Hello!
I only have a moment to write, but I wanted to get this out real quick! SO... right now I am at Nazareth Orphanage in Nyendo after a long and exciting day. To back up, there have been some really awesome moments this past week. After a few low spots, my attitude has shifted and my outlook is much brighter! I think being away from friends and family and tossed into a new situation can be tough on anyone, let alone being in Africa and dealing with the stuff I have to deal with on a regular basis. So, I am feeling much more adjusted and things really were not THAT bad before, just kind of negative and difficult for a few days. I was able to email a few people in more detail, so I am sorry if this is scattered or you've already heard some of it. I wish I could just show you a glimpse of what I am experiencing here because email does not seem to cover it all.
Sunday, 2 female volunteers and I went to a graduation party for one of the teacher's at Hope. It was about an hour away and we rode in a special taxi with the teachers and staff of URF. All of the students rode in the back of a truck! The party was really cool, and the funny thing was the moment I got out of the taxi a bunch of kids yelled, "Kate!" I am not sure how people know my name, but I will take that as a good thing. It feels really good to walk through the village now, and instead of yelling "Muzungu!" or "Munene!" they yell, "KATE!!!!" It is pretty awesome, I must admit. Anyways, we got to the party and of course immediately my stomach started killing me. I will not go into detail about what followed, but it was a traumatizing experience and one I will not forget! haha.
After that, we were sent to a room where they put HUGE bowls of food in front of us and we ate with our hands. This would have been fine, had my stomach NOT been killing me, so needless to say, I ate what I could but was sweating and keeping my eye on the door the whole time. It was pretty ridiculous! The party was for a Muslim guy, and Ramadan started recently so there were a lot of religious speeches that I did not understand that went on for about 2-3 hours. Then, they had different groups of people do dances and one was the Bazungu dance. I seized the opportunity to show em my stuff, and it was pretty cool! Everyone was screaming and cheering for me and it was so much fun! After a few more hours of dance, and witnessing incredible snippets of culture, it was time to go home. We had to follow the students who were in the back of the truck because the roads were really bad and we had to make sure none fell out. (Seriously.) There were about 50 kids in the back of the truck. I had to cover my eyes half the time it was so scary!
I only have a moment to write, but I wanted to get this out real quick! SO... right now I am at Nazareth Orphanage in Nyendo after a long and exciting day. To back up, there have been some really awesome moments this past week. After a few low spots, my attitude has shifted and my outlook is much brighter! I think being away from friends and family and tossed into a new situation can be tough on anyone, let alone being in Africa and dealing with the stuff I have to deal with on a regular basis. So, I am feeling much more adjusted and things really were not THAT bad before, just kind of negative and difficult for a few days. I was able to email a few people in more detail, so I am sorry if this is scattered or you've already heard some of it. I wish I could just show you a glimpse of what I am experiencing here because email does not seem to cover it all.
Sunday, 2 female volunteers and I went to a graduation party for one of the teacher's at Hope. It was about an hour away and we rode in a special taxi with the teachers and staff of URF. All of the students rode in the back of a truck! The party was really cool, and the funny thing was the moment I got out of the taxi a bunch of kids yelled, "Kate!" I am not sure how people know my name, but I will take that as a good thing. It feels really good to walk through the village now, and instead of yelling "Muzungu!" or "Munene!" they yell, "KATE!!!!" It is pretty awesome, I must admit. Anyways, we got to the party and of course immediately my stomach started killing me. I will not go into detail about what followed, but it was a traumatizing experience and one I will not forget! haha.
After that, we were sent to a room where they put HUGE bowls of food in front of us and we ate with our hands. This would have been fine, had my stomach NOT been killing me, so needless to say, I ate what I could but was sweating and keeping my eye on the door the whole time. It was pretty ridiculous! The party was for a Muslim guy, and Ramadan started recently so there were a lot of religious speeches that I did not understand that went on for about 2-3 hours. Then, they had different groups of people do dances and one was the Bazungu dance. I seized the opportunity to show em my stuff, and it was pretty cool! Everyone was screaming and cheering for me and it was so much fun! After a few more hours of dance, and witnessing incredible snippets of culture, it was time to go home. We had to follow the students who were in the back of the truck because the roads were really bad and we had to make sure none fell out. (Seriously.) There were about 50 kids in the back of the truck. I had to cover my eyes half the time it was so scary!
When we got back to the school, it was too late for some students to walk home so they had to sleep in the classrooms which are just concrete. The kids were complaining and said they were in "prison". I said, "It is just one night! No big deal!" And they said, "Fine, you sleep here!" So.... I did. Haha. They were completely shocked, but it was worth it. I came down with my flash light, a pillow, and my ipod and camped out with the students. I felt like a mother hen, tucking her little chicks into bed. The funny thing was, I tucked them in by playing Nicki Minaj's "SuperBass" video for them on my ipod, which was hilarious! I think that moment will be one I'll keep in my heart for a long, long time. It was just so funny, and so awesome all at the same time, and all the children finally fell asleep. They loved it! After getting eaten by bugs for a few hours, I finally snuck out and went back to my bed, and the next morning the students who I slept on the floor with all smiled and winked at me. It was a bonding experience for sure. Moving on... the past few days I spent pruning banana trees, visiting students, exploring local villages, and taking a ton of pictures! I am LOVING my camera and can't wait to show everyone what I have so far. Getting to the good stuff... today, I met an Irish nun. We talked about doing some volunteer work together at the local prison, and I was very intrigued by her. I had a feeling something was about to happen and as I arrived to the church, I saw a group of boys break dancing. I had a intuitive feeling I should investigate so I walked up and asked them what they were doing. The guy said they are a dance crew from Masaka and are competing in a National B-boy competition starting next week in Kampala!! I felt a rush and started telling the guy how much I love dance, and how it was my dream to come to Uganda to film a movie featuring dancers. He got so excited and we talked for a LONG time and have a bunch of plans to get together for filming their competitions, some interviews, and even doing photo shoots for each crew member!!!! This may not sound like much to anyone else, but it felt like fate to me. I was at a random Catholic church meeting a nun, and then stumbled across the BEST dance crew in Masaka?! How crazy is that?? I can't wait to see what comes of this, but I am totally excited and even more inspired. I had that electric God shot feeling that has become all too familiar to me when big things happen. I was looking for my story, and I hope and think I found it. These guys are INCREDIBLE dancers and were just as excited to meet me as I was to meet them! I will keep you all posted for sure. For now, I gotta go play with the little kiddies.
Love you all,
KTT
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