Saturday and no school today. They are having a conference today
at the training site or we would have school until 2. The walk to and
from school is beautiful. Part is through the town and the majority
is in the outlying agriculture area. Lots of cows, chickens, goats,
and pigs. Gardens in various states of needing weeding and
production, and then tables out front of the house's with the garden
offerings. The tomatoes,avacados, and bananas are in production and
so tasty right now.
Language is going to be a challenge as we have 3 young kids and 3 old
kids (us and Geo who worked as an accoountant for an archdioscees in
Illinois and wants to create a turkey farm at out site in W Nile ).
The 3 young kids get the words right away and then there is us...So we
have two teachers and I bet we get split up real soon... After 3
hours we know 8 words. The most important being the greetings of the
day. Ugnadans feel respected if greeted and are less likely to harm
you, as our teacher said. Reminds me of high school and who likes who
and who talks to who, so we have learned the formal greetng in the
local dilect so we should not get harmed...I think harm means charge
you too much for what ever you are buying...
On of the 2 neices is a tailor and has a sewing mchine she burns her
scraps and one of the PCgirls here is teaching women to make quilts.
I will be in touch with Spinning Spools to get some help with speed
quilting methods. The fabrics are brillient so this is exciting to
see how women put them together here.
Quilts are not present here that I have seen yet.
Our family has a deep Christian faith, and blesses there meals without
prompting. The first day in Uganda all the PCT (T is for tranee now
and Vis for volunteer which we will be after swearing in (passing our
language)in 10 weeks)were on busses and in our bus I stood and asked
to pray and then did. Asking God to bless all of our time here and to
direct us and guide us. Then, I was approached by a kid, Cris, 26,
from DC, who said he had prayed for us before he got here to have a
mentor to sharpen his faith and keep him faithful. When we had to
answere who inspired us to join Peace Corp, at my turn it was Helen
Keller who overcame odds to become her full potential, Elizabeth
Elliot who returned to the Amazon Village that had killed her
missionary husband because of her love for my 3 inspiration Jesus.
That brought a few more people out for conversation and we started a
bible study everynight in Banana village. Now that we are in home
stays, & found out church lasts 4 hours, this little group thinks we
may want to do Truth Project together. Thanks so much Chris for
getting this on the computer! Tomorrow we will go to church with our
family and see how they do church here and then deceide what to do
next. The older PCV said with school every day, that Sunday, with no
family around, it was kinda like there day to just sit and ponder. We
have wash soaking in the buckets ready to be scrubbed and hung, but it
is raining, so I guess we just scrubb and let them drip dry in our
room. We want to go to market today and the internet cafe to post
some of these musings. So far I have not read any of your notes to
me. I hope to do that today also. Love from Uganda, Marc
