As Long Island recovers from the weekend’s Noreaster, the Luwero skies continue to bless us with their usual cycle of warm rains and bright sunshine. Don’t worry, I’m wearing plenty of sunscreen.
I’ve been in Uganda for exactly 3 weeks. Part of me feels like the days have flown by (it can’t really be 3 weeks already, can it?!) while part of me feels like I’ve already lived a whole new life here.
My journey began with a 13 hour flight from JFK to DXB. Before this, the furthest I had ever flown was to London, approximately 6 hours in the air. Easy-peasy. Come this flight, I found myself thoroughly unprepared for just how long 13 hours is. I can’t verbalize how disorienting it was when, after having watched the Incredibles 2, napped, eaten dinner, read a little, watched Tully, and napped some more, I checked the time and realized there were still 6 hours left in my flight.
(As an aside, I highly recommend the movie Tully. One of my new favorite movies for a few reasons: it highlights the struggles women often face post-partum; Charlize Theron is, as always, incredibly captivating; and the film just happens to share its name with my black lab pup back home. Tully, if you’re reading this, I miss you!)
After a short layover in Dubai, a 5 hour flight to EBB, taxi to Entebbe, overnight at Entebbe Backpackers hostel, 2 hour drive to Kampala, short grocery shop, and 2 hour drive into Luwero, I arrived at the Shanti volunteer house in Kasana.
‘Volunteer house’ isn’t quite the right way to put it — the beautiful compound, which also functions as the Shanti administrative office, houses Shanti interns, volunteers, and staff, as well as our host mom, a few of her sons, and their three adorable dogs. (Sorry Tully).
Our house mom, Sister Josephine, is also the head midwife at Shanti. To clarify for all my Catholic friends/family back at home: Sister Josephine is not a religious sister. Rather, ‘sister’ is a term of respect used for our senior Shanti staff. Sister Josephine’s brother is a priest, however. Last weekend, Sister J’s brother Father Paul visited, along with a few friends. Sis J and her daughter, Grace, prepared a feast that rivaled any holiday party I’ve ever attended.
I was entrusted, appropriately enough, to help with the “Irish,” the common term here for potatoes. The rest of the meal featured staple Ugandan dishes: sautéed cabbage, beef stew, rice, tomatoes, and matoke. Matoke is the delicious meal of steamed plantains, often mashed, and usually covered in G-nut (peanut) sauce. According to Sis J, learning to make matoke is the first step to becoming a true Ugandan woman.
I am blessed to have been welcomed into such a loving household, filled with such interesting, passionate, and hardworking people. Everyone at Shanti is devoted to the cause of respectful, community-driven care. Even though I have now been here a few weeks, it still seems like a dream that I get to call this place home for the next few months.
My typical day involves waking up to the sound of either the dogs barking, or the call to prayer from the local mosque. After some morning yoga, oatmeal, and tea, we get to work. Many days, I visit the Birth House to watch one of our workshops in action, like Tuesdays’ community health education talks and Thursdays’ prenatal yoga sessions.
The trip to the Birth House is a beautiful twenty minute walk through field and forest to the neighboring village of Nsasi. Last week, the flowers on the coffee trees blossomed, filling the path with an enchanting scent — and, unfortunately, setting off my allergies. Each walk also features the calls from groups of children as we pass: “Hey mzungu! See you!”
I’ve already been fortunate enough to travel to other parts of Uganda as well, including Jinga, the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, and just this weekend, Sipi Falls. The drive to Sipi is mesmerizingly beautiful. You pass through the rice and papaya fields of the flatlands, then wind up the Eastern Rift mountains. The view and delicious roadside chapatis are enough to make the 8 hour journey in the back of a crowded matatu fly by.
I can’t wait for what the next few months has in store — to learn more from the incredible Shanti staff, witness compassionate community-driven care, see more of Uganda’s lush parks, and just experience life in Luwero.
