Don't Eat Me!

I was rudely awoken from a nap this afternoon (it was well deserved, honest) by a small girl screaming "No, please don't eat me! Here, have my shoes." Somewhat alarmed I lept, bleary eyed, from my bed and yanked the door open. Sure enough, the girl was stood there, handing her shoes over to her attacker. She can't have been more than around 8 years old. "RAAAAHHHH," screamed the attacker "I still want to eat you!" "No, no, please don't eat me! Here, have my dress..." She yanked her dress off and duly handed it over before running and hiding behind a tree. The audience applauded. Apparently it was a rehearsal for a play about what happens if you don't go straight home from school. The things that happen outside my room these days...

Mass was a fun experience this morning. The priests here are on a rota - an African rota - which means that you can never predict which one you're gonna get. This morning a new priest walked in. The girl next to me said "Oh, the people love this priest - he is a great preacher!" I knew that could only be a bad thing for someone who doesn't speak Luganda particularly well... good preaching was bound to mean long preaching... And sure enough, during the course of his sermon he managed to sing three excessively long hymns and a verse of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind." It WAS lengthy - but at least it was musical.

We've had a great weekend with the kids here in Kasambya. Saturdays are our 'fun and games' days. Yesterday the young ones learnt a game which i can only liken to a kind of Ugandan crowd surfing... while the older ones learnt an array of new songs. I don't know what possessed me, but I decided to teach them "Rise and Shine." Much to my great amusement, the teenage boys who i thought would curl up and die from embarrassment, LOVED it. One of them came to me at the end of the afternoon and asked to talk to me. When this happens it usually means that they have a problem at school or they need something... I was tired and, to be very honest, not really relishing the idea of having such a conversation. But, to my great delight, he said "Kate, I have forgotten the words to the song. Can we please sing it again?" Sure enough, we were joined by six other BIG strapping teenage lads and, together, we sang another three verses and four choruses of Rise and Shine... WITH ACTIONS. I will treasure that moment for many years to come!

Have a friend coming out to visit for a week on Thursday - can't WAIT to see him - sometimes you just REALLY need someone who will understand why you find it funny that a man would try to tie a bed, a pig, three chickens and a fridge to the back of a bike.