African Muzungu

So I was sitting in my living room last night working, and Marvin comes and sits right outside my door... singing as usual. But this time, this is the song he was singing! My friends and I just laughed and laughed, and since I got a candid recording of it, I had to share it with you too!! Goodness, I love this little boy! :) Translation ;) Melonie, Melonie, Melonie is my mom, Melonie, Melonie, Melonie is my mom! Melonie, Melonie, Melonie, is my love, Melonie, Melonie, Melonie, is my love! Hehehe!!

This week I just wanted to show you something that has been bringing me extra joy in this past week! Meet my friend, Marvin. Marvin is 5 years old, and he and his family live in one of these apartments. They have the one in the corner, and I live in the one on the far left. Marvin has been sick for the past week, so he’s been unable to go to school and instead has been hanging out with me! I must admit it’s a little more challenging to accomplish lots of language learning when you have a cute little face begging to be let in the door day in and day out. He’s definitely been feeling better the past couple of days though, which means that he has lots of energy and a playful spirit that even outshines mine!! So when I say playing time is over, and now I have to do my work, this is the inevitable outcome: I am constantly surprised at how similar kids are across the nations! They laugh, play, cry, throw tantrums, and need the same love and attention no matter where they ar...

With all of the change that I've been experiencing (and hopefully embracing!), there is one that is of the greatest personal importance to me. My name. For many years now, I have thought about the difficulty that Ugandans have hearing, pronouncing, and remembering my name. Melanie just doesn't quite fit with the rules of pronunciation in these local languages, so my name ends up coming out more like 'melon.' In fact, that is the most common way I have heard my name described. "Melanie: you know, like watermelon!" I have to say that as much as I love the name Melanie, I do not like the name watermelon :) My African friends here have also struggled to remember my name, which is understandable when it is so foreign to them. It pains me to see them struggle and be embarrassed when they are unable to remember my name, so I've been thinking and praying about what to do in order to make my new friends and acquaintances more comfortable with speaking my name. I ha...

This past weekend was quite the cultural experience! On Friday, I attended the introduction ceremony of Pastor Charles, and his intended bride, Maureen. Here in Uganda, when two people wish to marry, they must do an introduction of the families. It's a very lengthy process with the groom's family choosing the intended bride from among many 'fake brides.' Then the groom's family presents many gifts to the bride's family, and they all celebrate with cake and feasting. After the introduction, the couple must wait about another month for their wedding ceremony. Taylor, a fellow muzungu, being presented in her gomas (traditional Ugandan dress) with other 'fake brides' On Saturday, I was also invited to attend the wedding of Denis and Agnes. As much as the introduction ceremony is purely Ugandan, the wedding ceremony was surprisingly western. The bridal party was composed of bridesmaids, groomsmen, and flower girls, all dressed in formal wear. The ceremo...

Greetings from Mbale! After 35 hours of fairly uneventful travel, I reached my new home in Mbale on Tuesday afternoon. I have been so warmly greeted here, both by the Ugandans as well as several other Muzungus living here, and as they have all told me to feel at home here, I’ve decided to do just that! Natalie, a muzungu working at a children's home here, has been just wonderful in showing me the ropes. About an hour after I got to Mbale, she took me out around the town, showing me the different shops and getting me acquainted with the supermarkets. On my previous trips, I never had the opportunity to be out around town since we were living in a hotel and working in outlying villages every day, so being able to drive around and meet people with Natalie was both a treat and a challenge. I am definitely getting a taste of just how huge this adjustment and learning curve will be. I knew it would be a challenge, but now I get to see just how much of one it is! I’m so grateful to know...