Sometimes the only thing you can do to get through this life is have a good laugh. Chuckle. Giggle, if you will. I haven't stopped laughing since I stepped foot in Uganda almost two months ago. That's truth, though not necessarily because I don't think I'll get through. Living in a foreign country where you have no idea what is happening 78 percent of the time can be a hilarious thing. But there was this one time long ago (about 48 hours), where the only thing I could do to survive the situation was to laugh so much I cried (and maybe a little pee came out too). Please. Reminisce with me.
I'm in a class here in Africa (yes, contrary to popular belief, I am still attending school. Blahhhh.) entitled 'African Traditional Religions, Islam, and Christianity in Contemporary Uganda. For some crazy reason we call it ATR. Currently, we're learning about rituals and ceremonies that people of ATR participate in. Because we're all about experiences here in Uganda, we decided to take a little field trip. Destination: circumcision. Nope. That's not a typo. A CIRCUMCISION PEOPLE! OF A TEENAGE BOY!!! (You know when you're reading and your eyes almost automatically go to the words in capital letters? I hope that happened to your eyes before you started reading this.)
I wish that I could just take my memory out of my brain and put it in the post. Words just won't suffice. But I'll try my best.
We drove about three hours from campus to a village called Mbale and got settled in the Pentecostal Guest House we would stay in that night. After lunch and a bit of a pre-brief (TCP?), we set off to the village where the ceremony would take place. Now here's a crucial piece of advice. If ever you're planning on going to a circumcision ceremony on top of a mountain in Uganda, be sure to check the forecast first, especially when it's rainy season. Otherwise you're in for a muddy, slippery, absolutely hysterical climb through the mountains of East Africa.
After about twenty thousand hilly miles, a parade-like walk through the village, some muddy feet, and plenty of laughs from the locals, we arrived to a small hut where a few people had gathered, including a man with a very sharp knife. A second piece of advice: try to avoid being in the front row of a circumcision party. It's not a pretty sight. I'll spare you the details of this one. After much chaos, two lightening quick cuts, a few fainters, some dancing, and the jaws of 32 American students on the muddy ground, we made our trek back. Along with about 50,000 other Ugandans who appeared out of nowhere for the only-happens-once-every-two-years-so-don't-miss-it event.
There's so much more I'm leaving out but hopefully I'll be able to tell the story in real life. Unless you want me to put the video up?!? Uhhhhhhhh. You don't want me to put the video up. Just trust me.
GOTTA LOVE AFRICA!
