Hello! I hope this finds you all doing well. This will be my last entry for a little while because I am leaving tomorrow to live with a family in Captura, a rural area of Uganda, for one week. These are called “rural homestays.” Each student in the Uganda is given the opportunity to spend a week in the bush experiencing the village lifestyle. I live in a village around the university, but it is not a rural village. Captura is a 7-8 hour drive away from the city into the hills. I’ve heard it’s beautiful, so I’ll probably take lots of pictures while I’m there. Most students will be placed alone in a family. This kind of makes me nervous. I live alone in a host family near the university, but I see my friends every day when I go to school. This will be one week by myself in a very new cultural setting. I am sure it will be challenging, but I also expect to learn a lot. And I think that is the important thing in just about any cross cultural setting—always go with the expectation of learning and growing. It’s impossible to leave unchanged.
We’ve been asked to take very little with us to Captura, because the families do not have many possessions. I am allowed a backpack…so I suppose it will be entertaining tonight when I try to pack a week worth of clothes, toiletries, mosquito/bug repellants as well as my rain boots, portable mosquito net, rain coat, Bible, and journal into my backpack. We’ll see how that works. It might take some magic. The rain gear is because at the end of the week, we are all going to be picked up and spend the weekend debriefing at Seepy Falls, a hiking resort. So I’ll have the opportunity to do some pretty cool hiking, but that means extra clothes (pants of some kind) and rain gear. We will not be allowed to wear trousers of any kind in the village. The modesty rules will be stricter: skirts have to go to the ankles, shoulders must be covered at all times, no visible tattoos, no dangly earrings, no makeup, sit with legs together (not crosses or apart) at all times…that’s a hard rule for me to follow. Being accustomed to sweat pants, I have the habit of sitting like a boy, legs wide apart gangster style, which is startling and rude here. Not to mention sometimes in long skirts you just need a bit of a breeze and it helps not to have to be squeezing your legs together the entire time. Haha.
Ok. That’s all beginning tomorrow. But here’s some news of the week. This week has been crazy stressful. This happens at least 2-3 weeks every semester it seems. All of the sudden everything is due at the same time and it’s crept up on the procrastinating student who suddenly has ten assignments and two days…ok, it hasn’t been that extreme, but close. I had a paper due on Tuesday, a paper and two presentations due today, and I have an exam tomorrow! It will be my first exam here in Uganda, so I have no idea what to expect. But with all of the other assignments, I haven’t had time to study until today…so that’s rough. But as the French say “c’est la vie.” That’s life. And the week is nearly finished, and we won’t be attending classes next week, so the rural homestays will be a chance to relax a bit. Sort of like a spring break, except instead of tanning on a beach I’ll be sleeping in a grass hut and squatting over holes to…
Sometimes I’m amazed at how well I’ve adjusted to the lifestyle here. I just don’t really have time or energy to freak out about things most Americans would freak out about—it’s desensitizing in a way. For instance, bugs and outhouses are just a part of my everyday here, along with the lack of toilet paper—and I don’t even flinch anymore when I pee on my foot/leg, which happens about every day. But lots of the things are the same here as well. African people are people too, just like us. There are cultural differences, sure, but people are people everywhere. We still eat three meals a day, live in houses, sleep in beds, go to college, put off assignments, hang out in the dorms on campus…they’ve encouraged us not to romanticize Africa in our blogging and messages home. I hope I haven’t done that. I hope reading my blog that you get some sense of the differences, some of the similarities, and that you are able to share in the lessons with me. God’s Kingdom is incredibly diverse. All people are created in his image and have unique things to contribute to the Kingdom.
So this is random. But I keep forgetting to mention it and it’s something sort of funny. Sitting in class the first couple of weeks, I thought I was going insane. I kept hearing this beeping noise. Beep, beep, beep. Were other people hearing it too? Where did it come from? I asked around and discovered that people did indeed hear it, and like me, were utterly distracted by it in class. It’s hard to focus in class here anyway, because the classrooms are practically open air and thus don’t shut out any sights, sounds, or noised from outside, but the beeping was especially aggravating. So we asked someone who’s lived here for a long time. The source of the mysterious beeping/ticking noise (this is a reference to a youtube video some of my friends might know of and enjoy)? A bird! Yes, that’s right. And while we don’t know its official name, and I’ve never been able to actually see it, we call it “The Catch Phrase Bird” because if you’ve ever played the game of Catch Phrase, that’s exactly what the bird sounds like. And there’s one camped out somewhere near my house right now as well…thank God for earplugs! If only I could find some way to block it out in class. And just once I want to see the bird.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Week 5
Hello amazing friends and family. I hope you all are doing well. I realized today it's been a while since I've sent out one of my mass emails, so here goes. I have, however posted on my blog in the past week, so you can check that out as well.
