A Day of Firsts
Last night, Henry and I decided that he would make the trip from Hoima to Kampala this morning so we could attempt to make further progress on getting him admitted to his dream school. While this was Henry’s second visit to Kampala (he came on a school field trip about six years ago), the day was filled with firsts for him.
After I met with some of the probation officers at the Naguru Remand Home (children’s prison) and the head of the children’s division of the DPP (prosecutor’s office) in the morning, I spent most of the rest of the day with Henry.
After arriving at the bus park from Hoima, Henry met me at Garden City – the first constructed of Uganda’s two malls. I walked him through the Uchumi pretty quickly for his first look at a real grocery store. From there we headed back to my office at the Commercial Court where he had his first elevator ride. He had no idea what the metal box was or did when we stepped in and I pushed the button marked “3.”
“Ah! We are moving! Where are we going?”
When we got out and looked out the window, he laughed heartily at the magic box that transported us upward. After picking up a few things from my office, we headed back to my apartment where I showed him (and he took) his first shower in a stand-alone shower. I also showed him the first oven, stove, and microwave he had ever seen (we heated some water, and he was quite impressed). There are some complications that have arisen with Sara Ribbens and the securing of the visa for Nya from the US Embassy, so I spent an hour or so rewriting portions of the final order we hope the court will sign – more on that in the next few days.
While at the apartment, he got to see for the first time how a photocopier/printer worked as we scanned his birth and baptismal certificates. We then headed to the school we hope to get him into. This was my fourth visit there in less than a week, so they are getting to know me there. When I walked in, Judith and Ruth both said, “You must be Hillary, you are most welcome!” Unfortunately, the Head Teacher wasn’t in, but we were able to finalize his application and we were told to call the Head Teacher in the morning. We are praying hard that tomorrow may be the day he is admitted.
He seemed to enjoy the mall so much that we went to the other mall in Uganda (right next to the first one) and explored the place. Before entering, we stopped at an ATM and he saw his first cash withdrawal. I felt horrible (kind of) for laughing so hard I almost fell down during his first encounter with an escalator. We first went down. Predictably, he stepped on a seam and lost his balance just as soon as they separated. He laughed also. When we headed back up, however, he found another seam and lost his balance and stumbled down the upward moving stairs for a good seven seconds before leaping off, turning around, and jumping back on (with a big grin) the horse that bucked him.
As we walked through the Nakkumatt – a very large (at least for Uganda) Targetesque store, Henry saw his first freezer, first coffee maker, first washer, first dryer, first frozen kilogram of hamburger, first cereal box, and first mustard container, among others.
After further exploring the mall, we met up with John Niemeyer, who is the Country Director of Restore International – Bob Goff’s organization that runs the school in Gulu from which Henry just graduated. John came to Kampala today for a few days in order to take care of some business for Restore and to see if he could help Henry get admitted.
Me, Henry, and John after Henry's first pizza dinner
John joined us for dinner at our apartment where Henry had his first pizza. “Very good.” Tonight, he is spending the night with us as our first overnight visitor. Which one of you will be coming to visit next?
My wife and kids also had a great day – Jessica learned how to draw blood, and the started doing it like an old pro, testing for HIV and Malaria. And yes, she was wearing gloves.
I suspect that this will not be the last of many firsts over the coming months.
How incredible these experiences are! I still remember my first escalator ride back in 1975. I was so scared! I avoided them for a while. So glad you are there for Henry!
Loved hearing about the firsts! Your apartment kitchen looks very nice.
I think Henry’s first American comedy ought to be Elf. I agree about the kitchen; it looks really nice. Is that a Diet Coke on the counter?
Good for Jessica! She has accomplished what I hope never even to attempt.
Part of my daily routine is getting my “Africa fix” by reading your posts. I loved yesterdays account of securing the cows and I cracked up thinking about Henry on the escalator. I bet that was a good laugh! Tell Henry a new school means a new backpack… (and a much more well-built one!) Sams Club has this righteous Swiss Army one that would last a good 4 years!
What fun, seeing Henry experience all those firsts. As for the pizza, I hope Henry’s system is happy with the new foods. I imagine his diet of fruits and veggies is pretty healthy already. We’ll be praying that he gets into the school he is hoping for.
Of all the firsts listed, I would say that eating pizza wins. At least it would for me. Escalators, microwaves, and ATM machines are cool, but pizza conquers all. It’s like a trump card to all other inventions, really.
Jim, AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!! LOVE this website!! Looking forward 2 seeing U, in Kampala, in April!!
Thanks, again, Jim for sharing these experiences. I was talking with Cory (my youngest son) today and telling his wife Lori that she MUST get on and read of your work. I had my two little dogs with me and we spent the afternoon with them. Most of the time, his house can be like Grand Central Station. L/U and be safe and GOD BLESS!