When a US president dies, we eat mattresses

So I don't know how long it's been since my last post, but I know it is too long. I apologize, but it's not easy to find time to sit down and write a blog. Anyways, a lot has happened in the last few months, so I'll start with a brief of overview of everything. A few weekends ago, five of the other volunteers and I went to a place near the Kenyan border called Sipi falls. We stayed in small little huts called bandas at the base of one of the 3 large waterfalls in the area. It was possibly the most beautiful place I've ever been, and the resort we stayed at was fantastic, with some amazing food. The following weekend, all the volunteers and Andrea, Pipih, and Haril went to Jinja, a larger city about 45 minutes from Iganga, to celebrate Annie's last few days here. We went to a delicious restaurant and watched the USA vs. England World Cup game with a bunch of British people. It was a blast. Later that week, I went with one of the matrons of Musana, Joseph, and another volunteer, Bekah, to meet some girls who had been recommended to come live at Musana. We traveled to a village near Iganga, and walked around asking people if they knew these girls. We eventually found them at their home, where they lived with their two very elderly grandmothers and tiny baby brother. Their parents had both been killed, and so their grandmothers from both sides were their last living relatives. Bothe the old women had a slew of health problems, and so we are now in the process of deciding whether or not they should come live at Musana. It's not my decision, but they certainly have my recommendation.

Last week, we had a group of teachers from Colorado come and assist the teachers at Musana for a week. There was a group of 6 of them, and two had brought their sons. They were both about my age, and thankfully they came and helped me at the farm a couple days. One of the teachers was also a well known Christian speaker named Gari Meacham. Her husband used to play for the Yankees, and is now coaching for the Houston Astros. Gari was one of the kindest people I have ever met, and she came to the volunteer house and led a Bible study, which was very cool. Another one of the women was the wife of Tyler Polumbus, a tackle for the Denver Broncos. Before they all left, they arranged for a little party for all the kids, and made them delicious food and brought them soda and cake, which they all loved. They also brought tons of candy, and a pair of shoes and a backpack for every kid who lives at Musana. They were all very kind, and we were all sad to see them go so soon.

Also this past week, I have gotten the chance to go to a nearby village a couple times with Matron Joseph to get a women's group started up there. The village is called Bwongo, it is up in the hills outside Iganga, and it is gorgeous. Many Ugandan, especially in villages, have no real career besides being a mother and housewife, and much of their day is spend dying very little. We have gone around and gathered them together to teach them to roll paper beads for necklaces. The beads are relatively easy to make, but they can be very time consuming. We have some women who already work at Musana strictly rolling beads for necklaces to sell, but we decided that it would be good to outsource a little bit to increase our productivity. It works out well for both parties, because it gives the women something to do with their days and a way to earn a little extra money, and it helps us by giving us more beads then we can ever produce alone. The women seem to really enjoy it, and even some of the men will come to the meetings with us and try their hand at rolling. I really enjoy going out there, although they speak very little English, and I speak very little Lusoga, so conversation is slim. I don't mind though, because they enjoy having a Mzungu to crack jokes about, and I like to laugh at their poor bead rolling skills.

This weekend has been pretty fun and exciting thus far. In the morning, I went with some of the Musana boys and girls to a soccer game at a school across town. All sorts of people from the surrounding area came to watch, and I had a good time playing with the random kids that were there while we waited for the other team to show up. They were running on African time, which basically means they were almost an hour late. It probably would have been better if they had never shown, though, because then we would have at least stood a chance of winning by default. Our soccer team just started practicing together regularly about a month ago, so they haven't really worked out most heir kinks yet. We have some amazing individual players, but as a whole, they could use some work. The team we played, however, has played together for years, and was probably on average two or three years older than all of our boys. I was only able to stay till halftime, but by then we were already down three to zero. Even losing, the kids had a good time, which is all the really matters I guess.

After I left the football game, I went to a graduation party for the uncle of my housekeeper, Rehema. She lives with him, and I have walked her home a couple times and had tea with him, but I certainly wouldn't say we are close at all. I guess he feels differently, however, because when I arrived I was informed that I was the Guest of Honor, and asked to give a speech. Everyone wants to be friends with a white person here, and so they are treated extremely well and almost revered. It would have been rude of me to decline, so I thought of a quick little something to say, using what little Lusoga I know as some filler, and I guess I did okay because I got some laughs and plenty of applause. Minus the me speaking portion, I had a good time at the party, and I ate like a king. They prepared an ungodly amount of food for everyone, and it was all quite delicious. I have been invited to attend prayer at their mosque on Friday, and I plan on going, just for the experience and to please them.

Last night, two of the volunteers who are leaving today planned a campfire and s'mores at Musana for the kids, and that was an absolute blast. I was the first volunteer to arrive, and when I got there, all the kids were running around the fire chanting and dancing as others played the drums. It was awesome to watch, but it all stopped when they saw me and the other volunteers got there. We still had an awesome time dancing to music from the car, and all the kids were very confused as to why we were there at first. Pipih informed me that basically the only time they had fires like that was right after someone was buried, so many of the kids thought someone had died. I decided it would be fun to tell them it was Obama, so Pipih and I convinced like half the kids that he had died, and we were having a celebration in his honor. When we finally got around to the s'mores, he compared the marshmallows to sponges or mattresses, and Morris told them,"When a US president dies, Americans eat mattresses." Bekah finally stepped in and told them the truth, which was much less fun, but it was funny while it lasted. After, Bekah and I roasted mallows for everyone, and the kids were ecstatic about it all. It was one of the most fun nights I've had since I've been here, and I'm excited to do it again sometime.

Also, quick update on everything else I have going and will be doing: I'm still working at the farm 3 days a week, and we have finally started harvesting beans, which is exciting. I'm also someone in charge of the women's group/bead rolling village project, so I'm real excited about that. Also, one of the volunteers who is leaving today, Jessica, wrote an entire health curriculum and started to teach classes, and I will be taking over that twice a week when she leaves. I've also planted a garden at Musana, and I am always expanding on that when I get a hold of seeds or space. My watermelon plants are looking great, but I'm worried they may get stolen when the fruits finally come, because there is no fence. I'm still tutoring every day, and I will be coordinating that for all the new volunteers when they get here. I'm also still trying to raise money to get some computers for computer classes, but that is at a bit of a stand still at this point. I hope to get that ball rolling soon, but I don't know when it will happen. I'm also still slowly trying to learn Lusoga, but studying can be hard to find time or motivation for, so it's not coming along real well. Otherwise, I'm still loving it here, now more than ever, and going back to the states is going to be very hard for me. I love all these kids, and I'm really started to love Ugandan culture in general. I'm debating whether or not this is where I want to spend a good portion of my life, so don't be surprised if I do. Anyway, I love you all, and I'll try to update sooner this time, but don't count on it.