This is week 5 of my stay in Uganda. Every Friday, I tick another week off of my calendar and can't believe I've been here for so long already and how fast the time has gone!! In these five weeks, I've taken two weekend trips (Jinja and Rackai), done a lot of course work, including four presentations and a paper, made American and Ugandan friends, learned a little of the Luganda language, written a lot of sociology fieldwork journals for my degree at Milligan, become a part of a family, walked who knows how many miles, acquired love handles from waayy too much rice and bread, cooked nobake cookies for my family, had my eye-glasses stolen and miraculously returned, taken terrifying rides in matatus (Ugandan taxis), learned to love matoke (staple food made of mashed green bananas), handwashed my clothes three times, attended two Anglican church services each lasting 2.5 hours and in Luganda, learned to pee in a bucket without peeing on the floor, not learned to pee in the outhouse without peeing on my foot, made friends with our cow Kwagala (which means loved one or love)...besides a lot of other really fun and challenging stuff. Every morning I wake up and still can't believe I am in Africa and loving it here. I really have no complaints. Life here is different, but good.
I am absolutely in love with my family here. Mama Joyce, Ida, and I are becoming fast friends, sisters, family. It's really cool. And a guy named Dennis recently moved in with us, and he's cool as well. Sometimes communicating is tough because they all have to work in their second language, but we are getting by and beginning to know each other. I enjoy going to school and seeing all of my friends, but I look forward every night to returning home. I always get home just in time for tea and bread (quickly becoming two of my favorite things ever). We eat buttered white bread and take hot tea with lots of sugar. It can't be healthy, but it sure is good! It's been interesting being a commuter student for the first time ever. I commute on foot between university and home everyday. I enjoy the walking, even in the mud, because then I get to wear my awesome rain boots and go tromping through puddles and several inches of squishy mud. It's the rainy season here now until March I think, so it rains here everyday, sometimes all day, but the rain is beautiful in its own right, and we're still getting plenty of sunshine.
School is going really well. I am finally getting used to the amount of assignments we have due each week. Here, there aren't so many exams, but there are tons of papers, journals, and presentations. I have at least one, sometimes 2 presentations each week. It's a different education system. Now that I've got the hang of it, it isn't so stressful. I think my favoirte class is African Literature. It's been a long time since I've taken a lit class, so I am just enjoying the opportunity to read and discuss novels in class, and to write more creatively. Sometimes I feel like being a sociology major in college has killed my creative side and made me into more of a critical analysist--not that analyzing things isn't good, but I miss more creative writing and thinking. So here's my chance--and what better place to take African lit than in Africa with an African professor? And the prof is really great--he's an older eccentric guy absolutely in love with his students and teaching. I am excited for the oppportunity to get to know him. His name is Dr. Patrick Mukakanye. His last name is hard to pronounce, but I think I'm getting it down (Mook-a-con-yay).
This past weekend we travellled to a beautiful region of south western Uganda called Rakai. We were near a village called Kibaale (Chee-ball-ay). The area is right on the equator near the Uganda-Tanzania border. We took a hike up this hill/mountain thing, and it was gorgeous--from one side we could see Tanzania and from the other Uganda. We all got really sunburned in the process (forgetting we were on the equator and the malaria meds make us sun sensitive) but it was well worth it. Besides hiking, we visited a Canadian mission that was a school and medical clinic as well as a farm. It was neat to see how God is working in the region. Because I am a part of the group of students in the Intercultural Missions and Ministry Emphasis (IMME), I get to stay with my host family off campus and travel around to see different missions in Uganda. It's pretty cool. God is definitely working in my heart and confirming my calling and desire to go into long term missions after school is finished. I am learning a lot here.
