Month In Review: Top 10 experiences in June

10. Meeting Megan Gary, our office’s new summer legal intern. Her arrival settled the confusion which had developed in the office over my reference to another “Megan.” Before she arrived, every time I spoke about the new Megan who was coming for the summer, my colleagues thought I was referring to myself in the third person. Clearly Megan is not a popular name here.

9. Dinner at my boss’ house with ladies from the office and a couple good friends—girls’ nights like these provide a sense of normalcy while living so far from what I consider “normal.” It’s good to know that girls’ nights happen all over the world!

8. Meeting clients from work. Their stories are absolutely inspiring. I look forward to a point when I can share their stories with all of you. The struggles of poor women in this country are overwhelming and yet it’s not our clients’ past and present plight that brings me to tears. It’s when they’re freed from oppression and begin to espouse joy and hope which makes me cry [happy tears].

7. Aerobics class at a nearby hotel. Thank goodness for my college aerobics class! Without it I’d be useless in this predominantly male, Ugandan aerobics class (I’m talking 100% Ugandan and 85% male). I’ve never stood out more for being white and female than I do in this class—but I love it! Good music and a good sweat—what could be better?

6. Birthday celebrations for the "new" Megan and another friend named Timmy. They were great excuses for delicious food, ice cream, cake, karaoke, movies, and board games.

5. 3 hour church service at a small Ugandan church. It sure made me thankful for 1-1.5 hour services in air conditioned buildings in the States! While long and tedious (trust me—staying awake has never been harder to do), I was reminded that the community of God is found worldwide, and I am lucky to be in place where I do not have to hide my faith.

4. Visiting the Nile River for the first time with 5 girl friends (click on this link http://picasaweb.google.com/megangarn/Nile to see photos from this trip). What an incredible sight! Besides spending time watching the river rush by we also cheered Kristen on as she bungee jumped, took photos with Bengali soldiers (see number 4), and had guacamole at a local cafe! The Nile was incredible but to be quite honest, I think the guacamole was reason enough to travel the 1.5 hours to Jinja.

3. Taking photos with 15 Bengali soldiers who acted as though myself and my 5 American girl friends were a literal American Dream. As we were sitting near Bujagali Falls on the Nile, the soldiers (also touring the area) walked up to us, literally pushed their way into the 4 inch gap between each of us, and took turns taking each other’s photos with us American ladies. I must have been in at least 15 photos. I wonder if Lady Liberty ever gets tired of posing for pictures?

2. Being named “Namatovu” by the Resident District Commissioner (top political figure) or RDC, of the Mukono district of Uganda. A personal meeting with him and a few of my colleagues led to a discussion of Luganda names bequeathed on expats. Upon learning that I had no such name, the Big Man himself named me “Namatovu,” the name of his personal clan. I am now Megan Garner Namatovu.

1. Going to Legal Education, the community outreach program led by our office attorneys where, upon being introduced to the seminar participants as Megan Namatovu, I met a fellow Namatovu clansman. My Matovu (male version of Namatovu) brother was an older gentleman who warmly held out his hands to me and greeted me as family. Having a Luganda name has made me feel much more a part of the Luganda culture because everywhere I go I seem to meet a Namatovu clansman and more of my Ugandan family.

Looking forward to July: I get to spend 4 full days with one of my best friends from college, Phoebe Hamann! I am so excited to finally show someone from home what it’s like for me to live here. Plus, at this half-way point, it’s nice to see a familiar face! Let the gabbing begin!

Investing

What would you do if you were surrounded by street children begging you for money? They know you have money to give—you’re a Westerner. And to be honest, you do have more money than they do. What about when your neighbor asks for just $6.00 to get home to his village? And what would you do when someone begs you to give them a job or to help them start a business by fronting all the money they need to start said business? Do you give money to the crippled men sitting in doorways of slum shanties? Do you let go of the hand of a child who has slipped their fingers into yours, hoping to feel coins drop into their dirty palm? What would you do? What should you do?

I was faced with each of the above dilemmas last week, and I generally face the dilemma of money every day. What do I do? What should I do? What does it mean to “help” someone who is begging for money? Even if they’re hungry, should I perpetuate a system of begging? In speaking to friends I’ve learned that it is important to invest in people instead of simply giving people money. But what does that investment look like? And what do you do when time is limited—when people are starving?

It’s hard for me to know what to do about the constant begging. I’m not cold hearted, believe me. It brings tears to my eyes when I see a woman sitting against a pole outside the prominent expat shopping center, begging as she holds her newborn twins who are even lucky to be alive. But then again, are they lucky? What kind of life do they have ahead of them when their mother cannot feed herself? And is she lucky to have two more mouths to feed?

Last week, as I wandered downtown to go to a large clothing, food, and goods market called Oweno Market, my roommate, colleague and I stopped for a moment as Kristen (my roommate) made a quick 30-second phone call. In this short period the three of us were literally surrounded by 12-15 children pressing into us, holding up their hands, begging for money. When the call ended, we quickly moved down the street but not without the entourage of children following us. They finally fell back as we quickened our pace and made it clear we would not be giving out any change. But was that right? They have nothing, and we have so much. What should we have done? Either way—whether I give them money or not—I feel uneasy.

