The latest from Ndejje

Slowly, but surely, we are getting the Soccer Without Borders program up and running in Ndejje. As it turns out, the last few years, SWB presence in Ndejje has been primarily focused on building the actual infrastructure, so while the physical building of the youth center is up, it will be up to us to create relationships with kids from other schools in order to get the program up and running. We have a pretty steady contingent of about 25 kids who come to soccer trainings right now, and kids often stop by when we're inside the youth center, but the concept of attending after school programs is very new so it will take some time to establish some consistency.

Two weeks ago, we were meeting the kids at the center to administer training gear prior to heading to the pitch for practice. As soon as the kids arrived though, it started monsooning! While the rain was kind of a downer at first, it ended up being a blessing because we were able to hang out, play some games, and do some artwork with the kids for the next two hours while it poured. It was fun spending time with the kids, getting to know them, and having them feel more comfortable with us as well.

This past Saturday was bright and sunny though, so we got to have our regularly scheduled training session. It was so much fun! And it was the first training session where I walked away feeling satisfied with what had been accomplished. Adam and I worked with the girls, and we actually got to teach them a thing or two about soccer, while still having fun. There are so many life lessons that can be learned inherently by participating in sports, and it is cool being able to convey those lessons as a coach. That's why soccer is such a powerful tool to reach out to these kids, it knows no language or cultural barriers, and the lessons are the same worldwide.

At the end of the training session, we had the girls play 5v5 because of limited field space, so each team also had two subs. When one little girl came off the field for her turn as a substitute, she looked at me and said, "Coach, you should pull Deborah off, she isn't very good and is not working hard." My immediate instinct was to laugh, because that is something I used to tell my youth coaches when I was frustrated with teammates who were slacking...but I held in my laughter and told her that it wasn't very nice to talk about teammates like that and that she should encourage her teammates instead. Ah, reminded me of my days of youth soccer, hahaha. Now I can understand my coaches reasoning when they tried explaining the same thing to me, although I still think my point was somewhat justified at times.

As I wrote a while ago, I have been attending church with my friend Jackline. She is a member of her youth group at church and they decided to make me a t-shirt and asked me to join their group. I complied, only to find out this past Sunday that we will be leading worship this upcoming Sunday in front of the entire church. WHAT?!! The regular worship team dances and claps and moves all around the stage while singing, I'm game for clapping, but I do not dance in church. I feel awkward enough dancing on other occasions, let alone at church! And, I am not exactly sure how I am going to sing these songs since ninety percent of them are in Luganda! Good thing we have practice on Wednesday. Anyhow, I am pretty nervous about this Sunday and am considering faking being sick with malaria...This past Sunday was embarrassing enough when the pastor thought it would be a good idea to call out the only mzungu in church and invited me to come to the front and introduce myself to everyone. As if I already don't draw enough attention to myself every Sunday with kids crawling all over me during the service and clapping awkwardly and shuffling my feet as I try to escape full on dancing. So, stay tuned as I'm sure I'll have a great story after church this Sunday.

In other dancing news, we went into Kampala for the international arts festival this past weekend. There were a bunch of bands performing from the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. Boy, do Africans looooove their dancing! I keep finding myself in these situations where I am expected to dance, but am surrounded by people who are actually good dancers so I just end of feeling totally inadequate. I try to just ignore my self-consciousness and enjoy myself. It worked pretty well that night. Anyways, the Congolese band was awesome, and we actually got to meet them as we were leaving the concert because they were just outside the exit! So cool! Whoever thought I would become a Congolese groupie? Not I.

So, that's life in Ndejje. Just plugging away at things Africa time and continuing to enjoy the time spent with the kids. Until next time!

Experiencing Idd(y)

Last Friday, Sept. 10, was a national holiday as the month of Ramadan ended and Muslims broke their fasting by celebrating Idd (pronounced "Iddy" here). There is a large Muslim population in and around Ndejje and while I was running that morning, I came across many Muslim families dressed up in their traditional garments. It was interesting to see the women, who wore head wraps that ranged from the full on bhurka, to a simple scarf wrapped around the hair, to bedazzled coverings draped over the head and shoulders.

Later that morning, as we were sitting on our front porch, two of our friends (9 and 10 year old girls named Nadia and Hadia) stopped by to invite us to their family's Idd celebration. They were pretty insistent that we come, so we changed quickly into more appropriate clothing (I was again told that I had to change my outfit, I am apparently not a good dresser by Ugandan standards) and followed them towards there home.

Upon arriving, their aunt had just finished slaughtering a turkey and was busy plucking it and beheading it before sticking it in the pot to cook. The girls' mother was preparing something which smelled delicious, and we were greeted by their two younger male cousins and the little baby cousin, Zainab, a girl. They gave us sodas to sip on and upon handing Heather and me the glasses in which to pour them into, instructed us to pour Adam's as well because men should not have to do any work themselves. I bit my tongue, seeing as it is their holiday and I didn't think it was quite the appropriate time to go into my rant about gender equality and such.