I got a package from my Grandma Mira and Grandpa Joe yesterday, and it pretty much made my week. Lots of valentines goodies, and a teddy bear, as well as gifts for Mama Joyce (which she loved!). It was good to binge on some American candy and have a letter from home. Thanks also for all of the prayers and support everyone is giving me. I love hearing from you, talking to you, and the knowledge that I am thought of and prayed for is very encouraging and comforting. I am reminded that I am never alone, but am forever a part of the body of Christ, something so much bigger than me and my world!
Well, I think I'll hop off here. I was invited to tea this afternoon in the dorms with some Ugandan friends, and then I have orientation for our rural homestays. In a couple of weeks we'll be heading out to the bush to live with families in rural villages for one week. I am looking forward to the adventure and the week off of classes. I'll give all the details when I return! But for today, I just have to go to a really long, boring meeting about how not to killed in the bush...
Alright. Love you all.
--Danielle
This is week 5 of my stay in Uganda. Every Friday, I tick another week off of my calendar and can't believe I've been here for so long already and how fast the time has gone!! In these five weeks, I've taken two weekend trips (Jinja and Rackai), done a lot of course work, including four presentations and a paper, made American and Ugandan friends, learned a little of the Luganda language, written a lot of sociology fieldwork journals for my degree at Milligan, become a part of a family, walked who knows how many miles, acquired love handles from waayy too much rice and bread, cooked nobake cookies for my family, had my eye-glasses stolen and miraculously returned, taken terrifying rides in matatus (Ugandan taxis), learned to love matoke (staple food made of mashed green bananas), handwashed my clothes three times, attended two Anglican church services each lasting 2.5 hours and in Luganda, learned to pee in a bucket without peeing on the floor, not learned to pee in the outhouse without peeing on my foot, made friends with our cow Kwagala (which means loved one or love)...besides a lot of other really fun and challenging stuff. Every morning I wake up and still can't believe I am in Africa and loving it here. I really have no complaints. Life here is different, but good.
I am absolutely in love with my family here. Mama Joyce, Ida, and I are becoming fast friends, sisters, family. It's really cool. And a guy named Dennis recently moved in with us, and he's cool as well. Sometimes communicating is tough because they all have to work in their second language, but we are getting by and beginning to know each other. I enjoy going to school and seeing all of my friends, but I look forward every night to returning home. I always get home just in time for tea and bread (quickly becoming two of my favorite things ever). We eat buttered white bread and take hot tea with lots of sugar. It can't be healthy, but it sure is good! It's been interesting being a commuter student for the first time ever. I commute on foot between university and home everyday. I enjoy the walking, even in the mud, because then I get to wear my awesome rain boots and go tromping through puddles and several inches of squishy mud. It's the rainy season here now until March I think, so it rains here everyday, sometimes all day, but the rain is beautiful in its own right, and we're still getting plenty of sunshine.
School is going really well. I am finally getting used to the amount of assignments we have due each week. Here, there aren't so many exams, but there are tons of papers, journals, and presentations. I have at least one, sometimes 2 presentations each week. It's a different education system. Now that I've got the hang of it, it isn't so stressful. I think my favoirte class is African Literature. It's been a long time since I've taken a lit class, so I am just enjoying the opportunity to read and discuss novels in class, and to write more creatively. Sometimes I feel like being a sociology major in college has killed my creative side and made me into more of a critical analysist--not that analyzing things isn't good, but I miss more creative writing and thinking. So here's my chance--and what better place to take African lit than in Africa with an African professor? And the prof is really great--he's an older eccentric guy absolutely in love with his students and teaching. I am excited for the oppportunity to get to know him. His name is Dr. Patrick Mukakanye. His last name is hard to pronounce, but I think I'm getting it down (Mook-a-con-yay).
This past weekend we travellled to a beautiful region of south western Uganda called Rakai. We were near a village called Kibaale (Chee-ball-ay). The area is right on the equator near the Uganda-Tanzania border. We took a hike up this hill/mountain thing, and it was gorgeous--from one side we could see Tanzania and from the other Uganda. We all got really sunburned in the process (forgetting we were on the equator and the malaria meds make us sun sensitive) but it was well worth it. Besides hiking, we visited a Canadian mission that was a school and medical clinic as well as a farm. It was neat to see how God is working in the region. Because I am a part of the group of students in the Intercultural Missions and Ministry Emphasis (IMME), I get to stay with my host family off campus and travel around to see different missions in Uganda. It's pretty cool. God is definitely working in my heart and confirming my calling and desire to go into long term missions after school is finished. I am learning a lot here.
