Wednesday was the third and final day for the ladies of Off the Mat, Into the World, on site,helping to build the school with Building Tomorrow. It was my second day with them and indeed a pleasure to be able to share the joys and excitement of their amazing experience.

And away they walked, Mothers and infants, students and elders, as one large group, back to their village a couple of kilometers away.

Monday morning traffic in Kampala is insane. It simply does not move…..well, it moves, but super slow. From several miles outside the center of town, cars and trucks inch there way along. Riding with Bacali and Lynn to our respective destinations, it was clear that I was going to be late to my 8:30 meeting time, if I stayed in the car much longer. So out I hopped and onto the back of a boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) to zip into the Sheraton to join up with the ladies from Off the Mat Into the World.

Yesterday was a magical day. Lynn and I joined In Movement (www.inmovement.org) for an afternoon of art making and creative interaction with the kids at Kayeda Orphanage.

Kayeda is located here in Kampala and serves about 60-80 orphaned kids from ages 1 to 19. Situated in a relatively gnarly part of town, the team of facilitators carried art supplies from teh dirt road, down a narrow ally, between buildings, across a ditch of filth and into a cluster of buildings near the bottom of a hill. No walk ways or steps. Just exposed earthen dirt and rocks, broken bricks and trash lining the path.

Kayeda has what looked like two main buildings, and several dormitories. Kids sleep in bunks stacked three high and four units per room. So in a room smaller than the size of your bedroom, 12 kids live and sleep.

In Movement has been working with this Organization for many years and each year they host a showcase day to demonstrate the crafts and activities they do to the newer, uninvolved students as a way of inspiring their future participation and involvement with these programs. We set up art stations to showcase the music and singing, dance and movement, acting and performance as well as the visual art components of their programing.

Eyes everywhere, following our movements….watching with deep curiosity.

It was my first day working with Ugandan youth and it was really quite amazing. The kids are incredibly attentive and respectful. There was a lot of excitement for the new tall “mzungu”

in the room, but also so much love and respect and authentic curiosity to what we were doing. The willingness to participate and the excitement and joy demonstrated by all the kids was just brilliant.

The kids were thrilled to have us, the group of 8 facilitators, there to lead them in the numerous activities. And then the amazing showcase of all the different activities drew an attentive and appreciative crowd.

It was a wonderful first day to get hands-on with some Ugandan kids.

I feel completely blessed to be in the company of such loving and warm people and have the opportunity to share my gifts through the creative arts.

This video shows a number of the kids, not the regular In Movement participants, getting their hands into the art supplies and simply playing with the array of medium we laid out. At first the lead Facilitator John Mary, did not want these to get involved. He wanted them to simply observe, as a way of showing them what was available to them…but with a crowd of excited youngsters standing on the side watching, it was hard for me to not invite them to play.

So, I did. We quickly rearranged the space, moving paper and supplies, making more room for additional participants, and invited the kids to join in a bit of creative collaboration with us on the floor.

I look forward to a longer, more involved next experinece, but a lovely first taste of spontaneous creative time with these loving and appreciative kids.

One week into my stay in East Africa and I am pleased to report that all is going wonderfully.

And our driver Bacali. Say hello to our good Friend…..selecting a papaya for Lynn.

When you set out to do an international peace project for the first time, having little to no experience, it’s hard to know what will happen.

If you peer outside, on the surface you might think it’s Maui, or some other tropical haven for easy living and casual reprieve, but it’s just not that kind of place. This is Uganda. This is sub-saharan Africa and it’s a wee bit different.

Granted, I’m in love with the sounds. The birds have me captivated. The squawking and gurgling, the cackling and the coo-coo’ing. The insects look like Maui insects, the ants are huge. The flora and fauna are a gorgeous and glowing green with flowers bright and brilliantly alive. Birds in flight with 4 ft wing span. And that in-door out-door living that only comes with tropical temperatures is amazing.

But you know what. As easy as it would be to slip into a casual and care-free approach to Ugandan living……You CAN get sick from the tap water. You CAN get sick from bacteria in the food. You CAN get malaria (although I am NOT going to) from some random mosquito bite…. so, I take this opportunity to remind myself as I remind you.

This is NOT Maui. YOU ARE IN UGANDA.

And as Lynn so eloquently put it….. “didn’t you see all the Africans today? There aren’t so many dark skinned people on Maui.”

And so, allow me to remind you, as I remind myself.

Brush your teeth with bottled water.

Thoroughly wash your veggies and use some grapefruit seed extract for extra cleanliness (even if it’s in the other room…go get it)

Clean up after you cook (otherwise ants infest)

Take your herbs and supplements

Wear bug repellent at sun up and sun down (high risk and highest mosquito times of the day)

Cover your body, even if it’s hotter than you care to stand being clothed

And shower often.

I think that does it for now. Day 2…in the books. Good thing for this Internet connection….that’s a serious plus…. even though you kind of feel like you’re Maui….YOU’RE NOT. Can’t you hear that “Do” happening down by the lake.

Sounds like Africa, and it’s high time to play it like it is.

A quick 40 minute drive into town and around to our friend’s Gizmo and Ilonka’s house just above lake Victoria. (Lake Vic). It feels great to be here. Three big bags of gear, including 2,500 plus postcards, a duffle bag full of art supplies, an assortment of speciality foods, and clothes for 3 months in Africa has me all set.

Excitement is setting in and auspicious signs abound.

Off the plane and waiting for the shuttle to the terminal, I ask a well dressed gentlemen if he knows his way around these parts and he quickly replies, “Yes, I live here.” Sharp as he was dressed, he knew this was my first time to Uganda. “What are you here to do,” he asked politely? I told him about my plans to deliver postcards for peace from U.S. students to students here and my vision for working with 10-15 schools. And I returned the question, “What do you do?” He told me that he was the principal of the International School….and my first connection was made. He passed along his information as we waited in line for a Visa.

He welcomed my call and I felt it all to serendipitous to have met the principal of one of the most respected private schools in Kampala before I had even left the airport.

Gathering our luggage, Bakali arrived just as proper Ugnadan would, 15 minutes late, and we drove to Ilonka and Gizmo’s house down by the lake. As we approached their place, we spotted an Owl sitting on a fence. Another auspicious sign….a sign of the protector, symbolic of inner- knowing, and an emblem of wisdom. Lynn said that in the ten years she has been coming here she had never seen an Owl…and we got a sighting on my first night. Another good sign.

Feeling fantastic about being here. Getting mind~body~spirit aligned today after a whole lot of travel and excited to see what’s to come.

It’s wonderfully comfortable. Warm, not too hot, and most enjoyable to be in Africa.

Into London via cab. A quick reminder of how they drive on the other side of the road was fun. London is cold. Just above freezing temperatures. Lynn has us put up at this fancy boutique of a place called Hotel 41, just across the way from Buckingham Palace. We took a nice stroll for a couple of hours around the palace, into Westminster. “Look kids, Big Ben. Parliment.”

Beautiful architecture. The river Thames. A lovely little walk to loosen the legs from a long flight. A bit to eat and back to the hotel to chill.

Tomorrow we depart at 8am for the airport. 1045 flight to Entebee, Uganda.

Africa here I come.