Rural Homestay Part Two: New Experiences

Soon after I arrived ‘home’ I sat down with my Papa and he told me all the experiences he wanted me to have and all the things we needed to get “snaps” of my doing. While I soon realized that my rural homestay was about far more than the experiences, I did experience a lot of things for the first time.

· Killing a Chicken

· Watching a Pig being Slaughtered (it’s not quick or quiet)

· Digging, Carrying, and Peeling Cassava

· Carrying a Jerry Can of Water on my Head

· Feeding a Calf with a Bottle

· Living in a Close Proximity to a lot of Chickens and Not being Fearful the Entire Time

· Sleeping in a Grass-roofed Hut with Rats and Lizards (Now the Background of my Blog)

· Experiencing Rural African Hospitality

· Having a Niece to Be My Companion 24 Hours a Day (hint, hint)

· Cooking in a Hut

· Pumping Water from a Borehole

· Giving a Mini-Sermon in a Ugandan Church Service

· Speaking Ateso (Just the Basic Greetings)

· Eating a Mango Straight from the Tree

· Never Knowing the Time

· Using a Latrine with a Rat in it for a Week

· Shelling Groundnuts for Hours

· Reading Compassion by Henri Nouwen (I highly recommend it)

· Laying on a Mat Under that Stars every Night while Papa led our Devotion and Prayers

These are just a few of many experiences. And while the experiences were great, the interaction with the people was the best part.