I got a package from my Grandma Mira and Grandpa Joe yesterday, and it pretty much made my week. Lots of valentines goodies, and a teddy bear, as well as gifts for Mama Joyce (which she loved!). It was good to binge on some American candy and have a letter from home. Thanks also for all of the prayers and support everyone is giving me. I love hearing from you, talking to you, and the knowledge that I am thought of and prayed for is very encouraging and comforting. I am reminded that I am never alone, but am forever a part of the body of Christ, something so much bigger than me and my world!
Well, I think I'll hop off here. I was invited to tea this afternoon in the dorms with some Ugandan friends, and then I have orientation for our rural homestays. In a couple of weeks we'll be heading out to the bush to live with families in rural villages for one week. I am looking forward to the adventure and the week off of classes. I'll give all the details when I return! But for today, I just have to go to a really long, boring meeting about how not to killed in the bush...
Alright. Love you all.
--Danielle
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Names, Laundry, and Matoke
So this will hopefully be a brief note including a few things I keep really wanting to say and then forgetting to. I have a few minutes, so I'll say them now.
Names in African are incredibly important. They are a part of who you are. You have a special relationship to your name whether it was given to you at birth or you were named later. Names are a part of your character. Mama Joyce chose a name for me recently: Mirembe. It means "peace." What a powerful name. It could mean so many things for me: I love peace, I am peace, I seek peace, and I am peacemaker...I could probably go on for a while. So I am proud of my name, because it reflects Mama Joyce's opinion of me, and because it challenges me to think peace in my everyday life. As Christians I think we are called to peace. What does that mean? Peaceful living with people around us, with nations around us, with nature..."Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Children of God" (Matthew 5:9).
Ok. So laundry. I was doing it the other day and when I am washing clothes by hand I kind of feel like I am in hell. It is SO MUCH work. And it hurts your back, and my knees, and your knuckles and palms get rubbed raw...and that stain still won't come out. And if you are a Mizungu, then you didn't learn to wash clothes by hand from the time of birth, so you suck at it to boot. So here's a comical picture of my African life for you: I was washing clothes, or trying to wash them, the other day. And I had been washing for some two hours, and it was only like ten pairs of underwear, a couple of skirts, and some shirts--in total, like 20 items of clothing. So I have been laboring, and I am kind of mad at the world, and I am soaking wet, and squatting African style (this is a unique style I am convinced) by my basin, and the guy who takes care of our cow and one of his friends show up. And his friend, who I've never met before thinks this is hysterical. I have this soaking wet towel, which weighs like 20 pounds, and I don't even know where to start scrubbing and washing, and I am wearing more water than the basin holds--so he starts teasing me. And I am so not in the mood. He's like "you don't wash!?" and the cow guy (who is named Francis and I really like) says "no, they have machines." And this brings another fit of laughter from his friend and a comment like "oh I forgot. Americans are rich and they machines, but in Africa, we use our hands and they are strong..." And so I try to laugh along, and then luckily they feel sorry enough for me to help me do the towel. I was talking to a good friend via the internet. And if he reads this, I hope he doesn't mind me quoting him. He's been reading a book recently that encourages each of us every day to do something we hate. Basically, to practice the discipline of doing not-so-fun things with the cheerful and faithful heart. And that really spoke to me. What a discipline to have. To be cheerful in all circumstances, and to intentionally do something every day to challenge your cheerfulness. So last night I did laundry. And I kept that in mind. And it went so much better.
So food. Can I please just say that I love the food here? And that is such a blessing in so many ways. Americans live to eat, but Africans pretty much just eat to live, so there isn't much variety. They have a staple food called Matoke made up of smashed green banannas or something--and at first, it seems tasteless--and they eat it almost every meal. But as far as food is concerned, I realize how important it is to accept the food of the culture you are in and to accept their hospitality. So I just eat whatever comes my way. So I have a lot of Matoke. And at first it was hard. And then I had a revelation this week: I REALLY like matoke. Yum, yum. I am pretty sure I Would miss it if we didn't have it with pretty much every lunch and dinner. It's a great mixer food, going well with rice and veggies and the different sauces and soups here...so I guess if you eat anything (or maybe almost anything) enough consecutive times, eventually you come to like it.
Ok...so that's all for now. And I'm sure I'll post this and then remember something else I wanted to say. But I'll just say it later. Love you all and hope God is blessing you like He is me.
