Happy Ugandan Independence Day!!!
Today marks 45 years since freedom from Britain, yet things I’m learning and experiencing here make me wonder just how much control the West has truly relinquished. So much remains in the society as remnants and reminders of colonial rule…from simple things like tea every morning and afternoon when I get home from school, to ethnic conflicts which were preyed on by the colonists and which African leaders failed to mitigate and which continue to create unrest and hinder democratic development, to the economic underdevelopment which necessitates 50% of Uganda’s budget consisting of foreign aid. In addition, many policy decisions here which may not really be the best are made because of pressure from foreign donors and organizations such as World Bank and IMF. This year marks the 21st year of President Museveni’s rule, which for those who don’t know, within the past decade especially has been marked by constitutional abuses of power to an extreme. In 2001 Museveni had Parliament overthrow the constitutional limit of two 5-year presidential term limits so that he could continue to rule; it’s clear that the election that year was rigged such that while his opponent won a majority Museveni remained in power. The Ugandan military is loyal to Museveni rather than to the state, and he has insisted that he is the only man with the vision to the lead the country, and even if he were to have power taken from him he would fight for it back. So you can see that today is a step farther from British colonial oppression, Uganda still has a long journey to traverse on the path of democratization.

I’m sorry that I haven’t written in SOOO long…things have been sooo busy here, and it’s hard to get on the internet for long periods of time. I can only go online during weekdays while I’m on campus, most of which time is occupied with class and doing schoolwork. I have to walk home before it gets dark, so I leave campus by 6:15 everyday. I can’t really get homework done at home, because I have responsibilities helping cooking dinner there and things are too busy and loud at home to do work. That plus the frequent power outages which shut the network down make it hard to get on the internet for long periods of time. I carted my laptop home, down the big hill and back up, to type this blog entry to post the next time I have internet access, because I realize it’s been so long since I’ve posted!

Everything is incredible here. I don’t even know where I can begin to relate my experience. It’s been busy, busy, busy everyday since my last post. It’s hard balancing my school work with time with my family, especially since most weekends are busy traveling. My birthday was great – thank you for all the wishes; I definitely felt loved and missed on my birthday :). A group of us went into Kampala the Friday before my birthday and had lunch at a restaurant called New York Kitchen. It was sooooo good!!! I had the creamiest mac and cheese ever, a chocolate milkshake, and a cinnamon roll. We were so spoiled that day with our American food…it was awesome!! The weekend of my birthday I attended a 50th Wedding Anniversary party. It was held in the huge hall on campus – there must have been around 500 people there. There was sooo much food – and it just kept coming! There were African traditional dancers and drums for entertainment – the grass skirts they shake while they dance were somewhat amusing! The day of my birthday we went to church in the morning and then to a graduation party, which was long-especially considering that it was hours of thanks and speaking in Luganda!

The last weekend in September the IMME group went into Jinja – about an hour away and the 2nd biggest city in Uganda. It is the source of the Nile, and it’s absolutely beautiful. We stayed at Kingfisher Safari Resorts, which was beautiful and right on the banks of the lake that feeds into the Nile. We went on a canoe ride to the beginning of the Nile on a rickety handmade canoe carved out of a tree. It was beautiful, and along the way we saw monkeys in the trees and tons of exotic birds! We ate at a restaurant that serves Indian and Italian food (what a combination, huh?). I had pasta carbonara, which was soooo good. I realized I’m telling you about everytime I have American or familiar food – it’s because it’s really that exciting and that much of a treat! It’s not that I don’t like the food here, but I certainly get sick of matoke, rice, beans, and potatoes.

The past four weeks have been incredibly rewarding – frustrating at times, but so worth it. I’m loving being with my host family. I feel very at home with them and close to them. I often help make dinner at night – cutting vegetables most often, which can actually be a challenge done with only the dull blade of a knife (no handle) and no cutting board, but just a bowl. I sometimes miss the luxuries of home, but more my family and friends than anything else. I’ve had a couple frustrating days where I’m just exhausted from cross-cultural interaction and sick of always being stared at for being a mzungu, and in those times I try to be really good to myself – find a place where I can just be alone or with other Americans. (And my chocolate stash always makes me feel better! :) )Thankfully, those days are pretty rare. I’ve also learned that sometimes it’s okay to do the culturally inappropriate thing and not stop and have a lengthy conversation with someone I pass – if I really don’t think I’m up for it that day I don’t stress myself out too much about it. Getting phone calls, letters, packages, e-mails, and comments from you all at home has been great and really helped me not to get homesick.

Our housemaid came down with malaria two weeks ago and was really sick. She looked miserable and had no appetite. I woke up early one morning to the sound of tons of wailing and screaming in Luganda, following which she was rushed to the hospital. We visited her there to bring food, which was an experience I won’t forget. Metal frame beds were just lined up next to each other with only a foot or two between, no machines near the beds or anything, and no food is provided. So if a patient’s family doesn’t bring food and come feed and care for them, they don’t eat. We sat on a mat on the floor next to Barbara’s bed. She looked really drugged up and out of it. Most of the time we didn’t talk; we didn’t need to. That is one thing I really love about Ugandan culture – silences aren’t awkward and people feel no need to fill them. Someone’s presence is enough, and just being with someone is greatly appreciated. She spent a few days in the hospital and then recovered at her family’s home for a week. She returned to our house yesterday.

