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I was talking to my husband last night as he stepped to the front door. Next thing I know he had disappeared! Finally he came back with this little ball in his hands. He had spotted the hedgehog on the front porch and it took off so he ran after it! It was so cute. They have pygmy hedgehogs here, and this one was most likely a full grown adult. He had all his quills out, so he felt like we were holding a little cactus, but his little face was so cute, and he would start to unroll and then just close up to a little ball. We tried to feed it a carrot, but it just wanted away from us. No, we did not keep it, but if we find a baby one we just might. We read about them after it left, and they say they can make pretty good pets! It sure was cute!

It’s not even 9 am here and we have been at the day since 6 am! Christian is putting in the forms and getting ready to put the gate up and they are starting on the guard-house. The bulls are plowing to plant corn, Raelee, oh I’m sorry, “Lightning” the superhero, is making plans on how to kill the Crack Eye Monster and his wife because they are eating all the hot plants at the dome house. Apparently the Crack Eye Monster makes a beeping noise, which is actually a bird that does get pretty annoying, but I don’t tell her that because I know that for at least a couple of hours she will be planning, setting traps, and digging for this monster and out of my hair and not suckering unsuspecting people at the well. Some days, she sits at the well with a water can and when someone comes, she asks for help in filling her bucket. When they are done she helps them, people here get so happy to be able to help the cute, curly hair mazungu. They leave, she dumps her bucket out and waits for the next person to do it all over again. I went to stop her one day, but I saw her interacting and the joy on people’s faces, that I let her be. I just believe there is a fine line between being a controlling ego-maniac who manipulates to get their way and a leader who directs people for good. I want her to use her powers for good and not self satisfaction!
I have just finished mopping for the first time today, probably the first of a few times if the rains come today. The past couple days it has rained in the night, so the floors haven’t been quite as bad. That red mud is very hard to get off the floors.

I went shopping yesterday with a friend. I wanted to get a couple of dresses, and we were looking for leggings. Shopping is an interesting experience. We went to a dress shop, and it went okay although she wanted to sell me two dresses for 15. each, when I know she sells them to Ugandans for 3. each. Some of the dresses were not used, but I can promise you they have sat in a warehouse somewhere for probably the past 20+ years and in the states I shopped at Goodwill, or good sales and I wouldn’t pay 15. for them! I eventually talked her down to about 9. each, so I was happy and she was happy. I have also been wanting a pair of sneakers, so maybe I can keep my feet clean once in a while, so as we were walking I saw some Converse All Star high tops. They were actually my size, a 4 in boys. Let me just say here – people buy whatever is available. It doesn’t matter if it is flourescent pink and you are a guy, or if you wear a size 6 and all they have is a 4, you will wear flip flops with half your foot hanging off them. Our wash lady came yesterday with her little boy and he had an a pink tee with glittering hearts and a white and yellow skirt. So, ok, back to my shoe story. I bought the purple high tops even though I was wanting black, purple is my favorite color and the right size was available. But I had said I was looking for black ones so the guy with the booth next to that one came at me with some black high tops – size 9! I said, no, too big. He said no, just perfect! No. He came back with 11’s. Jeesh, I said no, too big! He said they would work and he needed the money. So sorry, but I had to leave him with his big shoes!

Christian has had quite the job keeping these fellows working, and doing the job correctly. There is the language barrier, the understanding barrier and the ignorance barrier. And I don’t mean that in a mean way. I mean it in the literal meaning of people who have not been privileged with an education, or exposure to anything but village life. They have their own ways of doing things and just assume the mazungu is stupid. A few finally learned when they did a job their way when Christian left them with instructions – it fell apart and they did come back and do it right without pay. I think they probably think Christian is a rough boss, but understand he is fair, and they get paid a lot of money for the jobs that they do so he expects hard work. They get paid by the day/project so if it was up to some of them, they would rather stretch it out for twice as long. Understandable, but our organization isn’t made of money, so we have budgets. They don’t get that if we go over budget every project, we may not have money to work anyone. This conversation that follows kind of sums up some of the things we come up against – in everything – and makes it very hard to get a handle on what is needed for projects.

“Hey Bakali, we have the two bulls that we are thinking of selling. But what if I sell one, and buy a milk cow. She will need to have a calf once in a while to keep milking, so we will keep the one bull for her.”

“That would be very good sir. You would need the bull to have a calf.”

THE VERY NEXT DAY

Christian is looking at the bulls, they are sick with “sleeping sickness” and have weepy eyes. “Hey Bakali, those bulls look like they have been castrated”

“Sir?”

“You know (and he makes a snipping motion with his hands) castrated”

“Oh yes sir they have been castrated”

“They can’t make babies”

“Oh no sir (he is laughing) they can’t make babies”

“Bakali, you told me that would be good to keep one of the bulls for our cow so that she could have calves, but if they are castrated they cannot do that”

Bakali is rolling laughing like Christian is an idiot “No sir, that wouldn’t work”

See? We go through that kind of thing daily! And it is funny sometimes, but not when dealing with budgeting a project and we only get half the story. It is all a learning experience and we pray daily for opportunities to witness, to teach, and have patience! We love it here, and we love the people so much and pray for better understanding of what goes on in their heads!

Might be the straightest fence line in Uganda! Lol!

The fence is coming right along! Should be finished and have the gate up by the end of this week!

