Learning and Dancing

It is Monday, one week into attending classes at Uganda Christian University.  I have now gotten myself into a nice routine – waking up around 7:30, walking to class an hour later to then have usually two classes, leaving me with time to do homework, write, and be with my fellow classmates.  Classes have been great so far, I’ve begun learning about African culture and Christianity and have in doing begun to see my own culture and beliefs in a new light.  My community art class and spiritual disciplines class also looks like they are going to be great…I’m loving how pretty much all of my classes intertwine and connect with my experience here – whether its by helping me interact with my community, journal about my experiences, or learn about the culture. It has been a very refreshing and needed time of just being, experiencing, and growing in relationships. 

This weekend was great fun – one of my family’s cousin’s brought by an x-box dance game and so we went at it – and very competitively at that.  We made teams and intensely cheered each other on, I don’t think I’ve seen my brothers and sisters ever get more excitedJ  I almost beat my brother at one of the songs…truly it was remarkable, but other than that, I was pretty much crushed by them all.  All I can say is, they sure can dance!  Other than the fierce competition that came with that, I drove into Kampala with my brother and the insane traffic and heat that came with it, went to church and saw a people with vision – a vision for all of Uganda to repent and return to God, (we signed this petition that they hoped would be henceforth signed by millions to be presented to the government), and had great talks with my sisters and very thought-provoking, deep movies to go along with it.  I think I also made a fool of myself too many times to count…I don’t know if my family just pulls out the blond side of me or if living in another culture with lots of new things makes me especially prone to saying funny things, but I am no known to make them laugh quite a bitJ  Examples…well, I mistook a gate into their uncles house to be the gate into Kampala, I took about five minutes to put a plug into a socket (you have to do it in a very specific way with much speed, I would argue), and I just plain say some funny words, I guess. 

But I have continued to learn much…for while I wouldn’t dare even watch my calm and collected young cousin bind a chickens legs and then proceed to cut off its neck and de-feather it, I was courageous enough to walk into a mass of flapping chickens and pour their food into their troughs, though I did pour half of it onto their heads because they were so excited to eat.  At first it was a bit scary to part the red sea of chickens and pray that I wouldn’t step on them, but now its not so bad and I think I’ve figured it outJ   I also received a history lesson on Uganda by my brother, in which I learned about their president Museveni and about the corruption that is so prevalent even within schools and the police. And so the learning keeps happening...and I am greatly thankful for my family in continuing to explain to me how things work, even if some of them refuse to tell me certain names because they know I'll forget it by the next day:)