most Bible Studies I’ve been to. First, they were having a “Watoto’s Got Talent” night. There was lots of dancing and singing and even an eating contest!

Most of the participants were asked what their status was. At first I thought they meant single or married (they’ve done this before, so I just assumed). But, that’s not what they were asking. The answer was positive or negative or something about a zero. And I've never been in a church service where they asked you to tell your neighbor: 1. if you are a virgin; 2. when your last HIV test was; and 3. if you are on the sexual network. I was very confused until one of the Pastor’s cleared it up for me.

You see, today, Dec 1, is World AIDS Day.  And this year, the theme is “Getting to Zero.” According to AVERT.org,  “After 30 years of the global fight against HIV/AIDS, this year the global community has committed to focusing on achieving 3 targets: Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths.”

The statistics for 2010:

2.7 million new HIV infections

1.8 million people died from AIDS

And yet, this day has taken on even greater significance since I am in Africa and in Uganda. While brushing up on my AIDS facts for this blog post, I learned that Uganda was one of the first and hardest hit countries in the 1970s-1980s. It reached epidemic status with 20-30% of the population being infected prior to most other African countries. And while Uganda has made great strides and is often looked to among African nations on ways to decrease HIV and AIDS occurrences, the numbers tell the story:

1.2 million - estimated number of people living with HIV in Uganda

150,000 – estimated number of children with HIV (though if all children were tested, I think you would see this number increase)

64,000 – estimated number of people who died from AIDS in 2009

1.2 million – number of children who have been orphaned by Uganda's devastating epidemic.

Sobering, isn’t it? One of the young girls at Watoto gave a testimony and her shirt started the conversation. It said simply “I am positive”. She’s a single mother, who was sexually abused for years, became a sex addict and has been living with HIV for the past 10 years (that’s when she was tested), but she has a great and positive outlook because she has a hope and everlasting future in Jesus. She’s proud to say she’s positive because it opens doors for her to share her faith.

She reminded me of a verse in Romans, when we are called “more than conquerors”. Conquering HIV/AIDS may not be an earthly possibility, but it is certainly no match for an everlasting future in Heaven.

The Fine Art of Cooking

I like to cook. I really like to bake. But I don’t do either very often. Let’s face it, it’s hard to cook for one person. Say you make a great lasagne. You have to freeze over half of it and eat the other half for the entire week when you are just one person. Cooking for 25 is another matter entirely. Especially in Uganda.

While in America I may be used to a nice electric or gas stove top for cooking, here in Uganda we rely on a little thing called the Charcoal stove. We actually do have a stove top, but it can cost a pretty penny to fire it up every day. Charcoal provides a much more economical solution. Learning how to operate one of these bad boys is an experience. For instance, say you are supposed to take your dinner from a “boil” to a  “simmer”. It’s not like there’s a little nob for that. But there is a way to do it, just take out some of that fiery hot charcoal and presto-chango, you can now simmer.

We have a set menu at the home for dinner each week, but regardless of the dish there are a few things that are ALWAYS used: cooking oil; grated tomatoes; chopped carrots, green pepper and onions; garlic; and spices like beef masala, curry, royco and salt. Go ahead. Try it. You know you want to.

One of my favorite meals is Uganda Spaghetti. There’s no red sauce, but it is oh-so-delicious! In fact, I like it so much that on Mondays, I help Aunt Margret with the cooking, so that I can learn how to make it for family & friends when I am in the states. I even bought the needed ingredients (the ones that you can’t find in America), so get ready to taste Uganda Spaghetti, friends!!

Anyway, I do often get laughed at – not in a menacing way – when “learning” to cook the Ugandan way. They don’t see me cooking very often, so I think that they think that I don’t know how. Yesterday, while waiting for the cooking oil to heat, Aunt Margret threw a few pieces of onion in the pan to see if the oil was hot enough and I got the most peculiar question posed to me “Do you know why she did that?” I had to laugh a little and say, “Yes, I do know how to cook.” I guess one of these days, I’ll have to prove that to them and make a whole meal myself :).

I’m Gonna Wash that Dirt Right Outta My Clothes

Yes, the long awaited (and promised) LAUNDRY blog! (Oooo … was that a cheer I just heard?)

I’ve never really minded doing laundry. Ironing, on the other hand is another story. I base buying clothes on whether it will need ironing. But that’s besides the point … back to laundry. Laundry days (or nights) in my house typically involved a movie whilst doing it, which made it more fun. That and seeing the delight on my roommates faces of my multi-color piles. Yes, I really do separate darks from whites and then I go a step further and have a pile for reds, oranges and pinks and another pile for blues, greens and purples. Into the machine go the “whites”, then the “blues”, then the “reds” and finally “blacks” – in that order. Fresh from the dryer it creates a whole rainbow effect after everything is folded. And my AR-ness absolutely loves it (AR – anal retentive).

Here in Uganda, laundry is quite another matter. It’s quite rare to find a washing machine in someone’s house and forget about a dryer. Although, I’m quite lucky and there is a washing machine here at the home, but first, you must graduate from hand washing before attempting machine washing.

First things first … you need, 3 tubs, water and soap. Line up your tubs:

Tub 1 – the washing tub. Put in some soap and swirl around. Add dirty clothes.

Tub 2 – first rinse

Tub 3 – final rinse

Once you’ve got your clothes in the washing tub, it’s time to put your back into it. Literally. Bend over, grab the bar soap, rub it into your garment and get scrubbing. There is a technique that I, personally, have not mastered yet (it takes years of practice), but I do try. Lucky for me the kids are gracious enough to help me after they are done with their own laundry! Next, on to inspection … did you really get your shirt clean? Better check. Once you pass, throw it into the “first rinse bin” and grab the next dirty item.

Now you have some items in the “first rinse bin”, it’s time for … drum roll … the first rinse (wow, you all guessed that correctly and now win a prize). Rinse it thoroughly using some of the same techniques from washing and then ring it out, getting all the soap out. And when I say, “ring it out”, I really mean it. If we all did our laundry this way, we would have arms of steel!

On to “final rinse” … pretty much the same as “first rinse”. Ring, ring, ring out those clothes as hard as you can. And up on the line (or the ground) they go. Uganda does have a universal dryer … it’s called the sun. Oh, but make sure you have your clothes inside out. And now, your laundry is done, your back is a little sore and your arms are closer to steel than they were before you started.

Lucky for me, I can use the washing machine. I only use it occasionally and it too can create arms of steel. You see, the washing machine can fill with water on its own, but only if you wait a really long time. And there is no guarantee that the electricity will remain on while you wait (or that we have running water at the moment you want to wash). So, it’s best if you haul your own water. Last week, I hauled bucket upon bucket from our outside cistern of water. It’s kind of like a well, in that you drop a bucket on a rope into the cistern and then heave it out – using those arms of steel that you are cultivating. You do this again and again and again. Presto – washer full and can now wash your clothes or sheets or towels. Oh, but wait … there’s more. Did you forget the rinse cycle? You have to do it all again in order to rinse your clothes.

 

And now, I bet your probably thinking I don’t like laundry day so much anymore. On the contrary, mon ami! I still don’t mind doing laundry. Sometimes I think of it as my exercise for the day. Sometimes it’s all about being with the kids – they actually clamor to help me!

So there it is friends … laundry, Uganda style. I'm working on my arms of steel!! Ha ha!