Flashback to Day 15: Busega

Day 15, Wednesday June 9th, KLA

After the morning routine (which I was almost getting used to), we headed out with Br. Larry to the construction site. It took us about an hour to get there with all the picking up and dropping off of workers and materials we did. We ended up in very isolated areas of Kampala and got more than our fair share of "muzungu!" cries. Little kids in Kampala must very rarely see white people because given any child under age 12, there was about a 95% chance he/she would cry out muzungu! and wave. Looking back, we realized the only other white people we saw that entire week were the three Germans working with the Brothers for the year, so I guess it was pretty understandable....? Muzungu isn't considered a derogatory term at all, but it was really weird to have it constantly yelled at you. Seriously, 95% of kids. At least.

We arrived at Busega and got the full tour from Dominic, one of the aforementioned Germans. A carpenter by profession, it was very interesting to hear him talk about the construction project and the differences between here and Germany.

In comparison to the Good Shepherd Home, Busega is HUGE. The dorms and grounds are much bigger and there is a chapel and dining room....neither of which are present in the old home. The quality of materials are also much nicer and more modern, which gives the place a much newer, cleaner feel.

Listening to Dominic talk about construction was an exercise in frustration. He said there was no blueprint when They began, or since, just a picture of what the finished product looks like
There are no building codes or governmental oversight of any kind in Uganda, so you can basically build whatever you want however you want. Apparently there was quite the argument between the Germans and Africans about whether a load-bearing pole was really necessary. Luckily the Germans and modern engineering eventually won out, but not before accusations of racism and elitism were thrown out. General frustration about how inexact their standards were abounded, and I started to worry this wad going to be an entirely negative tour.

Then, however, he began to explain how much he respected the Brothers because they viewed the construction project itself, and not just the product, as a mission within itself. Unlike other building projects in Uganda, the Brothers were equal opportunity - you needn't be the same religion or tribe as the construction manager to get a job. Workers also got paid regularly and fairly and received lunch, tea, and clean water every day, both of which were very unusual.

We were briefly introduced to a worker from a tribe (can't remember the name off the top of my head - a disadvantage to telling these stories via flashback) who believed that God granted them guardianship of all the cows in the world. As such, it was their divine mission to reclaim every last cow. In the world.

We spent the day hacking at the floor - When pouring the plaster walls, A LOT of plaster got all over the concrete floor....and needed to be chipped off. For hours and hours. It was good back-breaking work, which is always good for the soul, but got kind of monotonous and boring. It was loud and dusty, so conversation and breathing were kind of out of the question as well. It was nice to be able to contribute to the building project so specifically though.

We returned back to Mama Flora's to find Sophie gone. Never really figured out the story but apparently her grandmother came an took her under protest...and Sophie was sad not to be able to bid us farewell. We decided a day with neither Sophie nor Rachel was a very sad day indeed.