-->Joanie & Yehudah's Travel Log: 1/5-1/7/14: ABAYUDAYA CENTRAL: NABUGOYE HILL

1/5-1/7/14: Abayudaya Central: Nabugoye Hill

As I wrote in the last entry, we arrived at the main Abayudaya community on Nabugoye Hill on Sunday eve, 1/5, and are staying right now with a lovely family. They live next to Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, who was trained in a conservative synagogue in LA, not far from Semei Kakungulu High School, and right above the guest house where there is wi-fi - so, very central.

We had a lovely dinner and the children wanted to see all our photos on our computer. They are very insistent and forceful about their desires. Our first morning we attended Monday morning services. We actually met the rabbi immediately when we arrived and he invited us to attend services and his Talmud study group. So we did so and introduced CL to the group. We are meeting with this group Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays each week we are here, attending their Talmud study and doing a 45 minute CL Training.

After breakfast we walked the longish distance to Hadassah Primary School to open up the box we sent to Aaron from Kigali. He was so pleased with all we brought, very touched by the gift Rabbi Debra sent for him, all the books, art supplies, puzzles. I kept some books for our host family and some shirts. Aaron loved the shirt we gave him of a dancing Yid. The school itself is quite impressive, on a large plot of land, with lots of play space, classrooms, a library, a science building, dorms, office space and staff space. School doesn't begin until Feb 1st.

We spent the afternoon watching the teens and women practice their dances and drumming for the Sunday performance, plus doing some e-mail at the guest house. We are so happy we are not staying at the guest house. The people there are very nice and we would have made friends with them but living with a family is much better, much more integrated into the life of the community.

Big Field by High School

We enjoyed the evening with the family. I gifted the family with Chanukah candles, a book for each child and the mother ("Holy Women of the Bible") and a CD for the Dad. One child read a whole book out loud.

Today is Tuesday. This morning we did our second CL Training after participating in the Talmud Study. We taught them the Hinei Mah Tov dance and practiced Reflective Listening. They are a serious group of 12, including Aaron and the Rabbi, and it went so well. It will be a joy to continue with them.

After this we went to visit with Aaron and Naume, Aaron's wife. Shortly, Yehudah went off with the rabbi to town to visit the Tobin Clinic, to see if he might volunteer there. I stayed and got a tour of the house, showed them photos, and heared about their dreams for expansion. Naume wants to run for a local political office. I will try to work with his son on a website for the Abayudaya Schools. Will try to link him with Arden, our young computer whiz kid.

Visit with Aaron and Naume plus kids

I had lunch with all the children and Tehira, which was fun. Did "wind wind" with Matan, looked at the book I gave Yehudit with her, went to the guest house but the electricity is off, so no wi-fi, came back and helped some with the laundry, it poured, so finally started writing inside. Yoash showed up, saw Joseph. It turns out that Tehira, Yoash and Joseph are family.

The power came back on for a half hour, now is off again, so, rather than getting on email I am bringing our journal up to date.

I worked with the children on "please give me" rather than their "give me" and they repeated everything I said. It is hard as a visitor to be asked so bluntly so perhaps they will learn. In the afternoon they wanted me to take photos of them so they danced and I videoed, took some funny photos.