Uganda: Day #3 WOW

When I try to find the words to describe today all I can find is “wow”. I cannot find the words to caption an Instagram photo, the words to post an update on Facebook, or the words to tell my family/Joey a daily recap of my activities. I simply do not believe that words can do today justice.I finished my questionnaire before lunchtime today and was told that I could “do nothing” at the farms while I waited as Matilda and Isaac continued to collect data for his research. Usually Matilda works with me and a field technician works with Isaac, but since we’ve been in Uganda she has spent more time with him. I have really enjoyed the chance to use what she taught me as I interacted with the farmers independently; many of them had fairly good English proficiency and I will always remember some of the insightful, engaging conversations that I had with the people of Uganda. I shortened my questionnaire from around 32 minutes to 13 minutes. As time has gone on, I’ve gotten much better at asking the “right” questions, getting the information that I am looking for…all while being resourceful and conscientious of the farmers’ time. The field technicians, Richard and Jacob, seem to enjoy that as well. Having some open time today allowed me to get to know them and have fun at each of the farms with the families that I’ve met today.Lucky for me, “nothing to do” will hold some of my favorite memories from this trip and quite frankly, for the rest of my life. I was dreading being done early in fear of boredom or being in the way of others; I am angry at myself for having such negative thoughts as today turned out to be so enriching. Sure, I did not feel good for most of the day, I was sleep-deprived, and I was hungry – but that’s the day-to-day reality for far too many of these farmers, families, and children. The least I can do as a visitor to their country and their homestead is put on a smile, introduce myself, and take advantage of the opportunity to enter their lives. There are a few “wow” moments that I would like to share with you all about today and the people, places, animals, and situations that touched my life more than I could ever hope to touch theirs. People told me coming into this trip that this is my time to make a difference, to help global hunger…things about the benefits for me; however, I think that this country, this experience has shown me more and more that it is not about me or the things that I do, but about the people. My “wows” are not in any particular order, but here are some of the highlights from today:Wow #1: Children and animals are some of my favorite things – both of which I have discovered on this trip. I light up when there is a cat, a goat, a pig, or a human baby (any hold-able animal really) in the room or in the field and have taken every opportunity to show an animal or kiddo love and appreciation. One home gave me the chance to play soccer with two little girls and a boy. At first I was scared…walking up to staring faces who may or may not speak your language or cry out of fear of your existence IS scary. I swallowed my fear, extended a hand, and reached out my arm toward the ball asking the girl if I could play. She was hesitant at first and it took a few minutes to get them warmed up to me, but it ended up being almost two hours of laughter, physical exercise, selfies, and hair playing that I wish I could repeat each and every day. I didn’t catch all of their names, but the oldest girl in the tank top dress was Mary. Leaving the kids at this house was something that both broke my heart and inspired me going into the future. The next location happened to be a large portion of push-pull farms and as I walked around introducing myself to the farmers, I came across a yard with children in a big circle. Turns out, it was a school and I was the mzungu interrupting music class. After signing the school guest book, I told the kids my name and then knelt down and said “hi” to each of the sixty-some kids as I shook their hand. I always appreciate when teachers make me feel like I am important as an individual and that is something that I have tried to extend to each face I meet. Two little kids latched on to me immediately and I was so happy! I didn’t realize that I had a natural instinct to want to love and be around kids and animals; discovering this passion is definitely new for me!Wow #2: Seeing real people in real places with real families in such a real country was so REAL for me. I know that’s a lot of “real” to describe one moment but my ultimate impression of Uganda is that it is very authentic, very “real”. I did not feel as though there was every anyone trying to put on an impression or treat me in a special way just because I was a mzungu. I ate a traditional Ugandan meal, saw mothers preparing food, experienced their lifestyles, and visited real farms with huge families. Sometimes in Kenya we would meet farmers in groups at one house or be on a tighter time schedule where we only saw a snapshot of their lives. Experiencing and seeing hunger firsthand, meeting the kiddos and holding the animals, talking to moms and dads and grandmas and sisters and brothers, watching them play games or prepare food was a sight I will not soon forget. Whenever I had “nothing to do” I got to experience life outside of push-pull, outside of my questionnaire, and that authenticity will stick with me until the end of time. There is something so endearing, so captivating about unfiltered, raw snapshots of life.Wow #3: Going out of your way to show love makes it better for you. Like I said earlier, there was A TON of children that I got to meet and love on today. I was scared, I was hesitant…but making sure I said hi to each and every kid made it better for me, not just them. I decided to start fist-bumping the kiddos and they loved it and I would give them all personal attention when I arrived and as I regretfully had to say goodbye. Whether it be the fist-bumps, sitting on the group in a circle of kids, sharing my Cardinals hat, waving at the staring face, or holding the kids tighter than I thought possible, some of my favorite moments from today exist because I showed love instead of reservation. I think we could easily use more love and compassion in the world and in every instance that I was able to do so I never regretted it or wished for a different outcome. In the end, all people KNOW love. They know what it feels like, even if they do not know what you are saying. Wow #4: Life is better when you’re dirty. At the end of the day I went to the hotel with a dirty phone, dirty hands, dirty feet, dirty jeans, a dirty phone case, dirty hair, a dirty jacket, a dirty clipboard, a dirty backpack, and a dirty Cardinals hat. While the fingerprints on my phone reminded me of the selfie-taking kiddos and the fingerprints on my jeans (and my heart) reminded me of the lives that I got to be a part of today, going to the hotel “dirty” was worthwhile and reminded me of the positive outcomes of today’s “doing nothing”. There are far worse things in life than having brown dirt on your white LifeProof iPhone case or your brand new Cardinals hat having tan fingerprints from the kids that tried it on. The best experiences came from getting dirty and being with the people on their level. That’s one of the key takeaways I have from this experience: you cannot truly help people from “above” them, you CAN help them when you’re equal to them and try to understand where they are coming from and why they believe the things that they do. It’s not that these farmers do not care about Aflatoxin, it is that they do not have access to the right information; it’s not that Africans are not trying to work their way out of poverty and hunger, they’re trying but it’s a long process and they may not have the right resources. Getting down and dirty with their lifestyles and attitudes was such a treat and an eye-opening experience.  (Side Note: Wow #5: Later in the evening I came back to the hotel to find a Facebook message that one of my best friends from high school is HAVING A BABY! Wow. This is crazy and it put life into perspective into the fact that I am, in fact, an adult and can make my own decisions. I don’t want to “adult”. Some days I seem so little and some days I seem so old, but wow. How am I old enough for this to be happening? After pacing with my hand over my mouth and my heart so happy for my friend, I realized that there is a lot I am missing out on back home. My aunt and family from California is coming to Missouri, Joey’s baby kitten Yoshi and Dozer and Grayson and Cooper will be big and grown by the time I get home, my dad is celebrating another birthday, the first summer band I won’t be participating in will come and go. It definitely makes you sit back and realize that life will, and does, go on with or without you around. It just put in perspective that we are all ultimately individuals and that our individual lives are what we make of them, our individual opinions are ours to have, and our individual “wow” moments are sometimes things so complex that others will never be able to understand. Wow, life is an interesting thing folks.)