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Arlington Academy of Hope
PO Box 7694
Arlington, VA 22207
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| Uganda News 3 - An August Day in Uganda |
Uganda News #3
A Report by Cynthia Margeson
Arlington Academy of Hope
August 13, 2006
Today is Sunday and I am sitting at the table in my room at the women teachers’ house in Bumwalukani, Uganda. It has been a relaxing and enjoyable day. I am now typing on my laptop using the lantern light as the power which we had all day, has now been cut off. It’s becoming a bit more regular with power being supplied about 12 hours a day and that seems to vary whether we get the daylight hours of power or the night time hours of power. It comes and goes with hardly a notice; certainly does not elicit the anger and impatience that we experience in Arlington when we lose power for an hour or two during a storm!
But back to my Sunday. It has been a clear, sunny day, a very welcome change to the mud of last week. The house is located on the main street of the village, so there has been a steady stream of pedestrian, animal and vehicle traffic. The front porch makes the ideal vantage point to observe this slice of life passing by. For most of the morning there have been various groups of church goers, as well as the sounds of drumming and church singing in the distance. The Sunday best clothes are always colorful and bright. There have been cows on the road and in our yard-grazing at the crab grass that is growing there. Every day, at any time of day there is a parade of jerry cans swinging lightly on the way to the water hole and then a bit steadier and balanced on the way back. The jerry cans come in all sizes, depending on the carrier, but they start the children very young carrying even the smallest container.
Our yard seems to be the pecking place for about 8 chickens, hens and cocks. A few days ago there seemed to be a new hatch of chicks, but I have not seen them today. The establishment across the street (unmarked as all shops are) seems to have two businesses; one is the place for the local brew, I think it’s called Malwa and is sipped through meter long straws. When that is open, there is loud music blaring and sometimes we can see dancing through the doors. This is basically a place for men who have nothing much to do. The other business is selling pork (I have seen the pigs) and for that the meat seems to sit or dangle throughout the day, out in the open for all dust and flies to collect. Remember I do not eat meat, or milk while I am here.
We have three delightful kids of teachers who are living here this year. Some of you may remember my talking of Evelyn. She is in P-7, and is a very serious Ugandan student. She is also the one who helps with my bathing routine out under the stars. Benard is a P-6 student who is also living here, and it is impossible to wipe the smile off his face. He is so cheerful and cooperative and good natured. The third student is Simon. He is also a P-7 student and one of the most polite young boys that I have met. He too is good natured, a bit more serious than Bernard, and helpful when ever needed. Throughout the day these three have been washing, rinsing, wringing and hanging up their own little loads of wash, most of which are parts of their school uniforms. They use a series of basins for this operation, of course, all outside in our front area. These same kids have been busy at different times washing the plates and dishes out on the veranda. Now in between work, on Sunday, there is a small amount of time for fun. At one time, there were 12 kids in the yard, with about three different activities going on: reading my books, playing a form of soccer using a tiny ball and practicing mostly kicks behind their backs-quite skillful, hitting a wiffleball with a stick and a seemingly never ending game of Uno. These children work so hard and for such long hours during the week at school (including Saturday classes for P-7) and with their home chores, it is a pleasure to see them having some small bit of fun and recreation today, on Sunday.
With all this activity in the yard, there have also been two other major activities in this parade on Main Street, Bumwalukani! There have been about five different groups of circumcision dancers, which actually seem like runners in packs, chanting songs, carrying leafy branches, drumming and various numbers of groupies of all ages. Groups are from 10 to even 100 and include supporters and villagers who are joining in the frenzy. It is an official cultural thing which is “scheduled” every two years in August. The running is celebratory and gives confidence to the circumcision candidate for when the big day arrives.
This particular August is also a time for campaigning. Local races for Member of Parliament are taking place. The candidates have picture posters around Kikholo and include John’s sister, Phoebe. The election will be at the end of the month. Another local person, Mr. Wakyaya is running for Chairman LC 5. From what I can gather, I think this might be comparable to a representative for the local area, the letters standing for Local Council I think. Again, with this political action, people are moving in large groups, walking, chanting and driving. The candidates will frequently offer money, sugar, oil, or other staples in exchange or in hope of getting a vote.
And so, now you know about my week in the mud and my delightfully relaxing Sunday on the front porch. Again, it is a perfect location to sit and watch the world go by, and that’s exactly what I did today. Oh, but I did have a few thoughts of past August weeks where the girls and I would relax at the beach-that too sounds pretty good at this point, but that will have to wait for another year. Hope you are enjoying the last days of summer schedules, before the school year gets going again.
Love to you all.
Cynthia
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