A goodbye party

My time in Bundibugyo is winding down, a sad realization, and one which forces me to think about how to say goodbye and how to communicate to people that I really care about them, even though I am walking out of their lives. The fact that I'm going to school makes it easier, I believe, as everyone here is eager for the chance to pursue studies, and just about everyone I've talked to assuress me that I'll be coming back here once I'm a doctor. Apparently about half of Nyahuka town is praying for this. What odds do I have against such petition?

As part of the goodbye process, I had a lunch party for a bunch of friends today, kids and young men who I've been involved with and gotten to know. I really do love many of the people in this group, and these are some of the ones who it will be truly difficult to leave. I was counting on about 25 people coming, but of course, with food is involved, about twice that many showed up at my house, many of them rather peripheral kids who I've seen but don't know. I bought spoons and plates this morning, but wasn't prepared for the numbers that came. A woman who prepares delicious Ugandan food did the cooking for me - if you thought I would be cooking Ugandan food for 50 people, you would be crazy. I've probably only cooked dinner for teammates abotu 10 times in the past 2 years. It was delicious, a big spread that was a treat for all involved, but even with chicken, beans, g-nut sauce, cabbage, sombe, and 22 cups of rice we had to carefully ration, and ran short of food by the time it came down to Vincent and me. The kids watched a movie (probably the main reason they like me) while some of the older guys helped me clean up, but the real fun started after that.

The sky grew dark as rain clouds rolled off the mountain, just as we were starting to kick a football around in front of my house. The rain broke as we set up the goals (reeds stuck in the ground about 2 feet apart), and we embarked on an epic, hour and a half long game of barefoot mud football. Vincent and I squared off against each other, joined by other kids between the ages of about 8 and 15, and laughter was the word as we slipped, slid, and fell all over the place. Face plants in mud puddles. Smooth slide tackles. Defenders falling flat on their butts. Sliding, fist-pumping goal celebrations. It was great to just run around in the rain, laughing, playing, having a good time. At the same time, we managed to play some decent ball, as a few of these kids are going to make some very nice footballers in a few years. By the time we were through my yard was left with about half the grass that it started with, and for the first time in 2 years I was about the same color as everyone else around me.

It was a fitting way to begin saying goodbye to these kids, as football has been a big part of my time here. Food, football, and laughter - all things that I have loved sharing with them in my time here.