As ‘Namulumbi’,’she who is second harvest and ensures that all the people, especially children, do not starve’ I am pleased to introduce you to my tribe member ‘Namumbia’.
When ‘Namumbia’ is not busy ‘coordinating families and making sure all children are being cared for’ she can usually be found dressed as a muzungu, answering to ‘Irish’ and ( most recently ) in Mbale volunteering alongside me at the NGO until her departure, today!
My friend and I have seen and appreciated so many beautiful new sights together…we’ve put in many miles bouncing alongside one another and received several spinal adjustments in land cruisers and on the backs of bodas…shared huge laughs resulting in tears rolling down our faces and the complete loss of our collective composure…looked on sensitively and completely understood the other during those moments when seeing little children, youths and adults suffering, or witnessing impoverished living conditions and circumstances became momentarily overwhelming…felt like impostors sitting at head tables and through many a juncture at events and gatherings…deferred the required speech at the end of an event to the other (oh, maybe that was just me who did that!) …crawled around side by side on the ground playing cars and puzzles with the little HIV clients in the child care center while their caregivers and parents looked on in astonishment at the 2 muzungu’s…learned to communicate with each other in the local vernacular with phrases including ‘ehhhhh’, ‘shure’, ‘Howareyou’ and ‘Iamfine’…and, danced our way ‘African style’ as Namulumbi and Namumbia into the NGO’s Monday morning staff meeting causing uproarious laughter and even a few tears…!
Thank you Eyelash…You have been just about the best volunteer sister I could have imagined having the pleasure to work, eat, live, sightsee, laugh, cry and extend Love and Compassion to others alongside…
Until the next plate of matooke then…
I’m a Mac…and you my girl, are a great PC!
Many Blessings to you,
Cuckoo…I mean KuKu!
(‘Kuku’ is ‘Grandmother’ in Lugishu…a name the children at the Sironko Orphanage have taken to calling me..! Hmmmm! 🙂