Just so you know, I didn’t forget that part of my time abroad also includes studying although it has sort of taken a back seat. I spend from about 8 until 6:30 at school, taking classes, doing homework because we’re not really supposed to do any at home, and playing basketball!
CLASSES: I’m taking Christian Mission and Missiology, Faith and Action, Reading the NT in Africa, History of East Africa, and African Traditional Religions.
*Missions- I enjoy the readings most of the time because they have some very interesting insights and quotes. It’s a small group so we do a lot of discussion and it gets really frustrating because all people do is argue or throw Bible verses at each other so I end up humming the tune “Why Can’t We Be Friends” for most of the time or doodling. I’ve begun making a comic called The Adventures of Shmurty in Africa (this may reference something only a few of you will grasp)…don’t worry I still plan on getting a B in the class ☺
*F&A- If you read that title correctly I hope you laughed! I’m going to wait to pass a verdict on whether I like or dislike this class until we get into a little more substance. We do talk about some of the relevant issues in Africa like HIV/AIDS and women in ministry so that should be interesting.
*Reading the NT- We get off topic so much in this class in our discussions that I’m not quite sure what were really learning about right now. A lot of times what comes out in our discussion is just a general bashing of the United States so in this class I hum “The Star Spangled Banner” and other patriotic tunes…just kidding. I learn the most in these types of classes by debriefing or doing the readings and discussing with Kurty or a couple people before or after.
*History- My teacher is very…active and has some very interesting mannerisms. He’s a Ugandan, which makes asking questions so much more exciting since he has lived through some of it. Right now we are talking about the theories of historians about history and kingdom formation, etc, so I’m just waiting to get into the actual history, but I’m looking forward to that. My professor is a prince in one of the tribes near here and the king just passed away last week so he's up for possibly becoming the next king!
*ATR- This class is pretty interesting, but I have a very hard time understanding my Ugandan professor because of his accent so I’m always like a sentence behind. We learn about different African traditional religions, Islam, and Christianity in Uganda and we get to take field trips! One to a mosque, one to a Christian martyr’s shrine, and a couple to a few tribes including one to learn about their ritual or circumcision of boys who come of age. And not only do we get to just hear a lecture on it, but we actually get to watch the actual ceremony!!! I’m not joking here either, our professor kept referring to the “brutality of the knife.” Can you say “pardon me!” I’m not sure how much I’ll expand on that in my blog when it occurs :S Yikes!
One of the interesting things about Africa is when it rains here everything shuts down. A lot of times our professor’s won’t come to have class if it’s raining so lot’s of mornings I will do a little rain dance ☺ It is the rainy season here for the next couple months ☺
BASKETBALL: Kurty and I join the girls team for training when they have it and the first time we went…phew! I rediscovered so many muscles that have been laying dormant for a while…I rediscovered them for about 3 days following as well! The courts are outside so when it rains it’s either a no go for practice or you slip everywhere! The basketballs are extremely bouncy and after we’re done practicing our palms are brown. The girls are really nice and fun to play with. The coach is a player on the men’s varsity named Robert Mugabe…not to be confused with the president of Tanzania…and he’s about 25 and when he speaks I can’t hear a word! During practice there is absolutely no down time. They go from one drill to the next always running. The emphasis here is maybe not so much on skill, but on speed. Not quality, but quantity. So for now my skills are pretty much pointless until I can keep up with the pace, which I’ve realized is a great way to get in shape for when I get back!
We rode the bus with them to a game of theirs and to an indoor court that reminded me a lot of Hamline, including the obnoxiously loud music. Watching the game was fascinating. The playing style here is quite a bit different than in the States. The philosophy here seems to be to go as fast as possible in order to get as many shots in as possible. Everyone, and I mean everyone, seems like they are out of control! I know what you’re thinking, that I’d fit in quite well, but while that is partially true they always seem to find a way of staying on their feet!! Maybe that is something I can learn from them! There are a couple girls who can handle the ball all right and they quickly prove to be the top tier players. It’s hard to completely describe how it is, but it was fun to watch for the mere fact that it was so different. Our girls won 78-48. The fans were great as well. If only we could get Ugandan’s into our stands at home! The guys team was super into the game and a lot of other students took taxi’s to the game to cheer as well. The cheering is much the same between our two cultures. I heard many cheers directed toward the refs as well as a few ‘warm up the bus’ type comments, but the energy was great! During the game the girls would even talk and interact with the crowd in the stands. One of the guy players named Ken sat next to us for much of the game and we talked with him a bunch. He’s a Boston Celtics and Kevin Garnett fan so we got along extremely well ☺. Kurty and I got extremely excited today when we recognized him and saw him on campus since we never recognize anyone on this campus of 6,000.
Basketball in Uganda is a good metaphor for how Ugandan’s do life. There is such a huge emphasis on community and they play hard without a whole lot of structure.
Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. Ecclesiastes 12:12
Hahaha, just kidding
As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. John 9:4
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