Lasting friendships

Day 10 in Uganda

This morning we planned on getting up early to go to the pool. George had to call his brother so that we would have another van. There was a total of 33 that went in 2 vans. You can only imagine. On the way Mayi sat in my lap. There were 5 girls in the front and 8 girls in the back. George, Christie and Josiah were in the very front. 

The roads here are very bumpy and very few are covered in pavement. I am so amazed by the tiny cars that travel these roads. It was about an hour trip one way with 45 minutes of that being dirt road.  As we traveled the bumpy roads, the children we passed yelled “Hey Mzungu” (white person) and George yelled back “Hey Mudugavu” (black person). No one ever yells that back at them so they really had fun with it.  When we arrived at our destination, it just appeared out of no where and it was beautiful. There were little huts with carvings on the outside of them. The grounds were well manicured. Lush trees cover the landscape. Statues of animals as tall as large buildings. These kids were in for a treat. We made our way down a little path to the pool area. Everyone waited eagerly to get into the pool. The staff was busy preparing lunch for us all. The children were given the cue and they all jumped in. They were splashing and jumping. I have never seen kids so excited. George told us lunch would be ready in 10 minutes, so Christie and I sat on the side of the pool and put our legs in.  I think this was the coolest I have been since I have been here. We just sat by the pool and admired the children and how happy they were. These children here don’t get to just play, unless they’re at school.  They don’t get to just relax. They are aways carrying water, walking to and from school, gathering firewood, washing clothes, etc. 

We all went up for lunch. Our table looked like one out of those medieval movies. It was long and covered in a red table cloth. 31 people sat at this table. We had mashed potatoes, a vegetable medley, rice, chicken, slaw (no mayo), and pineapple. The children had a rare treat of soda. I have never seen so many clean plates and those plates were loaded. People do not waste food here. If you become full someone else eats the leftovers. After we enjoyed our meal it was back to swimming. 

Christie and I finally got to jump in. The water was the coldest I have ever felt. I swam from one end of the pool to the other. Then I tried to teach some of the kids how to swim. Half of the kids have never talked to me, but they were all over me today. I showed them how to doggy paddle. Nora and Betty were my best friends. Godfrey even spoke to me and called me mom. Every time I turned around they were calling my name. I loved it. I held them while they tried to float on their backs. I taught them how to do the washing machine. When I showed one all of them wanted to learn. I showed them my back and front flips. They were amazed. I showed them how to stand on your hands underwater. Mansul, one of the deaf kids from Malaria, came over and wanted me to show him how to do the washing machine. I tried explaining and Christie said, “You know he can’t hear you right?” and I said “Well that is even better.” I was so glad I got to spend this day with these kids. 

I decided to take a break and laid on the concrete to warm up. All of the kids surrounded me. They taught me some Luganda and I told them the names of my children. They taught me how to sing one of their songs they sing in choir. I now have the best of friends and I love them all dearly. I am gonna be so disappointed to leave. My heart hurts just to think about it. Yes, I miss my family back home, but I have family here too. And what makes it so bad is that I haven’t known them that long. I haven’t gotten to spend as much time with them as I want to and that is what makes it hurt so bad. By the time they start to get used to me being here, I am gone again. Sigh...

After swimming for about 6 hours we were all worn out. We all loaded back up in the vans and headed home. Christie and I, with our stark white selves, got slap burnt up. This time Ritah sat in my lap. We stopped for some supplies in town. Amina jumped out and purchased some bread. Someone else got a banana. The girls passed small pieces around without even asking. My heart melted. They think of one another. They care for one another. They shared and only had a small bite for themselves. I don’t know about you but my kids wouldn’t share until I told them to. When George got back in the van, he noticed the back tire was low. There aren’t convenience stores on every corner here. So we had to rush home as fast as we could. Most of the girls had fallen asleep and Ritah’s little head was just a bobbing. I looked around at her face and she was asleep sitting straight up. I grabbed her little head and pulled her back. I wrapped my arms around her and leaned my head onto hers to keep it from jouseling around. She was sleeping so well she was drooling. 

We finally made it home. We were so tired. We will sleep well tonight. It was tea time and I went to get it ready. The kids were staring hard at the TV. They were watching some corny karate movie. As I was in the kitchen I could hear all the drama going on in the movie and then it stopped. I looked into the living room and the movie was paused. I asked why and George said they were practicing their moves. These people are hilarious.