Please Sir, I want some more (Monday/Tuesday, Dec 22/23)

So, volunteers who stay here at the orphanage obviously eat here as well. Unfortunately for me and my larger than typical appetite, that means a steep learning curve in subsisting on measurably smaller portions than I am used to. Even back at camp where we have a limited selection of food, we can at least take as much as we want. Here at the orphanage, there is little difference in the amount of food dished out to me, or Gift, the two year old toddler sitting next to me. So yes, I can now relate to Oliver Twist just a tad bit more, though I can’t even begin to think that I can understand what he (if Oliver was a real person as opposed to a famous fictional character) experienced. The thirty odd kids at Another Hope, on the other hand, know all too well what it must be like, their lives have pretty much been taken out of the pages of the book.

I’ve been here for about four days now, and I can optimistically say that I now know all of the kids’ names. Sometimes, this requires a lucky guess (possibly preceded by a less lucky guess), or even a peek at the name that is written on the hem of their school uniforms (which they wear even though it’s “summer” break because many of them just don’t have much else to wear). So, here is a little about each of the children as I’ve gathered so far. I wish that I could post a picture of each of them as well, but lack of internet connection serves as an effective deterrent to that desire, not to mention that I don’t actually have a picture of all of them... or any of them actually. (haha, as per usual, I’ll try and get pictures from the other volunteers.) But you can see the profiles, complete with mug shot-like photos, of each child or just read more about the orphanage at Another Hope’s website, anotherhope.org.

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Halima (pronounced Ha-lee-ma): at eighteen, she and Hellen are the oldest kids at Another Hope and her responsibilities clearly show that seniority. With Ruth, the Orphanage founder and director, often gone for extended periods of times (not to mention that she’s leaving today for the US for two months to complete some research for her master’s degree), Halima is unofficially the mother figure in the orphanage. I can’t say how impressed I am by her maturity, not to mention her ability to manage a house of thirty other kids. From cooking to cleaning, to making crafts to raise money for food, to administering medicine to the kids, to managing the money that comes into the orphanage, she does it all. Yea, this really makes her sound like Superwoman, but in many senses of that word, that description isn’t all that far off from the truth. Oh yea, and she’s a got a pretty decent voice as well, only suppressed by the fact that she’s usually too busy with other duties to let loose.

Hellen: unofficially the second in command to Halima at the orphanage, she manages and does much of the same things as Halima. They are the last ones in bed at night, and one of them needs to be up no later than 5:30 each morning to prepare the charcoal needed to cook breakfast. The viability of this orphanage very much hinges on these two young women.

Namutebi: sixteen years old and following close in the paths off the two older girls, Namutebi is also a talented actress as demonstrated during Sunday’s Christmas Party, where she starred in the skit as well as served as the Another Hope children’s spokesman for any speeches or announcements.

Wasswa and Kato: these twin fifteen year olds are the oldest boys at Another Hope and they, like the senior girls, bear much of the responsibility and duties around the orphanage. We put up a little fence to separate the pit latrines from the kitchen on Saturday, which was a great chance to get to know them a little better. Whereas these boys would be enjoying life in the middle of their adolescent years in most any other setting, here at Another Hope, they have larger roles to play as the senior males, especially to the younger kids. When I first met them, their young age did show, but seeing them in action with the kids just demands all the respect that I can give to these guys.

Allen (Ellen?): A little bit bratty, like any other twelve year old, and a huge tomboy (when she’s not working, you’ll always find her in the yard, dress tucked up around her waist, playing a violent version of piggy in the middle). Her true colours really came out in her numerous solos during the kids’ presentations at yesterday’s Christmas party, and she, for some reason, always seems to be the one responsible for dishing out food for everyone. Either way, she’s impressed me as much as any of the kids, and that’s saying a LOT.

Natasha: One of the few that I haven’t really had a chance to get to know, she’s one of the more girly girls here. You can most always find a smile on her face, and often a giggle to go with it. But put a wet rag in her hand and it’s all business, as I see her cleaning the floors everyday.

Peter: One of three kids at Another Hope who are HIV positive, he is the next oldest boy after the twins. At fourteen, he’s a bit rebellious, as is normal for his age, but he’s also willing to let down his tough guy face once he’s warmed up a bit (took about a day with me). Me and Hitomi (a Japanese girl who also volunteers at Another Hope) took seven of the older kids to the KPC Christmas Presentation today and Peter held my hand pretty much whenever we were walking on the streets. (This is a sign of friendship in the African culture, btw, not like in Canada. I’ve written about it in another blog that I still need to post...)

Matovu: He’s only eleven, but definitely the jock among the group! He plays a pretty similar role to Peter, and to a lesser extent, the twins. He’s also the self proclaimed mixer for the posho, which is pretty labour intensive work, and learned how to properly throw a nice spiral with a (American) football in about, well, two tries today. When Allen got sick and puked after dinner yesterday, he was there to wipe up the mess, no questions asked. So props to him for that, though I’m sure that any of the older ones would’ve done the same.

