Me Gone? (mengonae)

Haha...I have no idea how to spell it in Lugbara but that is my version of their greeting which means "how are you?". If I asked that, you would respond with "ma moke" which mean's "I'm fine". That is about the extent of my Lugbara at this point but I will be sure to teach you more as the months go by.
I've been in Africa for 2 weeks I have already been scolded for not blogging enough. I had this idea in my head that I should blog maybe once a week because that way you would not be overwhelmed with a ton of blogs. However, I started to realize that my blogs were crazy long and I didn't think that was cool either. So, I have a new plan...I will blog more. Deal?
On Monday we went to the funeral of a local Pastor from the Church of Uganda. Mandy and I were 2 of 3 "muzungu's" (white people) that we saw there. We were invited by the pastors of the Church that we are working in so we headed down one of the bumpiest roads I have ever been on for the 7 hour event. I made the mistake of not using the facilities before we left and did not feel the desire to use the facilities provided there so there I sat in self-inflicted discomfort for 7 hours. On our way, we saw hundreds of people walking and more people piled in the back of vehicles heading in the same direction as us. By about half way through the service, Mandy and I estimated that there were about 2000 people gathered for the funeral! To our amazement, at the end of the service, tables were being set up and plates brought out. As is custom at gatherings, a meal was provided at the end. We were quite curious how 2000 people were going to get fed but apparently this is not something new to the Africans. They knew how much to make and had a certain group of people going around with bowls for washing hands and others handing out the plates of food. Within half an hour, almost everyone had been fed and were on their way out. The funeral was quite the experience for us, as well as the first time we ate the local food...enya. Enya is basically a gooey paste made out of ground casava. It is usually accompanied with rice, beans and an oily sauce that is poured over everything. Once you have your plate, you hold it in one hand and use your other hand to eat, moving the food around on your plate and taking bits of enya, rice and beans in each bite. Well, this is what we did so we were not eating plain enya in a mouthful. SO GOOD! ;)
Tuesday was one of my favorite days. Krys and the kids go to Kuluva Hospital every Tuesday to hang out with the kids in the "nutrition ward". The kids in this ward are undergoing chemotherapy so they go to read stories and play with them once a week. Mandy and I tagged along this week and plan to tag along for the next 8 months!

This is my first picture with one of the most precious people in the world. I love them! :) I'm pretty sure this is also the little girl who wet herself on me, but it's nothing a little soap couldn't wash off later. For the first hour we told the story of the 10 Lepers and then let them draw for a bit and then the second hour we just hung out and played. We pulled out the skipping rope and that was definitely a hit. With the way the hospital system works here, there are often a mother and a brother and/or sister at the hospital with the patient so we had attracted alot of people into the room we were in. Soon we had lots of little girls skipping and even the moms joined in.


The Cassels left today to visit a family in the Congo so Mandy and I are alone at the house until Saturday. It was so funny when the family was leaving because John and Krys were constantly asking if we would be ok and if there was anything else we needed before they left. They have definitely adopted us as their kids and wanted to make sure we would be ok for the next couple of days. They were very kind and bought enough food for us so we wouldn't have to go crazy in the market while they are away. We may need a few things here and there but for the most part we will manage without them. Life is pretty normal here so we will do just fine, I'm sure.
We were supposed to have someone come by the house last night to meet Mandy and I to do some orientation today, tomorrow and Saturday but they have yet to introduce themselves. We are not so sure we will see them in the next few days! We are slowly getting used to "African time" here.