From Heather, our Executive Director:
Alarm went off at 4:45 am (yeah! I set it correctly!), and we rolled our bags to the retreat center’s gate at 5:15. I was careful to avoid the slug the size of a mataka (a van-ish taxi that holds 14 people) that left a glow-in-the-dark slime trail on the sidewalk. Cool! And Eeew! Cab arrived at 6:00 am, and the driver remembered Toni from a previous visit, updating her on his family. As we approached the airport, the fog rolled in, and gave us a chance to enjoy mango juice, pineapple Fanta (not as good as lemon Fanta, btw), and snacks while sending our first email at the Java House café in Terminal One. Even though the flight was delayed an hour, Kenyan Air gets a nod for handing out hot towlettes, and on a short one-hour flight, no less. We were greeted with great spirit and whoops of joy from Sisters Liz Peplow, Marian Weinzapfel, and Joanne Geary. All CSJs, Liz had just spent a week with Marian and Joanne in Gulu, Uganda seeing them in their ministries and having fun. Joann is happily working at a St. Mauritz Clinic, and Marian is working at the Pastoral Center with Catechist formation and is working on the Diocesan Synod planning committee. Both are very happy with what they are doing and are learning Acholi, which is the local language in the Gulu area.
We all passed the time at an airport café and had a Ugandan breakfast of eggs and toast in various forms (not necessarily of our choosing), but hey, “TIA.” Joanne and Marian taught us the phrase, “This is Africa.” Father Peter and Father Paul arrived and the party grew. We loaded up, wished all the best to the Gulu sisters, and then greeted Dick Arnoldy and Matt Arnoldy upon their arrival from Tel Aviv by way of Addis Abbaba.
First stop on the way from Entebbe to Masaka is for lunch at a gracious roadside restaurant run by sisters who operate a school and who use the proceeds from the restaurant to fund the school. Father Peter ordered for us, and we were treated to fantastic fish-n-chips, with our choice of tomato sauce or chili sauce—delicious! As we approached Kampala, a traffic jam of epic proportions developed ahead of us. Turns out Palm Sunday is also Visiting Day for many of the schools throughout Kampala, and many parents and students took this day to get on the road, ensuring we had a leisurely, thorough look at Kampala. Once through the jam, road construction compounded with rain presented another challenge to speedy progress. This key route is being upgraded and widened, and much progress has been made since Toni’s last visit last July, but the progress means that our 3.5 hour road trip took 8 hours, but we really enjoyed the opportunity to chat, and to just absorb the amazing realization that we are truly in Africa.
Fathers Peter and Paul are easygoing and warm. Peter and Liz chatted at length and teased each other about their driving. Those of us in the van’s steerage got a chance to nod off from time to time. A chance to stretch legs came when we stopped at the Equator. The Equator!!!! On the very spot of equidistance between the poles of the earth lies a charming art studio and café. We stretched and wandered. Elizabeth discovered among the trinkets and jewelry for sale were just the sort of bracelets and earrings we had discussed with Joanne and Marian, about placing an order with Lucy for more bead jewelry. Armed with representative samples, we loaded back up and finished the trip to Masaka. Whereas Kampala seemed chaotic and frenetic and hurried, everyone rushing, Masaka presented itself as a more orderly and genteel type of town. We were warmly welcomed at the Masaka Social Center and, after a quick wash, joined Peter and Paul for the evening meal, featuring chicken, fish, rice, beans, avocado, pickled cabbage, and to Toni’s horror and Peter’s delight, matooke (mah-toh-kee). This dish of mashed plantain-like bananas is served with a chili-spiced sauce that is a nice balance. The dish is not sweet, but there is something that reminds one of banana. Dessert was watermelon, pineapple, and passion fruit, perfect.
It was agreed to adjourn for the evening and meet once again at 8:30 am. We are to meet the bishop as well as the staff of MADDO, which stands for Masaka Diocese Development Organization. Perhaps tomorrow we will have a chance to share the DVD.
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