Everything is easy in Bugembe

I don't really know what to write, my daily life in Bugembe is quite peaceful and grounded. I help with household chores like washing, dishes, cooking, and the rest of the time I read and write, play with the children, sit together with Joram and Sarah, and in the evening we have a round of sports after dinner.

So, there really isn't much exciting to tell, and that will probably remain the same for the next three weeks.

As mentioned in my previous post, this whole experience also brings a lot of time for reflection, mostly positive and enriching thoughts, but also things that I might have been avoiding before. But a wise young lady and officially future psychotherapist aka Juliane Benz has reassured me that it's a good thing to confront unpleasant things too! And I think she's right, and I will make full use of this time to get to know Ugandan culture, get to know the family, but also maybe process some things for myself and take the time for myself.

So, enough rambling: what else is there to tell?

One thing that stands out to me here in Uganda is the difference in upbringing: the children here are raised to be quite independent. In the sense that they entertain themselves a lot and are not constantly supervised like with us. On the other hand, this also means that even the youngest ones help with all the household chores. The children have a tremendous respect for their supervisors (they kneel down and lower their voices) and especially the girls often come across as little mothers at the age of 11, 12, 13, 14.

When I think about my childhood, it's quite the opposite. Since I grew up without parents and my grandmother completely sacrificed herself to make up for it, I never had to do anything in the household. On the contrary, as I got older and wanted to do things like wash my own clothes, my grandmother didn't want to let go of that control. At the same time, she expected gratitude for doing everything! And as a moody teenager, I couldn't see that at all...

Nevertheless, I have developed into an independent and grateful person. And when I have my 4 little children, they will definitely help at home ;) I will probably still be a helicopter mom, I always worry too much about my loved ones, so sorry in advance, kids!

So, quite a long entry for saying there isn't much to tell! Oh well, I just love sharing my thoughts with you. I'm going to head home now and I'll be back next Saturday with some surely exciting experiences from Bugembe ;)

((Ps. I have to admit that I'm internally resisting this quietness quite a bit and mentally I'm already in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, and Thailand, but that's just another challenge for me and I'm curious when I'll get used to the calmness!))