village life

Meg and I are just back from the little village we stayed in, Ibulanku. Life is very different there and I felt blessed to be able to experience a place so close to Meg's heart. A quick disclaimer: I will probably butcher many of the spellings of various things.So many different things happened along with feelings, yep that is right I said feelings, and experiences that I hope I can successfully portray just a fraction to you.

En Route to Ibulanku I was happily enjoying the chaos, sometimes the smells and views from the window. Much of the way it seemed we could glance right and catch views of Lake Victoria. We arrived in Kampala and sat on what seemed to be a school bus having paid our 12,000 schillings unknowingly committing to a long wait. It was quickly apparent that we were not leaving any time soon and that all the seats needed to be occupied (there are also seats that fold down into the middle aisle) to entice the driver to turn the key and have this ancient bus rumble to life. As you sit there people are continuously getting on the bus to sell something. No thank you, I do not need a solar panel to charge my cell phone, a loaf of bread, a beanie to keep my head warm in this 90+ degree weather. The other common topic was about our kids...oh wait we don't have any. This fact blows their minds! One man, "do you want to buy a belt?" Me, "no thank you" Man, "where are your kids" Me, "We don't have any" Man, "you are weak man" as the bus laughed he told me he would happily give me some tips. Just had to laugh at that one. The one item I almost bit on many a time was Orange Fanta. That stuff is delicious! I resisted. And we sat.

Alas, the bus started and Meg and I almost cheered! We sat next to Alfred and his sister Rita who between the 4 of us in the back row shared 3 seats. At each stop sticks of cooked chicken, water, bread and many other items were stuffed in the windows for a potential sale. We made one additional stop when one gentleman yelled a request to the driver. Quickly we realized it was a chance to relieve yourself in the sugarcane field. I took full advantage not knowing when the next chance would come. I felt sorry for Meg as I got off the bus.

Soon we arrived in Iganga where we are again at the moment writing this and where Meg got the chance to buy a delicious Pineapple she had been craving.

I had arrived at the point where I get hangry (Hunger+Angry) and sadly took some of it out on Meg. I felt like a lost traveler uninformed of where we were going next trusting Meg who had been here before. My only worry about this was thinking back to her natural prowess with directions when I would ask during a hike which way to the car...right. However, in this instance she relieved all my worries and knew exactly where she was going. From Iganga we got on a Mutatu. On the door of the toyota van it said vehicle approved for 11 persons. If there is one thing that Ugandans are efficient with its impressive packing of humans into a car. It reminded me of a photo scavenger hunt in Middle School where 8 people had to fit in a VW beetle. They put that to shame! Once for no particular reason I decided to count the bodies, 22, and I am pretty sure this wasn't when it was the fullest! These were all adults mind you except the 8ish year old next to me. The other impressive feat is the proximity driving. These dudes know how long their car is, how wide it is, how tall depending on how much is stacked on top. I kept thinking, they would be amazing at driving the fire engine where every inch counts.

Finally, we arrived in Busesa where we would catch Boda Boda (motorcycles) to Ibulanku. Definitely the best part. Riding behind this dude I don't know cruising down the dirt road with the wind cooling me off making me forget about the sweat and 48+ hour travel time to arrive in Meg's beloved village.

Sulaimon was happy to see Meg and showed us to a guest house. We had it to ourselves for our two nights. Meg informed me I was getting off easy because there were toilets in the house. We then walked into the village and immediately felt like I didn't belong and it was uncomfortable. One, I didn't know anyone except Meg. Two, I had never been to Africa and my first time I was taken directly to the bush. Another reminder that I wasn't from there not that I needed any was that every kid in village would excitedly yell Mizungu (white person). I thought to myself, I need to work on my tan. Meg knew where she was going though and we went and saw her friend Patrick where she stayed before.

Then we walked across the street to Mama Aisha's place. Meg and her had a great friendship before that was clear to me know. Meg despite the language barrier had spent much time with Mama Aisha and her children. When Meg left last time she gave Mama Aisha her gomez (traditional women's outfit; in bright green below). Mama Aisha had not forgotten and before we had been there long her oldest daughter walked up holding a chicken.

