A Firebase 4th of July!!!

It's time I introduce you to Seruyange Abdul. Maybe it's past time. Either way, his friendship has been such a gift to my time here not sharing him with you would be silly. Abdul. Let's see. He's the football coach at Christopher House, a kindred spirit, a man who laughs with ease and loves people like he'll never run out of kindness. When the school program began, we had assemblies for each school. Several staff members got up to talk to the kids and welcome them to the center. Abdul rose quietly, walked to the center of the stage and said, "I want you to know how welcome you are here." Then, he walked around to every student and gave them a hug. He's a hugger! He's also a great teacher. He's been teaching me Rudo, a really fun game that people play on the streets here. He's also teaching me Luganda. I want so badly to learn to speak the local language. It's not going so well. We also talk football. Well, he talks and I try to understand. I'm doing my best to learn the ins and outs of this soccer situation. So, far I'm doing really well with cheering loudly and learning what players go where.


















It's Abdul that introduced me to the Firebase. It's a shop where he hangs out with his closest friends in the evenings. There's Mutebi who calls himself my brother because our African names are in the same clan. Then there's Johnson who runs the shop and wants to study law. There's Musa and Vincent. Ben and Toni. And finally, Nestor, the style genius. The Firebase sells juice, water, sodas and other odds and ends. I'm not exactly sure why they've nicknamed it the Firebase, but nobody can deny the level of cool associated with such a name. Come on! It's really an exclusive little club. There are members of the Firebase and friends of the Firebase. I'm not sure if they have membership cards or shirts or a secret hand shake, but it's very serious and very official. Anyhow, for the 4th of July we decided to do it up right. You got it folks, the Firebase got patriotic! We made a flag, sang the national anthem, and they even surprised me with sparklers! We ate icecream and laughed until midnight, and then they announced me an official member. I'm not sure what it means, but I'm feeling pretty good about it. It was an unforgettable celebration! A 4th of July I will not soon forget!