thank you for reading

I decided I would share some of my observations thus far:

-They talk about “producing” babies and having been “produced,” rather than born. They are baby-making machines here-- the average woman “produces” about 7 times, but some have 15 or more children. The twin rate is extremely high. They have four names for twins: a name for the older boy twin, for the younger boy twin, for the older girl twin, and for the younger girl twin. 

-They say thank you (“webale”) for everything, regardless of whether it has anything to do with them. They thank each other for doing whatever it is that they are doing, even if they do not know each other. 

thank you for doing your work-- webale kukola

thank you for slashing (the grass with your machete)-- webale kutema

thank you for coming-- webale kwisi 

thank you for cooking-- webale kuteka

thank you for eating-- webale kuliya

    “       “   for helping--    “       kunyamba

    “       “   for sitting--    “       kusitama

    “       “   for standing--    “       kwemilila

    “       “   for teaching--    “       kwegesiya

    “       “   for walking

    “       “   for running

    “       “   for cutting your wood

and one of my favorites: 

thank you for appreciating-- webale kusima

-Here, "trousers" means pants, and "pants" means underwear. That can get tricky/ inappropriate pretty easily… Trying to be careful to get them straight.

-In the Lubwisi alphabet, they don’t have “r.” This can make their already-difficult-understand-English even more confusing. 

->“I want to play with you.” What?? Ohhh, they were saying they want to pray with me! 

-> “My husband was killed by lebels.” What are those?? Ohh, rebels…

-> “You will see me alound.” Ok, he means around.

-Some other differences in speaking:

“Me too” =>  “even me”

“You too” => “even you”

“...or whatever”/ ”...or what not” => “…or what,” or simply “...or”

“I will come get it” => “I will come pick it”

Question words get placed at the end of the question:

“You do it how?”  “I can find it where?”

Overuse of the present progressive:

“That 4 is looking funny”

“It is feeling hot”

“You are looking sharp”

-There is no word for “yes” in Lubwisi. Instead, you will get a raising of the eyebrows, an “mmm” sound, or a sharp sucking in noise

-Pointing with your finger is rather rare. Instead, “pointing” is usually done with the lips. 

-Cassava leaves look similar to marijuana. 

-A truck in town had “KKK Jesus is my shield” written on its windshield. Hmmm…

-It seems that everything here was made in China. 

-To “flash” someone means you call them and hang up as soon as they pick up. It is a way of letting them know you are ready, etc. without being charged airtime on your phone.

-Names that do not end in an “y” (ee) sound get it added (“Gladys-y,” “Nathan-y,” “Aidan-y,” “Travis-y,” “Spice-y” etc.), and for those that do end in a y, it is dropped (“Bethan,” “Stephan,” etc.)

Greetings:

-You greet just about anyone and everyone:

“Olaiyo” (hello for the 1^st time that day)

“Olaiyo, eh” (even you, good day)

-or-

“Wesayo” (hello for at least the 2^nd time that day)

“Wesayo, eh” (even you, good day)

Then, 

“Oluutiya” (How are you?)

“Indiyo” (I’m there)

“Makulu” (What’s the news?)

“Milembe” (It’s fine)

-You should not greet when you visit someone until you are seated.

-In English, they will ask, “How is here?” or “How is there?,” meaning, “How are things at home?”

-They frequently wave with 2 hands, either rotating at the wrist or just showing their palms without actually waving. If you wave in such a way that your fingers are closing in on your palm, they will think you are motioning, “come here.” 

-Often, they won’t turn their head to talk, but keep looking ahead and greeting/ talking as they pass by and even as they are getting a significant distance away from the person to whom they are talking.

-When we pass by, the kids yell, “Majungu! Majungu!”-- “White person! White person!” They also call out “Howah you? I’m fine”

We went “out to eat” in town the other night with Anna & Jess. We went to this little restaurant called “Julex,” a combination of the owners’ names, Juliet & Alex. You wash your hands out front, on the porch, into a basin. We got bean sauce, chicken sauce, matoke (plantain-like starchy banana that is mashed up and eaten with sauce), and rice. It was quite delicious. 

