I Am From

I am from dookies

From clothe napkins and oatmeal cookies

I am from green shag carpet

Fresh homemade food

I am from blackberry bushes

Manure that smells fresh

I am from dance parties and Christmas morning stocking

From Kiki and Hambone

I’m from Christmas with family from far, far away

I’m from Jesus as Saviour and family comes second

And walking and leaping and singing for joy

I’m from long family dinners

I’m from still trying to figure out home and being a dual

Frito pie and lots of spaghetti

From global family and family of blood

I’m from family that grows every time I move

Family that means saying goodbye

Family that means see you again one day.

I'm from see you again someday.

(inspired by SYNCHROBLOG: I Am From)

Falling in Love (UB#3)

When I said I was going to write a blog post on love I got a few strange looks. So just to clarify, I’m not about to write about a Ugandan guy (or a North American guy J). This is about the concept of falling love with a culture, a place, a group of people. Before coming here I was told I would fall in love with Africa. And, being naïve, I kinda thought that meant I would walk out of the airport into Uganda, and then I would never want to leave. Turns out it just isn’t that easy. I don’t feel ‘in love’ with this place. Yes, the rolling hills have on occasion captured my attention, up to this point, there have been moments of true appreciation, but nothing I would call love. Maybe this love is something that has to grow out of that appreciation. People say that when you fall in love, the character of the man slowly begins to overshadow his physical appearance. I do not yet know the true character of Uganda. I don’t know the heart of this country, the passion of the people, their sense of humour, or even the things that drive daily life here. I hope I fall in love, but even if I don't, I am thankful for this opportunity to grow in my appreciation for another way of life. I am grateful for this opportunity to find out where home is. I’m grateful that this is forcing me to learn about my own heart. 

Atmosphere (UB#2)

I realized earlier today that I needed to get out, to leave the confines of my small dorm room and spend some time alone, and so I resignedly leave my dorm room, knowing it is what I need to do, but somewhat unprepared to face the outside world. Within a minute of leaving my room I realize I have snuck up on the two girls walking in front of me. The pace of life here is slower; a walk across campus is something to be enjoyed. I slow my pace a bit late as the girls look back, probably wondering why I’m so close to them, but I’m thankful for the reminder to relax. As I walk I carefully avoid puddles filled from the afternoon rain shower that forced earlier chapelgoers to pack tightly together under a small overhang in order to avoid the fury of the rain. I eventually find a staircase overlooking campus and take a seat. The stress falls away as I sit under a beam of sunlight so strong it is forcing me to fall in love with the shade. The gentle breeze carries the smells of the city up from Lake Victoria and mingles those scents with the smoke pouring from the dining hall where enough rice is being cooked to feed thousands of students. I sit there for some time just taking in the sites and smells.

Andrew commented yesterday that my time here will shape who I am. And this is so true. It already has. I have learned to have patience. Cross-cultural relationships should not be rushed any more than I would rush into relationships with my peers at trinity. I have learned that I must have patience with myself as I remember to get enough sleep and to embrace the precious little alone time I get here. Uganda is a beautiful country, but it is also very different from anything I have ever known and for this reason I must embrace the emotions I have felt since being here and accept that this is not easy. There will be times when I must allow the tears welling up inside to pour out, but for now I must daily let it be my prayer that through this I might learn, I might grow, and I might be changed for the better, rather than for the worse. To God be the glory. 

(The entrance to campus... known as the main gate)

Uganda Studies Program. Blog #1. 

This has been an amazing experience so far. After a few days of orientation in Uganda we bused over to Rwanda for about a week. While in Rwanda we stayed at two convents, participated in a monthly mandatory national work day, and visited art museums, micro-finance groups, and genocide memorials. It was an extremely informational and emotional trip, and I am astounded by the amount of pain the Rwandese have experienced and the beauty that has grown out of such deeply rooted pain. One of the things that astounded me the most was the reality of how recently the terrible events came to an end in Rwanda. There are people my age in Rwanda that have memories of watching their families gruesomely chopped to death. There is no escaping the affect this has on the emotional and spiritual health of the Rwandese. It was almost hard to feel anything at all while hearing such raw stories because no pain felt great enough to do justice to reality. (I think I could go on about this trip for a long time..).

We spent a couple days debriefing our trip on an island at beautiful Lake Bunyonyi, the third deepest lake in the world. I don't think there could be a more relaxing place to debrief from the issues we faced in Rwanda. It was a beautiful weekend spent swimming, stargazing, worshipping, and eating. The eating part was actually ridiculous... one should not try to eat multiple quesadillas, guacamole, and salsa followed by crepes with chocolate after being on a rice and beans diet for a couple weeks. It just doesn't end well. Anyway, we had our last hot showers for who knows how long and then hopped on the bus (but first the boat) for the long ride back to campus.

Today was our first day of classes and it's just plain old beautiful to finally be able to establish some sort of routine. I wish I could say I haven't experienced culture shock... but I definitely have. This is not a short trip and therefore issues that come up now need to be dealt with. now. I am definitely finding comfort in the fact that God is God to all nations and I know I share this huge part of my identity with many of my peers here. This evening I found myself attending community worship... or fellowship as they call it. Man. These people know how to worship freely. And the speakers here. So direct. There's no tiptoeing around. It's great. 

I think that pretty well summarizes my life since August 25th. I can't wait to become more comfortable in this community, and to hopefully move beyond being overwhelmed by little things like laundry.