One of the other students who lives on campus stayed with me at our house for her two week homestay. Erica and I had tons of fun, and I really liked having a roommate again. The last night she was with us we brought home pizza, mac and cheese and cinnamon rolls for our host family! They’d never had American food, and they LOVED it! Musumba ate two pieces of pizza and then was holding his stomach and saying how full he was and remarking on how quickly American food fills you up. He usually eats a lot, so we were teasing him telling him that in America a college male could down an entire pizza on his own! Elisha and Ritahh especially loved the food. They don’t really eat cheese here, but they all loved the cheese. Musumba was the only one who didn’t like the cinnamon rolls – he said they were too sweet. That didn’t surprise me; the sweets they do have here aren’t as strong as ours, which is true for most food: our food is much richer and stronger in taste.

This past weekend was great. Friday was graduation at UCU; over 500 people graduated. The guest of honor was Lord Rev. George Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury. He spoke in community worship on Thursday, which was great. He spoke on the line “Your Kingdom Come” in the Lord’s Prayer and of the tension that exists in having dual citizenship in the Kingdom of God and in this earthly kingdom, and that the Kingdom of God is NOT just something to look forward to in the future – Jesus sought to bring in a new regime and kingdom in this life. So, he insisted, praying “Your Kingdom Come” is in fact a very dangerous petition. We are called to participate in the work of the kingdom; where there is injustice, hatred, strife, we are called to make Christ known and work for change. We are called to be vision-bearers; he gave the example of Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, the former archbishop of Uganda who was assassinated by dictator Idi Amin, and Nelson Mandela. His message was simple, yet extremely challenging, and fits in so well with what I’ve been learning academically and spiritually the past 2 semesters – between the American Studies Program and here in Uganda.

Friday we finished our first book for the core course, Bishop John Taylor’s book on Christian Presence amid traditional African culture and religion. It was really interesting and incredibly thought provoking. He talks a lot about the universal and particular – those things which are universally true for the practice of Christianity across the board and those things which must be considered according to culture. For example, polygamy is a huge issue here in Africa. We have read that in traditional Africa, men who had many wives that they were able to provide for were respected and seen as being of high status. The clash of the Christian worldview and the African traditional worldview is seen in the tension regarding polygamy. We have read the account of Omodo, an African man with three wives. Upon his encounter with Western missionaries, his response was that the Bible contains accounts of polygamous marriages, and that in the West we have serial marriages in the common practice of divorce, which to him is a much greater evil than polygamy. The stance which the Christian church in Africa has taken is that polygamy should not by practiced by Christians. My host father is a pastor, and I have been privileged to have lengthy, informative discussions with him concerning this matter. He himself is the child of a polygamous father, and when his father became a Christian he left all his wives but one. The children of those wives he left, of which my father is one, were raised by their paternal grandmother and aunt. My host dad informed me that he would counsel a polygamous Christian man to do the same, being certain to emphasize that all the children of those wives must be cared for, and that such practice is accepted in the church. However, the response of the Christian church to African traditional religious and cultural practices raises some significant issues. The decision of one man to convert to Christianity could alter the livelihood of those wives he leaves, many of whom likely have no way of providing income for themselves. In addition, often the children whose mothers are left are then not raised by their mothers, which seems unfair to both children and mother. I’m unsure whether the practice of polygamy is an issue which is universal or particular in nature, that is, whether it should universally be seen as unacceptable for Christians, or whether it is an issue which must be considered within the context of each particular culture. One fact of which we can be certain is that the Biblical teaching holds us responsible to care for the children which we bring into existence, which seems to be practiced in those polygamous marriages which break up due to conversion to Christianity.

After class on Friday the IMME group went into Kampala for one of our trips to see intercultural ministry and missions in practice. We stopped along the way and had sandwiches!!! They weren’t the greatest, but they were cold cuts nonetheless, and believe me, none of us had the slightest complaint! We visited Engineering Ministries International, which was really cool. They are engineers who serve in ministry with their skills – drawing up plans for and carrying through to completion building and engineering projects here and in other Third World countries. They fly in professionals from the U.S. to complete the work. Dad, I thought of you the whole time – you would have loved to have seen some of the work they’ve done. I was so excited seeing it all there, and found myself thinking of the questions you’d be asking – I asked the woman what kinds of zoning regulations and building codes they have here, to which her response was “not many, though there are some, and they are rarely monitored and enforced.” After that we visited with International Justice Ministries’ office in Kampala. If you haven’t heard of them, they’re a really great organization of mostly lawyers that work in many countries around the world for social justice issues. In Uganda they’re focusing their efforts on property-grabbing – when a widow dies all her property and possessions are often seized by her husband’s relatives, leaving her with nothing and often homeless with no income. Very little is done about this, which is pretty common, because most people can’t afford legal help and the system is so corrupt. IJM is working to change this and seek justice for widows.

