Maybe it’s time I gave a real update. Last Wednesday I moved from Pader to Kampala. Once I got over the initial shock brought on by traffic, loads of people, and tons of commercial options, I began settling in. It’s ridiculous how much I appreciate things like well-stocked markets, decent public transportation, and having roommates. One thing that Pader lacked was access in the broadest sense. You couldn’t buy a newspaper there (restricted access to information), food was restricted to what was grown there and did not require refrigeration (come to think of it, few items seem to require refrigeration outside of the US!), and there was little access to surrounding towns or villages. This is a problem that, as an American volunteer, I could choose to avoid, but it is the reality faced by millions of people around the world who live in rural or remote areas. Without infrastructure, political will, and development, this injustice won’t change.
It was therapeutic for me to spend a weekend with some other volunteers. I haven’t laughed that much in ages, and I had forgotten how good it feels to be happy. On Friday night we went to the Abayudaya community, which is about 20 minutes outside of Mbale. We were told that taxi drivers go there and would know what we were talking about. Not the case! People looked at us like we were absolutely insane! Eventually though, we found Isa, who became our go-to guy for the weekend. He took us right where we needed to be. The area was absolutely stunning—green and mountainous. We had a couple hours to kill before services so we walked around and chatted with people. Everyone was friendly and receptive to us. The service was absolutely beautiful and conducted in what felt like equal parts Hebrew, English, and Luganda. Some of the melodies I recognized and others were new, but the experience was unforgettable. After the service my friend who I was traveling with went to say goodbye to the Rabbi and he invited us to his house to eat Shabbat dinner with his family. My friend used to work for an organization that supports this community, so she had met him once before and he remembered her. It was such a unique opportunity to be able to eat wit the Rabbi’s family and have interesting discussions with him and his wife—ranging from religion to good restaurants in LA to Ugandan politics (he ran for MP recently). We left feeling so energized and grateful for the hospitality we encountered.
The next morning we returned to the Abayudaya community for services. They were again incredibly beautiful, and my friend and I were honored with an Aliyah (basically to say a prayer before and after a Torah portion is read). The Rabbi’s sermon was also super feminist, so I was happy (about inheritance rights of women, which is also very relevant in Uganda)! Everyone we met was so incredibly friendly and the commitment to Judaism was inspiring. Judaism isn’t just a religion for this community, it is something they dedicate themselves to entirely. On a more superficial level, it also felt like a super weird paradox to hear perfect Hebrew, and the Hebrew prayers I have been saying my whole life, in the middle of Uganda. Trippy.
After saying goodbye to the Rabbi and the other community members we met, we went back to Mbale and caught a taxi to Sipi Falls. We were told that taxi would take 60-90 minutes. Not the case. It was ok, but very VERY crowded! We eventually got there and went on a beautiful hike. The water falls were gorgeous and it’s just a generally really beautiful part of the country. On the way back we were planning to catch a taxi, but it was getting a little late. We hitched a ride with a group of Ugandans and enjoyed the ride in the bed of their truck. It was actually one of the best travel experiences of my life! It was kind of weirdly magical. It started raining, but when the truck was moving, we couldn’t feel it at all. It was cold, but the driver offered his jacket to us as a blanket. We had a couple of sing-a-longs and chatted most of the way. It was great.
On Sunday we checked out the health center that just got built for the Abayudaya community (it also serves the Christian and Muslim communities in the area) and then we got on the “Kampala Express” bus and came home. The bus was supposed to take 3 hours and it took 4.5, but that’s life! We did not hesitate to buy some street-meat during the drive. It was a great weekend filled with Indian food, feeling part of a community (the Jewish community in Uganda and also the community of fellow volunteers I was with), beautiful sites, and laughter! It really reminded me of how important having a community is in my life. I am so grateful to all the various communities I am a part of and to the community of people I have here in Uganda
Today I started work at my new placement, which I will talk about another day!
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