FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

My first day! I felt it was the first day of school! I was planning an early start with mass at 6 AM. I had my clothes laid out ahead of time. I was nervous and excited but also am quite sleep deprived given the time change and howling dogs ALL night long (and I do mean all night). I had finally fallen asleep about 3 AM and woke at 5:30 AM (or so I thought). I took a quick frigid shower ( there is no hot water) and walked downstairs to meet brother Johnson at 6 AM. No one was around and several brothers were doing meditation readings. I glanced at the clock, which read 10 after 7 AM. I was suddenly overcome by a wave of panic….Had I missed my first mass already???? How embarrassing!

I went back to my room to wait for breakfast when I heard a bell and then a knock at the door. One of the girls I had seen on the stairs last night came to my room to announce breakfast. I went into the main room of the guest wing and there were at least 10 postulant women standing there greeting me. A wave of relief went through me as I realized I would be dining and working with these women. I wasn’t the only one! All approached me shyly and spoke very softly.  I felt shy as well but managed to ask their names. I was not able to glean one because they all spoke so softly I could barely hear them.

They had me sit at the head of the table, which made me uncomfortable. Breakfast was a milk tea, a banana and bread with margarine. Everyone was taking a piece and folding it in ½ with butter. Before me sat a silver plate with 2 pieces of buttered bread and 2 rolls. I was the only one with a plate in front of me. I thought it was for serving my side of the table but soon realized they had set this out for me.

I chuckled and asked quietly….”Is this all for me? WOW…you must have thought I was starving from my journey!” The girls then all softly giggled. They were gracious and helped me eat the spoils. All was quiet once again. I wasn’t sure if they were supposed to eat in silence but I asked anyway…”Do the dogs howl every night and all night long???” They all laughed again and this finally broke the ice. To my sadness, the dogs do howl all night and every night. RATS. We chatted about where everyone was from though they are very reserved and will not ask too much for fear of being impolite.

I spent the AM riding around with Brother Johnson to see 2 of the homes and drop a young child off at the hospital clinic. We even had the opportunity to experience Kampala morning traffic in the back of a pick up truck. There is limited transport options for MOP.

The second half of the day I was dropped off at Good Shephard Home for orphans. There are several adults who have been there for years so the Brothers do not want to move them. They also have a resident MD and the elderly need the medical care. Most of the children who can go to school do so. Even the deaf and mute go to a special school. The young and fully disabled are the only ones staying at the center all day.

I was not sure what to do and everyone was busy. I kept asking and the girls kept telling me to rest. I am not the resting type. I just jumped in and started cleaning dishes. This was a feat. I didn’t realize that they fed at least 200 children. That means 200 bowls and ½ that amount of cups. There were 3 tubs and all with water but the dish soap left much to be desired. They used these soft blue bars of hand soap and scrubbed the dishes with ripped off pieced of plastic tarp or rice bags.

I felt slightly nervous as I thought that we would be eating off the same utensils cleaned under the same water. I wasn’t sure if the water was filtered. I reprimanded myself at that moment. It truly hit me that even now, I held a double standard in my mind I didn’t know was there. I was hoping we would have different plates and clean water to drink. Who did I think I was? It turns out the water is filtered, but at the time I wasn’t sure. Mother Theresa said to live like the poor so you really get to know their pain and suffering. It was a moment of letting go...of all the double standards that I didn't know I had, of the thought of "how nice it would be to help..."only to realize walking the path of other's lives is not as easy to do.  

The children were eating out of large plastic bowls with a white mash and red brown broth using their fingers. Many of the children had to be hand fed. The workers did their jobs quickly and efficiently and then lay the children down for naps.

I ate lunch with the rest of the sisters and brothers after a lunch prayer time. I was grateful for everything given to me. Dry and clean clothing, clean water within easy reach. Clean surfaces from which to cook and prepare food on. The convenience of going to the store when needed. The lack of fear of how to feed 200 kids when the donations don’t come in.

I watched around me. The brothers had just butchered a goat and some chickens and were cleaning and preparing them next to us. Big pots of food were cooking on wood stoves while behind us, the elderly women sat peeling potato after potato. It all has its own rhythm, people have their jobs and the kids continue to run up to us, watch us closely and vie for any attention they can get.

I hope to learn more about the rhythm of life here. It is vastly different from anything we are used to seeing and is slightly reminiscent of the pictures one used to page through in magazines. The only difference is that it is very very real. Very very close and takes a strong heart not to break