Singles Night

Being in Mbarara has its advantages; pretty dependable electricity, milk, little kids to play with, easier access to internet, and the ABIDE interns Trav and Seb. Trav is from Canada, Seb from England. They are actually a part of AIM but are working with ABIDE in kind of an exchange program of sorts. It is always great spending time with these two guys. This week after their weekly AIM meeting (there are like 12 AIM missionaries here) they invited Bek, her friend Seth (who is visiting from CO) and I to join them for dinner with the other “singles”. Many of the AIM missionaries have families, but there are a handful here who are solo.
So we went out for “singles night”.

Bek and I usually avoid eating out so as to save money, when we are in town and have to eat out, we generally eat at the hole in the wall African restaurants (katogo for 1000 shillings = 50 cents) or get fresh produce from the market to eat. It is economical, but not always fun. For this special occasion though, we decided to splurge. We met at a local hotel / restaurant that is a common tourist stop over – Agip.

Before I tell you about dinner though, let me tell you about the group. First of all, I can’t remember laughing so hard in a long time. It was great just hanging out with a bunch of “transplanted” young adults. Although coming from different countries, here for a different purpose, and working in different regions, we had more in common with each other than we often find with the people we work with and are here to serve. It was refreshing and well worth the splurge.

Seb is here with ABIDE for six months and then will finish out his AIM contract elsewhere in east Africa. He loves ministering to people where they are…. So he goes to find them. If not at ABIDE, you can bet he is at a local hole in the wall “tea house” or “bar” drinking water and striking up conversations with the locals.

Trav is also here with ABIDE. He took a break from University to come to UG and follow God’s leading in his life. He challenges the boys here with intense physical activities and is responsible for the ice breakers, team building exercises etc at ABIDE.

Zillah is from England and works in the local hospitals as a physiotherapist. (I think…) I also heard mention of a psych ward?

Tobias is from Germany. He explained the whole German school thing, but I am still not clear on all the funny terms… but essentially he is in medical school in Germany, but is here to continue a part of it under some program… he works in the hospital.

Josh is from Canada and has spent the past 4 months in Kampala teaching primary school. He is here now to volunteer in the children’s ward at the hospital and spend time with our kids at the children’s home.

Toby treated us to a German rap from the 80’s – it was a two part rap, and entirely in German, and involved him rapping both parts, flipping his sunglasses up and down as he switched in and out of characters. We were all in stitches. Stories were told, food discussed, families talked about.

I don’t often feel comfortable meeting new people, but that evening it was as though we had all been friends for a long time. We joked, poked fun at each other, talked about our various UG experiences, and I found myself becoming refreshed.

Sometimes you find yourself wrapped in your own issues, your own concerns, difficult transitions, your own life. Sometimes you find yourself thinking your problems are bigger than the problems of those you compare yourself to – your peer group. [And by “you”, I mean “I”- I find myself…] It was refreshing talking about life in UG with this group because I heard echoes of my own issues, concerns, transitions, and life. Turns out I am not the only one who prays each time l leave my doorstep to take public transport- others think African transport is sketch too! I am not the only one who is missing big events in the lives of family members back home. I am not the only one who wishes for deeper connections with the people I work with. I am not the only one who misses good meat… and boy do we miss good meat. I am not the only one who doesn’t know what the future holds, and who is uncertain about where God is leading.

Not only was the conversation great, but the food was such a treat. Bek was able to get a “vegetarian burger” which was essentially a mashed potato with an odd assortment of veggies between two buns, but vegetarian none the less! I got something called a filet of all seasons or something like that; it was thinly sliced meat layered with onions and mushrooms (which I quickly gave to Trav and Bek) and these pancake type things. Each meal was served with chips (“French fries” as we call them) and Agip even had real ketchup (not “top up” tomato sauce which is the norm here). Cold drinks, salt and pepper on the table (not mace powder, real black pepper), and even napkins.

All in all the evening was a huge success. I left the table with a full tummy, a full heart, and a handful of new friends. Best six dollars I have spent in a long time.