Hello.
This has been a week of “taking one for the team” manifesting itself in the form of eating lots and lots of food to spare the feelings of sweet Africans. Interactions typically go something like this: “Ah! You do not like posho?” “Oh…no…It’s delicious…I love posho…” “Ah! Why you no eat?? You want to eat??” “Oh…anyone want some more posho? :D” *rest of the team averts eye contact* Cool guys. “First you eat. Your stomach will be big like mine when you go back to America!” Then you eat as much as you can and pass the bowl around and pressure the rest of the team into eating some as well.
Something else I learned this week in the village is that I will most likely never be able to kill a chicken. I thought that perhaps this was a fear I would overcome in my desire to be hardcore. Then I saw Makyla saw its head off and had second thoughts. Then I heard Brittany attempt – but fail – to saw another one’s head off…and realized with certainty, that this is not a fear I want to overcome enough to actually make any attempt. So much for being African strong.
Yea. The village was good though. It was like camping.
Yesterday Mak, Darby, Aly and I went to Child Restoration Outreach which is one of the NGO’s that helps street kids over here. Our dear friend Hakon from Norway was also there and had the Kony video on his computer. So we were finally able to watch it. There are definitely mixed reactions to it over here, but it’s been super awesome being able to ask Ugandans we work with and see all the time how they feel about it. We just want Kony caught while we’re here. J Tangent. Yea…so CRO… ah. It was a really good day. One of the kids told me about what growing up on the streets was like and danced to Justin Bieber. He was surprisingly…amazingggg…and one of the smartest people it seems like I’ve met here. Ugh. It’s rough seeing so much potential in a kid who has no way of getting to school without a sponsor. I also typed up a few things for some of the guys I work with at CRO and Fred told me – “Ah! You are so quick! This would have taken us 2 days but you have done in just an hour! You have been so much help to us!” which was sweet yes, but also slightly concerning that that would have taken him multiple days…
Gah. I know I always ramble on about how awesome God is…but lets be real…I only really get one time a week to do so to people back in America who will understand what I’m saying because they know how to speak English the same way I do. And today I got accepted to A&M’s nursing school… which was so unexpected because it’s so competitive…and as awesome and thankful and…Praise God-y that I am for that…there’s a part of me that’s being reminded of how little time it seems like I have to do all the things I want so much to do. Here, I am constantly in awe of the freedom I have in Christ…how nothing else matters, so I’m not only free from the old law and legalistic hooplah…but free to act ridiculous and talk to people I don’t know and to ask to steal some kid’s bike so I can ride around the school being chased by tiny, awesome Africans…because my identity is in Him…because nothing else really matters since my God is enough. And I think maybe I’m a bit scared to see how going back to school in the US is going to affect that…with all of it’s social constraints and competition and…everything else. I don’t know. We will see J I’m sure regardless of where I am next year, God has something…and we shall see.
Ah. I just really like Africa.
