Birth Announcement

As of 4:50 am on Thursday, 26th March 2009, my host family is one member larger. I have a new, as yet unnamed, baby sister. She weighed 3.5 kilogrammes at birth, is already slightly darker than me, and has beautiful black curls all over her head. She and Maama came home from the clinic last night and are sleeping on a mattress in the dining room for the next couple days. It will be for Taata to name her the next time (maybe?) he comes home, and I don't know yet when she will be baptised with her Christian name. Until then, we call her "Baby" or try out other names to see if they fit. She is beautiful, quiet, and the cause for many visitors. Three year old Micheal is absolutely delighted at the concept of a baby, but has to be reminded frequently not to roll on her when he is playing and laughing.
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And in case you wonder why I never mentioned this before, I honestly didn't know that Maama was pregnant. She thought that of course I had realised this and was only pretending not to know. But truly, honestly, sincerely, I was oblivious. Which is now the cause for much amusement all over Bukoto and the neighbouring villages. I don't mind so much, though, because I have a new sister.
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Note: in case you didn't know, I am the oldest of 5 biological siblings, and at last count, I thought I had 13 more in my host family (make that 14 today), but I am still thrilled at the thought of another. :)

She gave me a sticker.

With a sticker for me, I found this note in one of my Primary 4 student's exercise books when I was marking lessons.
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PlEASE READ
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Thank you Aunt kristina for teaching me good English your good teacher from this class and your beatiful teacher.
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If I were marking it, I would have told her to write corrections using full stops (periods), but as it was, I just copied it into my journal and wiped the sweet tears from my eyes. I love my students, in case you were wondering.

Pinto

Trouser pockets
hold the stuff of little boy dreams--
or at least his games.
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An old fuse,
a lock with no key,
length of rubber,
bit of wire,
the brush to polish father's shoes.
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Tied atop a beat-up wire car,
spilling out of a plastic bag,
stacked in the dirt,
or scattered through the grass.
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He is king of this world.
mechanic, engineer, motocycle driver,
setting out on great adventures.
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Piece of bread makes him rich,
more so when there's margarine,
and oh,
how he swaggers.
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Hundred shillings could buy the world--
or at least a sweet
from Maama Molly's shop.
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Growing too fast,
he fights for his freedom,
but always wanders home for tea--
and a bath that he despises--
asleep most nights before we take supper.
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Wants to go to school,
to march like brothers and playmates,
to wear shoes and long trousers,
to master the art of number and letter,
but not til next year.
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Three years old.
He sucks his fingers still
and sometimes kisses my lips when we cuddle.
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Pockets cannot possibly contain
the magic of little boy dreams.

How 'bout some pictures?

Since it's been so long since I posted any pictures, these will be random favourites from the last few months (captions below the photos)...

from my sister melissa's visit in december-january...

teddy, harriet, father peter paul ssemakula, melissa
as far into tanzania as we got (i.e. standing on the border)
in early evening, after we had ridden ostriches

brother. sister.

our parish church in late december 2008.
yesterday, they started to put iron sheets on the roof,
which is supposed to be finished for easter mass.
actually, i loved having christmas eve mass with no roof :)

mostly my sisters, at a football game on christmas.

christmas means dressing up in new clothes.
front: wangi micheal, mutagubya aloysius, ntesimbe mark
back: katongole henry, kakooza alex, namanda josephine

visiting lake mburo national park,
with melissa and maama, neither of whom had ever seen such "african animals" before

melissa against the sky.
i think she laughed at me for taking this, but i love this pic.

the lake.
which i would have jumped into if not for talk of hippos and crocs.
i kept a video of this scene on my camera for a few months because i so love water.

sometimes, i feel like this is how the rest of the world imagines "africa".

but where i live, it usually looks a bit more like this.
(minus the zebra, of course).
(well, and often a bit greener).

maama was so happy.

still melissa's visit...

nakawoojwa brendah, mutagubya aloysius, ntesimbe mark.

my brothers and cousin,

singing and dancing for the sister who would soon be returning to Amerika.

Nakawoojwa cutting onions.

Melissa getting a Luganda/drawing lesson from Muta.

And then she taught them to sing "The Duke of York".

nevermind all the photos I have of butterflies and animals,

yes,

I took a picture of a small bug on my shoe

while sight-seeing at Lake Mburo.

the focus is even better than I wished.

two amazing women: nabakooza melissa and katoona rebecca.

i think they were watching me ride an ostrich.

hence the laughter.

[sideways, sorry.]

Father Peter Paul Ssemakula,

St Jude Bukoto Parish Priest,

St Jude Junior School Director,

my supervisor and friend.

i appreciate this man so much...

even when he greets me with, "You are fine, how are you?"

pics from school, in mostly mixed up order...

uncle bogere moses, uncle kamulegeya micheal, uncle mugabi ddungu, uncle waiswa john.

resting outside after a long day of teaching and varnishing.

using money that people gave me to help the school,

we purchased 132 new mathematical sets,

one for every member of the p.4 up to p.7 classes.

above: the outside, below: the inside.

pencil, ruler, two triangles, protracter, sharpener, blue pen, two compasses, eraser, mathematical formulas:
a good chunk of the supplies needed for academic success...
and to diminish fights over rulers.


P.4 members examining the contents of their new sets.
caught unawares by the camera,
most of the HUGE smiles came immediately following this moment.


P.4s showing off their new sets.

SO, SO HAPPY.

(Thank you very much, our friends in America. We appreciate what you have done for us.)

P.7 members drinking porridge at break time.

sanding and varnishing the new desks bought for us by Willowgrove Primary School.

(Thank you so much. We also greatly appreciate what you've done for us).

writing letters to pen pals at Rouge Valley Mennonite Church in Canada.

Mukiibi Henry (Top Class). Babirye Angela (P.2).

i love these boys.

micheal, my three year old brother.

nicholas, our four year old neighbour, and the son of one of my teacher friends.

mabel, almost one year old, brother to nico and also my friend's daughter.

friends hold hands.

all giggles when i pull out the camera.

is she really taking our photo?
i don't know.


jumping.

more random pics of my life since the computer is cooperating today...

emily welty, a friend who is studying MCC for her phd, came to visit at the end of Feb.

Teddy, another neighbour, peeling matooke for supper.

Maama Nakawoojwa Jane Francis Katongole,

my host mother and friend.

Can you tell that she's nine months pregnant?

these days, my hair is long and blond.

and never down like this.



this blue lorry usually lives by my house.
i recently learned that it does work and is sometimes used for transportation.
here, the mechanics who work next door are doing something mechanic-ly.
most times, this lorry is a playground for the younger children
and a resting place for the older boys.

random smattering of photos from Living with Shalom youth seminar, Hoima, January 2009.

(formatting is all blogspot's fault, not mine)

more random pics from Living with Shalom...