Names in African are incredibly important. They are a part of who you are. You have a special relationship to your name whether it was given to you at birth or you were named later. Names are a part of your character. Mama Joyce chose a name for me recently: Mirembe. It means "peace." What a powerful name. It could mean so many things for me: I love peace, I am peace, I seek peace, and I am peacemaker...I could probably go on for a while. So I am proud of my name, because it reflects Mama Joyce's opinion of me, and because it challenges me to think peace in my everyday life. As Christians I think we are called to peace. What does that mean? Peaceful living with people around us, with nations around us, with nature..."Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Children of God" (Matthew 5:9).
Ok. So laundry. I was doing it the other day and when I am washing clothes by hand I kind of feel like I am in hell. It is SO MUCH work. And it hurts your back, and my knees, and your knuckles and palms get rubbed raw...and that stain still won't come out. And if you are a Mizungu, then you didn't learn to wash clothes by hand from the time of birth, so you suck at it to boot. So here's a comical picture of my African life for you: I was washing clothes, or trying to wash them, the other day. And I had been washing for some two hours, and it was only like ten pairs of underwear, a couple of skirts, and some shirts--in total, like 20 items of clothing. So I have been laboring, and I am kind of mad at the world, and I am soaking wet, and squatting African style (this is a unique style I am convinced) by my basin, and the guy who takes care of our cow and one of his friends show up. And his friend, who I've never met before thinks this is hysterical. I have this soaking wet towel, which weighs like 20 pounds, and I don't even know where to start scrubbing and washing, and I am wearing more water than the basin holds--so he starts teasing me. And I am so not in the mood. He's like "you don't wash!?" and the cow guy (who is named Francis and I really like) says "no, they have machines." And this brings another fit of laughter from his friend and a comment like "oh I forgot. Americans are rich and they machines, but in Africa, we use our hands and they are strong..." And so I try to laugh along, and then luckily they feel sorry enough for me to help me do the towel. I was talking to a good friend via the internet. And if he reads this, I hope he doesn't mind me quoting him. He's been reading a book recently that encourages each of us every day to do something we hate. Basically, to practice the discipline of doing not-so-fun things with the cheerful and faithful heart. And that really spoke to me. What a discipline to have. To be cheerful in all circumstances, and to intentionally do something every day to challenge your cheerfulness. So last night I did laundry. And I kept that in mind. And it went so much better.
So food. Can I please just say that I love the food here? And that is such a blessing in so many ways. Americans live to eat, but Africans pretty much just eat to live, so there isn't much variety. They have a staple food called Matoke made up of smashed green banannas or something--and at first, it seems tasteless--and they eat it almost every meal. But as far as food is concerned, I realize how important it is to accept the food of the culture you are in and to accept their hospitality. So I just eat whatever comes my way. So I have a lot of Matoke. And at first it was hard. And then I had a revelation this week: I REALLY like matoke. Yum, yum. I am pretty sure I Would miss it if we didn't have it with pretty much every lunch and dinner. It's a great mixer food, going well with rice and veggies and the different sauces and soups here...so I guess if you eat anything (or maybe almost anything) enough consecutive times, eventually you come to like it.
Ok...so that's all for now. And I'm sure I'll post this and then remember something else I wanted to say. But I'll just say it later. Love you all and hope God is blessing you like He is me.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Week 4--Wow--Almost a Month!
Hello everyone! It’s been great to hear from you in email, on facebook, in blog comments, and by phone. And thank you for all of the prayers and thoughts and the coming packages. I am so far a away from home, but one of the coolest parts of this experience is to realize that no matter how far I travel, I am not disconnected from my friends and family at home, that God’s family is global, and prayer reaches to the ends of earth.
In Uganda, when a Christian asks you for your testimony, they don’t want to hear the story of how you came to Christ. There is a time and place for that, of course, and there is powerful witness in those stories, but in Uganda when someone asks for a testimony, they want to hear how God is acting HERE and NOW in your life. They want the story of this past week, yesterday, today. Africans believe in the power of presence. It is easy for them to sit in silence with one another, because a friendship does not have to be built on conversation. So to them, God is ever-present, regardless of his seeming silence—God is present and active in everyday life. I am learning how to see God in this way, how to see Him in small moments of my day to day life as well as the mountain-top moments of spiritual clarity, which are rarer. It takes discernment and practice to search for God constantly, but what a great discipline to develop—the act of sharing in God’s presence even in what seems to be the monotonous routines of my average days. And isn’t this true friendship? When you have a friend that doesn’t only come to share your good times, but is present in all your times, a friend who doesn’t necessarily come with advice or a helping hand (although those are nice), but who often comes just to sit and commune with you in silence?
