Hiking Kepak

Twice now I've had the opportunity to hike a nearby rock they call Kepak here in Kaabong. The first time I went with Trace, Jacob & Georgia. The second was with Jakob, Trace & Emmanuel who was in town for the weekend visiting from our Kampala office. The views of the area are beautiful. Here are just some glimpses -

Video Take 2

Let's try this one, a video from Independence Day. Could you let me know if it still doesn't work? Thanks!




If you don't see it above or it doesn't play, you can find it on YouTube here.

Uhuru - Independence Day

Uhuru - its a swahili word for independence (so I've been told!) and though they do not speak swahili here in Karamoja, this is the word used to celebrate October 9th - Uganda's Independence Day.

We celebrated by having the day off work and hiking into town to enjoy the festivities. They had a huge gathering with a parade of soldiers, police officers & school children who marched like soldiers and carried sticks as if they were guns (that was a tad disturbing). Then they proceeded to have multiple speeches interspersed with entertainment.

This is the MP giving her speech - ok I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to government & positions/titles, but I think MP stands for Member of Parliament and I believe she is a rep from Karamoja...but she's beautiful, isn't she?

These girls had the best uniforms, I think!

The women are wearing lots of beads - this is very common for the traditional dress here, so beautiful!

Amusing God

Every day there are millions of moments I could recount here, but of course that’s not feasible and this blog isn’t meant to be an all-about-jennie reality spot. So how do I decide what to share and what not to? Today it comes down to time, energy, and basically any thoughts that might be interesting or in some way comprehensible outside of my mind. Here it goes…

Sometimes I just think, what in the world am I doing here? And I think back to my dreams of being here, the last 2 years of my life focused on serving in Africa – I’m a pretty down to earth person, fairly realistic, I think. But there’s a lot about working here that is very different from what I pictured. Some examples…I had this picture of living and being within the community very quickly. Now, of course I live here & move around the community daily, but I’m talking about truly interacting, understanding, integrating myself within this culture. I’m white – there’s no way to hide that fact. And more than that, I’m western. I’m Muzungu. Here that’s means white person, but I’ve gathered it embodies a lot more depth to some people than just the color of my skin – I’m privileged, educated, rich, and think I have something to teach this people about how to live life. The poverty here is rampant, few people live in better than a mud hut and eat more than one meal a day – if you read either of the previous posts’ articles, you’ll know the malnutrition in this region is shocking. Men have multiple wives, as the more children one has, the more status. My culture, life experience and perspective is very different, to say the least. I have plenty of food to keep my stomach from growling – I have a 16th of my wardrobe from home with me & still have a clean shirt to wear every day – I can read and write – I can leave whenever I want… and I realize that I AM privileged, educated, rich and think I have something to teach this people about how to live life.

And so, the reality is that my integration into this culture isn’t simple nor is it easy. No matter how much I want to understand, I don’t. No matter how much I want to share & love, it’s probably going to have to look different than it does for me to share & love in my own culture. Yet, I can’t turn my back on who I am & where I come from…especially when my white skin has marked me and can’t be hidden nor should it be. I’ve started taking walks when I have the chance around town – greeting people as I pass & often having dozens of children running towards me to shake my hand or join my walk with laughter in their voices and a shy smile on their face. For now, this is my integration – observing, caring, praying. I’m trying to learn the language, though it is a slow process. My latest achievement, though – if you stop by I’d be happy to offer you tea: Echamite iyo edyo chaia?

Daily I get to interact with our local staff, beautiful people with hearts that are excited to see this community flourish and the people to care for their health and well-being. They are my link to the community & through their eyes I’m beginning to catch a glimpse of life here in Karamoja. They are so patient with me and my blunders, so quick to laugh and correct! I’ll introduce them to you as the weeks pass.

I’m sure that I’ll live through many disappointments as well as many unexpected joys while I’m here, but its just interesting to think on my desires to be here, to serve – they are still in me…but I’m not totally sure they are being met or fulfilled. I’m also not sure that they need to be though – maybe they were the springboard from which I had to jump from & now that I’m here God is doing what He had in mind all along. I’m just trying to live into His will, not mine, or anyone elses. This journey we’re on is so complicated & yet so simple all at once, isn’t it? Sometimes I have a feeling God just smiles in amusement (not mocking, but genuine pleasure) at how we walk through this world…like how we grin when children say silly things or experience things for the first time & try to figure out how they work. In my blunders and my determination, may He smile.