Investing in people—what does that look like? I still don’t have an answer to this, and may never. But it’s good to ponder. One way I have seen my roommate invest in the poor is by helping to manage a home for children here in Kampala. She’s been working with this home for more than 8 months now, and the 45 kids that live there just love her. The organization that sent Kristen here pays for the kids’ school fees, has provided them with a new home, and covers the cost of food and electricity, among other necessities. The home, Voice of Hope, is a place for needy kids to live and learn skills that will hopefully enable them become independent, responsible citizens someday. I hadn’t been to the home until last weekend when I spent the afternoon with her at the home. We were greeted by beautiful little children running up to the gate and throwing their arms around our waists. For over two more hours I watched some of the kids dance, sing, and perform acrobatic routines for us, while holding a little four-year-old boy named Vilanny on my lap. All the kids were so loving and sweet, and it was just fun to give them hugs and smiles. It was a really fun afternoon, and I look forward to many more visits with the kids. Who knows, maybe they’ll teach me the Luganda I’ve neglected to learn! The home is by no means perfect or a paradise, but it is a special place. I am thankful that this home exists, and that the kids have hope for a good future due to the investments made by Kristen and the home caretakers.

Kristen also works, along with some of the leaders of Voice of Hope, in a Kampala slum. On Wednesdays she helps facilitate arts and crafts projects or score a football (soccer) game. Their ministry in this slum is to street kids, a tougher bunch than those at the home. Kristen took me to the slum last week and it was definitely an eye-opening experience to walk through the reality of a street kid’s life: Sleeping on the dirt when it’s warm or sleeping in a large, metal cargo box when it rains. Walking around with nothing to do all day because they can’t afford school fees. Not going to school when they have the fees, preferring to get high from sniffing the paint-thinner-soaked-rags that they carry around everywhere. Begging for money or learning to steal it so as reduce their hunger pangs.

While these have been valuable, eye-opening trips into the “real” Kampala, what do I do with these experiences? How do I process them? For now I’m determined to keep asking questions of friends and colleagues, but am getting used to the fact that I may never have concrete answers.

I hope this has given you a sense of some of the things I have been experiencing and processing in the past couple of weeks. One of my greatest desires is to come in contact with reality while I’m here, so I hope I don’t shy away from future experiences such as these. Working in an office in the nicest neighborhood in Kampala can create a "bubble" effect, so I hope I can challenge myself to step outside of my comfort zone here.

Thanks for reading, and I love you all!

Meg

If you want to see photos of my time at the children’s home, go to the following website: http://picasaweb.google.com/megangarn/OhSoCute

Birthday Splash

Thank you to all of you who wished me a happy birthday on Sunday. I was honestly a bit anxious about celebrating my birthday away from my family for the first time, but it turned out to be a day of abundant blessings in spite of my location.

Knowing that two of my good friends here in Kampala would actually be in the States on my birthday, I asked my boss, Ally, (who is not only my boss but also a good friend) if she would be up for celebrating with me on Sunday. I had initially imagined a simple afternoon--lunch and a movie perhaps. But Ally very selflessly told me that we could do anything I wanted to do, and even suggested some more creative options. After thinking about it, I decided to go to the Speke Resort in Munyonyo, which is a little area outside of Kampala, right on Lake Victoria. I hadn't been down to the lake yet, so I thought this would be a great opportunity.

Sunday rolled around and being a lazy girl, I slept in, skipped church, and went for a run instead. I also got to chat online with a good friend, which really started the day off well. Around noon Ally rolled into my pot-hole punctured driveway to pick me up for our afternoon adventure and I was met with a huge hug and enthusiastic "Happy 23rd Birthday!" After our 30 minute drive, the rest of the afternoon was spent by the biggest swimming pool I've ever seen, at a resort that looked like it could have been in Hawaii.


We had lunch by the pool, read 4-month old magazines, chatted, and swam. I definitely got tanner (in spite of the SPF 50) and have sprouted a few hundred more freckles (I know, I didn't think it was possible either). Ally even presented me with a birthday gift and paid for lunch. I just felt so cared for and loved by her--it was so special to have a friend make such a big deal out of my birthday. I had psyched myself up for a low-key, unimportant birthday, but she wouldn't even consider such a thought! The afternoon was splendidly relaxing and being half an hour away from my house and the craziness of Kampala, it felt like a mini-vacation.

After the pool outing I treated myself to strawberry frozen yogurt and left-over pizza from Friday's girl's night. Then Sunday evening I got to talk to my parents and read more Facebook messages and e-mails from friends and family.

I never once felt lonely or sad on my birthday, which is kind of what I expected being so far away from home. But I was so blessed by special conversations, Ally's super celebratory outing, and fun e-mails, that I never felt lonely. Thank you again to all of you who took a moment in the past few days to wish me a happy birthday--it was such a gift to receive each of your kind wishes.

