I really hoped to catch up on my blogs before returning to Canada... It did not happen, I really tried! We are currently in Halifax, awaiting the pickup of our campervan. We hope to reunite tomorrow! But I happily take you back in time, to our time in Uganda.
We are going to spend a few days in the village. "Going to the village" in Uganda means you are leaving the big city and are going to spend time in rural areas. Famke's boyfriend William and his family have a farm a few hours' drive west of Mukono. Jonathan is joining us on this trip. He has a minivan so we are travelling in style!
When we flew into Uganda, we crossed the equator in the air. But when we drove to the village we crossed the equator again into the southern hemisphere. Obviously we had to celebrate this moment.
We tried to get an answer to Myron's question whether the Coriolis force applies to water movement in the southern hemisphere (counterclockwise), northern hemisphere (clockwise) and on the equator (none). The guy gave us a nice demonstration but whether he was right or not, we are still not sure.
We met up with William in Masaka. Together we visited EcoBrix. It is an NGO whose purpose is to recycle plastic waste into brand new Eco-Products, like furniture, lumber, household items and more. They tackle the issue of plastic waste in Uganda while creating job opportunities for the community. They pay the community members for each kilo of plastic they bring in.
In the village close to William's family farm, William took us to the weekly market. The sights and smells were so amazing, we loved it. Raija had just finished a math topic on weights and scales. In the absence of a scale, we had used Myron's hands as our scale, predicting which way it would tip with different weights/number of blocks. At this market, scales were used in a lot of places. The butcher was happy to show Raija how the scale worked when he had a customer buying his meat. Homeschooling can be so much fun!
We left the market with sugar cane and pineapples. Myron and Jonathan hit it off, they had a lot of fun together.
William's family farm is a mixed farm. They keep cows, pigs, goats, and chicken. They also grow a lot of vegetables, fruits, and coffee beans! William's mom was a lovely woman, who was happy to host us for a few days. The language barrier was broken by smiles. Myron made friends with Junior, a nephew of William. The soccer ball we brought was a great way to connect. We always bring a soccer ball when we visit families with children, and it gives Myron great joy to give the ball to the kid(s) at the end of our visit, to keep as a memory of good times together.
We visited the local school which was built on the property of the family farm. The children of the school were mesmerized by our children and thrilled to play with them.
While they played, we had a nice chat with the principle and teachers. We hope they felt encouraged by our visit as they often feel desperate. They have big dreams for the children but few materials to realize them.
We toured the area by motorbike! Two of William's brothers and a friend took us, while Famke hopped on the back of William's bike.
We had a fun day and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. We visited another school, which was William's old school, and we hiked up a mountain to see more of the area.
We also learned that the smallest bananas are some of the best we ever ate!
Life at the farm was good!
We helped stripping corn. We learned a lot about the types of corn and the different uses. To the delight of the children we brought out pencils and paper for them. For us such a simple thing, for them a rare treat.
William and Jonathan took Myron into the village to watch a soccer match on tv, they are rooting for Liverpool. Bournemouth won 1-0 from Liverpool, but they still had fun. They got soaked on the way back, but that didn't stop them from smiling.
All good things come to an end... we had to leave the family and go back to the city. William's mom decided to join us to Kampala, to visit relatives. Her unique way of packing for the trip was very enjoyable to watch. She went to her land, picked vegetables and fruit, which she collected in large bags. She then took the largest rooster, tied its legs together with a banana leaf, and put it in a cardboard box. It was a thank-you gift for the family, who had helped her in the past. This all went in the back of Jonathan's minivan. She then put on her traditional dress, and after some pictures, we went on our journey back to the city!
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