A Home Away From Home

As a USP student I have the privilege of becoming part of a Uganda family in the neighboring town of Mukono for a short two-week period. I have only been there for six days but I love it. At home I have a Mama and a Tata, five brothers and four sisters. Martin, Daisy, Mary, Peter, Tony and Matilda are all in their early twenties, while Bosko, Just (Justine), and Joseph are in their teens or younger. I am learning a lot! Cooking, showering, cleaning, laundry, along with countless other cultural practices differ from my daily routine at home. They are proud to be hosting one of the only two Canadians on this trip and they love to ask questions about my home country.
Sometimes I feel out of place, though not because they are in any way unwelcoming. The fact is I am out of place. But the longer I stay here the more Uganda does feel like a real home. There are fewer surprises than there used to be, though I’m sure more are to come. Going home to a loving family each day is a good way to unwind from the classroom lectures. I have no doubt that even after I leave this family to go stay in Honors College (my dorm) I will visit them often.

A Rwandan Reflection

Apologies for the long delay in between blogs. Sometimes it just can’t be helped, like for example when you’re touring the amazing country of Rwanda! The main purpose of this trip was to learn as much as we could about this small East African country in the short amount of time we had there (10 days). As many would guess, much our time was spent learning and engaging the genocide that took place during the year of 1994. We visited many memorials sites, listened to genocide survivors, and spoke with many involved in the reconciliation process that continues to go on. Here in Uganda there is a noticeable difference in the faces of older people in comparison to those in Rwanda. Simply put the people of Rwanda seem more stoic in their composure, less likely to make eye contact or smile. The same cannot be said for the children of Rwanda, who are overjoyed to see a mzungu (white person). This seems a little surprising to me at times if one thinks about the history of white people in Rwanda.
At one particular memorial site called Murambi, many USP students including myself were emotional stretched to our limits. This memorial was setup in what used to be a secondary school and was place where over 50,000 people were murdered. What made this site harder to deal with was that many of the bodies had been preserved thus making the whole experience seem more real. Though it was hard I am nonetheless thankful for that experience. Another crazy experience for me happened when I was asked to preach at church in a rural part of Rwanda. Expecting a small turnout I was quite surprised to see that the pastor of this church had invited seven other churches to join on the occasion of our being there. It was amazing to see the energy these people had, our service went on for over four hours and there was never a dull moment with all the singing and dancing.
In all, Rwanda is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Its rolling hills and mountains make for an eye-catching landscape. What’s really cool to see is how the farms of this land go straight to the very top of these mountains. Rwanda is a very well organized country in terms of its infrastructure and laws. It is clean and the people who you greet are always very friendly. Someday it would be wonderful to revisit some of the place I had the privilege of seeing.