happiness

Last Sunday, the Introduction was another interesting cultural experience. There were over 200 people there for the celebration, many of which walked miles in their shiny outfits (the gomez) to be a part of it. It was my first Ugandan-Muslim Introduction so I do not have anything to compare it to, but from what the locals were saying, it was quite extravagant. There were live performances, a drama put on by the bride and groom's families, and a procession of gifts that was over one hundred people long--complete with a truck full of cows, goats and chickens that were a gift from the grooms family to the bride. Wearing a gomez was fun... but terribly uncomfortable. It is all about the hips and butt in Uganda** so underneath the gomez I had to wear a skirt, a thin blanket folded over twice and then the dress on top of it--in order to create the illusion that I was curvy. I thought I was going to feel ridiculous but I am so glad that I wore it otherwise I would have been the only woman out of hundreds that was not dressed appropriately for the occasion. There was a lot of laughing and finger pointing when I entered the wedding accompanied by two other Muzungus in traditional garb, but many people told me that I "looked smart" and they thanked us Muzungus for putting in the effort.
**For those women out there who are unhappy with their curvy figures, come to Uganda--your beautiful body will be loved and appreciated!

My week began with an exciting celebration on Nurse's Day up at the new hotel in Masaka. The Schizophrenia Fellowship choir/performance group had been practicing all week to be the opening performers in front of nurses and health workers from all across Uganda. They had organized costumes, choreographed dancing and rented drums. As I have mentioned before, the choir is made up of people that are dealing with mental illness, caretakers, family members and friends of those with an illness. The amount of support is incredible. The performance began and it blew everyone away from start to finish. The energy coming from the group was like nothing I have ever seen before. They really put their all into the performance. They had the audience up and dancing and people were throwing money at them! When they finished every member was grinning from ear to ear and hugging each other--their sense of pride was infectious.

Over the past weekend we took a trip to Lake Bunyoni and Queen Elizabeth Park. It was a great wellness weekend complete with a sunset canoe ride and a day lying around a pool, sunbathing and swimming. We went on two safaris where we got to see a lioness and her three sweet little cubs! When we arrived home from our first safari on Friday night we drove up to our hostel and were face to face with a male lion!!!! He was just sauntering around the hostel checking things out.... Once he was gone and we got settled in bed we could hear him roaring and making loud snorting noises all night. It sure had our adrenaline pumping!

It is hard to believe that we have been here for a month already. I feel settled and happy with my life here. I also feel very comfortable at the Schizophrenia Fellowship so walking up to the hospital each morning to start my day of work isn’t so anxiety provoking anymore. I have developed relationships with many of the patients so it is nice to be greeted and welcomed by familiar faces each morning. I have also been practicing my Luganda--a Muzungu speaking Luganda is quite funny to the locals and it works as a great ice breaker when greeting patients. There is nothing easy about living here, but life in Uganda is not easy for many people so I do not expect it to be any different for me. -K