This warm greeting offered to us upon our arrival at Entebbe Airport today, along with a warm, extended handshake, immediately ushered me back into this country where hospitality is prized and time is the least of anyone’s worries. This is the way the Ugandan people often say hello. It is not a response to any kind of thanks, simply a statement that they are happy to have you, stay as long as you like! When I returned home from Uganda during the summer of 2009, I was determined to restructure my priorities and live a more people-oriented life. It didn’t take long, however, before relationships again succumbed to busyness. Within 24 hours of arriving in Uganda, however, I have already been blessed with three new friendships and experienced countless other casual yet meaningful greetings as we have traveled around from Entebbe to Kampala (the nation’s capital), getting organized and oriented. Here, people and relationships reign and timeliness and appointments take a back seat.
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| A few of the animals we saw at the UEC, and in the middle the Elder Tree. I don't know about you but I can't look at it without thinking about Rafiki's tree in "The Lion King!" |
Immediately upon arrival, our host and new dear friend Enoch took us immediately to the Ugandan Education Center-a zoo in Entebbe dedicated to educating visitors about Uganda and East Africa’s wild creatures. From there, he and our two lovely drivers, Ben and Edison, carted us (along with our six or seven large bags filled with supplies for ourselves, and some for the school, I promise!) around Kampala to sort out phones, internet, and registration with the American Embassy. We were then given the evening to relax in our hostel room. We will stay here for three days of orientation and sightseeing before heading to Kasese, a six hour drive nearly straight west, this weekend. On Monday we will get our first introduction to Rwentutu Christian Community School, where we will begin teaching later next week.
Currently, I am sitting in our room looking out of the wide open and screenless porch door at the Kampala skyline. “These you call high-rises” says Enoch, because they are not so tall as the buildings in our cities. Enoch is well-educated and has spent time in Canada, so he has an idea of the differences between here and home. He has been quizzing us all day when we ask him questions, directing them back to us with a teacherly “what do you think?” He has already taught us so much about our new home for the next two months and eight days and has helped me begin to get very excited about the teaching we will have the opportunity to engage in over the coming weeks. He has also already made us feel secure and, along with everyone else we have met, welcome in Uganda. After two weeks roaming the UK with my sisters, I am a little overwhelmed by Kampala. But the kindness and hospitality of the Ugandans has worked its magic and I am beginning to feel at home here once again. There is a great deal to learn and do, and I feel anxiety about it all creeping in from time to time, but I am already so blessed and encouraged by our Ugandan guides. They are genuinely excited to have us here and welcome us with open arms. More than any place I have traveled, I feel welcomed and at home here.
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| The view from my room: like any large city, Kampala is a mix of swanky skyscrapers (or high-rises) and impoverished peripheral dwellings. As Enoch explained, many Ugandans live on less than $1 per day. Education is viewed as a means of escaping poverty. |
