Personal Proverbs.

[proverbs, from my journal, 21st June 2009.]
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Even a dry season drizzle can drench.
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A cold bath warms longer than a freshly ironed shirt.
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Perhaps if adults didn't teach children to fear death, they wouldn't.
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Small children sometimes explain rainbows better than adults.
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Just because the stranger disagrees, it does not mean she has failed to understand.
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When you wait, the electricity will go off.
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Anonymous generousity, by virtue of denying people the chance to appreciate charity, strips them of dignity and power.
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"Home".

To my dear friends and family on both sides of the Atlantic,
This is just a short note to let you know that I've safely arrived back in the US. I left Uganda at about 6am (East African Standard Time) yesterday morning and arrived in Akron, PA, at about 10am (Eastern Standard Time) this morning. It was a long, and at times quite stressful, trip, but I arrived safely and without any hassle from US Customs. It's been nice to wash my clothes in a washing machine, catch up with other SALTers as they slowly arrive (I was in the first group), walk barefoot on green grass, eat chicken noodle soup, and just rest.
I'm not sure that it's fully hit me yet that I'm really back in the US--or that I've really said goodbye to all of mydear ones in Uganda, but that will come.
I'll be in Akron for the MCC re-entry retreat until this coming Friday, then "home" to my parents' house in VA. Looking forward to seeing many of you in the coming hours, days, and months... and to seeing others of you when I return to Uganda in a few months.
Hoping to get some time to write some updates (like, about "what's next") during the next couple days, so you can look forward to that.
Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers during this travelling process.
Blessings until we meet... Kristina

The passage Father picked for me to read at my farewell mass.

2 Korinti 13.11-13

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Ebyo nga bikyali awo, ab'oluganda, mube basanyufu;

mutegane okufuuka abalungi ddala;

mugumyangngane;

musse kimu;

mutuule mirembe;

olwo Katonda w'okwagala n'eddembe alibeera nammwe.

Mulamusaganye nga munywegeragana ng'abatuukirivu.

Abatuukirivu bonna babatumidde.

Enneema y'Omukama Yezu Kristu,

n'okwagala kwa Katonda,

n'okussa ekimu ne Mwoyo Mutuukirivu,

bibeere nammwe mwenna.

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2 Corinthians 13.11-13.

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Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell.

Put things in order,

encourage one another,

agree with one another,

sit in peace;

and the God of love and peace will stay with you.

Greet each other with a holy kiss.

All the holy ones greet you.

May the grace of the lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit

stay with all of you.

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[my translation, with assistance from the NRSV]

Recipes.