Olvie and I went on our first run the other day. What an experience. We had to run in long skirts with spandex tights underneath (it is very scandalous to show your knees here.) The dirt road was quite treacherous, muddy at places, rocky, and hilly. Everyone stared at us. We got good practice with our Lubwisi greeting though. At one point, a whole crowd of children was following behind us. Of course, people thanked us for what we were doing (“thank you for running”). One man asked if we were “warming.” A boy said what I thought was, “We are learning,” but, after finding they sometimes say “we” in place of “you” plural and don’t have “r” in their alphabet, I realized he meant, “You are running.”

Our toilet is in a shack outside and consists of a rectangular hole in the tile floor with a very deep hole under it. We have a shower and sink inside, but no toilet. In the middle of the night, we have a bucket in the shower to pee in. 

We have not cooked much yet, as the rest of the team keep inviting us to join them for meals. However, we have made omelettes, grilled cheese, rosemary and garlic breadsticks, and green mango crisp. More to come soon. 

Task 4:
Today, one of our “Amazing Race” tasks was a Nyahuka scavenger hunt. We went all around the market, tried our best to communicate with people, and made some new friends. It was fairly successful and fun. 

We went to work on some records for getting more baby formula from UNICEF, but the forms were not yet ready. The lady said we could come “pick them” tomorrow...

"amazing race: bundibugyo" begins

The beginning of our first week here has been so full of interesting experiences already.

We have gotten fairly settled into our summer home (one side of a duplex), and are happy to be neighbors with Anna (the missionary school teacher) & Jessica (one of the missionary doctors). Our first evening, our team (me, Olvie, Anna, Jessica, and the Johnsons) had a make-your-own pizza night. It was such a special treat to have brick oven-fired pizza -- so fun and tasty. 

The next morning we went to church, which has no definite starting or ending time. If you show up at the “starting time” of 10, probably no one will even be there. It was long and mostly in Lubwisi (Lubwisi is the language; Babwisi are the people).Even some of what the pastor said in English I could barely understand. It was wonderful, though, to greet everyone, shake hands dozens of times, and to feel so warmly welcomed. The singing was also lovely. (One of the guys who sang has a band called “Lovah’s Games;” he has just finished recording :) )

That evening, Anna and Jessica had us over for a movie night with popcorn & smoothies. They have been so welcoming and have really made an effort to make us feel at home.

Monday, our week of formal cultural introduction began. Amy Johnson has planned this week out as somewhat of an “Amazing Race: Bundibugyo,” and has arranged certain tasks for us to complete each day.

Task 1: Gardening, Babwisi Style
-went to market w/ Gladys (house worker) to get 2 hoes, 2 hoe handle(yes, they are sold at 2 separate shops), and 2 miipongas (machetes)
-got miipongas sharpened (very essential tool around here)
-began the task of weeding the overrun garden (started by another missionary who is now in Sudan) with our new hoes, with Gladys as our teacher
-the garden is ours for the summer and has tomatoes, pumpkin, and a baby papaya tree growing
-Gladys started teaching us a praise song in Lubwisi, as well as many words and phrases. She would laugh and laugh with excitement and amusement every time we would try to say something. She has such a kind spirit and has been very encouraging and helpful. Her husband was killed by the rebels, but her joy in Christ is so complete and His love is what satisfies her-- so refreshing to talk with her.

Task 2: Lubwisi Greetings
-Vincent, a primary teacher in the area and a good friend of the Johnsons, came to teach me and Olvie some Lubwisi greetings, the alphabet, and whatever other initial words or phrases we wanted to learn. He is very sweet and a wonderful teacher.
-Vincent then took us around to some homes nearby to greet the families with our newly acquired Lubwisi skills. One thing that was interesting is that you are supposed to wait to greet until you have been seated (always some various little chairs sitting around outside.) They were all so encouraging and excited to hear us trying to speak their language.

-One of the people we greeted was his ½-brother Christopher, the chairman of Nyahuka. All 3 of his kids by his 1st wife died of sickle cell anemia. We got a chance to just sit and talk with him and Vincent about the major health-related problems in the area and some cultural and social issues as well—so informative.

