2nd blog from Uganda

Last weekend I attended a "introduction" which, in Ugandan culture, is something between an engagement party and a wedding. It involved much eating, singing and dancing. We all knew that Africans can dance, but seeing them giving it up, I have a new suggestion to make.
I've seen dance crews in the Philippines Dance, I've seen break dancers in a street battle in Ukraine, I've seen Canadians tap and Americans swing and prove that white men actually can dance. I've seen "America's Next Top Dance Crew and "Britain's got talent" and know full well that there are many people who can dance. But i suggest that Africans alone are dance. They are amazing.
So it is with a sadness that I've observed such a beautiful culture and people offset by violence and echoes of evil. As a large gathering of people watched the world cup in Kampala last week, a bomb went off killing many. Kampala may be the capital, but its population is relatively small. Probably under 2 million. I think of how even one murder shakes my home greater-area city of some 300,000 and imagine how this larger kind of terror traumatises a city and a nation.

I think it is safe to say that Uganda has accepted me! I have, in past travels, noticed that there are two things that transcend cultures and borders; those being music and sport (usually football [soccer]). On those levels I have already connected. But there is a third level, i have discovered, that perhaps resonates more deeply in this country than even the others. This is to dig: to garden.
For Ugandans, gardening (or simply "digging") is a way of life. To see a "Muzungo" (foreigner) putting his back to the task cuts some of the undeniable cultural barriers. For me its been easy. Some hard work, but also a joy to be able to break and plant in the red Ugandan earth. As a result of my interest, I was invited to an agricultural show in Jija town. This is something like our "fall fair" in Canada. I had to laugh when I walked in. Of course Michael would find himself at an African Country fair.
"Farm boy"

Internet is not just a walk down the road anymore, so I haven't posted an update for two weeks before now, but I thank you for checking in again.

If you're talking with a Filipino this week ask him how his family back home is. The Philippines has just been smashed by an unexpectedly large Typhoon which has left many powerless, flooded, or even homeless. Pray for the Philippines.

I have been asked if it is hotter in Uganda than the Philippines. The answer to which is "no". It is actually quite pleasant here, with occasional showers and a frequent breeze. The current temperature here is probably about what it is back home. 20 or so.