An American in Uganda

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.

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.

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

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year from Bilbo