***pics are through the little opening in our front gate - children playing on the mound of sand next door***

The Daily Monitor - article

The Daily Monitor is a Ugandan newspaper - below is a link to a recent article about Kaabong & the work of Medair, but mostly MSF (Medecins Sans Frontier) in the area. It's worth a quick read!

Child malnutrition levels in Karamoja worrying

Karamoja

I haven't mentioned much about the situation here in Karamoja District of Uganda. Here's an excerpt from a UN update on ReliefWeb this past week to give you a glimpse of why we're working here:

Ravaged by insecurity and cattle-rustling, the region has lagged behind in terms of development and social services for decades, and with the proliferation of illegal firearms in the last two decades, the rustling has become increasingly violent.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Karamoja scores lowest on Uganda's key development and humanitarian indicators, even when compared to the northern region which has been wracked by conflict between government troops and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
"Karamoja registers the highest maternal mortality rate (750/100,000 live births), the highest infant mortality rate (178/1,000 live births), the lowest latrine coverage (6 percent) and the highest illiteracy rate (89 percent)," said a recent OCHA report.

Click on the link below for the whole article:

IRIN Uganda: Optimism in Karamoja despite lingering security concerns

Last night's showdown...

So earlier in the day I had a conversation with friends about rats – yes, there are rats here. I’ve seen them, so far not any larger than a hamster, but still rats. They were telling us of a time when they were awoken in their tukel by a rat & the adventure they had in getting rid of the rat in the middle of the night. Well, my question was, how did it get in there to begin with. Answer, “Oh, didn’t you know they climb walls? They get in right between the thatched roof & concrete wall”. Nope, didn’t know that, now I do & am not sure I wanted to know that…oh well, that’s why I have a lovely mosquito net to keep me safe at night!

This brings us to my night. I cozy up & fall into a deep sleep, only to be awakened from said deep sleep. What, I wonder, could have awaken me? Ah well, just roll on over and go back to sleep. A few moments later, ‘scratch, scratchity, scratch,’ um what was that? Ears perked in the middle of the night…yep, there it is again. Ok, turn on the headtorch (not headlamp here, headtorch just so there’s no confusion – I speak true English these days) and shine it around the top of the concrete wall. Nope, no rats. Ok, go back to sleep. Headtorch off.

Headtorch back on – what was that? Scratching near the door – AHA! Little mini rat (like little field mouse size) trying to find his way out of my tukel! Scratching at my door…what to do? Chase him out…not going to work…call the cat to come & get him…no telling where the cat is right now in the middle of the night & don’t feel like going to find him…

Ok, headtorch off. Maybe I can just forget he’s in here & go back to sleep – my mosquito net is keeping me safe, maybe he’ll find his way out & we’ll all be happy. Scratchity-scratch again! Seriously…headtorch on – yep, there’s the little guy again, trying to find his way out to no avail…ok, so he keeps coming back to the door though I keep shining the light on the door…maybe I can open the door a bit & he’ll get out. But I don’t want to leave my door open while I sleep in case other creatures want to find their way in…and how do I know when he’s left. Ok, I’ll open the door, then sit & watch the door until he leaves…ok…

5 minutes later…mosquito, or mozzi in ‘correct’ English, flying towards headtorch – distraction number one from door monitoring! Ok, mozzi killed, back to the door…still nothing…10 minutes – ‘like a moth to a flame’, no not the rat it was really a moth coming to attack my headtorch as well. Flashback to another conversation with the same friends today. They have bedbugs – moths, they say, bring bed bugs. Stupid moth is flitting all around on my bed in the light of the headtorch – this is not ok! We cannot have rats & bedbugs all in one night! Second distraction, moth killed. Wonder if the little guy got out by now? Surely…

Got to type this story up since I’m wide awake now…door closed, cozied under the net with my computer on. Typing away…scratchity-scratch…seriously rat, you have got to get a larger brain! Deep breath, ok, I’ll prop the door open & set my torch’s light on the door while I type & maybe we’ll both get lucky…I just want to go back to bed. Maybe I should just put my earplugs in & call it a night?

Yep, that’s what I did…after an hour of this going on!!! Fell fast asleep again with earplugs in…3am, cell phone ringing. Don’t know the number…not going to answer it. It rings again, same number…still not going to answer you, let me go to sleep! Ringing again – 5 times!!! Finally it stops – until the text message…all in some other language…not answering, they’ve got to get the picture. Another message – seriously, text back “Wrong Number” and finally sleep.

That was my night…