10 Days in Kapturwa, Uganda

In approaching the topic of my time spent in Kapturwa, Uganda, I am a bit overwhelmed with how to even begin.  I wish I could just take you there and show you the majesty of the mountains and the beauty of its close-knit community of farmers, but I can't...and so I guess I will have to try to explain it to you in words.  

  I took a six hour bus ride from Mukono, Uganda, a pretty busy, urban setting, to Kapturwa, Uganda, a beautiful rural setting of mountains and rivers filled with more animals than farmers.  Driving up to my house for the next week, I was met not with the dire poverty of shacks filled with little kids running around, but instead with a white cottage surrounded by the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen in my life.  The house was right on the front edge of a mountain, overlooking the entire valley of Kapturwa.  Behind the house was a chicken coop, outside cooking hut, and everything that goes along with a farm – roaming chickens, cows and goats.  Farther along you could see their own land full of coffee, matoke, exotic fruit, and potatoes that they grew themselves.  What made this even better was that just the day before, I had come to the insane realization that after 20 years of not liking coffee, I may have possibly just enjoyed a cup of coffee.  I think I still like tea more…but I have to admit, its not bad, especially when its fresh African coffee!  In seeing the breathtaking, beautiful home that I was about to live in, an utter retreat of refreshment and rejuvenation  I almost cried with joy.  I could not believe how much God loved me that He would see my tiredness and need of a peaceful get-away - and then give all of that to me and more! 

The family I stayed with was just as refreshing – they welcomed me into their family with such love and joy, giving me more food than I have ever eaten in my life and making me feel truly like one of them.   I lived with my wise and beautiful Mamma Judith and my caring and respected father, David, as well as my cousin Sarah, who was pretty much like family.  Then there were Isaac and Joshua, the two helpers at the house who I saw herding goats, cutting wood, feeding the cows, and doing things that I guess farmers do!  Then there was Collins, a lively 19 year old guy who brought my friends who lived near by me, and I – hiking!  We went to the famous crack in a rock where we crossed over and saw a breathtaking view, hiked down through bushes and thorns to stand behind a waterfall, and the next day went to a cave in which we sang worship songs and ate chapateis while sitting in the dark.  It was a lot of walking and a lot of sun…but very fun and brought a lot of great pictures!  Oh, and did I mention that I did all of that in my mokosins?  They had told me it was just a little walk...which I guess it was for them:)

When not hiking, my sister and I were walking through their village, meeting all of her many neighbors and greeting them in Kupsabe, the language that they speak there.  I found that knowing how to say, Takwenyo (how are you) and Yeko (good) opened up a whole new world to me!  When hearing me speak their language, immediately either huge grins, or laughter of the surprise of a white person speaking their language followed.  Unlike in Mukono, many of the people I had met had never interacted with a white person.  The kids would touch my skin to see what it felt like, the old ladies would shake my hand for five minutes, and my mom would stare in amazement at the black marks on my face that dirt would create.  I had become the ambassador of America, answering questions from my family from everything of what crops grew in America, how dish washers worked, to how we survived economically when it was so cold that it snowed!  Their life was one in which everyone did everything with their own hands – whether it was fetching water from a well, digging potatoes and planting and grinding coffee to make a living, or washing their clothes and dishes outside in buckets of water.  It was like I had gone back in time and found a valley hidden away, filled with the beauty and simplicity of a community of farmers just living together.  Walking through the streets, I found that my cousin/sister knew absolutely everyone, all whom we stopped to greet and find out how they were doing.  While our destination was bringing tea to her 103 year old grandparents, we ended up stopping at quite a few houses along the way to of course sit down and be given something to eat or drink.  All of them were so happy to see me, many of which asked if I could come back to visit with them longer.  I can truly say that those walks along the road, hand in hand with Sarah who become like an African soul-mate to me even if it was for a week, were the best part of the week.  Yah, taking showers under the sky, learning how to milk a cow for the first time (harder than you think!), and cracking gnuts with my mom while listening to my cousins whistle and sing as they worked were pretty awe-inspiring, but I’d have to say those road trips were pretty special.  And did I say I ground my own coffee beans with a big stick that I pounded into a tall wooden container?

Well, it is time for me to go home to my family now, so I guess I'll have to finish my story sometime soon.  I am truly missing you all.  While it is still great here, I am excited to be home and with you all.  Love you guys!!