A day of visits. In the morning, we visited a rural primary school. Having a visit from a mzungu was special. Certainly, I was given a very excited reception by the children.
After meeting the headteacher, an open air assembly was held, at which I was to speak (at short notice, I might add). In these circumstances, I have a standby talk - tell the story of Daniel in the lion's den using the words from the Bible, but with the listeners responding with actions at the mention of certain words ( 'king' - bend forward, hands on hips and say 'Wow!'; ''Daniel' - head to one side, hand over heart and say, 'Ahhh'; ''lions' - hands in the shape of claws and say , 'Grrrr'; 'God' - clap hands over heads and shout, 'Hooray'). It worked beautifully - I met some of the young people the next day and they were still doing the actions from 'The Faithful God of Daniel'.
The school, though poorly resourced, exhibited great discipline and enthusiasm. It seemed like a very happy place, and perhaps indicated what would be possible for the school at Rwentobo. It was a joy to be there.
In the late afternoon, there was time for a visit to the home of William (of the 'Hallelujah Tea Room'). He is an evangelist and entertained us by playing guitar and singing a song. My mind turned to the thought of bringing the many talented people I'd met to Scotland to do a musical tour.
At this point I was discovering that a visit = food, not just a cup of tea. The hospitality from these people was at times quite staggering. I really had to eat, as to not do so would have been very rude.
We walked home in the dark, with the glow from lamps and fires in peoples' small homes illuminating our route. Many of the little shops remained open until very late. They sell all sorts of goods, including airtime cards for the ubiquitous cellphones.
Yet another meal awaited my return......
Yes, the food and hospitality is quite something, isn't it? I went to Uganda fully expecting to come back slimmer. Put on half a stone! All those carbs!
Posted by: John Penman | 22 July 2008 at 10:27 AM