Everyday Life

A few photos of everyday life in Kampala: http://picasaweb.google.com/megangarn/EverydayLife

What a year!

As I was walking around my neighborhood in Kampala this morning, I realized that exactly one year ago today I graduated from college. It caught me off guard because college graduation was a huge milestone for me; a lot of my life had led up to that moment, and that moment has been over for a year.

As boda-bodas zipped past me and little Ugandan children waved at me while yelling, “Mzungu!”, I couldn’t help but think about all that I have experienced in the year since I graduated. If someone had told me at my grad party last year that I would be living in Kampala, Uganda in May of 2008, I probably would have laughed. At that point I still had distant hopes and dreams of interning for IJM but the thought of going into the field with them had only wisped across my mind once or twice, only to dissolve into oblivion moments later.

But this past year has been incredible. I have literally been on some of the greatest adventures of my soon-to-be 23 years of life. In my short years I have lived in Germany, spent a summer in Russia, and studied at Oxford University. But in the past year I have spent 8 weeks in England (two of which I spent walking across it); interned at a highly professional human rights organization in Washington, DC; and moved to Uganda, where I have lived and worked for four months. Amazing. And it’s not amazing because I got myself to these places. Not in the least bit. No, it’s amazing because these are all places that God has led me to. As I closed the college years of my life and looked into a vast unknown, all I wanted was adventure. And adventure is what I’ve been blessed with.

What a year!

Figuring Stuff Out

It has been a month since my last post. So what have I been doing in the past month? Well, I haven’t done anything to give gorilla tracking a run for its’s money, and I don’t have any thrilling stories about a boda-boda accident or freak run in with my neighbor’s pet monkey (my neighbor doesn’t really have a monkey). Life has just been life.

Although low-key, this past month has been a period of some serious reflection. At the beginning of the month I became quite frustrated with my life in Uganda, leading me to believe that I wanted nothing more than to give up and go home. But with the encouragement of a couple of great friends, prayer, and a change of heart, my contentment has multiplied and I am happy to be here for now.

If you’re interested, a few things I have learned in the past month are:

- Loneliness isn’t that bad. There’s more time for chatting with friends online, reading, exercising, and taking naps. And who am I kidding? I’m an introvert—I no longer need an excuse to be a recluse—the excuse is built right into my life!

- Making friends outside of college is very different than making friends in college. Friends here come in all ages and professions. I have friends who are my parents’ age, some who are in high school, some who are Ugandan, and many who are American. Some guard a gate and others are attorneys. Each brings something unique to my life and to our friendship, for which I am grateful. Diversity is truly a blessing—we have so much to learn from others!

- Some of the greatest gifts are the “little” things in life. When I was younger and quite worried about my vertically challenged stature, my Grammy always used to tell me that the best gifts in life came in small packages. While I’d brush it off and think, “yeah, she has to say that—I’m her only granddaughter,” now I know that there are amazing blessings in the seemingly small things. I have been so encouraged by a fun filing-cabinet-organizing session with my boss, an ultimate Frisbee game with a bunch of Ugandans, and outings I initiate with new friends. Even things like coming home to clean laundry, electricity, and slow-but-working internet have become major uppers.

- I have to be myself. I can’t be someone I’m not. Seems straight-forward enough but I have found myself trying to be someone I’m not. This is not only exhausting, it’s impossible to fit in! I think I was worried about pleasing people (“I think”? Come on Megan, you’re a major people pleaser…), but trying to be someone I believe others will like better than the real me has been fruitless and frustrating. I am still figuring out what it looks like to “just be myself” in Uganda, but at least I know that it’s ok to be me, and probably the best way to go.

That’s it for now. I don’t want to get preachy or sentimental. I don’t pretend that these are insightful nuggets of wisdom, nor do I pretend that I haven’t ever heard them before. But if you wanted to know what I’ve been re-learning this month, those are some of the lessons that have helped me become more content here and get through a phase where I really started to despise life away from the comforts of best friends, family, and fast internet.

I realized that I have used the word “I” way too many times in this passage. I do not think that my time in Uganda is all about me. I hope that in applying the above lessons a better version of me will develop and be used for loving and serving more people. I can only pray that this would be the case.

You know you've been living in Uganda for a while when...

...You have the opportunity to eat anything you want for lunch and you don't hesitate to choose Matoke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matoke), rice, beans, and sweet potatoes.

...The thought of riding a motorcycle side-saddle doesn't even phase you.

...Your roommate spots a cockroach in your apartment and you don't even flinch.

...You tell someone you'll be somewhere in 5 minutes and you and the other person both know it'll be at least an hour.

...You loathe the nights spent anywhere outside the protection of your mosquito net.

...Red clay invades your wardrobe and is designated the official color scheme for the clothes and shoes which used to be all different colors.

...You eliminate prepositions from your sentences like they're going out of style: "I'll pick you from the airport and drop you at your apartment."

...You put on a jacket when it's 80 degrees outside.