Well, day 2 in Africa has come to an end.
So far, our days have been great. Yesterday we were greeted
at the airport by two Heritage teachers, ready with bright smiles and warm
hugs. Although we were exhausted from two overnight flights and a day layover
in London, we were both wide-eyed and excited on the drive to our apartment,
taking in all the new sights. We got home, we unpacked, we slept (finally!), we
visited the school (found wifi!) and in the evening we ate dinner with other
Heritage staff. Terri, one of the school leaders, had even brought two Costco
bags of chocolate chips back from Vancouver with her so she could serve
chocolate chip cookies with ice cream. (Apparently chocolate chips are one of
those things that are almost impossible to get here.)
Over dinner we met several more teachers, most of them
single girls in their twenties and early thirties. I was relieved to find that
they were “normal” – interesting and honest, making me hope we’ll become fast
friends. We went around the table sharing our stories of how we ended up here
in Uganda – from Holland, Tennessee, Texas, Vancouver and Britain.
At the end of the night, Terri called a boda driver for us.
A boda-boda is a little motorcycle that is a popular mode of public transit
here in Uganda. Boda-bodas veer in between traffic, sit at street corners
waiting for passengers, and I have already seen somebody holding a metal
bedframe sideways while riding one (?). Kembe, one of the drivers Terri knows
in the area, picked us up since it is not safe to walk home at night. I took
Terri up on her offer of a helmet and Isaac and I climbed on the back behind
Kembe. Even though it was only a few minutes through the neighbourhood, and
even though Kembe drove slowly, I have to admit my knuckles were white hanging
on to Isaac and the back of the boda for dear life.
[Don’t worry – while Isaac and I will probably use bodas
around the neighbourhood, we’ll avoid using them on any busy road!)
Today we slept in till 9:30, enjoyed tea on the porch, and
completed our unpacking. We walked to the school campus (only about ten
minutes) to meet up with Bill and Sharon, a couple who had invited us to their
place for lunch. Bill and Sharon will both be working at Heritage and their
three children will be attending as students. We had a delicious lunch of rice,
beef and fresh mango and pineapple for
dessert (deeelicious).
Bill informed us that he had set aside his afternoon to show
us around if we were interested – we were! He would also be guiding our
neighbours, a family newly arrived from Tennessee. The group of us trekked
around town with Bill as our guide. He showed us how to take the mantatu buses,
how to negotiate boda-boda fares, how to greet people in Lugandan, and where to
go to get what we needed. Isaac and I feel so much more oriented now, and we
really enjoyed getting to know our new neighbours. (I’ll have to describe them
another day – what a clan!)
By the time we got back from wandering around the market and
shops on Ggaba Road, we were exhausted. We unpacked our groceries and supplies,
showered and relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Which brings us to … our nights.
Our days (all two of them!) have been great, but our nights
have not. Something seems to settle in on us at night – homesickness, fear,
uncertainty. The fact that we have a night guard, and are cautioned not to go
beyond our compound walls after dark brings home the reality of risk in Uganda.
The jet lag also has us wide awake in the middle of the night, listening to the
strange sounds coming in through the window. Last night we fell asleep quickly
at 10pm, only to wake up at 11! We finally gave up tossing and turning and
watched a movie together. We didn’t fall back asleep until 3am.
Tonight, Isaac has finally fallen to sleep but I haven’t
slept yet (it’s around 1:30am, and I am not
a night owl!). When night started to fall, we both started to wonder why
we’re here. All the preparation, all the mental energy of culture shock, all
the homesickness … remind me why we’re
here? Our feelings have gone up and down so much in the past 24 hours alone –
from “Yup, this’ll be good as a one-year thing” to “I could see us staying for longer” to “I want to go home.”
It seems a little ridiculous to have homesickness set in so soon, but I think it’s a different
mindset when you know that you’re here for ten
months. It’s daunting, having all of that time ahead of you. I think the
hardest part will be this first bit, before we become familiar with people and
places, and before we fall into a routine.
I’m thankful that we have each other, and that we already
have people around us who can relate and who are honest enough to share their
own struggles with culture shock. I’m thankful that we can pray about it – the
only place where I can bring gnawing anxiety and get a measure of peace.
Now you might be thinking, “What are you complaining about?
Playing the martyr, acting like some tragedy has been put on you? You went there, you agreed, you pursued.
Boo-hoo – you’re a teacher in Africa! Only your dream come true!”
Okay, maybe you weren’t thinking that. Maybe that’s my inner voice scolding me.
[sigh]
I’m getting tired now, I can’t let this opportunity to sleep
pass me by.
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