Today was both an extremely nothing day AND contained the first highlight of my trip. The day started with leaving the hotel (which was supposed to happen at 8am, so being the muzungu that I am, I got up early, got ready, packed and ate and was at the doors at 8 on the dot. About this time Henry wandered down to get breakfast. This is when I remembered where I was So I sat back down and had a lovely cup of African tea while Henry ate.
Next up was the drive with Tom (the Taxi as he calls himself) to Kampala. Now I remember the streets being crazy with traffic, but nothing can prepare you for the chaos of the streets there. I don’t know how they do it, but between cars, boda boda’s, bicycles, trucks, matatus and people all moving on the same streets going a million different directions, it still somehow works (mostly, although I did see atleast 3 accidents between the trip from Entebbe to Jinja).
After a quick stop at Adrift, we were on our way to Jinja. I think the thing that struck me the most about the people I saw as we made our way through the country, is that there are two types. There are the people who are standing around and talking with the other people around them. They looked to be enjoying life and taking it easy. The second are the people doing work way beyond their abilities, or at least what we would deem appropriate from a North American standard. Men walking their bicycle with 20 metal rods easily 5 metres long, in the middle of traffic. Women carrying huge burlap bags of maize or posho slung over their shoulders, walking along the side of the road. Craziness! And yet this is just their way of living.
Anyways, we made it to Jinja without much mishap, and found our way to Siouxanne’s house. I have to admit my living conditions are beautiful. It is a very large compound with a guarded gate. My room is easily the size of my room back home, and I am happy to announce that I have running water, which means a toilet that flushes and a shower! I spent a couple of hours unpacking, and then met up with Henry again…for the moment I had been waiting for. To see the boys!
Henry took me on his bike to the boy's house. The first one I got to see was Jacob. He was working in the garden when we got there. He was home from school because he had a headache and he skin was itching and bothering him. He gave me a big hug, and then showed me what he had in his garden. (Tomatoes, cabbage and maize). Shortly after that the new boy named Ronnie came home. He was very chatty and happy. They took me inside to show me their home. Now while it was crowded, and not a lot of space for this many boys, they had made it home. Jacob had his paintings up on the wall and the table was painted and decorated amazingly. What really touched me was that my name was painted on the table as well. I was humbled.
Soon the rest of the boys came home: Patrick, Steven, Michael, Mike and Ambrose. They all came in hugging me, so happy to see me. It was an awesome moment. I held back my tears and just enjoyed the moment. They all changed out of their uniforms and came to sit down around me. It felt a little bit awkward, but it was great just being in the same room at the boys. I handed out their Canadian hats to them, as well as a bunch of soccer magazines that I brought down for them. They seemed very happy, and went after them right away. I also brought shoelace candy (which they made sure to ask If they could swallow), and sour fruity gummies .
I got to spend the next hour sitting and talking with many of the boys. They were looking at pictures on my camera of home, asking many questions about how we lived, and what it was like to be on an airplane. It was fun just being able to spend some time getting to know them better, and talking about what they were interested in. Later on Johnson (aka Sunday) and Moses came home, as did Alex, Henry’s friend who helps out with the boys as well. All in all the whole night felt surreal. I left the boys with a promise to see them tomorrow, and to go to their soccer game on Saturday.
I had dinner with Siouxanne tonite, and then later on Emily joined us. It was nice to talk and learn more about the people and the culture. I must admit, I now have a massive headache, and am about ready for bed (even though it is only 9pm).
Pray:
- My jet lag to go away quickly
- Safety as I travel around Jinja
- Henry and my meeting to talk about street kids stuff
- The boys to be open to having me in their lives and feel comfortable talking and sharing things with me
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