Events

An eventful week is coming to an end and I want to let you be a part of it again. This time with a slightly longer report:

Some days were very sad and painful for me because I struggled with the conditions under which the babies live here. Some background stories touch me deeply, which I had to deal with first. It is simply unbelievable that a large school and a baby home can be filled only with orphans. Many parents have died or cannot take care of their children - they leave them anywhere. A small, 9-week-old baby was found next to the railway tracks, now it lives here, together with 20 other children and 4 'mamas' who take care of them in an African way.

Yes, everything is simply DIFFERENT here. We cook over the fire, in the morning a cow moos into my room, clothes are washed in buckets, just like people and cutlery, monkeys hop on the roof. A real cultural shock.

Betty and I took a trip to Kampala, the capital of Uganda - let me tell you: once and never again.

But the journey was funny.

We took a bodaboda to the 'taxi stand': what they call a taxi here is a minibus, 'converted' with seating for 25 people, but usually there are 30 people on board. But other things are also transported, such as bags of rice, chickens, luggage. You can imagine how much air there was to breathe.

Betty showed me the real life in Kampala, not the tourist spots. We walked through a huge market - everything covered with sheets stretched on wooden logs - so you can't see any sunlight.

People here think every white person is rich, which may be true for their earnings. From hateful glances to knocking (I was probably too slow) - everything was included.

Betty wears a T-shirt with 'Mannheim' written on it - she paid only 1.50€ on the market!!!!!! The Germans actually think they are donating clothes in the old clothes bag, no - it's a huge business, where wholesalers make billions and the 'poor' have to spend money. Maybe from now on we can send clothes donations directly to the association here, so that it remains truly free.

Well, anyway, Kampala is a huuuuge city, full of noise, smog, shouting, and vehicles. Yes, it really made me uncomfortable to be white. I would have preferred to be completely covered.

My first lessons started, the topics were skeleton, heart, health, HIV, and menstruation. All in different classes. The teachers are very nice and welcomed me in a teacher's room, which would be considered a barn in Germany. Just like the classrooms - there are hardly any power outlets and the school bell is an old car wheel. The 'teacher' hits it with a metal rod every hour.

Every time I enter the school grounds, 30-40 children run after me, calling my name, wanting to touch and hug me - a few times I stumbled because I had no more space to walk. But it is beautiful to receive so much love.

The students are very eager to learn, attentive, and humble. When they want to know something or enter the room, they fall on their knees until they are asked to get up. Of course, I didn't know this and also knelt down to find out what was going on - because I thought something had happened.

Well, I think I'll save everything else for the upcoming reports.

Dear friends, I am doing very well here, I love this life where the clocks tick differently - even - if it is probably the most intense experience of my life so far.

I send you warm regards and hug you all tightly

Your Meike