It's the simple things

The theme for this week is best said in the words of India Arie’s song “There’s Hope”.  It’s the simple things in life that are worthwhile. There’s no need for the big cars, fancy gadgets (since they don’t work without power or wifi!), but the best things in life are all around us. Now! This isn’t to say that every person that I’ve come across so far has that mentality, that’s just my realization.  An example of this is the wedding I attended a couple of weeks back. It was really pretty and fun!  But what I really took from that wedding was, no matter how much I look Mugandan (a Ugandan from the Buganda Kingdom), I am still American. I had quite a few embarrassing moments while being a part of the wedding. For one, the girls come out dressed in the same Gomez and receive gifts from the groom’s family. When the girls come out, they must kneel, which turns into a dance down to the floor situation – not bad right? WRONG! Only because I don’t understand Lugandan, so when the M.C. said only the first three girls start dancing to the kneeling position, me being the fourth girl, started dancing too. So in front of more than 100 people, it was revealed that I wasn’t Mugandan or even Ugandan. I’m pretty good about blending in but it’s moments like that where I completely embarrass myself that the truth is revealed. Even after the M.C. kept telling me to stand back up (in Lugandan) and I kept dancing to the floor, I should have noticed that something was wrong when I realized everyone looking at me.  It’s okay to laugh at my awkward moment at the wedding because I’m still laughing at myself.

But I digress from my point that it’s the simple things in life that matter. The wedding was anything but simple. When I talked to some Rotarians about the wedding, they explained to me that the introduction has become more westernized and flashy to show how much money the family has (the reason the bride changes her dress many times throughout the day). The actual traditional introduction is low key and very short (and private). I would have preferred the actual traditional wedding to the one I went to. Not that it was bad or anything, but the amount of time and money spent into that event didn’t seem quite worth it to me. I just kept thinking “Isn’t the actual marriage more important than the wedding itself? All this money being spent on the celebration could be put towards building a house or even saving for the future”.  It’s not just the Ugandan culture that has these types of weddings and celebrations, it’s the same way in the U.S.!   I thought I would be flashy coming to Uganda with my gadgets and what not, but I’ve come to realize that I’m just as laid back as I am (usually) at home and Ugandan’s put more into their appearance than I do. On campus, I usually wear my jeans and a button down shirt, and boy! Do I look out of place! Most students wear business suits or sundresses for the ladies. And I keep wondering “Why? Why are you wearing high heels, madame? Why are you wearing that business suit, sir?” I don’t have an answer yet, but when I get one from the students, then I will be sure to have a response post.

And as I started this post, it’s the simple things in life that make one very happy. For me, it’s the various types of coffee that I’ve been tasting (and even hot chocolate). I’m determined to go on a coffee tour before I leave and bring a lot of sample bags for my host club. This way, they too can have a taste of Uganda.