Peter's Shop

Last evening I pedaled to town to make some photocopies for Sunday school. While biking through the streets of Soroti I decided to stop at this little alley beside a florescent pink building and visit Peter in his tailoring shop.

Peter is my friend from the Congo. He is a refugee living in Uganda and he is a very hard working man. I love to practise my French speaking skills with him.
Peter is the man who made my very smart looking African dress.
My trip to the shop was a lot of fun as it was getting closer to the dinner hour and many kids dropped by to see when their moms would finish sewing. Peter works with five other ladies in the shop. I ended up spending an hour with five children - getting to know them, laughing, and hearing stories of their lives. In the above photo is Sharon. She wants to be a police officer. She is 8 years old and even though she is a "village" girl she was born in Soroti town - in the hospital. She took great pride in being born in town and would even joke that she was born in London. She was shocked when I told her I was born in London. Yep, even my birth certificate says London (Ontario, Canada).

Here is the whole group. With the pink shirt is Prays. He is 9 and wants to be a pilot. In the yellow shirt is Isaac. He is 6 and wants to be Obama or a driver. In the back, in a striped shirt is Brian - the first Ugandan I have met with the name Brian. He is also 9 and wants to be a pastor. Of course, Sharon is tucked in the middle. And then in the number 66 shirt is Christine. She was very quiet, but I do know that she is 8 and wants to be a nurse.

Even though these kids were happy to be living in town, they were still very proud of their village homes. They even asked their moms if I could go with some time to catch fish. I think it would be a blast to row a boat with these children and I hope to get to know them more and more every time I stop by to visit mon ami, Peter, in his shop.