10 days in the bush, 20-2-09 to 1-3-09

Rural homestay = lots of relaxing, very slow pace of life.
Stayed with mama Constance, whose husband passed away in 2006 and whose only son is at Makerere University. So it was just Joy, myself, and her, which was awesome and so peaceful. Mama just wanted to take care of us, but in a very gentle way that is not typical of most of the “mamas” we’ve met here. She made us our favorite foods (rice, beans, chicken, goat, cabbage, and irish potatoes), and let us help her cook and keep the fire going. We also washed dishes and fetched water, shelled groundnuts, and gardened (a bit). But our lifestyle was so relaxed, especially compared to some of our friends that worked so hard.
We spent a lot of time just sitting in these little wooden chairs, “watching the road.” Sometimes we would talk, especially about Mama’s story –how she got engaged, about her family, about Ugandan customs and iTeso ways (iTeso was the ethnic group in Soroti). Most of the time, though, we’d just be quiet, which was so refreshing. I got to think about so many things, seriously God brought things up from years into my past and just, talked to me about them. I developed such a sense of peace and much more of an ability to just be quiet, and to be alone with God. It’s helped my time here in a lot of ways, particularly with interacting with other USP students and really prizing the quiet time I get to spend with my Father. Such a blessing.


There’s much more to write, but it was such a huge experience I can’t hope to commit it to paper. I am going to post pictures, and I look forward to sharing more about how my rural homestay affected me when I get home.

After 6 days with Mama Constance, we went to Sipi Falls. It was a much less posh resort than at Jinja –I actually found myself really homesick for Mama Constance and our comfortable little grass hut. But the real point in us being at Sipi was to go hiking! The hotel/hostel thing was perched on the side of these sweeping mountains, that were more like cliffs. Our cliff swept down the mountain to this valley that the falls dumped into, and then raced up the other side. Our hike was to go all the way to the bottom of the falls and then back up to their source. When we got back and looked where we had gone –I could not believe it. One of the best parts was Sunday morning, when we had worship at 7:30am on the highest hill in the area. The hike up there was pretty intense, but the view was completely amazing. I didn’t even take a picture because to downsize the effect would’ve been so paltry. We sang, “Behold he comes, riding on a cloud, shining like the sun, at the trumpet call!” and it was so moving! You looked out over the cliffs and into the fields that went on forever and they just faded into the cloud line. I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the thought that if Jesus came, that moment, riding on a cloud, we would be the first ones to see Him! I could just feel the possibility of something great sweeping towards us out of the vast horizon. So crazy.

Now that we’re back at school, things are very much normal again. We’re halfway through the semester and the staff keeps encouraging us to stay present and not let our time slip away. I already feel like this week has flown by, which is always the case with school weeks. This weekend we’re going to Kampala to meet Ashley’s sister who is in the peace corps here for the next two years, and next weekend we’re going white water rafting on the Nile! Pretty much when we don’t have trips, our time is bookmarked by weekends. Classes are just mundane, and the workload is light, thank goodness.

We’re having a few struggles with the culture still, mainly learning how to deal with our Ugandan friends feeling comfortable asking us for money, but it not being appropriate to give them any. That’s hard, especially when it’s something as trivial as $15 to a girl who has done so much for us. However, it only perpetuates a stigma of separation between Americans and Ugandans in a way that is actually detrimental to our relationship and the prospects of any future USP students. It’s hard to think that long-term when you know you have the money in your back pocket, and they know it too. Pray for those kinds of difficulties, if you have a spare moment.

We are still learning a ton, especially in our Faith & Action class –about poverty, simple living, development, and politics. We’re currently reading Compassion, by Henri Nouwen, which is a great read. Not quite as challenging as John Taylor, but more readable. A lot of the students are really enjoying it, including me. I have a few papers and short things to write, and I’m looking forward to working with an on-campus drama group to choreograph a ballet piece for their spring performance. Nothing fancy, just expressive and worshipful.

--Emmes