18 January 2016
Ok let’s see if I remember how to blog.
Thank goodness for moms.
I’m settling back into a groove at the clinic after having mom visit for
the last 10 days. The Lorelei to my
Rory, Rosemary Clooney to my Vera Ellen, dynamic duo, Jeopardy playing team was
back in action in the Pearl of Africa.
Mom showed up in Entebbe when it was hot as balls and made it through
the throng of people holding up paper signs who silently ask “Are you my person
I take to my place?” and made her way to me and my homemade sign. “Welcome to
Uganda, Mama wange.” Simple, but
effective. My friend Godfrey, a driver
from Masaka, was there with me ready to pick her and go immediately to Cava
Javas for a milkshake because again, it was hot as balls. After spoiling me for lunch and Nakumat
shopping (hello, toaster oven), we got caught in Kampala traffic and made it
back to the village around 8:00PM. And
in typical Ugandan fashion, as soon as she arrived, she was fed a gigantic
meal. Reminds me of my arrival to the UG
at 11 at night then having to drive 2 hours to the training center, having to
eat copious amounts of matoke, and finally slept around 1AM. So I’m glad Mama D got a taste of that,
too. We were surprised by the streamers
tied to my house and trees in my yard and the giant sign on my door that read “You
are most welcome, Mother of Kelly.” The hospitality
in this country still blows my mind.
Since mom got in a day later than she was supposed to, we
missed our “play candy crush and get over jet lag” day and the next morning ran
off to Lake Mburo National Park to do a lot of nothing. Mihingo Lodge where we stayed was like a
picture. Our “room” was a tent on an
elevated platform looking out onto the park with a thatched roof above us. We had a beautiful view, bathroom, tea and
coffee in the morning, bathroom, shower, hot water, cleanliness, etc. I was real jazzed to shower. The main lodge had 5 star dining (CHEESE
SOUFFLE) and blankets over the chairs for when it got chilly. It was a perfect relaxing stay.
Our first night we said “Yeah, why not?” to a
night drive safari with two other women in the lodge’s range rover car
thing. It was like Kennywood only no
seatbelts. We saw topi, zebra,
waterbuck, African hare, white tailed mongooses (mongeese? Yeah, let’s go with
mongeese. Spell check says no but ok),
and we thought we saw a leopard at one point!
The next day we did a boat cruise on the lake. We were the only two in the boat aside from
Moses, our driver, and the steering was broken, so I got to sit at the helm and
“drive.” There were hippos right near
the dock, poking their little heads up and down out of the water and wiggling
each ear one at a time. What fat, naked,
man eating, cuties they were. The lodge
weekend was perfect, but having mom back around me was what I really needed.
We got back to Biikira on Sunday to find that Bilbo had
destroyed my house and my sugar canister.
I love canisters! Darn cat. I love that little brat. I worked at the health center all last week while
mom either followed me around or hung out at my house. It was nice to come home to someone instead
of Bilbo crying for treats. Plus, it was
a nice perk to have mom do mom things, like my laundry. And she brought me a bottle of Tide! My clothes smell great now. More like spring-fresh, less like sweat. It’s hot as…well, you know. Actually, all week was pretty overcast and
had that “trying to rain” feel throughout the days. But when the sun went down and mom and I had
finished burning trash or something, we’d turn on some “TV” get comfy on the
couch, me laying with my feet over her lap, both of us with a cup of tea and some
candy crush, it was like nothing had changed.
The rest of the week was spent talking about what’s going on
back home, how she has to teach on Wednesday, figuring out how to use the
toaster over (my breakfast game is so strong now), and just gushing about how
much we missed each other. We even had
matching skirts made! As if we weren’t
already adorable enough. I got mom into
Firefly. Meaning I got her into a great
show that will give her immediate heartache over the lack of resolution after
14 wonderful episodes. The movie wasn’t
enough. I want that show back. The week ended quickly with us back in
Entebbe, this time with Mackenzie (mom saw the taxis and decided I should never
travel anywhere alone ever. Jokes on
you, mama, taxis are the approved way of travel for PCVs). Thank you please for Kenzie because when mom
and I split ways, I needed someone to hold my hand for a while. The dynamic duo is on hold for another 4ish
months when we’re reunited in the UK, pip pip.