 

Task 3: Fruit Salad
-had to make a fruit salad with the local fruits and find out the Lubwisi word for each of them
-tried our hand at retrieving fruit from the fruit trees around here with our borrowed fruit picker
-some children climbed trees to check the ripeness of the jackfruit for us
-finally, we made a trip to the market to get the fruit that we could not find (ripe, anyway)

mango
jackfruit (oblong semi-spiky fruit that can be huge, as well as very heavy (see pic below); tastes similar to juicy fruit gum, has a rubbery consistency, & the stickiness is very hard to get off your hands; so tasty though!)
guava
papaya
lemon
bananas (there are SO many variations of bananas here, from ones that taste almost like mashed potatoes with a twist when cooked to sweet ones, and of all sizes)

BBB nutrition program introduction:
-Baguma Charles, the Ugandan who has been leading the BBB Bundi nutrition program, took me and Olvie to the nutrition center to learn about the program

-we rode there on bodas (or piki-pikis), the little motorcycle taxis they use here; dirt roads with plenty of potholes, crazy unevenness, and large hills to conquer

-we had to cross a shallow river, so we dismounted the bodas and men came up to us to offer to give us piggy-back rides across, while another man would go alongside each boda as the driver drove it through the water--quite an experience

-Charles gave us a thorough explanation of that branch of the nutrition program, how they measure the malnutrition of the children, and how the children qualify for the program. He answered so many questions that I had and was just very helpful and informative. He has a degree in social work and is waiting to hear back from public health schools (wants to get his Masters of Public Health, which is what I hope to do).

Babysitting:

We babysat for the Johnson kids -- Lilli, Patton, and Aidan -- last night (well, Aidan was asleep), and had lots of fun taking turns performing and watching puppet shows.

Health clinic:
-Travis and Jessica gave us a tour of the gov't health clinic (at which they volunteer), let us go on rounds in the pediatric ward with them and help out with a few things, and took the time to explain each patient's condition and treatment. 

-The clinic is severely lacking in equipment, sanitation, and supplies, but they do what they can. 

-Travis gave us a presentation on public health at the end.

-I learned so much in just those few hours.

I am so thankful to be here and to have the opportunity to see, experience, and learn so much. God has kept us healthy so far, which is such a blessing. I am excited to see what the rest of the summer holds.

peace be the journey

the journey to bundibugyo was long and rather drawn out, but so worth it, and refreshingly with out any major hold-ups.

philly:

olvie and i got dropped off at the philly airport, checked 6 bags (got extra luggage allowance since we were with whm)-- families, friends, and others showered us with essentials and gifts for the missionaries in bundi, so all the bags were maxed out! we had time at the gate before we loaded-- great time for phoning family/friends. olvie had packed herself a pb & tuna sandwich, the thought of which almost made me vomit, but which didn’t actually taste all that terrible, surprisingly enough. 

philly to london: 

this leg of the flight was the most, uh, shall I say eventful? we brought the 7^th bag as olvie’s 2^nd carry on, per the instructions of the british airways baggage checker (about 45 lbs heavy, but carry on size and was going to cost an extra $140 to check). this little heavy guy caused us some problems. as i was trying to load it into the overhead compartment, a guy sitting nearby offered his help. the latch did not seem to be all the way shut, so he messed with it again and said he thought it was good. then came take-off. in the middle of it, he motioned to me that the overhead compartment had flown open. i was scared that 45-lb suitcase was going to fly out and hit someone in the head, causing some serious damage, so i risked it and stood up to try to quickly slam it shut. it would shut and all of a sudden this awful cacophony of voices (i assume the flight staff) started screaming bloody murder at me from the back of the plane. i sat down and put my seatbelt on, fearing someone was about to get seriously injured. after take-off was completed, one of the male flight attendants came up to my seat, got right up in my face, and starting basically yelling at me, asking if i knew how stupid i was. i explained the situation and that i was trying to prevent something more dangerous from occurring after he told me I endangered everyone in the “aircraft.” he would not relent in calling me stupid. when i told him i didn’t appreciate him calling me stupid, he responded, “well, i appreciate calling you stupid.” he then threatened to have the police meet me at the “aircraft” when we arrived. it was all i could do to not explode. luckily olvie was there to be understanding. the rest of the flight was decent, other than not being able to sleep.

