THE CHANGE OF HANDS

I was dropped off by Eric at 7:45 PM Sunday due to being late for other engagements that day, which pushed things behind. I was concerned about the fact I did not give a specific time to the Brothers as they were expecting me “sometime after 10 AM mass”. Eric assured me that nothing runs by time in Uganda and that as long as I got there before midnight, they would most likely not be worried. Turns out I caught them sitting down to dinner instead. First of many Faux pas I'm sure.  MY BAD.

It was dark when we headed out to Monastery. Eric was saying how glad he was that he decided to do a mountain bike ride to find it earlier that day. There would have been no way to locate this in the dark otherwise. We somehow managed to get on the correct road which looked like a rutted alley.  Navigation is a feat that can only be managed via landmarks and a driver familiar with the area as there are no street signs and maps are fairly useless. Forget street lights at night and believe me, the place is crawling with people at night! 

We pulled up to a large gate but no one was there or came when we honked. We kept calling numbers posted on the gate until someone answered. It was Brother Johnson. He came and opened the door and we saw before us a host of Brothers gathered by the door. Eric commented that it looked like the whole place came out to greet me. I just anxiously glanced at Eric suddenly feeling panic. 

We started pulling bags out of the car. I think the Brothers were a bit surprised and most likely thought they were all for me. Eric immediately starts teasing that I have 4 bags of shoes! The Brothers got a kick out his jokes alas at my expense BUT I was OK with this as it broke the ice. It was nice to have them haul everything in. Eric immediately turned to say “ OK…looks like they’ve got you covered” There was a moment of panic when he started to the door.  The reality of my year was before me. 

We sat down to dinner, me at the head. I had just finished a nice dinner with Eric but I wanted to join the Brothers and felt it would be rude to decline (Especially since I delayed their meal as it was). One of them was kind enough to ask me simple questions so that I wasn't sitting there feeling foolish. I was told I was the first and only year long volunteer that they have had. It looked like I was the only woman as well. Panic set in as I was imagining a year of quiet meals and whispered conversation. What can I possibly talk about?

Following dinner, Brother Johnson was going to show me to my room. I had to have 3 of the bags go up the 2 flights with me as they contained personal items. Brother Johnson recruited 2 other young strong Brothers. I saw them glance at each other. I have to admit, I wouldn't want to haul those things if it were me. It was funny seeing them struggle to tote the 50# bags up the stairs. Brother Johnson unfortunately grabbed the smallest but heaviest bag. He was breathless for nearly 2 min as he tried to give me the run down on the daily schedule. I felt a bit bad about this. I did assure Brother Johnson that most of the items were actually for them. They were all so kind and gracious that I was already starting to feel more comfortable. 

I didn’t realize I’d have my own room so that was a bonus! It is fairly large and has it’s own bathroom and shower as well. They were so kind to lay out towels, soap and toothpaste. I was excited. The Mosquito net was already up and I even had a desk and mirror. I went to bed excited that this might be an OK year, that I felt safe here at the Monastery and that a routine schedule will help me stay grounded. To bed I went...or tried. Sunday night parties were in full force and I was still struggling with  jet lag, BUT I managed to drift off.