It’s Monday, and I got a case of it. With mom not here anymore, I’m all sad. I was sad making tea, I was sad frying an egg
for me and Bo, and I was sad sitting in my office cutting out RUMP pad
shapes. I was sad all day until now, and
I’ll tell you why. Even though I’m back
in Biikira, and my supervisor just got reassigned to another district (I think
that’s what happens to nuns after a while), and my new supervisor seems less
than thrilled, and all I want to do is nap while it rains, my day picked up.
I went to Malocal
(spelling probably wrong), or “Downtown Biikira” as I call it, to pick up some
produce and some fishies for Bilbo. As I’m
walking up to my usual store that sells the exact same stuff as all the other
stores, people are calling out my Ugandan name and waving, as if they haven’t
seen me in ages. When I’m nearing the
shop, a little girl runs up to me, no shoes, dried food on her face, no idea
who she is, but she calls out my name and has this huge smile, so I drop my bag
and scoop her up like a baby. She’s
maybe 3 years old, but she’s one of the few kids that I’ve held who didn’t cry as
soon as she was within a few inches of me.
She’s all calm, doesn’t say much, but she knows people are watching, and
she had that “I’m a superstar” look on her face when I put her down. Thanks, little no name, you did more for me
than endless episodes of Spongebob could’ve done hiding alone in my house.
Sarah, my shop owner, has a daughter named Karen, she’s about 9 months old. And even though we’re working on the whole “I’m holding you now, please don’t start freaking out,” phase, when she sees me, she smiles and smiles when I tickle her chubby cheeks. And if a giggling baby doesn’t cheer up your day, I’m not sure anything will. Sarah had some boiled eggs and bread for me, and I got the fishies for Bo at a shop back down towards my house. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood today at the shops. People handed me their children and laughed when I would try and talk to the kiddos in Luganda to which I got blank stares from their faces. It was a good shopping trip, and it was all 200 yards from my house.
Sarah, my shop owner, has a daughter named Karen, she’s about 9 months old. And even though we’re working on the whole “I’m holding you now, please don’t start freaking out,” phase, when she sees me, she smiles and smiles when I tickle her chubby cheeks. And if a giggling baby doesn’t cheer up your day, I’m not sure anything will. Sarah had some boiled eggs and bread for me, and I got the fishies for Bo at a shop back down towards my house. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood today at the shops. People handed me their children and laughed when I would try and talk to the kiddos in Luganda to which I got blank stares from their faces. It was a good shopping trip, and it was all 200 yards from my house.
Last bit: I’m walking
home, more of a spring in my step now, and I can hear my neighbors singing as I’m
getting closer. I had heard them singing
earlier basically all morning, but I couldn’t get out the words. This time they were loud and clear, and I
actually knew them:
If you wanna be somebody
If you wanna go somewhere
You better wake up and pay attention.
If you wanna be somebody
If you wanna go somewhere
You better wake up and pay attention.
Sound familiar? It’s from Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (if it’s from something else then blame my taste in movies) ((It’s a great movie, Maggie Smith is in it and if you ain’t a friend of Whoopi, you ain’t no friend of mine)). Jovia, Katherine, and Joyce were standing on the ledge of their house while Josie “conducted” and Chrissy added some backups. They were putting on a little variety show of sorts. And I had to ask myself, why was I so sad? Sometimes leaving my house is half the battle, especially when people laugh at me, ask me for money, and poke and prod me. But the pros outweigh the cons on a day when the sun comes out and gives your neighbors enough light to perform for their mom. And I know she loved it just like my mom loved being here for a visit.
That’s all I got for now.
Until next time.
All is well,
Kelly
Kelly
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| Merry Christmas, Happy New Year from Bilbo |