So that’s a bit of insight on the spiritual journey I am pursuing in Uganda right now. I am trying not to form such a dichotomy between my spiritual and physical life. Classes are going very well right now. I am beginning to adjust to the work load and figure out the Ugandan system of doing things. It doesn’t aggravate me so much to go on scavenger hunts through various libraries to find books or to travel to printing offices for each assignment I need printed. I am hopefully coming to learn the African concept of time and simply going with the flow. Things become less aggravating when you aren’t running on such a tight schedule. When time is flexible, we have more time to meet obstacles and obstacles aren’t so daunting when you accept the fact that they are simply a part of life and when they come it isn’t a sin to stop and take the time to experience them fully. Interruptions aren’t much of an issue here—society is relationally based, so saying hi to my friend who I pass on the road is far more important than being on time to class. People trump schedules always. It’s been challenging for me to slow down. Sometimes the time here drives me nuts and I have what I like to call “mini culture rages” on the inside, but these instances are becoming fewer I think. Case and point:
On this past Friday I thought I was going to have a free day (which means no class!). But when I informed Mama Joyce of my free day, she thought that was excellent because we had been invited to a “party.” Now I have learned already to be skeptical of how Ugandan’s use the word party. It generally isn’t the same thing as the US version. And of course, it wasn’t in this case either. The party was an Anglican church service for all of the priests and clergy in the area, as well as special guests, presided over by the Anglican Bishop of the area (sound like a rocking party yet?). The church service began 45 minutes late and lasted 2.5 hours and was in Luganda to boot. I followed the liturgy of the service to some extent, but 2.5 hours in a foreign language is a long time to sit still. After the church service, there was supposed to be entertainment and food, so we all trooped over to the Bishop’s back yard. The entertainment was a highschoolish band of about 15 young people that seemed to play the same song over and over again, or a variety of songs that were nearly the same, and some songs sang by the wives of the clergy and Bishop (who had organized the party). So we all sat in chairs outside listening to this entertainment, and waited for food for over two hours (though the food could have been served immediately). So I had somewhere to be on campus at 4:00pm, and I didn’t even get food until almost 3:30, and the party had started at 10:20, when Mama Joyce and arrived for the church service, which didn’t start until 11:15 (though scheduled for 10). Sound frustrating to all of you Americans out there? It was for me. But here is the Ugandan way of seeing it: how awesome it is to get to worship with other believers for 2.5 hours—what better kind of party could Christians attend? And the entertainment was great because who doesn’t like music? And besides, we were all sitting together outside for more than two hours, which was lots of time to share in conversation and community with our friends. I was really interested in the food, and my stomach isn’t used to waiting, but patience here is a virtue, and food wasn’t the main point of the party.
This week is shaping up to be a good one, and I am looking forward to this weekend, when we are travelling to an area called Rackai (likely spelled wrong). It’s a rural area where the students interested in missions and ministry are going to meet some missionaries and see what kinds of things they are doing. It should be a fun trip, and hopefully I won’t cap it off with a case of food poisoning like I did our Jinja trip. This means persons interested in phoning me this week should probably wait until 8-9 on Sunday night (my time, which is like 12-2 your time) to call me, because the rest of the weekend will be spent on the bus/in Rackai, and I won’t have too much time to talk.
Some prayer requests: firstly, that I find my glasses. They’ve been lost in the chaos of a huge family party we had this past weekend (check out the pics on facebook), and they are either in a really strange place at home or not at home at all. So just pray that I find them or that they are returned to me. Also, just my fellow students, that we are all adjusting well to Uganda and learning and not getting homesick…etc.
Well, time to jump off here and go to lunch. Love you all and am looking forward to hearing from you!
