July 7th, 2011

July 7th, 2011


Today was the fun day. Literally, the day to have fun, for the kids at least. We took them to this place called Tjeko. It is a basically a traveling fun center which came from Jinja. A guy from the Netherlands started it but they don’t have one secure location they want to set it all at yet. It is a great idea because kids in Uganda rarely get to just have a complete day of havin fun. They are always dealing with school or life or whatever else comes at them. Everything was set up outside in the same field that the boys were suppose to play their first soccer game, but they had a bunch of large tents and pavilions set up so we didn’t bake in the sun as much. There were some trampolines at one station, then a big party bouncer obstacle course, then some soccer place, and pedal go-carts, swinging hammocks, an imagination station, and a large tent where the stage was and Tjeko the crazy monkey. It was so much fun to see all the kids goin crazy everywhere. I doubt they would of ever gotten to even see some of the things that were at this place if they weren’t a part of Musana. I know they will all sleep really well tonight. By the end of the day you could tell they were super drained. One kid even fell asleep on a pile of shoes. Overall it was a wonderful time, not only taking a break from our normal routines, but gettin to spend time with the kids while they experienced something new.

I got into a discussion today about other societal differences between America and Uganda. It started with how much better dancers there are here. Everyone pretty much knows how to dance, at least a little bit. I feel like people grow up with rhythm built into them. Everyone here isn’t afraid to touch one another, as in, everyone holds hands, hugs, wrestles, or whatever with everyone. Guys hold hands with guys, girls with girls, and yes, even the adults do this. It was strange to see at first, but it is something that is totally different from the western culture we have been raised in. I feel like everyone in America is either trying to blend into a crowd so they don’t get picked on, or they are so focused on what they are doing personally and what they themselves have to accomplish, that nobody gives a second thought about people as a whole. There is a huge pride in community here. People help people on a daily basis. Sure it is still kill or be killed, but I think everyone has figured out that it is harder to kill a large community, than an individual. There are some awkward and bad things about this society as well, but it certainly seems to support the loving of one another more.

A little over a week left here. It’ll be impossible to forget this place. I also think it’ll be impossible to stay away from children now......turns out there are so many more across the world that are in need.