These past two weeks in Uganda have been wonderful, challenging, stretching, and simply beautiful. I have spent these last two weeks with my homestay family in Mukono, Uganda. Two weeks ago I was sitting in a session called "homestay orientation" when I was told to stay after class because my USE leader wanted to talk to me. I remember thinking, "What could I have possibly already done wrong/ got in trouble for here?! I've only been here for ONE week." I was not in trouble, so don't worry. I had to stay after the session because she wanted to give me a little information about my family that I would be living with for the next two weeks. Two weeks or 14 days how ever you want to think about it. Does that sound long or short? I didn't know either. Two weeks- That is how long I was in Switzerland for my senior year..the whole trip was two weeks. That is almost half the time I was in Bulembu, Swaziland. But two weeks that isn't long I thought, until I heard what my leader had to say. She told me that I was going to the most "rustic"homestay that they send USE students to. They have debated not sending students there, but they had prayed about it and thought about it and the staff truly thought that I would love the family & embrace it. My leader then said, that she would check in with me on Monday to see if I wanted to switch, but she was confident that I would be fine. Naturally, I was not going to say "You are wrong" and go against the staff's prayers and thoughts so I began to mentally begin for my 2 weeks with my family.
I arrived Saturday in a Land Rover and was literally just dropped off at the front door of my new home. I did not know my family's name, where I was, or how many people I would be in my new family. The only advice I was given was "Monday Will Come." Right, so I walked into my 'rustic' home with just that thought "Monday Will Come." I am posting this blog going into my last night at my homestay, tonight. I can honestly tell you that I love my family very much and that I am so happy and entirely blessed by the decision to stay at this home.
Here is a glimpse of my family and home :)
I have absolutely amazing. She is a first year social work student at UCU (coincidence?) and is an amazing wonderful woman of God. She is beautiful, hopeful, and loves her family. She is strong, intelligent, and is the rock that keeps the family together. She is compassionate and is a visionary and a fighter.
I have a 20 year-old sister Irene who has literally become my sister. She is funny, sassy, sarcastic, and fun to be with. From the first day with her we have laughed to our stomach hurts, she has taught me to cook food, we have had deep conversations that could only exist in that special bond between sisters. That intimate bond that exists between sisters where you come as you are-nothing more and nothing less. You love each other and share with each other...
I have two brothers, Gerald and Patrick. Gerald is 19 while Patrick is 15. They are both funny guys, but very different from each other. I could always count on Patrick to be listening to "My Redeemer Lives" while I would overhear Gerald blaring Drake or T.I. and some other artists. Gerald works at the dining hall at UCU so I make a point to embarrass him every night. He's my brother it is my duty right?
I have a younger sister Patience who I am 100% completely in love with. She is 11 years-old and has my heart. At first she was shy, but we broke through that. We have a handshake, we play lot's of Go-Fish, the concentration, memory, and we snuggle on the couch together. Every night, she reads me a bed time story, because I go to bed so early here. It is the most precious thing in the entire world as she comes under my mosquito net and reads to the story of sleeping beauty or how the tiger lost his stripes. I wear this hideous night gown (that is what we were told to bring) and she gives me a hug and says "Good Night Grandma" (because yes I look like I'm 86 in it). My heart melts as I fall asleep.
I also have a little brother Andrew is 10. He actually just got here yesterday because he was staying with family in Kampala so I have not got to know him that well yet.
Okay, so my 'rustic' house. It has 3 rooms. In the first room are a few broken/breaking couches and chairs, a tiny coffee table, and yes, TV that they just got a few months ago. The TV is always playing corny soap operas that are definitely Spanish then translated to English. The local favorite is Hidden Passion. Then there is another room with 2 triple bunk beads, a small cupboard, and a tiny table. All the beds are occupied by my siblings, my Aunt who stays with us, and my cousin Jen who also lives with us. Patience and Andrew share the bottom bunk of one of the beds. I sleep in the back room where there are just two beds in a small room for Mama and Me. It is quite cozy for all 8 of us that live there and we are often visited by my Aunty Sara who is hilarious and her three hilarious kids. I have a latrine outside where I go to the bathroom and bathe. Yes, my toilet is literally just a deep hole in the ground surrounded by three walls. At first I was a little scared of that hole, but I've embraced it and I will forever be thankful for indoor plumbing. I bathe out of a jerry can which is interesting but hey it gets the job done.
