Today, Tuesday, I got hired for a social media job with One Mango Tree! I am so excited. I’m not sure exactly everything it entails but I am loving how it sounds so far. I start Monday, learning the ropes! And I will let you know all about it when I know more.
We went to Baby Watoto and tried to volunteer. They wouldn’t let us! It was kind of nice that they were so strict and serious about volunteer processes and taking shifts with the kids but it was the first time we had experienced such difficulty in attempting to help out.
After we left their beautiful compound, we went to Café Javas and had Africa Tea. We met up with Greer, a friend of a friends who is in Uganda from Irvine working with the Judges to help make the court less corrupt. He recently graduated from Pepperdine law and told us a lot about Uganda and about his work here. That afternoon Jordan and I went to see the girls and Kelsey and Katie in Bwaise. When the drop in center was closing, Rabinah, the house mama, talked to the girls about the elections coming up in February. She told them not to get involved because it only leads to violence and death. I was amazed at their inability to even talk about it at the center because of how dirty politics are here. Then she prayed with them. They all started singing in Lugandan – together – acapella, and then as soon as they song ended they each prayed their own prayers, all at the same time. The room was very loud with prayers in Lugandan. I just closed my eyes and felt the Spirit wash over the room. So powerful! After prayer many of the women left and it was just us and the 10 girls who live there. We watched Aladin! And had delicious homemade Ugandan dinner (pumpkin, rice&guac, and beans). Jordan and I had a thrilling nighttime boda-boda ride home.
Wednesday was relaxed. We made our way over to exchange our broken plug converted, and then met up with Natasha at Café Java. After a few hourse we grabbed a boda-boda and went to Bwaise to see the girls. We watched their dancing lesson and relaxed, played cards. As soon as evening came we walked through the slum down to the stage to catch a boda-boda home. We ended the night by watching “A Philadelphia Story”. It was brilliant.
Thursday we went to the Oweeno market. We went fabric shopping for good fabrics for the girls to make duvets and table clothes out of. Then we had lunch, our first real meal in a long time! We were alive again and went to see the girls. We took pictures of them sewing and the goods they have made so we can get them an internet site set up for their products. After pictures we went back to the hotel and edited pictures and emailed NGO’s and organizations about volunteering in Gulu and getting my flight extended (woohoo!).
Friday was very calm too. We are preparing to get to Gulu tomorrow (Saturday) and start our life there so we just ran errands and edited pictures for the girls website and had one last morning at Café Javas. We prayed for more challenges so the power continually turned off all afternoon. But nothing seems like a problem here. Its pretty awesome.
Saturday was a crazy day. I felt like I was on drugs all day. We woke up at 6:30am, got picked up from the hotel and went to the bus station. We sat on the bus for an hour in the parking lot, then took another hour getting out of the city. We made it to Gulu around 2. On the bus this African man was walking up and down the isles preaching. It was great. When we arrived we took a cab to the hotel and negotiated a move in. we were bummed because it was more expensive than we thought and we could only get two beds. Lauren and Jordan unpacked while I tried to get rid of my headache. We took boda’s to Kelsey’s around 5 and stopped in the market on the way there to get avocados. The market was crazy! Its gross when markets smell like fish. Anyway, Kelsey’s was fun (she is the director of purse of hope, younger than me!) and we met a ton of Americans who are volunteering throughout Uganda. They were all super cool people. We made dinner together, and talked, and dressed up as Chilean cole miners (the ones that were just rescued). I loved their house and their compound and their security guard. He was their favorite boda-boda driver and they just became friends and asked him to be their security guard. He practiced tai-quon doi while he guards. Its precious. We walked to the Invisible Children house around 8. It is about a 20 minute walk. Halfway there, it started to rain. Just a little at first and then, with 5 minutes still left at a sprint, we were slipping through the downpour. It was so fun. We showed up at the party, soaked, muddy, and sweaty but it was a great time.
Its Sunday morning. We found out last night that we can all move into the One Mango Tree house. Lauren and Jordan will pay less than they ever intended and I live for free. I hear its super cute a garden and warm water and great toilet so im super excited (most people have a hole in the ground).
I have finished all three of my books at this point. They were all so good! Same kind of different as me, Guernsey literary and potato peel society, and the glass castle.
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