A few weeks ago, I taught my P7 class about Baking. It's a topic on the National Syllabus for this class, but a concept that was completely foreign to almost all of them. When I asked who had ever seen a gas cooker with oven, two hands went up; Bwanika and Ndiwalana used to live in Kampala. Baked goods (bread, cakes, biscuits) are sold in our village, but they are brought in on from Masaka. The only thing close to an oven I have seen in Bukoto (and which I used to explain for my class) are the huge stacks of bricks which are fired to dry them. Thrice, I have "baked" crumbly chocolate-peanut butter cake using our charcoal stove as a makeshift dutch oven. Between their attempts to write a story about pictures depicting a girl baking a cake and my bringing bread to facilitate better learning, we had a lot of fun with this unit.
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One of the creative writing assignments I gave my class involved writing recipes. Since they have no idea what ingredients or procedure to use for baking, and since "food" (i.e. carbohydrates) generally involves only fire and water, I instructed them to write instructions for preparing their favourite sauces. Specifically, they had to list the ingredients and write a procedure. Here are some of my favourites...
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Namagala Nakato Oliver.
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My favourite sauce is fish.
How to prepare fish.
Move the unwanted parts from a fish.
Wash it propery.
I start cooking.
Put cooking oil in the saucepan.
add onions.
add tomatoes.
add baking powder.
add salt.
Put a fish into.
add little water.
Cook it for five minutes.
then taste.
Prepare your plate.
add start eatting.
That is how to prepare a fish.
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[I think she confused "baking powder" with "curry powder".]
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Sseggane John.
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I get 2 killogrames of soya beans.
I pick beans and I cooked them.
After I get tomatoes and onions.
I cut them into smaller pieces.
I get cooking oil I put it in the sorce pan
and I take it on the fire after i mix
tomatoes, onion and cooking oil.
I fry them after I put some water and
I cook them.
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Nsamba Emmanuel.
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Pork meat.
1. First get tomatoes, onions and cut them into smaller pieces.
2. Then get cooking oil and put it in the sauce pan.
3. Put the cooking oil on fire.
4. Then mix cooking oil with tomatoes, onions and carry powder and salt.
5. Then put in the pork.
6. And in some water.
7. Cook it for 10 or 15 minutes.
8. Then remove it on fire and taste the sauce.
9. After that start to eat.
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Natugga Justine.
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My favourite source is ground nuts.
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I first grine the ground nuts.
I put them in the saucepan.
I put there salt
I mix there tomatoes
Then I put in water.
And I cook.
I taste it
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Ingredients:
salt
tomatoes
water
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Bwanika Darausi.
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Fish
salt tomatoes carry powder
water onions cooking oil
fish--Is cut into equal parts
Cooking oil--put into a saucepan
tomatoes--cut them and mix in cooking oil.
cut onions, carry powder, water, salt and mix them into the fish and cook it and it get ready. then you taste the solution.
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[This young man who refers to his sauce as a "solution" wants to become a doctor... fitting, I think.]
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Nambi Jacent.
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My favourite sauce is meat.
Ingredients
-salt
-water
-curry powder
-tomatoes
-onions
-cooking oil
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meat--means when you have slaughtered any animal.
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How to prepare meat.
-You cut the meat into pieces.
-next you cut the tomatoes.
-You prepare onions.
-You prepare cooking oil in the saucepan.
-You take on fire.
-You mix.
-You prepare cooking oil.
-You put curry powder.
-You put salt.
-You put onions.
-You put water.
-You cook.
-You taste.
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[I didn't actually say that they had to define any of the terms they used...]
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Nabayombya Hudah.
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My favourite sauce is beans.
I fist prepare the source pan.
I put in cooking oil.
I put in onions.
I put in Tomatoes.
I put in salt.
I put in water.
Then it get ready.
And I taste it.
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Ingredients.
-Salt.
-Water.
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Kitamilike Matia.
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How to prepare beef.
Ingredients.
onions.
cooking oil.
tomatoes.
salt.
curry powder.
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Procedure.
First wash the meat.
Put it in a clean container.
Get a clean saucepan and put it on a charcoal stove until it gets dry or hot.
and cut tomatoes with onions.
Put cooking oil.
add onions.
Then add tomatoes.
Put their meat.
add salt and curry powder.
Then mixture and add some water.
When it is ready we first taste.
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Nankya Josephine.
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beans.
First pick the dust.
I cut onions anad tomatoes.
I put in oil in the souce pan
I fly.
then I put in water. and salt.
I cook.
When it was ready I remove it
then I taste on.
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[In case you weren't aware, "fly" and "fry" are troublesome homonyms for people whose native tongue is Luganda.]
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Feel free to try these recipes at home. Though I suppose some of you will prefer to use your gas or electric stoves rather than the cooking fires or charcoal stoves presupposed above. Such a change will likely affect cooking time, global warming, and taste.

The poem my students presented for the Diocese Education Week competitions...

OSANGA WAALIYAMBIDDWA

Bino byetuleese tewaalisaanye obisubwe,
Osanga waaliyambiddwa singa obimanya,
Kale nno mubagambe abali eyo banguwe,
Anti tuleese bingi byebasaanye okumanya:
Ffe twewuunya abakyali kwebyo ebyebwe!
Nebatajjukira nti bibagaana okumanya!
Nabo mubatemyeko baleke awo ebyabwe,
Bamale okuwulira ebiribayamba okumanya.
. Mirembe mirembe, abakulu eb’ebitiibwa.
. Ab’emyaka egyaffe, buladde buladde.
. Tumwebaza oyo Ddunda, okulukeesa luno.
. Nga nze, naawe n’oli tukyassa omukka.

