Bushara Island is home to 80+ species of birds. One of
these species is the weaver bird. I’m not a huge birder but these guys are
awesome. On the occasional morning when I wake up early to catch a little extra
quiet time I like to go and sit on one of the docks and watch them build their
nests. They build their nests to be fully covered with a tunnel-like entry.
There’s one nest I’ve been watching for almost the entire two weeks I’ve been
here and they’re still working on it.
Building a house takes time, and we expect it to take
time, but building a home also takes time. I’ve been working on making this
house and island into a home since the day we arrived and there is still a long
way to go. I’ve hung photos on the walls (most of which have fallen down),
placed notes and cards from friends on my windowsills and swept the spiders out
of the corners of my room but this isn’t home yet.
This island will be home when I stop second-guessing
every other word that comes out of my mouth, wondering if I’ve said something
culturally unacceptable. It will be home when I can speak enough Rukiga to
confidently greet my co-workers who don’t speak English. It will be home when I
feel comfortable enough to let loose.
The hugs I received from the kids at church yesterday,
the greetings I’ve already learned, the already familiar laughs and smiles, the
battery-powered Christmas lights hanging over my bug net, the constant sound of
birds, and the bag of guava a co-worker gave us. These are the things that are
already making this island into my home.
I’ve learned this lesson before. No matter when or where
you move it’s going to be hard. Community takes time to form and every place is
different. I think I’m finally starting to learn to embrace the process. It’s
messy and often unpleasant but the end result is fully and completely
worthwhile. It’s worth fighting through the discomfort of moving and meeting
new people because it always ends with another place and group of people to
call home. It always ends with a heart that has been stretched and, as a
result, has grown.
Photo: This is the one of five docks on Bushara Island and by far the best for swimming. The Island you can see across the water is Bwama Island. It's owned by the Anglican church and houses two schools, a church, the agroforesty plot where Rachel works and a medical clinic that you can see on the far right of this photo. Bwama Island is one of the biggest islands on Lake Bunyonyi and used to be a leper colony. My goal is to be able to swim there and back by the time we leave... it's further than it looks.