--Danielle
In Uganda, when a Christian asks you for your testimony, they don’t want to hear the story of how you came to Christ. There is a time and place for that, of course, and there is powerful witness in those stories, but in Uganda when someone asks for a testimony, they want to hear how God is acting HERE and NOW in your life. They want the story of this past week, yesterday, today. Africans believe in the power of presence. It is easy for them to sit in silence with one another, because a friendship does not have to be built on conversation. So to them, God is ever-present, regardless of his seeming silence—God is present and active in everyday life. I am learning how to see God in this way, how to see Him in small moments of my day to day life as well as the mountain-top moments of spiritual clarity, which are rarer. It takes discernment and practice to search for God constantly, but what a great discipline to develop—the act of sharing in God’s presence even in what seems to be the monotonous routines of my average days. And isn’t this true friendship? When you have a friend that doesn’t only come to share your good times, but is present in all your times, a friend who doesn’t necessarily come with advice or a helping hand (although those are nice), but who often comes just to sit and commune with you in silence?
So that’s a bit of insight on the spiritual journey I am pursuing in Uganda right now. I am trying not to form such a dichotomy between my spiritual and physical life. Classes are going very well right now. I am beginning to adjust to the work load and figure out the Ugandan system of doing things. It doesn’t aggravate me so much to go on scavenger hunts through various libraries to find books or to travel to printing offices for each assignment I need printed. I am hopefully coming to learn the African concept of time and simply going with the flow. Things become less aggravating when you aren’t running on such a tight schedule. When time is flexible, we have more time to meet obstacles and obstacles aren’t so daunting when you accept the fact that they are simply a part of life and when they come it isn’t a sin to stop and take the time to experience them fully. Interruptions aren’t much of an issue here—society is relationally based, so saying hi to my friend who I pass on the road is far more important than being on time to class. People trump schedules always. It’s been challenging for me to slow down. Sometimes the time here drives me nuts and I have what I like to call “mini culture rages” on the inside, but these instances are becoming fewer I think. Case and point:
On this past Friday I thought I was going to have a free day (which means no class!). But when I informed Mama Joyce of my free day, she thought that was excellent because we had been invited to a “party.” Now I have learned already to be skeptical of how Ugandan’s use the word party. It generally isn’t the same thing as the US version. And of course, it wasn’t in this case either. The party was an Anglican church service for all of the priests and clergy in the area, as well as special guests, presided over by the Anglican Bishop of the area (sound like a rocking party yet?). The church service began 45 minutes late and lasted 2.5 hours and was in Luganda to boot. I followed the liturgy of the service to some extent, but 2.5 hours in a foreign language is a long time to sit still. After the church service, there was supposed to be entertainment and food, so we all trooped over to the Bishop’s back yard. The entertainment was a highschoolish band of about 15 young people that seemed to play the same song over and over again, or a variety of songs that were nearly the same, and some songs sang by the wives of the clergy and Bishop (who had organized the party). So we all sat in chairs outside listening to this entertainment, and waited for food for over two hours (though the food could have been served immediately). So I had somewhere to be on campus at 4:00pm, and I didn’t even get food until almost 3:30, and the party had started at 10:20, when Mama Joyce and arrived for the church service, which didn’t start until 11:15 (though scheduled for 10). Sound frustrating to all of you Americans out there? It was for me. But here is the Ugandan way of seeing it: how awesome it is to get to worship with other believers for 2.5 hours—what better kind of party could Christians attend? And the entertainment was great because who doesn’t like music? And besides, we were all sitting together outside for more than two hours, which was lots of time to share in conversation and community with our friends. I was really interested in the food, and my stomach isn’t used to waiting, but patience here is a virtue, and food wasn’t the main point of the party.
This week is shaping up to be a good one, and I am looking forward to this weekend, when we are travelling to an area called Rackai (likely spelled wrong). It’s a rural area where the students interested in missions and ministry are going to meet some missionaries and see what kinds of things they are doing. It should be a fun trip, and hopefully I won’t cap it off with a case of food poisoning like I did our Jinja trip. This means persons interested in phoning me this week should probably wait until 8-9 on Sunday night (my time, which is like 12-2 your time) to call me, because the rest of the weekend will be spent on the bus/in Rackai, and I won’t have too much time to talk.
Some prayer requests: firstly, that I find my glasses. They’ve been lost in the chaos of a huge family party we had this past weekend (check out the pics on facebook), and they are either in a really strange place at home or not at home at all. So just pray that I find them or that they are returned to me. Also, just my fellow students, that we are all adjusting well to Uganda and learning and not getting homesick…etc.
Well, time to jump off here and go to lunch. Love you all and am looking forward to hearing from you!
--Danielle
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