Eky’okunnyikira Kristu ky’eky’ensonga,
Ky’ekituleese era kyetugenda okubunya.
Tumulangirire mu b’engula n’emmanga,
Ne mubukiika bwombiriri balina okumanya.
Nabo bategeere Kristu nti y’asinga;
Tulyoke tumusinze awatali kweganya.
Katumunnyikire kuba teri amusinga,
Tumulangirire anti yasaanye okubunya.
. Ye mukebezi ate ye mubeezi.
. Ye musaasizi ero ye mulokozi.
. Ye muzuuzi ate ye mujulizi.
. Ye muwanguzi era ye mununuzi.

Bwetutabeera na Kristu kyakabi ddala,
Bwebunnyogovu obw’obutamanya oy’o Mukama.
Obutawaayo kiseera eri omukama,
N’obutabeera bagumu mubukatoliki.
Okubeera n’emitima egijjudde etiima,
N’obutaawula byabuwangwa na Katonda.
Okuddirira mu by’okwezza obugya,
Mubisuubizo ebyaffe ebyabafiisimu.
. Olwo omulabe waffe nga ye akuba kalippo.
. Saakalamentu ery’obulamu neritusuba eryo.
. Abamu bali mubufumbo nga nabwo sibutuufu.
. Okusinza sitaani, nakwo kweyongera nnyo.

Okunnyikira Kristu n’okumulangirira;
Tebyava wano kumpi wabula eri Katonda.
Bwetubikula Bayibuli ebitulaga,
Muvvanjiri ya Mariko omutwe ogusooka.
Akanyiriri ak’ekkumi, era n’ekkumi n’akamu.
. Yezu bweyali nga yaakava mu mazzi amagu ago,
. Eddoboozi neriva muggulu nga ligamba nti,
. “Ggwe Mwana wange omwagalwa.”
. “Era gwensiimira ddala.”
. . Okwonno bakulu, kwali kulangirira okwo.
. . Abaakuwulira, Kristu baamunnyikira.
. . Era y’ensonga, lwaki baawandiika.
. . Ekitabo ekitukuvu, Bayibuli omujulizi.

Nga tubasiibula anti ataakusulire,
Katubaagalize Kristu abeere ettaala.
Mumaka gyetuva eyo ne mumasomero,
Abeere omusingi eri ffe emiti emito.
Mubibuga ebirungi ne mumalwaliro,
Amulise kubanga yasinga okwaka.
Mubakaddiye ennyo ne mubavubuka,
Abeere wakati mubo nga muwabuzi.

Olwo Ekereziya, anaabeera wamulembe.
Ensi yaffe nayo olwo, eneeba yaamuwendo,
Kalenno ab’oluganda, mujje tufune Kristu.
Ffe tumunnyikire, era tumulangirire.

May: A Month of Visits and Visiting: Part I

N.B.: Since I posted them in chronological order, these pics are nowin reverse order. So... you should start at the bottom and read up.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love clouds?

On top of the rock.

Steven.

Collins.

Soroti, Teso Region, Eastern Uganda.

Soroti Visit:

Let's go climb a rock!

Brothers:

Pinto, Ntesimbe, Muta.

Top: St Jude Bukoto Catholic Parish.

[new church, parish house, old church]

Lower Right: St Jude Junior School,

where I spend the majority of my time.

[as seen from our dormitories,

the former St. Francis Vocational Secondary School]

Ntesimbe Mark, Nakalawa Ritah, Wangi Micheal "Pinto", Mutagubya Aloysius.

Some of my younger siblings.

Going to mass.

Bourbon Coffee also has really good ICE CREAM!

Milles Collines:

The Land of Thousands of Hills.

A tea plantation in Rwanda.

Happy birthday, Em!

Kigali:

The first city I ever thought of as "beautiful."

Bourbon Coffee, Kigali, Rwanda.

Vacation meant a lot of writing, reading, and reflecting.

And coffee.

Emily's visit could be sub-titled:

"Muta learns photography."

home.

Allen, Flavia, Ritah.

Mutagubya: "I love you Emily."

Pinto: "I love you Emily."

Emily learns to peel matooke.

Ntesimbe Mark doing his holiday homework.

Maama with baby.

this is what my hair looked like when we removed the extensions...

four weeks since last washing...

i think it's cute.