After Mass and lunch at Jeje’s home, we put on the boots that David’s Tata (father) brought over that morning to make the journey to David’s house. It rained the night before, so the boots were necessary because of the swamp and muddy water. There is a tiny path that goes to the next village where his parents stay and David remembers every step of the way. He showed us where he carried buckets to collect water from the stream and told us stories of walking along this path hundreds of times during his youth. When we arrived, David’s Tata and Mama greeted us with hugs, laughs, huge smiles, and gave us gifts. Tata gave Sean a traditional cassock worn by men in Uganda and Mama gave me a kitenge (material) that matched the dress she was wearing.
David’s house is beautifully quaint. The outside is nicely painted, and the first room is set up nicely with couches, a coffee table of sorts and many pictures on the concrete walls. The floor in this room was dirt but covered with a linal (how do you spell this?) flooring. The rest of the rooms in his house are dirt. This is how most houses are set up. The first room is set up nicely and comfortably for guests, but there is a curtain that separates this room from the rest of the house where there is very little. The kitchen is a little house outside not attached to the house.
Tata brought out Senators (a Ugandan beer) for us (he was really excited to share a brew with us) and sat us down to read a letter he wrote for us. David translated it. It was a beautiful welcome letter saying how we are welcome home, how he now has two bazungu children, and thanked David for being good enough for us to be his friend. That thanks kept getting me – the way they thank him for being a good person to have friends like us. I feel that is a thank we never think of giving.
Though we had lunch maybe an hour or two ago, Mama wanted to cook for us so she sent Tata to buy pork from town. As they cooked the pork, we sat outside by the tiny coal burning stove and ate sugar cane chopped down from their backyard. Sean and I helped Mama with things in the kitchen and like the others she was so amazed that I would sit right beside her on her mat and cut tomatoes. They are surprised that we don’t show off like other buzungu. They kept saying that maybe it was because we were young. Many of David’s brothers were there – they all look alike. We walked around their shamba – they have a big sty of pigs! One was enormous and was nursing about 7 piglets!
Later Tata and Mama decided they wanted to give us a chicken as a gift so I started chasing the thing and pretty soon it was a hot chase including the dog, Sean, the brothers, and a few neighbor children. David and his parents thought it was hysterical watching us run around like that. The dog finally cornered the cock and Sean scooped it up. I’ve never held a chicken, so he gave it to me for a while. It was a really beautiful rooster. I handed it to David’s younger brother and he took it a little bit away to slaughter it. I refused to watch the whole murder part, but I was a little curious after that. He chopped off the head pressing his foot on the body so it wouldn’t run. I held the head for a little, examining it then threw it to the dogs. Sean and David’s brother started plucking the feathers – I helped a little. Then he gutted the thing, pulling out the insides with his bare hands. It was so interesting. He showed me all the different parts and split open the gizzard to show where the food is stored. It as interesting to see the whole animal through the stages until it arrives on my plate. We ate it the next day – it was delicious!
After eating, Mama’s neighborhood women’s group was over so we went to greet them. These women meet to support each other by putting money together to buy big pots for celebrations or deaths, and things of that sorts. The name was translated to something like, “Teeth that bite together can chew,” or something a little more pretty than that. She called us her buzungu twins and gave us names that essentially mean ‘first born’ and ‘second born’. I really liked meeting them.
It was getting dark so we needed to walk back. Tata walked us a ways back – it is custom in Uganda to give a few steps to your guests as they are leaving to return the favor of the visit. On our way back, there was an ant hill and many “white ants” (ants with white wings, called nswa) coming out. Apparently this isn’t the season for them so it was a big surprise. Also, apparently these are food for Ugandans, so Tata squatted down and started gulfing them down, one by one, these live ants, pulling off the wings. David joined in and eventually Sean got the courage to try a few. I really wanted to join in on the fun, but Sean said one moved around in his mouth and throat a little before going down. That did it for me – I refused. But it was so funny watching. Tata pulled off a banana leaf and made an envelop and stuffed a bunch in it for us to eat tomorrow. I was the lucky one to carry it all the way back.
Along the way, the stream were we had passed was now missing the plank of wood that served as our bridge. There was a poor mama on the other side with a bucket of something on her head that was trapped as well. Our only option was to walk right through the knee deep water. At this time it was very dark and we were in the middle of a Ugandan jungle so it was a little scary stepping blindly into water. Thankfully we had those great boots from Tata so it was no problem. We did get water in them, though. The mama had a harder time – she had only slippers (flip-flops) on. She was not happy. But we just kept saying “what an adventure!” It was an awesome experience walking through the jungle with no light, just as David did for years.
At Jeje’s they had dinner ready for us, so we ate the fourth big meal of the day. We proudly displayed our new gifts and Jeje was so happy. She now gave us the gifts she had made us – palm mats she made herself. They are beautiful, bright colors she dyed herself and weaved in a beautiful pattern. That was the nicest dinner because she talked non-stop about how good we were, how God really blessing us, and how good it is that we are all friends. She kept wanting to know when she was going to meet our parents (hint hint, Mom and Dad!). I remember her saying, “even if you have enough money to fill this house, if you don’t have friends you don’t have anything.”
They way they treated us was really humbling. I mean, who am I to deserve such treatment? I’m a nobody, really. I was really sad to go. I would have loved to stay at least a whole week (or month!).
Wow… sorry if this is dragging on. But this may have been one of the best things I have done so far while in Africa. I’ll finish tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment