Yesterday (it was actually Wednesday but the connection has been bad) started out a little off because everyone overslept. We’re still getting back into the routine of things since the mission trip ended last week. (I know you probably want us to share about that, and I intend to this week.) Once we woke up, things were pretty normal. I cooked breakfast, we had some family devotional time, and then we all went about our tasks for the day.
In the early afternoon, Floyd finally reached a pausing point in his tasks, so we made a quick run into Kapeeka. We made a few stops and then parked the car on the main road to walk to the pork joint. As we exited the car and started across the main road, we could hear a little girl already calling us, “munzungu.” When we got to her side of the road, she walked right up to us and basically just fell in step with us. I had fallen behind to adjust my bag and when I looked up, I saw the cutest thing. She reached up and took Floyd’s hand. I couldn’t resist discretely taking a picture. Since they were ahead of me, it wasn’t too difficult. She walked with us all the way to the pork joint and back to the main road. When we got to the main road, we say, “ok, see you” and she went about her way. It was very sweet but also makes you wonder why she felt so comfortable with us.
At the pork joint we received some bad news. Remember the man who owns the pork joint is the father of one of our P5 students, Regan. In Luganda, folks are referred to by their relations, so we call him Taata Regan, which means Father of Regan. Taata Regan speaks very little English but we could understand that he was telling us that Regan’s leg had been badly injured. He took us inside and showed us Regan’s bicycle which was clearly damaged. The entire front wheel was bent and contorted. All we could understand was that Regan had been on his bicycle and had an accident with a boda (motorcycle). Due to the language barrier, Floyd thought Taata Regan was saying that Regan’s leg had been cut off at mid-thigh. Taata Regan could clearly tell that we were very concerned, so he thought of a solution. He took out his phone, dialed a number, and handed it to Floyd. He said, “talk to Mama Regan.” Fortunately, her English is pretty good.
We learned that Regan’s leg was broken and he was at home in Balatida, one of the few small villages on our way home. We told her we’d come for a visit, so she waited in front of the house to flag us down. We were grateful she was standing there because we might not have found her on our own. We went inside to fin Regan lying on a mat on the floor with a very interesting cast on his leg. His youngest brother slept at his feet on the mat.
Regan was in good spirits and seemed happy to have us visit. We found out that the accident happened the very day that we left for the mission trip. Since we were gone for 2 weeks, the teachers forgot to tell us about it. Regan will miss the rest of the school term because of the injury. Casts aren’t like they are in America. He is bed-ridden for a few more weeks. Previously, Regan rode a bike back and forth to school as his village is too far for walking. Because of the injury, his leg will not be strong enough to make the journey every day, so the parents are planning to put him in boarding school next term (which begins in mid-September).
A few hours after we got home it was time for school to end. Tyler and Floyd were sitting on the front porch watching the light rain and I went out to join them. After about a minute I noticed that several of our older, boy students were lined up along the wall and a few of them appeared to be waving. Of course I waved back and they all started waving even more obviously. Very quickly I realized that they were actually playing a game with Tyler. He would make a random motion or pose and they would all copy him. Floyd got in on the game as well. The kids even began to copy sounds. For example, Floyd turned his head & coughed and all the boys copied him. I was laughing so hard! Fortunately, I thought to go get my camera.
Soon the rain stopped and the activities began. The first few kids gathered around tether ball, but it didn’t take long for football to begin (yes, I mean soccer). :) They definitely love soccer and I got several great photos! I posted a short video on our YouTube page (I'm not sure what's wrong with the thumbnail :/)
Before dinner I played a lovely game of tether ball with a tiny kid form the village and some keep away from Kalungi. She wanted to see the photos that I had taken on my phone but I had to go cook supper.
So, why was today noteworthy? Sometimes it is the little things. The days when you don't really have a schedule to keep and things can just flow. We didn't have to rush by when we heard about Regan's accident. We got to sit on the porch and enjoy the kids playing, laughing, and singing.
In the early afternoon, Floyd finally reached a pausing point in his tasks, so we made a quick run into Kapeeka. We made a few stops and then parked the car on the main road to walk to the pork joint. As we exited the car and started across the main road, we could hear a little girl already calling us, “munzungu.” When we got to her side of the road, she walked right up to us and basically just fell in step with us. I had fallen behind to adjust my bag and when I looked up, I saw the cutest thing. She reached up and took Floyd’s hand. I couldn’t resist discretely taking a picture. Since they were ahead of me, it wasn’t too difficult. She walked with us all the way to the pork joint and back to the main road. When we got to the main road, we say, “ok, see you” and she went about her way. It was very sweet but also makes you wonder why she felt so comfortable with us.At the pork joint we received some bad news. Remember the man who owns the pork joint is the father of one of our P5 students, Regan. In Luganda, folks are referred to by their relations, so we call him Taata Regan, which means Father of Regan. Taata Regan speaks very little English but we could understand that he was telling us that Regan’s leg had been badly injured. He took us inside and showed us Regan’s bicycle which was clearly damaged. The entire front wheel was bent and contorted. All we could understand was that Regan had been on his bicycle and had an accident with a boda (motorcycle). Due to the language barrier, Floyd thought Taata Regan was saying that Regan’s leg had been cut off at mid-thigh. Taata Regan could clearly tell that we were very concerned, so he thought of a solution. He took out his phone, dialed a number, and handed it to Floyd. He said, “talk to Mama Regan.” Fortunately, her English is pretty good.
We learned that Regan’s leg was broken and he was at home in Balatida, one of the few small villages on our way home. We told her we’d come for a visit, so she waited in front of the house to flag us down. We were grateful she was standing there because we might not have found her on our own. We went inside to fin Regan lying on a mat on the floor with a very interesting cast on his leg. His youngest brother slept at his feet on the mat.
Regan was in good spirits and seemed happy to have us visit. We found out that the accident happened the very day that we left for the mission trip. Since we were gone for 2 weeks, the teachers forgot to tell us about it. Regan will miss the rest of the school term because of the injury. Casts aren’t like they are in America. He is bed-ridden for a few more weeks. Previously, Regan rode a bike back and forth to school as his village is too far for walking. Because of the injury, his leg will not be strong enough to make the journey every day, so the parents are planning to put him in boarding school next term (which begins in mid-September).
A few hours after we got home it was time for school to end. Tyler and Floyd were sitting on the front porch watching the light rain and I went out to join them. After about a minute I noticed that several of our older, boy students were lined up along the wall and a few of them appeared to be waving. Of course I waved back and they all started waving even more obviously. Very quickly I realized that they were actually playing a game with Tyler. He would make a random motion or pose and they would all copy him. Floyd got in on the game as well. The kids even began to copy sounds. For example, Floyd turned his head & coughed and all the boys copied him. I was laughing so hard! Fortunately, I thought to go get my camera.Before dinner I played a lovely game of tether ball with a tiny kid form the village and some keep away from Kalungi. She wanted to see the photos that I had taken on my phone but I had to go cook supper.
 |
| The one on the left is a kid from the village. The one on the right is the son of one of our teachers. |
 |
| This is Kalungi, She tried hard to get my phone but was not successful. |
Comments
Post a Comment