Yesterday I met two of the people on my new Uganda team. They are Molly and Candice, and we went for a walk up to the Catholic church that sits on top of the hill nearest us. The view was breathtaking, so we took some pictures. We also saw a little cluster of children playing soccer, and they were very curious about us, but also rather shy. Back at the very nice, if rather small compound of the Adonai Guest House, where we will be staying during our time in Uganda, Molly and I sat out on the front porch and enjoyed the lovely view, the warm sun, and the blue, blue sky. We stayed out there for several hours, talking about life and whistling at a friendly African Gray with a flashy red tail who came to say hi.
Today I met the rest of our team. LeeAnn, Kathy, Jon, and Miriam arrived early this afternoon, straight off the plane and understandably jet lagged. I am already noticing the differences in teams - but, of course, they would not be the same! This Uganda team will be wonderful too, only in a different way than in Rwanda.
After a very relaxed, easy morning (for the sake of all those with jet lag), we went out for a short visit to meet the happy children at the Bugolobi school, where we will be for five days of camp next week. When we pulled into the driveway and came to a stop, the first thing we heard was the pounding of many little feet and a cacophony of eagerly shouting voices. For several seconds, we saw nothing and were rather wondering what all the commotion was about. Then the children flew around the far corner, arms waving wildly, wide grins on their faces, as they rushed to welcome us to their school. Oh, and we felt very welcomed indeed. Although, I must admit, it was a bit heartbreaking, staring down into their dear black faces and knowing I would not be seeing any faces I knew.
Camp at this school will be different from camp in Rwanda. Here, we have no separate rooms - no open soccer field outside for games. The Bugolobi school meets, for lack of their own facilities, in a spacious, open-roomed church. Our game area is the rather rocky parking lot out front, and I believe music class is to be held under the overhang of the long front porch. The children who attend this school are the children who are too poor to afford the public schools. Music for Life works hard to provide them with shoes (which are often lost before the end of the term) and a good meal for lunch. The children walk to school, and some of their homes are very far away. We are going for home visits later this week.
But for now we are simply here at the guest house, getting to know one another slightly - although, truly, I think we spend more time preparing for next week and writing home, neither of which I am very good at. Lindsay (from the Rwanda team) came at dinner - and it lifted my heart to see someone who could reminisce with me. In the swirl between heartbreaking change and thrilling expectation for what is next, I am simply blessed.
The new team (plus a few happy additions from here in Uganda, including Sarah, who's in the pink on the right).
The view from the top of the hill. You're staring into downtown Kampala there.
The view from my bedroom window.
Our friendly African Gray.