Leticia: She was easy to remember from the first day because of her outgoing personality. At 11, she’s still pretty small, probably from malnutrition if I was to guess, but yea, her personality is larger than most. At the Christmas party she taught me a bunch of the Ugandan cultural dances, which she got a lot of amusement out of, probably cause I can imagine that I looked pretty ridiculous trying to copy her.

Rebecca: She’s a little more feminine, and a lot quieter, than her other twelve year old counterpart, Allen. Similar to a couple other kids here, I sense a certain sadness in her, and you probably don’t have to look far to be able to guess why. I did teach her to play Connect Four today, which is as much interaction as I’ve had with her to date.

Kato: Ninety percent of the time when somebody tries to jump on me, it’s him. He’s ten, and kinda floats between the three oldest guys and the younger ones. And for some reason, you can usually pick him out because he doesn’t seem to like wearing shirts.

Ronald: Read Kato. He’s just eight, but like all the guys who are old enough to talk, he right in there with the duties and chores. A real hard worker that likes to climb on me when Kato isn’t already there. Similar to Rebecca, he’s got a permanent aura of sadness around him, and it hurts to think of what kind of an upbringing he had to create this effect.

Lillian: I remember her because she always wears a thin elastic thing as a headband around her head. She’s just seven but I almost get her mixed up with Leticia sometimes, probably because of Leticia’s small build. She’s super friendly but, unfortunately, she doesn’t speak much English so it’s kind of hard to communicate with her.

Alice: Similar to Lillian except for her ears (they seem to stick out more than usual), she’s also one of the most personable children here. She was one of the most friendly right from the time I walked through the gates, and she’s incredibly generous. She’s given me some of the fried cassava that she bought this morning when I asked what she was eating, and then one of her candies in the afternoon when I walked by her, (candies are not exactly easy to come by, nor did she have many of them to begin with). I felt a little guilty to take all this, but I think I may have hurt her feelings when I turned down her second offer of more cassava (I explained that I didn’t want to take all her food but that didn’t solve the hurt look on her face) which is why I took the candy she offered in the afternoon. (Side note: I think this is a cultural thing that I need to get used to because I remember Asaph being very confused when I turned down a soda he set at the table when I was at his place. Sodas aren’t cheap and are considered somewhat of a treat, which is why I didn’t want to take it; in hindsight though, I think I did more worse than good by not taking the soda.) haha, I just noticed that I used the word ‘soda’ instead of ‘pop’; as you might have guessed, Ugandans call them sodas and have no idea what you’re talking about if you ask for a ‘pop’.

Paul: Hmmm, what can I say about Paul? Well, I think he’s one of the most difficult to identify. I often need two, possibly three stabs to identify him still. He’s like a combination of Ronald, Kato, and Bob and Moses (two of the younger boys). I worked with him and Kato this morning on some simple math exercises (the kids love the chance to read or write and are eager to do math whenever I offer).

Jacky: She’s similar to Leticia in that they’re both pretty small for their age, but have larger than normal personalities. I’m told that she was quite reserved when she and her brother arrived at Another Hope about three months ago, probably due to the fact that she was abused by her stepmother at home; she’s opened up quite nicely since her arrival here though. Allen is a bit slow and Jacky’s taken it upon herself to always pay a little extra attention to him to help him out, not bad for a little eight year old girl.

Ruth: Super cute and friendly girl, kind of a mix between Jacky and Rebecca. Ummm... and that’s all I can think of at the moment...

Bob: Bob, Bob, Bob. I got his name wrong the first few times, and since then, I always guess Bob when I’m not which of the guys I’m talking to. Anyway, he’s friendly, like all the kids, and I remember him cause he’s not afraid to ask me for help when it comes time to fetching water. Oh, and he loves to come up and latch/hang onto my arm.

Moses: A star on the dance floor, as exemplified during the Christmas party presentations. He’s got a goofy smile on his face most all the time which helps to identify him from the others. He and Bob are both seven, but, as is typical at Another Hope, act far beyond their young ages.

Gloria: She just arrived at the orphanage a couple of weeks ago, and probably speaks the least English out of all the kids, save the ones who are too young to talk. She’s a little bit of a trouble maker, always seeming to be stirring up trouble with someone or another, but she’s also the first one to take my dish and wipe the table after meal times.

Teddy: Another trouble maker, this eight year old always has a mischievous look on her face. I first remembered her because she wore her dress down around her waist, but she can be as adorable as any of the kids, when she wants. I describe her as a younger version of Allen, mainly because they do actually look alike.

