Third term has ended and with it the 2015 school year. Most of our students have gone home and the few that remain will go home on Friday. With exams over, the day students are already on holiday. The boarding students remain until their parents can come for them. Since they have to come on Friday to pick up reports, many parents will wait until Friday to get their child at the same time. The cost of transport to come twice is not in their means.
We have a handful of kids that live within 10 kilometers of the property (6 miles) but even still, the cost of transport twice is not an option. So, on Monday after seeing the faces and hearing the complaints of several saying that they want to go home to see their parents, we decided that we would just make a trip down the dirt roads to take them home. After all, we could get some groceries in Kapeeka where the dirt roads end.
Because of the rainy season, the dirt roads are even worse than usual. In fact, last Friday, Floyd drove to Kapeeka for supplies and used the beast to pull six different vehicles out of bad situations on his way. The Beast gets some funny looks from time to time, but she is a blessing to us. In order to take all the kids home and not have to worry about getting stuck, we had to pile everyone in the Beast with all of their belongings.
Emanuel lives the closest, making him the first one to be dropped off, so he just climbed in the front seat with me. Riding in the car was fun because these kids have a lot to say.
First, we came to a really bad spot on the road where we had to go through mud and water, and swerve around some huge holes and giant rocks. Floyd told all the kids to hold on. Once we made it through, I told the kids that we could call it a roller coaster. Of course, they don't know what a roller coaster is, so I was explaining that a roller coaster is a ride where you up and down big hills, around big curves, and it is very fast and lots of fun. The oldest boy, Kivumbi Enock, said, "In Uganda, we just call those poor roads." Floyd and I laughed so hard because he was totally serious.
For you to understand the next funny part, I first have to tell you that in Uganda the very back of a vehicle where you would put luggage or other items is called the boot. It is common for people to put anything that they are carrying in the boot, even live animals. So, one of the boys in the very back said, "are we the luggage, that you have put us in the boot?" Another one of the boys said, "oh, we could be chickens," at which they began clucking like chickens. Then another said, "you could be goats," and they started making the sound of a goat. Now, we have goats around our property and often times the goats drive Floyd crazy. The mama goats get tied with a rope to keep them from wandering too far, then the mama goat almost constantly calls out and the babies reply and stay near the voice. So, Floyd said, "how does a goat cry?" and everyone in the car started crying like a goat.
I know it sounds so random, but just imagine driving down the bumpy dirt roads with a bunch of kids crying like goats and everyone outside the car jumping and waving while they shout "muzungu" as we drive by. It really was a fun journey. To top it off, the parents, siblings, and neighbors were excited to get the children home and the kids were excited to have arrived. I got to hug each one and tell them that we'll see them after the holiday.
We have a handful of kids that live within 10 kilometers of the property (6 miles) but even still, the cost of transport twice is not an option. So, on Monday after seeing the faces and hearing the complaints of several saying that they want to go home to see their parents, we decided that we would just make a trip down the dirt roads to take them home. After all, we could get some groceries in Kapeeka where the dirt roads end.
Because of the rainy season, the dirt roads are even worse than usual. In fact, last Friday, Floyd drove to Kapeeka for supplies and used the beast to pull six different vehicles out of bad situations on his way. The Beast gets some funny looks from time to time, but she is a blessing to us. In order to take all the kids home and not have to worry about getting stuck, we had to pile everyone in the Beast with all of their belongings.
Emanuel lives the closest, making him the first one to be dropped off, so he just climbed in the front seat with me. Riding in the car was fun because these kids have a lot to say.
First, we came to a really bad spot on the road where we had to go through mud and water, and swerve around some huge holes and giant rocks. Floyd told all the kids to hold on. Once we made it through, I told the kids that we could call it a roller coaster. Of course, they don't know what a roller coaster is, so I was explaining that a roller coaster is a ride where you up and down big hills, around big curves, and it is very fast and lots of fun. The oldest boy, Kivumbi Enock, said, "In Uganda, we just call those poor roads." Floyd and I laughed so hard because he was totally serious.
For you to understand the next funny part, I first have to tell you that in Uganda the very back of a vehicle where you would put luggage or other items is called the boot. It is common for people to put anything that they are carrying in the boot, even live animals. So, one of the boys in the very back said, "are we the luggage, that you have put us in the boot?" Another one of the boys said, "oh, we could be chickens," at which they began clucking like chickens. Then another said, "you could be goats," and they started making the sound of a goat. Now, we have goats around our property and often times the goats drive Floyd crazy. The mama goats get tied with a rope to keep them from wandering too far, then the mama goat almost constantly calls out and the babies reply and stay near the voice. So, Floyd said, "how does a goat cry?" and everyone in the car started crying like a goat.
I know it sounds so random, but just imagine driving down the bumpy dirt roads with a bunch of kids crying like goats and everyone outside the car jumping and waving while they shout "muzungu" as we drive by. It really was a fun journey. To top it off, the parents, siblings, and neighbors were excited to get the children home and the kids were excited to have arrived. I got to hug each one and tell them that we'll see them after the holiday.
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