On Saturday I attended an introduction ceremony, which is the traditional part of a wedding. It was an incredibly elaborate and expensive ceremony, with over 300 people in attendance and TONS of food!!! Here men pay a bride price for the bride, because it is considered a great loss to her clan when she marries into another clan, so the bride price is paid to compensate for the loss. You would not believe all that was brought as a bride price paid to the brides family…a cow, goat, chicken, new dining room table and chairs, suitcase, over 80 baskets of food and bags of coffee, and MORE….it was crazy!!!! The ceremony was in Luganda, so I didn’t understand what was going on, but from what I gathered it was pretty funny. There were two MCs-one from each side that speak for each side of the family. I wore the traditional Baganda dress, called a gomez – a long dress with pointy shoulders and a big belt tied. It’s really hard to walk in, and walking there everyone on the road stopped and stared at me, many laughing, saying “Mzungu in a gomez!” They thought it was the funniest thing. Momma informed me that I wasn’t big enough to wear the gomez, so she loaded me up with all kinds of clothes under the skirt to give me a bigger butt and waist!! She wrapped a blanket around me, and I also had on a slip and skirt. If I can ever get a connection that allows me to upload pictures, I’ll be sure to post some.

I have been surprised to see the sexual ethics practiced here in Uganda, a largely Christian nation. The couple whose introduction I attended already has three children together! The couple professes to be Christians and is part of a Christian community. Upon my shock at learning this fact, I asked my host mother if such an instance was common. Her response was that it was very common and acceptable for everyone but pastors. So, she explained that my host father, who is a pastor, and she did not live together until after both their introduction ceremony and church wedding. The reason behind such a practice as my host mother explained it is that it is unacceptable to not have a large wedding with many guests in attendance. Such weddings are, of course, very expensive, and many couples must save for years to be able to afford such an extravaganza. In addition, the African worldview seems to see the birth of children as the consummation of marriage, so within that context it seems more acceptable that two people who have children together are of the mentality that they are “married” in that they are committed to each other raising children. While it is true that in the West we too often hold our ministers and leaders to higher standards than we hold ourselves and the general public, I do not believe such unequal standards are appropriate or measure up to the Biblical call. We are all to strive to live holy lives.

On Sunday we went into Kampala and visited Kampala Pentecostal Church. Walking into the sanctuary was like being at home – worship was very contemporary and felt just like being at Faith! I cried through a couple of the songs in worship because it made me think of home so much. The speaker was a Canadian evangelist; most of his message centered around family structure, and I wondered if any of the message was relevant to the Ugandans, whose family structure greatly differs from ours in the West. In some ways it seemed like cultural insensitivity and ignorance that he was speaking. Afterwards we ate bagels, eggs with cheese, chocolate shakes, and cinnamon rolls at New York Kitchen….always such a treat! Daddy, I’ve thought often of how much I miss your cheesy egg sandwiches…I think I’ll want one everyday when I get home :)

There’s been a big trade fair – kind of like a county fair at home – going on in Kampala, and on Independence Day we took a taxi in to go. I can’t even explain to you how many people were there – you had to shove through people everytime you wanted to move! And Ugandans don’t really have any sense of personal space – they don’t mind being pushed and shoved to get through; it’s just what you do! There were lots of craft shops, food stands, games, and a couple rides at the fair. The crafts were much cheaper than at the craft fair in Kampala, so I stocked up. Relating to the issue of personal space, this is definitely a huge difference from American culture. One thing I’ve learned very well is that there’s ALWAYS room for more people on a taxi! (Which is not a taxi like in the states, but a matatu – a van made to seat 14 people). Usually there’s 4-5 people in seats made for 3, and often people are sitting half on the person next to them. I was in a taxi the other day with 20 people in it, and that’s not the most I’ve seen!
The knuckles on both my hands are RAW and the skin worn away from doing laundry this morning. I’ve decided that without a doubt the thing I miss most is a washing machine. Washing clothes is such an intense and lengthy process. It took me an hour and a half this morning to wash a towel, 10 pairs of underwear, 2 pairs of pants, and 5 shirts. And let me tell you, it is not fun scrubbing the nasty mud out!!

Everyone at home’s been sick the past couple days, and I’ve come down with a cold as well. Thankfully, my doctor sent me with antibiotics so I’m feeling a lot better. I haave had trouble sleeping the past couple nights though.

We’re going on a safari this weekend!! I’m soooo excited. We leave Friday right after our class gets out at 10:30. It’s a 7-8 hour drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, where we’ll camp out and go on the game drives and a boat launch. I’ll update you on that when I return. I miss you all, and thank you so much for your e-mails, comments, thoughts and prayers. My parents have told me everyone who’s asked about me and said they’re praying for me, and it means more than I can explain. I’m sorry I haven’t updated you as often as either of us would like; I’m going to do my best to post more often despite power outages and the busyness of class and family life so that when I finally get the chance to they’re not as long as this one!! I still can’t figure out a way to post pictures; I think the connection is just too slow. Hope all is well at home!