Village Views

As I drove up the path to this village home, the lady of the house started ululating - trilling with delight that guests had arrived to her homestead.  It was already dark and I was quickly escorted into the hut pictured below.  We were served African tea and biscuits and then my bed was made on the dried cow dung floor.  First a papyrus mat was laid down, then a 3 inch foam mattress, and thankfully I brought a mosquito net with me because the bugs were thick.  The net was tied to a wooden pole in the roof and then tucked in around my mattress.  That became my comfy bed for three nights in the village.

In the mornings the ladies would head to the cooking hut and spend a long time preparing a "simple" breakfast for Pius, a few neighbouring men, and myself.  Sweet potatoes, flat bread, donuts, African tea, and other delicacies.

On the first night, Simon, the father of the household, asked me if I have ever eaten original honey.  I quickly learned that meant straight from the honey comb.  A few men headed out in the night with a flaming stick to smoke out a beehive and retrieve the honey.

Here is a picture of the beehive.  You just grab a piece honey, suck out the sweetness, and then spit out the wax.  So delightful - whether eaten plain, or with flat bread or dried sweet potato.

On the final morning I had time to fully experience village life.  No one believed that I could a) walk all the way to the bore hole (which was not even 1km away) and b) that I could carry a full jerry can of water, but I proved them all wrong.  The trilling continued when I returned with water for bathing.

Here was the line up of jerry cans at the pump - not to bad.  A young girl was pumping for everyone, but I was allowed to pump my own water jug.  WooHoo.  It reminded me of being a little girl at my grandparents farm.  They had an old hand pump well outside.

Thankfully the water was warmed over the fire so I could take a nice hot bath.  This is a picture of the bathing house - you can see everyone on the compound, but they can't see me inside... but it is about neck height.  Morning and night I bathed in this circular room.

When trying to head for home, I had to make the rounds and walk to a bunch of neighbours homes - most of them were men and women who attended the training with me throughout the week.  To show their sincere appreciation I received a few gifts - 1 guinea fowl, 2 hens, 2 roosters, and a pot of honey.  Again, the ladies trilled as I walked up the path with two birds tucked under my arms.

This old lady only spoke Kumam.  She is the 85 year old grandmother on the compound.  She liked sitting beside me and playing with my hair.  She kept telling the other family members that she loved having me be a guest at her home.

The hosting group wanted a final shot before I departed back to Soroti - of course - 3 hours later than I had wanted, but I'm slowly getting used to long good-byes.  Really, I should appreciated them, when the people either want to pray for me and bless me, or they want me to come and pray over them and their homes.  I feel like I have new friends in Kaberimaido.  I hope to go back for follow-up in the near future.