Raelee is the only one of us that I don’t really think has experienced any culture shock. She goes about her merry days in freedom and in song, playing with whoever she happens to come upon. Doesn’t matter if they speak the same language, or if they are her age or 50, she is going to be their friend. She has the friends she plays with everyday, and then, those who are just passing by become friends pretty quickly. Usually she has her pal Smoky under her arm like a rag doll or bouncing him around in the air. This morning she had the baby in her room and when I went to check on them, she was trying to dress HIM in girl clothes! He wasn’t having it, even though here it is very hard to tell girls from boys when they are babies because their mothers put on whatever is available. Boys in pink glittery shirts!

Here is just a little glimpse in the day of a future queen!

We are learning so many things about the culture here, but still there is so much we don’t understand. Most seem to be very pushy, and sometimes it is tough to get them to understand No! I try to remember, this country has been through so much over the years, and I think many see the white people as their salvation. Where we want to try and figure out ways we can help them to ultimately help themselves to a better future, all that they can see is today and what we can give them today. Of course, that is not the case with all the people we have come in contact with, but a large percentage. Looking ahead of getting through today is not something they are used to doing. One boy was cutting down a young fruit tree and when asked why doesn’t he let that grow so that one day it would bear fruit, he said that would take too long, the idea of having something for your kids or your kids’ kids is not a common concept. Mostly because for many, it is just a struggle to get through this day. And because of past history of the country, there just isn’t much hope for a better future. Our friends in Kampala left Western Uganda with it’s beauty, mountains and lakes because they couldn’t make a living there, but have to live in the slums of Kampala to scrape a living. Even so, they were very gracious, and loving and happy – with hope of better days to come.

I’ve talked about the time issue! Time is not measured as we measure it. I really don’t know how it’s measured here! There is usually no hurry to get anywhere or do anything. We have learned that they have different words for the same numbers – our 11 is their 3? It is more about the event than what time it starts or ends. We were invited to a birthday party on Saturday from 4-5. I was told it never starts on time so let’s leave our house at 5-5:30, so we tell our driver 5:30. Then we fin
d out it is just going to be cake and coke so maybe we should leave at 5, but our driver wasn’t here yet, he actually didn’t arrive to pick us up until 6. At about 7 pm the party started! It lasted a couple hours and was great fun, but I am so glad we didn’t get there at 4! It has been very hard for me, I never like to be late, but here being early means for a very boring wait for the real fun to begin!

You do not get in a hurry to ask questions. If you need directions, first you must ask “How is here”, “how is there”, “Welcome Back” “Thanks for coming”? Funny! Even to buy something, don’t get
in a hurry, you have to go through a few greetings first! People are all about relationship here. Shaking hands may take 4-5 minutes, and sometimes longer if they are not in a hurry to let go of your hand! Some hug, like the french do, left side then right side. Sometimes the 2-3 word greetings can go back and forth and back and forth and then got your seperate ways! On the whole, I don’t think they talk as much as Americans do. And if they want something, it is almost always just hinted at and not directly asked.

We’ve had to get used to the staring. Well, I haven’t really gotten used to it, it still freaks me out a little! At the birthday party last weekend, there was a boy about 12, who stared and I mean stared for a very long time. It’s not so bad if they aren’t sitting almost on top of you, but when they are sitting close or in front of you and they just stare, never smile, hardly blink, it just makes me very uncomfortable. But it is not rude here to stare, especially at the white people. I made a group of kids laugh because they kept saying “Mazungu” and I said “My name is Rhonda – not Mazungu!” They thought that was pretty funny.

We were invited to a home for lunch – at 4 pm, which we didn’t actually eat until about 6 so that made it right on time for our supper! Here, lunch is around 1 and supper is 8 or 9 pm. But we were invited for lunch at 4 because they said their home was so hot at lunchtime. When you go to someones house to eat, the women are outside cooking, and I am not supposed to even go out there. I sit with the men inside. Then the women (or woman) serves the food, and she and the host do not eat until everyone has eaten, the women eating outside also. Kind of weird, coming from our culture where it is polite to try and help or at the very least talk to the women cooking! I broke the rules, went outside and sat with them anyway. I told them I need to learn how to cook here so watching them was good. They were thrilled!

The thing that has made the most impact on me is that no matter what their circumstances, most have a healthy sense of humor and love to laugh (many times at my mazungu expense) and are gracious and willing to help in anyway they can. Everyday we are here, I love it a little bit more.

Ivan giving her a papaya

Two best friends!

Raelee has a buddy, a big brother of sorts, Chimuli Ivan. Around here, most people give you their name with the last name first, and are called by the last name. Ivan’s last name means flower, so everyone loves to call him Chimuli and tease him. Most of the time I call him Ivan. Raelee calls him Chimuli, Dr. Ivan, Flower and sometimes just Ivan. He is our day guard, and he pumps water for me, and for some of the older ladies that come to the well in the day. He is a hard worker, always cleaning up, always keeping busy, besides playing with Raelee. They play hide and seek, and I think he aggravates her as much as she can boss him around! I missed a photo opportunity the other day, Raelee had a bucket with water and soap and was washing Chimuli’s socks. I asked her later, “Why would you wash his socks?” She looked at me like I was so dumb and said “Because they were filthy!” He helped her hang them on the line. Other times, he keeps an eye out on Smokey, bringing him back if he runs too far off. Christian said he heard him give Raelee a swat for doing something. One day I heard him telling her no, and I looked out and she had the machete he had just used to cut bananas down, swinging it like a golf club.

When we first got here, he barely spoke any English and to be honest, he kind of scared me. He never smiled, and barely made a noise when I gave him something, but now I know it was just that he is shy and he really didn’t speak any English. Now that Raelee is his constant companion in the mornings, he has really picked up alot of English. I’m just waiting for him to start talking with her southern twang!

I give him tea and biscuits every morning because I do appreciate all the work he does around here, especially pumping and filling my cans of water!