There was music playing in the background, which sounded like a choir of Muslim men/boys chanting on and on and on. The girls wanted to dance for us which was very entertaining to watch. Of course, the little one year old baby Zainab wanted to join, so she struggled to stand on her own and sway her hips back and forth. This motion caused her skirt to fall down again and again, but nobody really seemed to mind or think this was awkward, but it was hilarious for us to watch. Zainab wears a string of beads around her waist, just like most Ugandan baby girls, because they believe that it helps girls to develop a slim waist and big hips.

After the dancing, Zainab was a bit dirty, so the girls whipped out the wash tub and stuck her in, totally oblivious to the rest of the guests present. Of course the appropriate time to bathe a baby is in the middle of a party, in fronts of other guests.

Additional family members soon arrived and the food was promptly served. Of course, the men were served first and the women actually bowed down to them as they presented the food...biting my tongue again. The food was delicious and it was nice to feel full for a change. When we had finished eating and I was holding Zainab on my lap, the best and funniest part of the day proceeded to take place. Nadia and Hadia start singing a song that goes something like, "Baby Jesus is my Savior." So there I am, sitting in the middle of Africa, at an Islamic religious celebration, holding a baby with beads around her waist, listening to a song about Baby Jesus being the Savior of the world. I don't know if it gets much better than that.

Needless to say, the whole day was hilarious and so surreal. In the U.S., most holidays are celebrated with close family and friends. But here, people can't wait to invite the strange mzungus to come celebrate their most sacred of holidays. And actually, I was surprised that there seemed to be nothing religious about the celebration at all. It seemed that the girls were more excited about being able to eat again than anything else. So all in all, a very funny day and I wish my description could do it justice. Maybe when I post pictures everyone at home can get a better idea of the craziness of it all. Happy Idd(y)!!

Making "Good Time"

"We want to make good time, but for us now this is measured with an emphasis on "good" rather than "time" and when you make that shift in emphasis, the whole approach changes." -Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

I really can't say it any better than that. For someone who is very goal-oriented and thrives upon having deadlines and being able to check accomplishments off lists, this has been my biggest cultural difference to adjust to so far. But as my emphasis has shifted towards the "good," I've found that I have started to enjoy myself much more and have found myself fitting in to my surroundings and really feeling at home within the community. The first time I realized this was when we returned from Jinja and I had that feeling you experience when you take a trip somewhere, and while it's great, you love just coming home and the comfort that surrounds being somewhere you know so well.

So, I've started to slow down and enjoy the special moments each day, instead of always trying to be in a hurry to get somewhere. One of my favorite things to do is to sit outside on our back porch while it's raining, and listen as the raindrops ping off the tin roofs, creating a rhythmic cadence that creates such a soothing effect.

By far though, the best part about a slower paced life are the relationships that you form along the way. I've enjoyed meeting kids in the community, who are then so excited to introduce you to the rest of their family. And when I say family, it's not just their mom and dad, and siblings, it's their immediate family, as well as extended family who live under the same roof. Oh, and then you take a trip down the street to visit their other aunties and cousins, and then again to visit their grandparents. And most likely, you are toting a baby around on your hip who was thrust into your arms upon arrival and is marveling at the lighter shade of your skin color and doesn't quite understand how it is possible for someone to exist who isn't black. And this whole experience is so great because people here define what it means to exhibit hospitality. They have nothing, yet they lay out their best food, etc when they have a visitor, which means that I have to spend time coming up with creative ways to repay them for their kindness, but these intricate relationships that are being formed make everything worthwhile.

And another great thing is how crazy Africa is. I love it and find something to laugh about every day. For example, I am getting ready to go to church with my friend Jackline yesterday and I walk out in the only dress that I brought with me to Africa. She takes one look at me and says, "Corten (how they pronounce my name), you need to go change. Your dress has wrinkles." No filter whatsoever that it is rude to tell someone they look bad, and I was like, this is the only dress I have! But the whole situation was so funny that I laughed, walked back into my room and changed into jeans and a t-shirt, that apparently were not as offensive as my wrinkled dress.

Some of the funniest experiences have been my interactions with the guys here as well. Everyone has marriage on the mind! I was going through a security checkpoint in town the other day and the guard who was checking my bag says, "I noticed you are not wearing a wedding ring, so I would like to come visit you where you are staying..." At which point I promptly walk away. I am considering getting a fake ring to wear, a nice big one that I can flash at anyone who happens to glance at my hand, haha.

While Africa is crazy and I am constantly surprised and humored by everything that happens each day, I love it here. It is so great fitting into a new community and a new culture. When I run in the mornings, kids will run alongside me, or sometimes ride a bike next to me so that can accompany me for a greater distance. It is comforting feeling welcomed here, and as much as I hope that I will leave an impact on the people of this community, they have already, and will continue to, leave an even greater impact on me.