Gretchen's Post--July 3: "Do You Love Us?"

“Do You Love Us?”

We went to the Outside the Dream house yesterday and today, but between recovering from jetlag and adjusting to this new world, I am unsure where to begin as my memory proves hazy from the past thirty-six hours. At the house we did meet Monica, Kanome, and Lawrence.

Kanome is HIV positive and one of the caregivers for the children. We had lots of questions for her about her needs and the needs of the children. Although reluctant to express personal wishes, she did indicate she would like a door (she is able to forgo windows) for her small structure in her village. You see, although she lives at the OTD when caring for the children, she comes from a village in which she has built a small structure near her father. When she becomes ill, she will go to her structure. Kanome said people with HIV do that here: build small structures and retire to them when seriously ill or death is imminent. A small metal door—a simple wish.

Kanome had many questions for us, following my questions for her. Her questions included: What is snow? Could she touch my skin? Could she touch Elizabeth’s hair? Do you love us?

We did meet one of the students at the OTD house today, a lovely young girl who was busy working on her school work. The house is need of paint, reliable indoor plumbing, window screens, and games and books for the children. The children take their mattresses to boarding school with them, so the house was primarily empty. We saw where meals are prepared over a charcoal fire; the kitchen’s supplies are minimal. I am unsure about the work we will be able to accomplish in such a short period of time, but at the very least I am getting an education about specific needs.

After visiting OTD, we stopped at Nakawa Market today. It is a large open air market that sells food, cooking items, clothes, hardware, and the like. The vendors were a bit more jaded than the people we have run into. Although some people do not want to have their picture taken, many people ask me to take a photograph and then are delighted when I show it to them on the digital camera.

We also went to a local craft market today. As usual, we had difficulty finding it because most of the roads are unnamed. As usual, when we inquired of directions, a young man offered to take us to the market—expecting nothing in return. We did get to hear his original song about Uganda, though. Other people came up and thanked us for coming to their nation. These people live with open hearts. It is so remarkable given the tremendous breadth and depth of poverty here. We Americans could certainly learn a thing or two from the Ugandans. So yes, Kanome, “We love you.”