Going to the chapel . . . . . for the whole day.

Dear friends and family,
Good day to you all! Warm tidings from here in Uganda. I must tell you that I am mailing a stack of letters today. The post office in my village does not mail international mail. To hold you over until a letter arrives in your post, I put forth a story. . . .

This past Saturday I was invited to a number of weddings: two, to be exact. One was in Ocapa, about 15 km away east and then 5 km more north. The other on my school grounds. To show my interest in community, I was sure I could make both. I hopped on my bike at 7:30 AM, directly after eating my daily breakfast of oatmeal, honey, and bananas. It only took me about 45 minutes to ride and there were no cars on the road. . . I stopped in the village to meet some townspeople and to cool down (hair is getting long) before proceeding onto the wedding. Immediately upon entering the church yard, more than 100 kids ran to surround me. They paraded me into the church where I met the most amazing woman: Catherine. She directs the choir and defies Toni Morrison's book, as she has blue eyes. She welcomed me and took me to my seat. Up to me, I would sit in the crowd to gain the perspective of the paritioners; however, Catherine kept walking until we proceeded up the altar and she pointed at a chair to the left of the priest's chair. Now, this shot my original plan to hell, as I wanted to sit through the wedding with the option of departure. Then Catherine continued, "We're all so glad you are here for the bishop's visit. It is his first since the flood, and there are 200 kids for confirmation and 3 couples to be married." So, for 8 long hours I sat next to the bishop as people stared at me to see if I sang the hymns or knew my prayers in Ateso. I'm glad I wore my nice clothes! By closing of mass, I was exhausted from my fishbowl status and malnourished (no lunch). I politely said my farewells and jumped on my bike to make it home before dark. Entering my compound, I rode passed the wedding that was to end my Saturday wedding blowout, knowing I hit my limit for the day. I now know my boundaries and know better than to try and go beyond them. I went home, fetched water from the boarhole, made dinner and went to bed straight away. As I write this, I ask myself if I am happy I went. Heck yeah! I met tons of people and saw to sacraments; pivotal moments in those church-goers lives. Yes, I am bitter, reminded that I'm not afforded the option at home; yet, I am good enough to go abroad and represent our nation to promote peace. I'm jumping the broom!

I hope this post finds you all well in life states-side. Look for your mail!

Love,
Adam g.

P.S. Anthony Dursi, where is your new residence!?!?!