I only have 1 more week in Uganda. I am happy to see all of my friends and family back home. And I will be glad to partake of some of the comforts of home – sweet tea, cheeseburgers, and ice cream. Yet, I am also really sad because I will be leaving my new friends here in Uganda.
Last Friday, St. Cyprian Chavanod (the Secondary School where Tabitha and I worked) threw us a going away celebration. Tabitha was the lead teacher for Senior 2 and I was the lead teacher for Senior 1. Each class planned a special program for their lead teacher. My Senior 1 students planned a really nice celebration. They sang songs, prayed for me, read from the Bible, gave me letters they had written, presented some speeches, and danced for me. They wanted me to give a speech. I started crying in the middle of it. Then some of my students started crying. We all just cried together. Then, we took lots of pictures. I am going to print these pictures out and give each student a picture of me and the student. The headmistress had bought some fabric and last week Tabitha and I were measured for skirts. The students gave me my skirt and the headmistress had bought a yellow Tshirt to go with the skirt. So now whenever I will wear my skirt, I will think of my students.
On Saturday, I went with some of the boarding students from the primary school to a field where we harvested maize (corn). Picking corn is not bad. We sang songs and talked while we worked. We finished early so then we used hoes to start digging in the field to get ready for beans to be planted. It still makes me laugh that people here think that I am delicate and that I do not know how to do manual labor. I don’t dig as well or as fast as the primary school students, but I can do it. I may get tired and I may sweat A LOT, but that does not mean that I cannot work.
Then, yesterday (Monday), Tabitha and I went to Kampala to do some shopping. We were going with one of the priests, Father Bonny, and we were all going to take the taxi from Kasana to Kampala. When Father Joe found out our plan, he was worried about us in the taxi park so he had his driver take us to and from Kampala. (Since the bombings, public places in Kampala have stepped up the security or added security. They are now searching people and bags as people enter and leave the taxi park. I think Father Joe was nervous about us going through these extra security measures and running into trouble because we do not speak fluent Luganda.) The driver dropped Father Bonny off for his meeting and then he drove or walked Tabitha and I around Kampala as we did our shopping. He was so nice and so helpful. He never once complained that we took too long or bought too much stuff. He even helped us barter to get reasonable prices on our purchases. We treated him and Father Bonny to lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Kampala (Lotus Mexicana) to show our appreciation for them putting up with our female bazungu (white people) ways. I had chips with queso, a quesadilla, and a passion fruit margarita. Delicious! I have not had cheese all summer and I ate that cheese like it was going out of style. We made it back to the parish safe and sound.
The next few days will be busy. I am trying to spend as much time with the people here as I can in my remaining days. Especially my students. Saturday is the Silver Jubilee Celebration for Father Joe (he is celebrating 25 years as a priest) and that will be a big day with a long mass, a big lunch, and lots of entertainment!
I probably will not write again until next Tuesday after I have arrived in London. Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers as I prepare to head home. I am looking forward to seeing you soon!
Love y’all.
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