James: Haha, yep, another trouble-maker, he’s like a female version of Gloria, and also speaks very limited English. The youngest of the guys that can speak, he takes his share of wrath from the older guys because of his mischievous nature. Also, he has no gripes about coming up and latching onto me, right after I scold him for doing something or another wrong.

Enock: I just picture walking into the guys room around ten this morning, and he’s the only one still asleep, oblivious to the world (and all the cleaning) around him. He’s the biggest of all the young kids but is still a bit of a crybaby. He’s super cute though, which is probably how he can get away with it. I just found him and Anisha washing each other outside in the dirty wash water that one of the kids left after doing their laundry. But, they are still probably a lot cleaner than before they washed.

Sandra: A younger version of teddy, Sandra is often the cause of a crying Fridah or Anisha. A definite tomboy, she loves getting rough with the other kids, which makes her a source of endless apprehension to the volunteers and older kids. She’ll also turn right around and ask for you to hold her or read her a book even immediately after you’ve disciplined her for making one of the young ones cry.

Allan: He’s six, the younger brother of Jacky, and was probably also abused by his stepmother. Me and the other volunteers are pretty sure that he has a condition of some kind, but he’s never officially be diagnosed with anything (though I wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t seen a doctor in quite awhile). He’s always smiling and it’s hard not to smile right back at him. The last few days have been unusually busy, with the Christmas party, the departure of Ronny and Else (two Belgium volunteers), my arrival, and the departure today of Ruth, the orphanage’s director and it’s taken a toll on lil’ Allan. According to Julia, a volunteer from the States, he’s been quieter and more clingy than usual, but hopefully that’ll fix itself as things begin to calm down again.

Mercy: She’s as cute as any, but also a handful when she chooses to be. Between her and Sandra, there aren’t too many quiet moments; but when she comes over just to lean on your lap, or gives you one of her big toothy smiles, it’s impossible not to just love on her. I also called her “Massi” for the first two days because that’s what it sounds like when everyone calls her, and it wasn’t until I went over a list of children that didn’t have a Massi, but did have a Mercy that I put two and two together.

Fridah: Little Fridah maybe the cutest baby at Another Hope; unfortunately, that means that she’s also been spoiled a bit too much by the volunteers. She does get it tough from Sandra and Mercy sometimes, but other times she brings it upon herself. Probably cries the most out of anyone, but at the end of the day, I still love her! Most of the time that I read her a book, she falls asleep in my arms before I even get halfway through.

Anisha: I think she’s two, and is cute as can be. She’s HIV positive, and hates going to the doctors because of the many tests that they put her through. She’ll always look at you with her big eyes, and try to copy whatever facial expression you make. And whenever you hold out your hand, she’ll give you whatever she’s got in hers, expecting that you give it right back to her of course. She hasn’t quite mastered the art of walking yet and her stutter steps/stumbles often end up with her on the ground. But, usually just when she looks like she’s gonna cry, she’ll laugh it off instead and continue on her wobbly way.

Gift: Or Gift-eeee as everyone calls him. He’s the baby of all the babies at Another Hope, and as such, gets treated as so. His disproportionately big head and gap toothed smile both add to his appeal. He’ll always look at you and if you laugh, he’ll toss his head back and laugh as heartily as his little lungs will allow for, and he’ll keep doing it for as long as you’re willing to laugh with him. He’s also not very good at holding food in his hands yet, but he doesn’t seem to mind picking it up on the floor and continue eating as if nothing ever happened. And, out of all the babies, he’s got the biggest appetite. You’ll often find him stumbling over to the dining table with empty bowl in one hand, the other hand braced to catch himself should he fall (quite often occurrence when you’re two years old), looking for one of the older kids to yield to his pitiful looks and give him one more mouthful of posho.

(Late Addition) Faith: So I don’t know where she was hiding, or where I was looking, because I totally didn’t notice her for the first few days. Hence the reason she wasn’t included in the original post, because I didn’t know she existed. I think it might have been because Natasha, Faith, and Rebecca are all a little quieter, around the same age, and kinda look the same too. After a week and a half, I now know better, all three of them are quite different, but in the beginning, they all gave off similar appearances (which means that I was probably calling Faith either Natasha or Rebecca for the first week...). Anyway, of the three, Faith is actually loudest!

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Well, this definitely turned out to be much longer than I’d expected. But if nothing else, it was a good exercise in memory for me as I tried to pull up everything worth noting for each child that I’ve learned or experienced in the past few days. If you made it this far, ummm... you need to find something more interesting to do over Christmas break? haha, no, if you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to listen (read) to my ramblings (sounds better if I call them experiences, actually). It’s encouraging to get the comments/emails/etc. from you, and it really makes home not feel so far away. Once again, I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to reply to emails over this break, the kids are doing a pretty good job of completely wearing me down each day so don’t hold your breath anyway. Oh yea, and MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE, WITH MUCH LOVE FROM UGANDA!