Homestay

I’m sure you are all wondering about the host family that I live with.  Well, for those of you who haven’t talked to my mom, here’s the info:

I live with a family of 5: Goodwin (husband/father), Agnes (wife/mother), Lillian (19 year old daughter), Zippola (12 year old daughter), and Obed (7 year old son).  They are very accommodating and are familiar with this experience – they hosted a Peace Corps Trainee last year (Ryan).  And everything I do, they compare it to Ryan – it’s kind of funny.  But my family really likes me because I don’t go out drinking . . . like Ryan did.  (They don’t drink alcohol either.)  So they are very pleased when I stay in and study.  Goodwin also likes the fact I want to watch the news and see what’s happening in the world.  (They have cable tv! . . . well, when the electricity is working, which is 5-6 hours a day, usually during the morning.)

Anyway, Goodwin is a delivery driver and drives all over Uganda (I think he delivers cosmetics or something to stores).  He leaves at 5:00am and comes home around 8:30 pm.  Agnes does not work – she stays at home with the house girl, Helen.  They cook and clean all day – remember: everything is done by hand!  Lillian is going to vocational school for fashion design.  I talk with her a lot – her English is excellent.  Goodwin speaks English very well, and then the rest of the family can speak simple English.  Zippola and Obed just started the fall semester of school.  They are very energetic and fight each other occasionally.

My bedroom is next to Zippola and Obed’s (they share) and everyone else is on the other side of the house.  There is a bathing room inside (basically a concrete room with a drain), but the pit latrines are outside (like an outhouse).  The entire property is a compound, with locking doors on the outside gates.  Helen, the house girl, has her own room in the compound and Goodwin just finished adding another room, so he can rent it out.  There is also a cooking room, which has several charcoal fire pits.

I’m very happy with my homestay.  They provided me with a desk & chair and a rack to hang my clothes.  (There are 2 steps that go down into my room, so that’s why the pictures have a downward angle to them.)  They give me hot water every day for bathing and a lantern for when the power goes out.   My family is very tolerant of my vegetarianism (meat is expensive anyway) . . . although my grazing-style eating habits confuse them.  Ha ha.  But we’re getting along just fine.  :)