To see all of my adventures in Uganda (or at least the ones I've posted so far), click on the "Ugandan Adventures" tag at the bottom of this post.
Here's the message I posted to my secret/private facebook group describing my birthday in Uganda.
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Thursday
Hello everyone!!
Yesterday after my visit to the internet cafe, I spent the rest of the day with M's class. When he saw me coming (for the first time yesterday), he RAN to me with his arms up. He did the same thing this morning, coming to me from other volunteers. Everyone at the home calls me "Mama Marvin" now. It's going to be very hard to leave him - but I miss my boys at home, and there's no help for it. All I can do is enjoy the time with him and pray for a fast court date!!
After meeting with the social worker at the home this morning, I worked with M's class again through lunch time, and got to put him down for a nap, with sweet cuddle time before. I'll work again this evening, after getting a little rest. I walked down the street to an African cafe/restaurant with some of the volunteers for lunch and it was DELICIOUS.
Tomorrow night I'm going with some of them to the national theater for an afro-jazz performance (happy birthday to me!!) So much fun to be here!! This week has felt long, I'm guessing next week will fly by, so I'm trying to soak it all in!!
Haven't been sick at all yet, though my roommate is, and one of the kids in class got sick and after they cleaned him up, they brought him back and he crawled all over me...so that may not last long!!
Thanks for all of your sweet notes and messages, LOVE THEM! Wish I had time to reply to each and every one of you - and I will, but my internet time is limited at the moment!! It means SO MUCH to me that so many of you have been thinking of me and praying for me so often - it feels like we're all on this adventure together!! The notes from fellow adoptive mommies, who know how I'm feeling about leaving him, learning his culture, mourning his past etc. mean the WORLD to me. And you are all just wonderful...what can I say?
Friday!
Happy Friday everyone! I'm 40, can you believe it?
The other volunteers here know it's my birthday, and it's one other volunteer's birthday as well (Annika from Sweden). They all signed a card that was waiting for me when I woke up today, so sweet!! And I talked to Matt first thing, so that was lovely.
Nothing super new or eventful to report today, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite things/memories:
...I love when I walk in and the older kids all start yelling, "Mama Marvin! Mama Marvin!" Today I helped with lunch, and there were lots of helpers so I was just talking to the older kids until it was time for the naked running baby game. They had music playing so I danced around to each kid, saying their name. The kids LOVED it and just cackled (they're laughing WITH me, not AT me, right?), and would call, "Mama Marvin! Do me, do me!! Again! Again!" So cute.
... M doesn't talk very much (in English or Luganda), but he will sing. Twinkle twinkle...old macdonald...yesterday I taught him "Heads, shoulders, knees and toes" and he loved that.
... I'm very thankful for the other people I'm here with. Some folks in the past have found it to be a mix (some nice, but also some grouchy, complaining people), but I really like all of the girls/women who are here with me. I like the international community feel too - and it makes me want to travel more. I love being with my British friends and am always up for a trip to the UK. Now I really want to try welshcakes... And I need to see Canada (and Rwanda, where my Canadian roommate was before this, and where 2 of the British ladies are headed next). I also want to visit the Netherlands, and Sweden sounds lovely (And I'm wondering if all Swedish women look like models, because my friend Annika is STUNNING.)
...Before their snack time in M's class, they pray. They sing a 'thank you God" song, and then the teacher leads them sentence by sentence, "THANK YOU FATHER!" and the kids all yell after her, it's so cute! I hope that they'll let me get it on video!
...super cheap, super delicious produce. I've been eating Avocado on toast for lunch, with a mango chaser. So yummy! And pineapple for dessert every night. SO GOOD. And I'm not allergic to the pineapple here (at home, it makes my mouth tingle and break out.)
... Ugandan culture is very polite. Before you start a conversation with anyone, you say, "Hello. How are you?" It's so nice, and I like how even some people who seem very closed or guarded break out in a smile when I am polite, or ask their name and show interest. Makes my heart happy.
OK! I have to run! Love you all!! Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!!
Renee'