Okay, quick story time about my 'toilet' and 'bathing'. My first night at home there was a man who my sister referred to him as the "crazy sad mad man." He has some mental problems and just sort of wonders around the town. Well, during the day, he wondered into my latrine and stayed there. When it was getting late and I needed to take my first jerry can bath he was still there. It was getting dark, I was dirty, and he had to leave. Because I am the oldest sibling, Irene wanted me to go talk to him to get him to leave. I don't speak any Luganda and I just got there. So we got Patrick to get him out. Patrick called us chickens and said we had nothing to fear because we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Well, yes that is true, but I still was fearing my hole and the upcoming bucket bath. Well, I needed to bathe, it was dark, and I had no idea what I was doing. So I thought this was normal, but I guess not after talking to other USE students on Monday, my sister and I bathed together. What a special bonding moment-- each of us bathing from our own jerry can. Soaked, freezing, and clueless I bonded with my sister. At the end we ended up getting in a water fight as we threw the left over water at each other in a final rinse off. That was the first night..again, I was there for two weeks and that was only the beginning.
As time went on I felt more and more like part of the family. They seriously considered me a sister and a daughter from the moment I walked through the door. I have thoroughly enjoyed running around the capital with Irene and Gerald, talking to Mama about social work and her dreams to open a counseling center, going to a Luganda church with mama, going to sunday school with Patience, playing memory in Patience's play house, and them giving me the name Kisakye which means "Grace" in Luganda. I eat potcho every night for dinner which is just boiled water with flour until it is mixed into a substance like mashed potatoes and is served with some sort of sauce like beans or stew. I have gotten very dirty and dusty as I walk through the red dirt every day to school or play games with Patience, Andrew, and the neighborhood kids outside. I am part of the family and Mama told me she was keeping my bed just the way it is for me to come back and stay with them whenever.
I absolutely loved by homestay experience. It was very helpful and beneficial having school during these two weeks because it broke up the day. I would go to school in the morning and come home. I love that feeling of coming home. It is always such a comforting and restful feeling. Yes, my 2 weeks was wonderful, but it was also a time to learn to be flexible and to grow. The second weekend at home was really hard. I had been with my family since friday afternoon and I had nothing to break up the weekend and was just around the house all weekend. Naturally, in a crowded house, we were getting in each other's hair by saturday, and I just kept thinking "monday will come." Monday did come, but thankfully, Sunday was wonderful. I went to an English church with Patience and after she went to Sunday school I had some much needed alone time. After church, Irene and I sat and talked for an hour. It was beautiful as she shared a lot about her life, hardships, and joy with me. I learned so much about her and Ugandan young women in general. Having more than one boyfriend Uganda is common (though Irene only has one). It is so common to have one man at school, then another man who pays tuition for university, then another man in town who pays other living fees. Right there is just three men. Three men needed to pay the expenses of education in order to ensure a better life than the parents ahead of you. But at what cost? HIV/AIDS? Dignity, value, and worth? But it is, for many young women, the only way to be able to get through schooling. I don't know the answers to these tough questions or a better way. But I just pray that there is a different way.
Tonight is my last night at home. I am sad, but I am excited to move back to UCU. I love that my family lives close to school so I plan to visit them often and watch Hidden Passions with them. Tonight I am giving them gifts from home and a whole thing of brownies. Yumm, I can't wait to taste chocolate for the first time in a very long time...well really anything besides starch!
I have tons to say about my homestay and I journaled a lot about it. So I am excited to tell you all more when I get home in May. I wanted to write about my practicum at Off-Tu but that will be another post... I guess you will just have to wait in suspense :)
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