uganda III
this is a copy of my journal dated...
friday, august 15/08
i need to make this entry because so much happens that i will get too far behind if i don't do it now.
i have met the most amazing people here. they are mostly connected to roger - his brothers, cousins, their girlfriends and friends. douglas, the youngest is recognized by the rest of the family as "father". they tease him about it but also accept it. moses is the quiet one full of seriousness and compassion. stephen is the funny one - the one whom i hope will be my companion/guide while i'm here.
when we first met this group, lola, roger, brad and i were having lunch at the cafe pap in downtown kampala. in they walked all teeth and joy with embraces. everyone was saying how they have longed to see me. i knew many of their names but didn't know who was who (one other fellow is beezman - roger's best friend - all rasta hair and charm. a beautiful man inside and out).
we arrived at the compound and drank beer, sang, and laughed until i couldn't keep my eyhes open anymore. (i had been awake for 48 hours with 3 hours sleep in snatches).
today we ate and went for our first walkabout taking pictures of the neighbourhood around the compound. i felt self-conscious about taking pictures of others' lives but once i started showing the pictures to the children, it was more like fun and playing. one woman holding a baby asked me a question - "lesala?" i quickly called stephan back. she said the same thing and he repeated to me "lesala?". my look was blank enough for him to realize i didn't understand. he patted my arm and said to the woman "no, he's just a big man." as understanding slowly crept into my mind, i threw my head back in laughter - she had asked, in english no less, if i was a wrestler. this was the beginning of my journey in not only not understanding the ugandan language but in not understanding the ugandans' english.
they say they can understand brad easier than me. lola says its because brad had developed a bit of english accent in his english and that's how they are taught in school. shephen says he thinks it's because i have a big voice, thick and low. and i speak too fast! nobody has ever said that about me before.
now i have met stephen's girlfirend/wife, joyce, and their 2 month old baby boy, brain. some confusion there as well - he was dressed in a dress - but it was blue. joyce is a beautiful woman who speaks slow enough for me to understand. we spoke about school, dreams, politics and language.
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