Through Patrick it became clear that it was a gift. He subtly informed Meg that it was African culture and she was to accept the gift. It is in times like this to know you need to accept the gift even though Meg and I already have more than enough. It is even harder when you see how many children she has to feed, that they live in a very modest home made of brick roughly 8x20. Here I saw someone giving out of their gratefulness from a previous gift while living in extreme poverty. It made me ask myself how I am giving to others in my wealth relative to this nice Ugandan woman. We then returned home. Below are pics of when we had the chicken for lunch the next day:

Rob + Kakanga

Mama Aisha prepping the chicken

Some of Mama Aisha's family

Meg + Mama Aisha in her gomez

Later, I had a shower consisting of dumping some refreshingly cold water from a pitcher on me, soaping up and repeating the pitcher series to rinse off. Wow that felt good! I questioned even bringing a sleeping bag here and should have followed my gut. I barely had the sheet covering any of my body. One of the easier lessons I have learned so far.

A quick thing about my amazing wife. Meg is clearly detailed oriented, organized and has a great memory (Any time I debate with her about the past I walk away asking myself what I was thinking and remind myself I said I wouldn't do it again the time before). Anyhow, Meg has brought with her pictures of her friends from last time, candy for their kids and small gifts along with handwritten letters that are classic Meg. She remembered her friend Susan and 5 years later recognized her at a glance even though Sula who works there often didn't know her name.  Meg and Susan:

In the morning Meg and I wake up and go to the same Hotel (what they call a shack you can't stand up in where you sit and eat chapatie bread that this guy cooks fresh. Nice and greasy:)

 

Then we meet in my opinion the most impressive and amazing woman in the village, Mama Millie.

 
Clearly there was a great connection between Meg and Millie the time before. She refers to Meg as her daughter. She thanked me for marrying Meg, which we were hearing from everyone who knew her. Millie is the chair person for the Iganga subcounty she lives in for Heifer International as well as a self appointed care taker and mother to many many an orphan. She finds homes for these orphans and attempts to help provide a way for them to be cared for and survive. Throughout the day we learned more about her role as the chairperson and that the whole project she is trying to improve is being stunted because they have no male goat in their subcounty. 53 families who have goats are no longer able to continue raising goats over the long term due to this problem. I asked Millie how much a male costs and she says 500,000 schillings. Knowing Meg and I wanted to do something before we left that would be sustainable Meg and I decided that was our best option. 200$ US to help so many was a no brainer and how often do we in America spend 200$+ and not think twice about it on something fleeting? During the morning we were asked to sit in on a meeting about Pediatrics and Malnutrition. Though we could not stay for long it was clear how hard so few are working to create positive change in there community. Below are some pics from when we went to Millie's home:

Another family that loved Meg wanted to host us for dinner. James and his wife Meg wanted Mega (what it sounds like when they say Meg's name) had us sit with them and eat a feast. Here is where another cultural thing is interesting to me. They serve you food and sit and watch you eat without joining you. They take much satisfaction in your enjoyment of the food. It is another humbling moment for me. It is clear we don't miss many meals and they are graciously serving you and even about to send someone to town to buy a soda for you. Below is the family, and Meg + Meg:

While waiting, their son came and joined us who is named Bishop Sikoyo Richard. When he learned my dad was a pastor he asked to show me his church. We agreed and walked to his church where that night they were preparing to host up to 200 guests at an all night prayer/worship time. Theme: Cast Satan Out. Their where many chairs in this field waiting for a guest to sit in them. He then took me in his church and asked me to pray for him, his church, and community. He repeatedly said he was so blessed to have had us come by. I again felt so humbled by yet another situation. It seems to be a theme developing.

We met up with Uganda Village Project today and  had the opportunity to visit the well that Meg raised money for in Racing for Relief with her Ironman training. Finally we reached the well and it was truly a great experience for Meg to see something tangible of how she helped make a small change in the world. The caretaker of the well was there as well as some of the community.  They were truly grateful for the well and talked about the difference it made for them.

I have learned that being uncomfortable in life often times leads to growth. If this is the case I hope that I continue to be in tune with those feelings of being uncomfortable and embrace them as they approach. So far the trip has been great. We are excited for what is to come.

 Off to dinner with Sula (below) and rafting the Nile tomorrow in Jinja.

Rob