July 17, 2011

Day two, and I will admit that for a moment while I was watching the new Harry Potter movie I completely forgot that I was in Africa.  And, yes, to my surprise and delight, HARRY POTTER OPENED JULY 15^th in Uganda! I thought for sure I would go six long months without seeing that piece of cultural phenomena, but alas, I was able to be a part!  By the way, it is quite good, following the last book rather closely.  Like I said, for a bit though, I forgot I was in Africa.  Perhaps, it is true that the cinema is an escape, whether we want it to be or not - our own Cinema Paradiso (a movie I highly recommend)?

One thing I have discovered about this blog is that I failed to mention where the name comes from, and although I would love to take credit for it, I cannot.  It still makes me chuckle, even as I write this.  After I had been offered the position here in Uganda, I – obviously – had to think about all aspects of the opportunity and whether or not I could do this.  I went back and forth, knowing ultimately that I would go but somehow having to place my Kentucky life in a bell jar close to my heart.   And, by that, I borrow loosely from Sylvia Plath; it is almost as if I had to put that life into a contained space, but I still want/-ed to watch it and somehow be a part of it.  Needless to say, this is not an easy decision when you have a life you love but know there is also a life you want.  It is a strange process, melding the two, mind and soul. 

So, prior to accepting the position officially, I had reached out to my friend Adam to tell him my thoughts and worries, hopes and fears.  I explained to him I recognized that Uganda would be an opportunity of a lifetime, but nevertheless, it is a decision with so many unknowns.  He and I have been friends for years and he knows me well, so he let me ramble for as long as I needed (which was a considerable amount of time, mind you).  And, when I had stopped, he laughed and said, “Lindsey, Uganda go!” 

I had played around for several different titles of this blog, but when I looked back on this particular conversation, his words hit me as if they, too, knew they were meant to be my title.  When I had changed it officially on the website, my mother even followed up with an email of encouragement, writing, “Lindsey, You-Ganda Go!”   The name has stuck, and I think it is perfect.

Now, back to the day today.  After I slept in (which I never do!), I met Yanis, Miranda, and Miranda’s friend Vickie for brunch.  We went to the lovely Hotel Serena, where there awaited a Uganda I did not expect, as pictured below.  The food was delicious, and the ambiance spectacular; lunch was long, lazy, and full of fascinating conversation and strong coffee – my favorite way to enjoy a meal!  On the walk out, I couldn’t help but be captivated by the plush surroundings and exotic gardens.  The second picture is of a flower that I have never seen before, so if any of you know…

As we were walking to the cinema to make sure we got tickets for Harry Potter, I felt an itch on my arm.  It has begun.  Yes, I got my first mosquito bite!

To be fair, however, I can’t really blame that damn mosquito, because it was I who forgot to apply the bug repellant.  Knowing I am in Africa, how did I forget that?  It made me realize I am not quite acclimated to my surroundings just yet.  Vickie, who has lived here for a year, took me to a grocery store and a pharmacy, but neither carried bug spray.  The pharmacy did offer me a small patch of some sort of bug repellant to put onto my clothes, but all I could think about was that to protect my entire body, that little patch must be very toxic.  I did not buy it.

On the way to the theatre, we had to use an escalator.  Now, living in our fast pace world, where elevators and escalators are as common as buildings and malls, I was surprised to see people stopped at the bottom.  When I came a bit closer, I realized it was two small boys and a woman about my age.  The woman and one of the boys had just gotten on, but the other boy, who was approximately ten years old, stood looking at the moving stairs in awe.  He tapped his foot onto the bottom’s flat and moving surface as if he were about to get into a pool, dipping his toes into the water to feel its temperature; and, just as if the water were freezing cold, he jerked his foot away as it began to separate into two steps.  The boy already on the escalator with the woman encouraged him to get on, and the boy cautiously jumped on.  I smiled to myself, realizing that this boy had never seen anything like this escalator and lost myself in wondering what his life might be like.  Did he live in a small, rural village?  Had he come to the big city for the first time?  Was this monster building of brick and mortar, full of moving steel and flashing lights, fearful to him?

Once I got to the top where two stairs melt into a flat surface, I walked off onto the ground, coming mentally back to the present; I thought to myself as I looked around how normal this all is for me.  However, my eyes followed the boy that had been in front of me and watched as he went to stand at the top of the down escalator.  I looked around for the woman and the other small boy, but they had wondered off, leaving the adventurous boy by himself at the top of the escalator. Not wanting him to be alone, I walked over and stood next to him, and his gaze slowly lifted to meet mine.  I explained he would have to step onto the part of the stair’s surface that did not have a crack in it, because the crack represented where the one step would become two.  I used my hands as best as I knew how, trying to explain a concept as foreign to him right then as Africa is to me right now.  I told him to put one foot on as his hands hold onto the moving sides and just let the stair glide him away until he could put the second foot down.

Staring down at what must have looked like a canyon to him, he said to me in an African accent as thick as my southern, “I am scared.”  He then looked up at me, and I reassured him he could do it and told him not to be afraid.  He nodded and, before I even knew it, the boy took the step.  I saw him look back at me once he was riding the machine away; he had the biggest and brightest smile I have seen in some time.  He then looked down at a man, standing at the bottom of the escalator, as he continued downward.  The man smiled and nodded his head, as the boy prepared for yet another confusing challenge.  His body tensed as his head looked in the direction where the stairs disappear.  I saw his thin body grow as excitement forced him to hold a giant breath, and then there was a slight preparatory bend of his need.  He watched and waited for that exact moment to move, and then, he stepped off.  The man walked over to him, and the boy looked up at me.  He put his fist up into the air in that most definite sign of accomplishment, and I, standing at the top, clapped loudly as I choked back proud tears.

In a world of Harry Potter and plentiful brunches, I was brought back to a simplicity I don’t even remember and a gratefulness I am happy to feel.  I wanted to hug that boy, not only for his own accomplishment but also for a gift he will never know he gave.  His experience and strength were inspiring – my favorite thing about Africa thus far.

A movie and dinner pursued, and I was enthralled during both; however, I kept going back to that little boy and his giant step.  If he could conquer life’s unknowns, perhaps I can, too.