I am safely here in Uganda. When I finally did arrive, I touched down and saw a Tree of Life (the Acacia) and thought… I’m really back in Africa… I am really here!
As soon as I pushed through the Customs exit… There was Jerome! It was good to see him! If one has ever spotted a face of a friend in a sea of strangers, you will know the feeling I am talking of….
Jerome kindly drove me to my guest house. I feel very at home here, and always have. Tonight I am the only one here except John, the guard… no guests, and Harriet is gone for the night. Herb and Ellen are back in Illinois for the time being.
My friend Bosco stopped by to lend me a cell phone – It was so good to see him again too. We visited on the veranda and ate pineapple as the evening sky melted into a soft, blue, purple and gold and finally indigo as the sun set. I can’t help but to think that there is well over a foot of snow on my driveway as I write this, sitting here in the gentle cool of the African evening. The stars will be out soon. And you can see stars here in Africa like nowhere else. There is very little pollution or light interference.
Friday, Jan 16th
I went to the market and spoke with all of the bead ladies. All of them wanted to join the cooperative. I explained that this time, we only have room for 20, but as it grow, maybe more can join. I bought things from each woman there, regardless of coop membership. Harriet, my manager here, is wonderful and smart with these women. She also had me talk to Roselyn, who is one of the ladies who was not on the list of 20 women. Roselyn stepped on a landmine about 20 years ago (1985) and it exploded against her head. Shrapnel is still embedded and doctors cannot remove it all, because it is inside her brain. She has one false eye, and she suffers from pain continually. She is a widow, as her husband was killed by rebels in 1986. Beadmaking is her only income, and most days, she leaves the market without selling enough to make food money for the week. I could not bear hearing this, and my list of 20 participants immediately increased to 21 so that I could include her.
Saturday, Jan 17th… I am using child labor now… JUST KIDDING… Tonight, I was putting together the color charts for the bead ladies meeting (using paint sample cards) and Harriet’s two little boys wanted to join me for what they believed was a fun art project at the dining room table. I cut the paint cards into strips based on ROY G BIV and assigned each color a number. I will distribute these to the ladies, and when I am back in the USA, and I want a certain color, let’s say pink and green, for Delta Zeta, I email Harriet with the color numbers and that determines the correct shades for special orders….
I am so very excited because tomorrow is the day that I have been waiting for ever since I left Africa…. I see my little girl Kaden. I am going to church with her, and take her the Christmas presents I have for her and her cousin and grandmother. She will come to stay with me on Wednesday.
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