Living with the Lubegas

Feb 9Betty, Mr. Lubega, Vennie, Sandra, Jean, Lydia, moi. Taken on the last day before I left. Rim, Fiona and Gid were already at school.


Since Kristine, Steve and Anne have left things are quite different. I’m living with the Lubegas. They have graciously invited me into their home as a daughter, their 17th child. They have 8 of their own and then 8 more that they have adopted or care for monetarily from afar. A couple are in boarding school. The youngest is 10. There are 6 living here at the moment. It’s a very busy house, a little farm in Kitetikka, the neighbouring village to Masooli. They have cows, pigs, goats, chickens, dogs, cats. All except for the goats have recently given birth and Lydia, their oldest daughter, is giving birth at the beginning of March. So the place is brimming with new life. (PS at the time of actual posting the goats also had a kid)

It is noisy. That’s been a little difficult to get used to. But I am used to it know and sleeping well, even though my ear plugs don’t even work that well it’s so noisy. The 5 bedroom house doesn’t have any ceilings so you hear everything that’s going on. There are a couple of TVs that are often on and the radio in one of the bedrooms is constantly on, even all night and at 5 in the morning it is turned even louder for 5:00 prayers. I haven’t quite figured that out yet. They’re Pentecostal and it seems as a family they have 5 am prayers before they start their day, a nice concept to be sure, even if it is at 5 am…but then that’s the life of a farmer. The first morning I didn’t get up because I didn’t really understand what was going on and Vennie (the sister I’m rooming with) hadn’t gotten up and no one came to get me. So I happily was able to fall asleep again. The second morning when the radio got turned very loud Vennie jumped up and went into the living room. So I got up too and joined her. She was there by herself, kneeling at the couch and fervently praying. I could here the mumblings of her prayers through the sounds of the radio, which at that time seems to be a sermon of some kind. It’s hard to tell since I don’t understand the language, but key things like Yesu, Christu, Webale and the preaching style of the voice tip me off. But no one else came to the living room to join Vennie. I sat and prayed with her for a little while and then I went back to my “play pen” (mosquito netted bed) and sat and prayed there some more. I could here other mumblings then from other parts of the house it seemed. This third morning it didn’t happen at all. The radio’s been on all night but only the children slept at home. The parents were out all night preparing food for the graduation party they’re catering this afternoon. When the power goes out a beautiful stillness falls over the house. I prefer the outdoor noises. The rooster crowing, the dogs yapping, the cows mooing, the tormented pigs…although I haven’t actually decided whether the tormented pigs have grown on me. I call them tormented only because that’s what it sounds like to me when they’re being fed. The loud noises can be difficult especially in the morning when I’m still in my morning stupor but I think I’m starting to get used to some of it.

(PS. The tormented pigs haven’t grown on me. And the prayers are the 5am radio sermon and prayer show. Each family member says their prayers in their own space along with the radio show. That works quite well for me in my bed.)

It’s smelly. There’s a lot of cooking going on a lot of the time. Those are good smells. This morning though I’m smelling unpleasant farm smells more than usual. I’m wondering whether the day of steady rain yesterday has helped to accentuate that. I hope that that’s something I will get used to too, either that or it goes away. The farm smells are quite pungent. If the wind comes at you from the wrong way and can be quite unpleasant. But it too is a matter of getting used to it. It is a farm after all.