london:

we made it through customs and what not just fine. the man who stamped my passport did wonder at the “washed up” look of my passport; oh, victoria falls… :) we checked some of our stuff at an excess baggage place for the day and headed to the underground, or “tube.” an hour later, we were in central london. we hit up food for thought, a wonderfully tasty and quaint little vegetarian restaurant near the covent gardens stop. from there on, we saw pretty much every major thing i even knew existed in london and much more:

covent gardens

the market 

the royal opera house

a street entertainer

a man making amazing music on a large orange cone

yay for paying to use the loo

the strand

the south african, zimbabwean, and ugandan embassies

a spar

trafalgar square

the national gallery

a countdown for the 2012 olympics 

the boat in a bottle

a guy who looked like ewan mcgregor

nelson’s column

a one-handed man playing electric guitar in one of the underground stations 

us & westminster

double decker buses

small red telephone booths

the admiralty arch

the national police memorial

the mall

st. james’ palace

the queen victoria memorial

buckingham palace

british royal police

the canada gate

bird cage walk

st. james’ park

methodist central hall

me & oliver

westminster abbey 

the dean’s yard

parliament

elizabeth II’s sun dial

big ben

the westminster bridge

the thames

the london aquarium

the london eye

the battle of britain monument

mcdonald’s, of course

and last, but definitely not least: the broad street pump & the john snow pub

broad street pump!!

the last was quite the scavenger hunt. as an aspiring epidemiologist inspired by john snow, the father of epidemiology, and his ground-breaking work with the broad street pump cholera epidemic, i was more than eager to find the old pump & the pub named after john snow. after talking with a hotel worker, a bookstore owner, men who looked like they might go to pubs, bartenders, a police officer, and other random people; after being redirected time and time again; and after walking right by it and missing it, we finally found the pub! the man standing by asked in disbelief if we had come far looking for it. as there was no pump still there, only a rock marking where the original used to be, he directed us to the replica of the old pump across the street. i was thrilled and in the midst of taking pictures when a guy asked if i was an epidemiologist. i replied i was hoping to be one, and he told us he was one and had just gotten a position with the london center for disease control-- crazy coincidence that we both found the pump at the same time. hardly anyone in london seemed to know a thing about it. he described his search for the pump as a pilgrimage-- fitting, i believe. 

we made it back to heathrow in time, met a ugandan girl working at the starbucks, and boarded the flight to entebbe. 

london to entebbe:

this flight was a lot more relaxed and quite pleasant. there were so many volunteers and missionaries on the flight, it was kind of amusing. this contributed significantly to the plane atmosphere.

entebbe/ kampala:

we got our visas and made it through customs just fine. all of our bags even made it-- such a blessing. our kind driver, david, met us and drove us into kampala to exchange money, and to the place we were staying for the night. we passed the vast lake victoria (i’m told it’s the 2^nd largest in the world). the pollution in kampala makes the air very hazy and smell of fumes. the roads and the driving are quite crazy and hectic. we passed countless fruit stands (often just piles on the side of the dirt road), small houses/buildings with brightly painted advertisements covering their exterior walls, clothes hanging to dry, and bananas everywhere. 

the place where we stayed the night was very nice, and gave us a chance to breathe. i felt very spoiled there, with a pool and internet access. the staff were exceedingly kind and smiled such beautiful smiles. The pink and purple sunset was a sweet end to the day. 

the next morning, we had our bags down and were ready to go by 7, as we were told we’d be picked up then by the maf (mission aviation fellowship) pilot then. at 8:20, he showed up. yep, we had arrived in africa, where time is fluid, to say the least. he drove us to the kajjansi airfield, where we met up with the opthamologist (who generously covered the entire cost of the flight) and his friend, lloyd. we waited for everything to be weighed and loaded, and squeezed into the 5X-MSY bush plane. it was such an exhilarating flight over breathtaking views of this beautiful, lush country. the vegetation is so green and the earth so red. toward the end, we surmounted the rwenzori mountains and entered into new territory-- the even lusher, more jungle-like, less “developed,” western part of uganda. banana and palm trees and little villages now dotted the landscape. 

bundibugyo:

we landed on an airstrip carved out of the jungle, with the johnsons and dozens of children and some adults from the nearby village awaiting our arrival. jessica and anna, the other two missionaries, drove up shortly after. it was such an exciting, warm reception, with plenty of stares of course. it was crazy seeing a little girl eating an avocado with her machete that was half as tall as she was. olvie and i got to ride on top of the johnsons’ vehicle for the short trip to nyahuka. (bundibugyo is the district, nyahuka is like the county, and bundimalinga is the town.)

bundibugyo means something to the effect of “the end of the road” or “the place from which you can go no further,” as it is the last main stop before you reach the congo. bundibugyo was for us, as well, the end of the road. finally, we were here.

