It's been a while since I posted, so this might be a long one. Take a deep breath. Brace yourself. There are pictures at the end as a reward!
On Thursday, Michael and I went to Taibah to check on the children. It was the dreaded report mid-term report issuance day. The kids got their reports and presented them to Edith, the social counselor. We then proceeded to walk around to different stations and talk to each of their teachers personally about their reports. While most were doing very well in their classes, there were definitely areas for improvement. I went around with two very smart and sweet girls. It was strange for me to act as their "parent" checking on their progress. I understood the struggles of math and chemistry. They're hard! So, I tried to sound like a good, responsible, wise parent (of 19 yrs to a sophomore in high school lol) when I talked to the teachers, but the girls usually just giggled at me and shook their heads at my attempts. But, the teachers had such positive things to say about the students and their work. For many of them, they were leaders in the classroom and had great time management skills. My daughters of 15 ,minutes made me a proud father. Don't worry, Mom, I'm still in no hurry to become a father!
On Saturday, Michael and I went to a Rugby game between Zimbabwe and Uganda. Tightly seated shoulder-to-shoulder on wooden bleachers, we were in the middle of an intense group of Ugandan fans, giving us the best seats in the house. Hands down. With horns in hand, the field was ablaze with energy as fans cheered on the nation. Grills sizzled with muchomo (sticks of pork and chicken) and delicious smells filled the air, reminding me of the Tennessee State Fair. Having never seen a rugby match, I was thoroughly confused to say the least. It was still fun to watch. Seeing guys hoist their team mates high in the air, then watching a guy fly out of nowhere to tackle an unaware player, then following the oddly-shaped ball sail into the air was fun to learn about. However, the real show wasn't going on in the fields. Oh no, it was all about the fan stands. Hilarious chants against the refs with slightly inappropriate jeers at his mother made the evening exciting. No matter where you are, people love their sports. It was funny to watch one guy hop the fence, wave his flag with pride, and then get kicked off by the policemen as he argued intensely. Good times, great memories.
On Sunday, after church, we visited the EAC House in Kisugu, where all the kids were. Michael and I had met a few of them briefly at Taibah, but this was the first time we were with everyone for an extended period of time. And what a time we had! We started playing games, watching school performances, and just hanging out. There's something about youthfulness that brings so much joy. With high-pitched laughs, toothless smiles, and tireless kids running around, we had the time of our lives. Rajab, my new "best", taught us how to play Ba, Badu, Badubadu, a game where you have to follow what the leader says, not does. It was alot of fun. Ya'll know how much I love games, so I'm definitely bringing it back home to teach. Can't wait!
While there, I decided to learn how to do laundry. No, not putting it into the washer and dryer. Like, legit doing laundry. Jengo was washing his clothes, so I decided to help. Still in my Sunday clothes, I slipped off my shoes and socks, rolled up my pants and shirt sleeves and began to learn how to scrub the famous African clay out of Jengo's scrub. First, you soak the shirts in a bucket of water and begin scrubbing with a bar of soap. With soap suds covering the fabric, you rub the pieces together, while stringing out the water. It's a constant process, especially if there's a stain. After, you think you've gotten it all out, you rinse with clean water. Then, you make sure you didn't miss any spots. If you notice that you did (this happened a lot for me), then you repeat the previous step. Finally, you hang out the clothes to dry on a string across the yard. Whew, all I can say is, thank God for Whirpool. It was tough! Jengo laughed at me, and when we got to the jeans, he just shook his head and said, "Nick, you can't handle those. Stick to the shirts." Well, I'm pretty good at socks and shirts, maybe I'll progress to jeans another day.
I always talk about lessons I've learned while I've been here. One of the most helpful lessons I've learned is to listen. Sometimes, we're in such a hurry to share our world with others that we forget to learn. But in between playing games, doing laundry, and eating delicious food, I've begun to observe how others live. To step back and realize that this project is more than me and what I can provide. It's an opportunity to understand others. There's a quote by Dr. Cornel West that I always love to use that I learned at the Tavis Smiley Leadership Institute. "You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people unless you serve the people." In order to truly connect with people, there has to be a relationship, a common understanding. Growing up in America, I've always been taught to be efficient, to move, and be a mover and shaker. But, to be effective, you sometimes have to step back, listen, and wait. You learn so much about what makes a person happy, sad, laugh, cringe, or uncomfortable. Once you understand a group of people, then you are able to better serve.
Our service project may be to create logic models to show program success, but I think beyond that, it's just being present. Going to watch the World Cup, doing laundry together, shopping at the market, learning to play/sing a local song, going to church, and taking a walk all cause us to become connected in a way that sitting in an office deciding whether to use the word "psychological" or "psychosocial" for the model simply doesn't.
I can remember sitting in circle back at Vanderbilt during an Ingram discussion. I can't remember who, but someone said that service is just being. I didn't grasp that concept at the time, but slowly I'm beginning to understand that simple, but complex notion of being...
-Nick
All of us around the house playing games. A geography classroom at Taibah.
Me getting seconds for a newfound snack: GRASSHOPPERS. It was much tastier than fried ant. They seasoned it with onion. Actually not bad.
A Day at the Rugby match with our two tickets. By the way, 2,000 USX=1 US Dollar So, tickets are about $2.50/person
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