African September

I can't believe I have been in Kampala for a month already. Time is flying by. I have gotten into a routine of attending classes, going to the babies' home, and experiencing the city. We now call the guesthouse we stay in "home" and I no longer wake up surprised to be in Africa. I'm getting used to being here.

Classes are going well, but there is a lot of work since it's the last week. The material is interesting and I am learning a lot. In my Religion course, I have a 20-25 page paper due at the end of this week. My group is writing ours on polygamy, which is a rather common practice in traditional settings of Africa. I have had the chance to meet a few people who grew up in polygamous homes. They call all of their fathers' wives "mother", regardless of who their biological mother is, and their siblings are all equally considered brothers and sisters whether they are half siblings or whole. The wives don't generally all live in the same household though. They will usually live in different huts on the same compound. Paul's family, who I visited last weekend, was a polygamous family. I only met one of his father's wives though. In our paper, we want to look at biblical perspectives on polygamy, gender roles upheld through polygamy, and how children are effected by living in this sort of family. If we get started on it soon, it should be a pretty strong paper. But if procrastination settles in, who knows.

In my Literature class, we have read about 5 books that have all taken place after colonization. We are learning a lot about the coming of Christianity and Western culture to Africa. The West has done some really terrible things here. They have acted out of good intentions but have often not bothered to learn about the culture they are interacting with. So they have made terrible, ethnocentric mistakes that have hurt the people. Good intentions on their own don't go far.

I am still visiting the babies at the orphanage and I love it. It's still just as hectic and wonderful as when I started. It's so crazy there but I love the kids so, so much. The other day I had nine babies to feed at one time, all to myself. They were all lined up sitting on a bench and I went down the line feeding them each one spoonful of matooke at a time. Babysitting when I get home is going to seem like such a breeze. A lot of the kids recognize me now, which is so exciting. I wish I could bring them home with me. I've already looked up adoption laws though and I need to wait a few years.

It's so heartbreaking when a new baby gets there. One baby was found in the back of a taxi, another was dropped off because her mother was mentally ill and abusing her, another found in a bush. I'm so glad they were found, but it makes you wonder if all of them are found in time. It's terrible when the babies are sick too. A couple of days ago Kenny, who is probably about 9 months, was sick and I just held him the whole time I was there. He was warmer than I have ever felt a person be and had an IV in his hand. The nurse force fed him a glass of juice and he spent the rest of the day throwing it up. Having to put him down and leave was definitely one of the worst things I have ever done in my life. He cried and cried when I put him down and watched me until I was out of sight. Someone probably just picked him up and put him in his crib to cry.

It's really great to learn when one of the babies is getting adopted. One day a Ugandan lady was there choosing six children to adopt. Another day, a lady was visiting Elizabeth, who is three, and she was planning on adopting her. Elizabeth looked so happy, holding this lady's hand and following her everywhere. The adoption rate there is actually pretty high, and that gives me hope.

Along with classes and the babies' home, I have just been enjoying the city. We all feel much more confident walking around than we did at first, so we visit markets and shops a couple times a week. I like the Friday Market best. It's every Friday and it's all handmade crafts, like wood carvings, jewelry, and baskets. We also visit Ciao Ciao at least three times a week, which is this ice cream place right down the street. They have the best flavors, like Pistachio, Pineapple, and Lemon. Mmmm, maybe I will walk down there after I finish writing this post...

Well now that I am used to life in Kampala, I have only one week left here. I will leave for practicum on either Saturday or Sunday and I will be there a month. It will be myself and one other student, Allison. We will be doing different positions but living together, which will be fun. I am excited for the work I will be doing. I also am excited to get to know a community. I think meeting people will be easier in a rural area than here in the city.