Aside from the chickens and dogs that keep me up at night,
beans and bananas three meals a day, a bed like concrete, and spiders the size
of my fist…UGANDA IS MARVELOUS. I lucked out BIG TIME with the company I’m
working with. There are 12 total and I love each one of them. I think we cover
just about every religion on planet earth. Islamic, Methodist, Jewish, and
uhhh…Mormon! There have been some intense conversations. Everyone is so
respectful of everyone’s religion, which is really neat and exactly how it
should be. If something is sacred and means the world to someone, there is no
question that we should all respect it.
Some of the girls will go off about what they believe in and I’m like
woah, that’s pretty weird. Then I think to myself...“I’m sure they think I’m
the weirdest, dang it.” Don’t worry though, I clarified I don’t wear magic
underwear and I only have three moms. ;)
Even in Uganda I get spoiled. My housing/food accommodations
are top-notch. Well, top-notch in African standards. We are staying at a bed and breakfast with the most incredible host family. There are four girls
in my room, it’s pretty cozy but I’m not complaining. The girls are just dying
without air conditioning and I laugh because it’s basically an icebox here
compared to Hawaii. Breakfast and Dinner are included and we have the sweetest
cook in the whole world. Maybe I can’t remember her name right now…BUT. She is
a sweetheart. For breakfast we usually have bananas or some kind of fruit and
just about every coffee and tea you can think of. I just sit in the corner with
my water bottle. MORMON REPRESENT! Lunch is usually more fruit and coffee. In
other words, bananas and water. Dinner is where life gets good. Beans,
potatoes, Chipati (thick tortilla), and more beans. So basically beans,
potatoes, and bananas for life. It was really good the first couple days. But after week
two…well, I’m ready for my Taco Bell.
Uganda has already had such an amazing impact on my
life…mostly in a way to humble my spoiled American dream lifestyle I’ve had for
20 years. But hands down, the most phenomenal part about Uganda is spending our
days in the Namatala Slum. Natamatala is about a two miles from where we live.
On the way to Namatala we take a boda, which is like a motorcycle taxi…shhh
don’t tell my dad. It isn’t too scary as long as I close my eyes and hold on
for dear life. On the way home we walk. Just a little pre-exercise before we go
to town on those potatoes. Oops, there I go again…letting food get my off
topic. SO. Namatala. You can only imagine what a “slum” in Africa is like. The
circumstances of this poverty don’t get worse, because you can’t survive on
much less than the people of Namatala. In the 20,000 person slum of Namatala you
will find unclothed children playing in the dirt, clay huts with no windows or
doors, emaciated goats and dogs roaming the streets, women longing to sell
rotten fruit and vegetables they have laid on the dirt, etc. The bombardment of
the African children jumping and screaming as Americans enter their village can
be a bit overwhelming. The best kind of overwhelming, that is. The children
will speak Swahili to each other, and run their mouths a thousand miles an
hour, but the second they would a white person they will holler, “Hello. How
are you?” If you don’t respond with, “Fine, how are you?” they are completely
lost. The African children gaze into the eyes of westerners grinning ear to ear
as they jump on you and grab your hands. At first you can’t help but assume
they are about to ask for money. Or worse, trick you into learning some African
dance while their buddies snatch your bag. But in reality, they are just as
fascinated with you as you are with them.
Unfortunately, the addictions of gambling and drinking are
universal. It’s a sad reality to see the women slaving away to make even 1,000
Shillings ($.40) per day and find the men hidden in alleyways huddled around a
table drinking booze and gambling what little money they have. These singles
mothers are doing everything in their power to feed and clothe their children
while these men, most of them fathers of abandoned families, drink their
responsibilities away while blowing every penny they own as their children
starve…it’s enough to make you sick to your stomach, it’s enough to break your
heart.
Just a few facts on the Namatala Slum:
·
20% of the population has HIV
·
1 in 5 Ugandan children are orphans
·
1 in 7 Ugandan children will not live to age 5
On a less devastating note, the happiness radiating
throughout the slum is remarkable. It’s the most cliché saying in the world,
but it’s also the truest, money doesn’t buy happiness. The people of Namatala
grin ear to ear and radiate joy because they focus on their blessings, not
their trials.
THE WOMEN WE WORK WITH.
I lucked out big.
Have I said that yet? When we met the women on the first day they jumped to
their feet hugging us and repeating, “We love you. Thank you. God bless you.
Never leave. Stay here forever and never die.” Yes, I was bawling after about .5
seconds. We then went around in a circle giving a brief introduction. Most of
the women talked about how they are behind on rent, can’t afford to feed their
children, husbands abandoned them, etc. By the time it got to me I should have
said, “Hi I’m Chanel. I’m from America. I’m spoiled rotten and I don’t deserve
to be in your presence.” The bond I feel with these women in Namatala is
unexplainable. My friend, Leeann, and I went to visit Elizabeth (my favorite
woman…shhh) at her fruit stand. We spent an hour or so talking to her, eating
avocado, and trying on her head wraps. When it was time to go I have her a hug
and said “See you tomorrow Elizabeth! I love you.” And She responded, “Thank
you. Thank you for loving me.” It caught me by surprise. It made me sit back
and think about the power behind the words “I love you.” I usually tend to get
in such a routine when people say I love you. Because 99% of the time the
response is, “Love you too, bye”. The next time someone you care about says, “I
love you” to you, respond with “Thanks. That means a lot. I love you too.” I
feel like that annoying Sunday school teacher ‘challenging’ you. But I promise
it will be an incredible experience.
Until then,
Chanel
 |
| Big head and silky hair. Bad combo for head wraps. |
I simply love Elizabeth.
