"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.