So, despite my questions about when to celebrate... I think we're in full swing!
What does that look like for this American family in Mukono, a suburb of Kampala?
Saturday after Thanksgiving: I went with a handful of expat ladies to a arts/crafts fair hosted by the International Women's Organization at an international school (about 30 minutes from our home as the Great Torroco flies). We enjoyed looking around at arts and crafts and then had a somewhat unusual ladies lunch--unusual in terms of frequency. An intern of ours asked recently whether expatriates hang out that much and if not why... Despite fewer distractions, life takes more time, people's priorities differ depending on family obligations, peoples travels and obligations are not on the same schedule, etc. All in all for me as an introvert, I find that this is probably a mostly healthy dynamic of not being too enmeshed in each others lives but also available for some moments of down time and social relationship.
Sunday after Thanksgiving: Mark and I went to a carols/concert at Namirembe Cathedral with two friends/colleagues... I remember our first year in Uganda, we went with Rosie and Jason to a lessons and carols service and I was moved by the whole affair. For me, its a blend of the African pace of life, with some of the beauty of old structures and liturgies... you sense that you can just sit and take it in. People are busy greeting one another outside on the steps and then there's no real flurried, pushy, everyone "behave!" attitude when you enter the sanctuary. But of course, most people are calmly sitting and waiting with no stress when the program starts 15 minutes late. Nouwen describes "patience" as appreciating the fullness of time and I have and did feel that quality of time both times I've been to that service as the late afternoon light is slanting in, as people from various classes and backgrounds are non-fussily sitting down and enjoying the evening's performance. A favorite for me was a couple corporate hymns that remind me that we have been, currently are, and will be part of a communion of saints joining with the angels and archangels in worship....Tuesday after Thanksgiving: I don't know if a farewell dinner can be called part of Christmas celebration but on Tuesday night we had a dinner and photo slideshow celebrating a colleague of ours that we've known for many years, as a student and more recently as a staff member. I think being on a school calendar means Decembers and May are also parts of marking our work and time in Uganda. Due to level of responsibility during the semesters (keeping students alive and well in a foreign and higher liability situation) means that the end of semesters hold a higher degree of really being "off". Now that isn't totally come, but the evening with Jones had that quality of looking back/looking forward-- for him as a person and us as a program. We have been very blessed in USP staffing and I enjoy those moments when we can appreciate each persons contribution to the program, to the students, and to our time in Uganda. "I think therefore, I am" is translated in Uganda, "I participate, therefore I am".
Wednesday after Thanksgiving: USP students were going to attend a cool cultural dancing/performance and I thought that I could take Mary as a special outing. I figured she'd enjoy the outfits and music and ambiance of the place. And true to form when the opening dance began, she was very impressed with their outfits and tiaras and the grass skirt attachment that shakes wildly when the women shook their hips which they do with impressive grace and endurance. But what I didn't account for is the "humor" of the M.C. who in an opening act gestured to our side of the amphitheatre and said, "I heard some extra clapping over here... You know what we do in Uganda when someone doesn't obey...." and then proceed to swipe his baton in the air in the motion of beating someone. Yikes... that was a no-go for Mary. He, of course, was just doing his routine and he moved on to to more of his jokes. But Mary turned to me and said, "I think I want to go home now". So, on our ride home, Mary decided she could return when she was grown up. And I decided, I don't have to feel as guilty when I leave the younger girls at home on some of the outings because, in fact, they are still not ready for certain things.
Thursday, December 1st: On Wednesday night we caught another glimpse of culture-- British ex-patriate culture. Mark, Gwyn, Daniel and I headed into Kampala and attended Snow White, this year's pantomime written by Dr. Dick Stockley (the doctor we use in Kampala and a classic dry-humored British fellow who has lived in Uganda for many years). I'll write a bit more in a follow-up post about what a pantomime is but thought i'd include it in this chronology of what "celebrating" Christmas looks like for us in Uganda.
And so today is Friday. And I let Daniel skip school, and I'm hoping to catch up on a few details, and spend some time with the kids and trying to prepare my mind, body and spirit for other activities to come. Once my friend said of life as a mother here, you trade busyness for boredom--- i.e. in general you wrestle with a sort of boredom (for my personality this can translate to ennui) but you aren't as stressed with commitments and busyness. But I tend to set myself up a bit for more of life of "busy"-- and I do often pause to question this mode of being. Obviously there is a knowledge of self (Abby=antsy), but there is also a recognition that some of this is spurred on by unhealthy motivations and consumer-based messages that define what is "fun" or "relaxing" or "what I deserve" etc.
On the other hand, to perhaps justify this busyness, a part of this Kampala scheduling is due to the fact that many expatriates travel to their home countries over Christmas or travel around the country. So some of the front-loading of December is due to other people's priority to travel and be busy in other ways. I felt that this year I didn't want to be "busy" in that manner and I do look forward to some of the slower days here on campus closer to the actual Christmas holiday. I think I'm saying that the total set of activities this month will not be out of control, but the fact that they will all come in the first two weeks of december might feel disproportionately busy.
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