50 lbs here, 50 lbs there, 50 lbs everywhere

6.15.11


sunday morning, my mom and i drove to charlotte, where i caught a plane to philly. one of the other whm interns for this summer (who is going to london) happened to be on my flight, so we rode the train to the whm sending center in jenkintown together. i was loaded down with a 40 lb hiking pack, carry on backpack, tote bag, and purse of my own stuff for the summer and another 50 lb bag of stuff for the johnsons in uganda. it was a bit comical.


we have spent the last couple of days with the other whm interns and staff at a retreat center (so idyllic and beautiful) and at the sending center, preparing, praying, running last minute errands, relaxing, and making sure everything is set for our departures. all of the other interns left yesterday, and olvie and i spent time with chrissy (short term bundibugyo missionary home for a few months) going out for indian food, grabbing some stuff at target, and chatting about bundibugyo.


we have been given so much stuff to bring to the missionaries in bundibugyo and each have an allowance of three 50 lb bags and a carry on, so today has involved quite a bit of packing, repacking, shuffling, weighing, and repacking again. 


the rest of the day has been set aside for any last minute things, and then we're off to the philly airport around 6 or so. our flight leaves tonight for london. thursday night we'll get back on a plane from london to entebbe. we are no longer staying at the guest house/ inn (full occupancy), but are being picked up and taken to the american recreation association to relax and rest for the day/ night and heading to the airstrip early in the morning. 

uganda on the horizon

6.11.11

in the midst of scurrying around running errands, packing, catching up with friends, and spending time with my family, i'm sitting down to write a brief update you on my summer. tomorrow morning i am headed to pennsylvania for orientation at world harvest mission's sending center, then wednesday evening, the continent hopping begins. the other intern who is going with me (olvie) and i are headed to london, where we are excited to have an 11-hour layover thursday to do some exploring, then we're off to entebbe, uganda, where we will arrive early friday morning. after spending a night in an inn/ guest house there, we will be driven early the next morning to an airstrip to hitch a flight with an opthamologist on a tiny MAF (mission aviation fellowship) plane to bundibugyo. this is the small town in the semliki valley in western uganda, where we will be spending the next 2 months doing public health related work (specifically focusing on sickle cell anemia & malaria, and working at a nutrition clinic) and helping the team there serve the community in any way we can.

i will be keeping up with this blog this summer (of course, this will be subject to the whims of the internet system in bundibugyo) and will hopefully be able to put some pictures up during my time away. i can't promise the blog format or the writing to be spectacular, but i do imagine there will be some intriguing, even crazy, stories along the way. (here is the link to amy and travis johnson's blog, also listed in the sidebar to the right: http://steadfastjoy.blogspot.com/. they and their 3 kids are the missionary family we will be joining in bundibugyo and good friends of my sister and brother-in-law.) finally, here are the links to a couple of videos that show and describe some of the work being done there through world harvest mission: http://www.vimeo.com/16980342 and http://www.vimeo.com/17346715 if you're interested.)

i would deeply appreciate prayer over our trip, the work to be done, and the relationships that will be built. i would also love to hear your own updates!

the intermission

6.15.11


a lot has happened since my trip to nicaragua last may, but i have been slack with the blogging. this post will be an attempt to briefly catch my blog up to where i am now. 


