The Stress of Having

“Muzungu! Muzungu!” It was the sound of many little voices coming out of the woods as our bus stumbled through the dirt road in the middle of a village in Rakai, Uganda. We just crossed the Equator line from Kampala to Rakai. We were expected for lunch as the village kids piled up to see the visitors. They call us “muzungu” which means “white person or from european decent”. I had a hard time trying to explain that my european decent is only a third or me. The other two-thirds are Taino indian and African. The kids in Kampala quickly changed my name to “Munakatemba” or “the funny guy with the jokes”. Someday I’ll post about my stand-up comedy days.

Rakai is a district in Central Uganda better known for the place where the first HIV/Aids case in Uganda was recorded. They know what tragedy is. A lot of kids here lost their parents due to HIV, malaria, and urban armies. They often lack the bare necessities of life. However, because of not having they don’t live the stress of having as we often do. They live that day. After chores they just play, take naps, and wait for food to be ready when there is anything to eat. If not they are looking in the woods for whatever they can find but even their hunger and desperation turns into playtime. They run around laughing, dancing, and singing. They are also very friendly and curious.

Upon our arrival we sat in a designated area while the kids sang songs and the ladies kneeled to introduce themselves and welcome us. At lunch time we went into the house as it is tradition while all the kids sat outside. As soon as I finished my food I went outside to sit with the kids. It was fun to see them trying to figure out how I make sounds blowing air into my hands. I saw a few of the older kids hiding in a corner trying to do the same. The little ones would just imitate the sounds. It was great. They were laughing for so long. After a few more stops it was time to leave and return to Kampala. I’ll share some of that sometime soon.