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I haven't written in a while and i think there's a reason for that. the reason is not because of lack of internet, as i have had multiple opportunities in the past month of posting. i think, instead, that the reason is, steadiness. i didn't write about my life in the states, not because there weren't stories to share, but because it is my life, and perhaps i felt people wouldn't be interested in hearing of something that had been steadily moving on since september 13, 1984 ( i use steady in a loose sense as it has certainly had it's turbulence). but when i came here, that life, that steady movement (though at times chaotic) seemed interrupted, incongruous with normal movement, and so i wrote. but ive been here over 10 months now, i've been a part of marriage celebrations and death ceremonies, graduations and retirements, and it feels like life, steady, congruent, life. this is not to say that there aren't stories to share or that i wont continue to do my best to recall them, just that, at first, though i felt a little transplanted, maybe im starting to get the sense of having roots here in this fertile ugandan soil.

now for a story! Christmas is coming, and how does a family that lives in a grass thatched hut celebrate? with fury. even just speaking to some of the people here, i think the whole week surrounding the 25th will be a big party. family will come from their various locations, there will be some gifts of sweets for the kids, and there will be meat! whenever there's meat it means there was a slaughtering, and whenever there's a slaughtering, aside from the butcher's place, there's a celebration. kind of makes the next trip to arby's to get a roast beef sandwich a little more enjoyable. though don't get me wrong, a beef-n-chedder sandwich is always a little exciting.

speaking of celebrations, i spent quite a night a few weeks ago at a wedding ceremony. to make a short story out of a long night, lets just say i found myself drinking home-brewed wine out of a 10-gallon paint bucket using a 3 foot straw that was then used by 20 other men sitting in a circle around this same bucket. no, i do not condone this.

What's in a name- here is a brief list of some of the names of the students in my class (they put the surname first):

abeja oliver, abua scovia, acen lydia grace, aceng dorine, aceng jackline, acio nancy, achola rose mary, adit sandra, ajok flavia, ajwang teddy, akao babra, akello paska, akello sarah, akullo linda, akullo branda, akullu jackline, akullu sharron, alela gladys, among harriet, amuge eresta joan, amuno monica, angom robinah, apio brenda, apio immaculate, arao susan, atim leah, atim naume, atit loyce, atoo rebecca, atyang stella desire, tino racheal, koli hope, epol nighty.

no, i was not being partial to one letter. yes, i would like you to pray for these girls. yes, there are about 60 more girls with surnames beginning with the letter "a" that i could have listed. (the boys typically have a surname that begins with "o")