mpola, mpola

So. I have been here a solid 3 weeks now, and I've only managed 1 blog entry. I feel like I should have written more by now, but every time I sit down to write, I find that I cant really put this all into words yet. I've been just taking everything in, and haven't really been able to process it into a blog entry just yet, but now I will do my best.

My title says it all: mpola mpola. In Luganda, it means slowly, slowly. (Also very good vocabulary to have on those boda boda rides!) There is so much I could write about, so many questions I've gotten so far. What's it like there? What kind of food do you eat? How's the weather? What kind of work are you doing? How are the kids you work with?

I just feel like I can't write about those topics just yet. "What's it like here?" Where do I even begin to try to find words to describe it? Mpola, mpola. I'll get to all of that.

Right now I feel like I'm in a learning phase, and I'm so perfectly content in that at the moment. I don't feel any need to rush in and feel like I'm really accomplishing anything right off the bat. I'm learning about the culture, about DP (Dwelling Places), how they function, who's who, getting to know the kids, slowly but surely learning a little Luganda. I'm sitting back, listening, watching, asking, learning how to dig into a culture that is relationship-oriented rather than task-oriented.

I'm learning how to sit and do nothing for hours.

Necessary skills for Africa! I'm also kind of finding my niche at work. They have me placed in a role where I feel absolutely useless. I feel like the work I'm doing could be done by the people who are already in the office. I'm going to be teaching, but the kids are on holiday for another week, so I haven't been able to start that up yet. I would also like to do some drama with them, and they seem to be interested too, but I haven't dug into that yet. Still observing, learning, getting to know the kids, etc, and then I will move in that direction in the next few weeks. So hopefully soon I will be transitioning out of my role in the office a little bit and into other projects. But mpola, mpola.

Anyway, the important thing is I'm absolutely loving it. I just feel like theres no way to be here and not absolutely fall in love with Uganda. This country does something to you, this whole continent does something to you. I'm not sure what it does to you or how, but it does. It touches your heart, it changes you.

So, in fun news! This weekend I went white water rafting at the source of the Nile! AND bungee jumped INTO the Nile!!!!!! It was unbelievable!! I'd never been rafting or bungee jumping before, so what better place than the source of the Nile? We went up there Friday night and hung out at the campsite, with a nice patio overlooking the Nile. It was so beautiful, I couldn't believe it. I didn't expect it to be so beautiful. I was just like, "oh yeah ok its a river" but the land around it was so fertile, it felt like something out of Jurassic Park.

It made for great scenery while we were rafting, too. There were long stretches of calm water where we just swam and admired the views (and prayed for no crocodiles!). Then we went over 8 rapids. Level 5 is the most extreme level of rapids, and 2 of them were level 5! The rest were level 3 or 4. Our boat flipped twice. The first time was really panicky because I got stuck under the boat and couldn't get up to get a breath. Then I pushed the boat off of me, only to have it fly back on me! I survived though! And the second time we flipped was just all sorts of fun. We all went flying out of the boat, then were swept away downstream! Safely! Not the kind of "stuck under the current" sweep downstream. The fun kind!

The Bible verse of the day was Psalm 18:16. "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters." hahaha

So I will leave you with a few pictures. Click on the pictures for a larger view. I can't even begin to respond to the question "What's Uganda like?" so the best way I can do it is in a picture. This was taken at one of the markets downtown, and for the record, most of the city is not this jam-packed or chaotic, especially not the areas where I work or live. But every time I go down there, I feel like it is absolute chaos and madness just like this. There's a lot happening in this picture that sums it up pretty well. 14-passenger taxis stuffed with 18 passengers, battling for space on the road with bodas weaving in and out of impossible crevices, pedestrians somehow navigating it all, a garbage truck picking up garbage that is just piled openly on the ground, vendors working hard and not really selling enough to make a day's wage, the dust, dirt roads, the energy of the city, the mix of traditional African dress and very nice Western clothing.

And here we are rafting the Nile! I'm the second one on the bottom, with a face full of Nile.

And here is a link to the video of me bungee jumping!!! aaaahhh still can't believe it!

http://vimeo.com/24086614