summer 2010: 
-1 week working at camp cedar cliff (where i worked for 5 summers prior; formerly known as the cove camp) in asheville, nc 
-oconee state park with the whole fam (got to finally meet my new nephew from ghana)
-some nannying for my 3 youngest sibs
-germany (griesheim, darmstadt, frankfurt, heidelberg) for 1 week to visit camp staff friends
-switzerland (near basel) for 2 weeks to work at a christian camp for predominantly french-speaking teens to learn english (3rd summer working the camp)
-hilton head beach with the fam


fall 2010 and spring 2011 semesters:
-back at furman for junior year
-lived in "the cottage" along the lake with 7 other girls
-lots of fun dancing (contra, salsa, merengue, bachata, some swing)
-lots of cooking with friends
-weepies concert
-did a relay sprint tri in the fall (i biked) and tried (yes, pun duly noted) to do a sprint tri in the spring, but my bronchitis wasn't looking forward to it and tornado warnings & a storm got it cancelled
-snowshoe ski trip and beach kayaking/camping trip with fuoc (our outdoor club, of which i was pres this year)
-friend's wedding
-gallbladder surgery
-fun snow days & no school
-started mentoring a little girl through frazee dream center
-tutored
-cirque du soleil: totem
-conyers/atl/lake house spring break trip
-cooper river bridge run


may 2011:
-hispanic cuisine & culture class--so fun and delicioso! (our food blog with recipes: el archivo gastronómico)
-LEAF (lake eden arts festival) in asheville--dancing (including contra, salsa, merengue, tanzanian) live music (including west african drums, a brazilian band, & angelique kidjo), fire performers, art vendors, food, etc.
-cookouts, volleyball, and frisbee at our apartment complex
-friend's wedding
-fondue
-charleston to visit sis' fam
-preparation for uganda (more on that later...)


well, as scattered as that may be, that at least was the basic gist of the intermission. 

nicaragua, a smattering of memories

6.14.11


so, as fate would have it (or my laziness, one of the two) i never got around to another nicaragua post. however, the three weeks ended well. we visited jinotepe, selva negra ("a full-service ecolodge, organic farm, and bird-friendly coffee estate in the Highlands of Northern Nicaragua"), san ramón, matagalpa, and granada, before finally returning to managua and heading home. during those two weeks we visited a couple of dumps (including "la chureca," the managua municipal dump), an immaculately tended cemetery, some organic coffee farms of various sizes growing shade grown coffee, a few churches, and a few museums. we got to drink coffee made from beans grown on property, enjoyed plantains in such a delightful variety of forms, zip-lined through the jungle canopy, saw how pre-columbus traditional pottery was made in san juan de oriente (& got to mess around with the potter's kick wheel), caught some beautiful views of laguna de apoyo, shopped in bustling open air markets, went out dancing, and hiked through jungle coffee estates. we saw howler monkeys, parrots, and even sloths. we picked star fruit and tasted the sweet white fruit that encases each individual cocoa bean. we helped construct and install an improved stove (or hung out with the kids and helped with lunch) in a family's home. some of us got to try our hand at making seed jewelry.


in granada, we stayed in hotel con corazón, a boutique hotel that invests 100% of the profits back into promoting local education efforts. on the streets of granada, we passed countless huelepegas, or "glue sniffers" - often boys and young men who carried around glue to sniff to get high and thereby escape their current situation. we watched cafe chavalos, a documentary about a lady who took in some huelepegas from the streets and helped them open a restaurant. we then got to meet some of the guys from that movie. it was so interesting to see how they were in their life on the streets in the film and then the transformation that had taken place over the years of working in the restaurant and having a sense of stable, healthy community.


on one outing, we took a boat out on lake nicaragua to an island for lunch. we passed a mini-monkey island on the way. on the island, there were two talking parrots that sounded just like two little hispanic girls talking to each other and giggling-- precious. we also went to a high school one day to (try to) speak english with the students. andrea, luke, and i made some friends who invited us to hang out with them later in the day (resulting in our being late for our class meeting, but it was worth it). our group was sad to leave granada and our new friends.


in managua we made a last run to the local coffee shop and all had a nice final dinner out at a yummy, healthy, organic restaurant (ola verde) together.


saying goodbye to nicaragua not knowing when, if ever, i would return was difficult. i will not forget the horror of dirty, malnourished children scrounging through trash at the dump; the despair i sensed upon encountering the huelepegas in the street, who, in actuality, were not really present anywhere; and the confining, oppressive feel of the jacket maquiladora (factory) we visited. these memories make me yearn for justice, for freedom, for wholeness, for the kingdom of heaven on earth.


i hope to return someday, but if i never encounter that opportunity in my future, i will continue to cherish the memories of that trip and of the sweet, smiling, generous people with whom we crossed paths.