Lesson 5: Uganda Grows Super-Onions

         

 So after a month here in Mbale, I’m starting to feel pretty comfortable.  I’m getting into a routine of setting my alarm really early, hitting snooze about three to four times, then rolling out of bed for my morning run.  It’s quite essential to run in the early morning, as it’s ridiculously hot here during the dry season.  So I do my 2ish mile loop of walking and running at about 7 AM.  My goal is to be back up to five miles of running by the end of my stay here and be ready for a 10k once I’m back in the states.  Of course, running here is quite different from running back home.  You share the road with bodas, pikis, cars, other pedestrians…and cows.  A few days ago I ran through the middle of a herd of 25 cows that were ambling along our road.  Not exactly a common occurrence in the States.

            I’m becoming more useful when it comes to planning meals and cooking, although I see no reason to bake anything sweet when our house-worker Irene produces such delicious banana bread.  I’ve learned to follow high altitude baking instructions, as when the air pressure decreases due to the 3800 ft elevation in Mbale, it takes less energy for water molecules to escape their liquid state and turn to water vapor, resulting in a drier baked product.  I’ve also discovered that the onions are much, much stronger here than any I’ve encountered at home.  Chopping for just under 20 seconds had me crying so hard I had to leave the house to get some fresh air.

            I’ve been to the village three times now; once for the eyeglass clinic, once for a funeral, and once to visit a local church on a Sunday.  I’ve eaten quite a lot of rice and beans, g-nut sauce and matooke, as well as goat, which is pretty good.  I’ve sat in on a Tuesday office meeting with the team, and helped our sweet bookkeeper Mary Beth with payday.  I’ve been to every single community Bible study so far, and actually led the discussion this Sunday night.  (I decided we should talk about friendship- this is the clip I showed at the beginning of our discussion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_NmCh42hZM)  I’ve toured the Good News Productions International office, and this week I hope to sit in on the women’s sewing ministry and get a tour of CURE, which treats Ugandan children for hydrocephalus.  Next month I’ll be helping out with children’s worship at church and teaching a lesson on Jacob, and on Tuesday I’ll add another four students to my classes as the Proctor family returns from Texas to join the Mbale Mission School for the semester.  I guess you could say I’m keeping pretty busy!

            In my spare time, Emily has started to give me violin lessons, which is super tricky.  Now I understand why beginning string players sound so awful.  My hand starts to cramp up when I hold the bow for more than 30 seconds.  Once the container for the Northam family makes it through customs and gets to Mbale, (we’re praying it doesn’t get stuck there for a month) I plan on borrowing the trumpet inside the container and getting my chops back into shape.  I also like to sit around and read, which there’s plenty of titles to choose from in our MMS school library, including a bibliography on Charles Darwin, which I found particularly interesting.

            The photo is of Mt. Wanale, taken from across a field about a half mile from our house.