hillary's uganda journal - july 13

Today was a parent visitation day at the primary school. So, they didn't have classes, they all just had to sit there, being bored, while the teachers talked to one parent/student at a time. So I had the choir finish their letters to their sponsors. I noticed that a whole bunch of the kids, including Yvonne, were staring at me so I was like, “What?” and Yvonne goes, "he thinks I look like you!" SO apparently my dream of becoming an African is finally coming true!!

As I was working the kids also kept coming into my office to talk to me because they didn't have anything to do. It was so much fun! I wish everyday could be as relaxed for them as it was today so they could hangout with me more. They don't need school, right?


A message from Anita to her sponsor Kelly.

Bruno, Yvonne, and Jane all wrote me letters and they were sooooo cute! This was Janes:

"Dear my friend Hillary
I great you in the name of Jesus Christ. I love you. I thank you for being my friend. I love your family. I love your hair so much. I wish I had hair like yours. I like dancing. Do you like dancing? I like singing. Do you like singing? My best song is Joy is coming in the morning time. 

May God bless you so much. From your friend Nakigozi Jane Bye Bye! 

And I will never forget you in life and death I will never and every forget you because I love you so much and you love me to because your my good, loving friend. I will never and every for get you."

:)

I am really excited to give Courtney her letter from Blest Deborah. It is really cute. It starts, “Dear my lovely Courtney Sell…” (haha so cute.) Here's a picture of the two of us...


Then Jane came in with a storybook with like 10 stories in it. She said she couldn't read them, then went through and told me each of the stories from her memory because apparently she had them all memorized. So then she asked me to read “The Little Red Hen” in her class. So, I went to the back corner so I wouldn't disturb the teacher and stood on a bench and shouted the story to the 60ish kids in there that were in a huge pile of bodies right in front of me. They all liked it a lot and the parents who were waiting were all entertained I think. I think here just think I'm weird. But that's all right. Then, Eric said that I lied to him because I went to the p.3 class instead of his p.6 class. So I went in there next and they asked me to read a book to them. I didn't think they would be very interested in hearing me read a little picture book because they are older. But they insisted. So I read “Daniel and the Lions Den” and “Cinderella” to them. When I would look up some of the kids were just staring at me, totally mezmorized. (Haha) But now my throat hurts.

All right, so I'm getting pretty sick of the African guys. As soon as the fact is established that we are both single, I'm up for grabs. No matter how little English they speak, or how completely and totally pointless of a conversation we might have, I'm white. They want to marry me. One of the little boys at the primary school's uncle saw me when I was waiting to walk Mahad up to the secondary school where he lives. He looked nice, so I just smiled at him. Big mistake. He didn't stop staring at me. And when I was leaving he had his nephew came out and told me to wait because he wanted to talk to me. But I left anyway. So I was up at the school talking with some of the basketball guys and HE HAD FOLLOWED ME UP THERE!! ugh. So, I had to talk to him. This is how the conversation went after he introduced himself: 

Him: “How are you?”
Me: “Good, how are you?”
Him: “Good....how's life?”
Me: “Uhh great. How about you?”
Him: “Good.” (long pause.)
Then he repeated the whole conversation again.
Then, Him: “SO, can I have your address?”
Me: haha NO!!
Then he finally left. phew!