We do the Hokey Pokey...and that's what it's all about.

On Wednesday, we got our hands (and feet) dirty. We had been walking the walk, but now we were picking up the pace. We rode boda bodas, the ubiquitous motorcycle taxis, out to the Shanti Uganda Birth Center Site. We were quite a sight ourselves---24 mazungas riding on boda bodas that have specifically been told to stay within reasonable speeds (something they are not known for). We slowly snaked our way down the bumpy red clay road like some sort of crazy mizunga shriner parade. Once there, we stomped mud, made adobe bricks, sculpted walls and planned gardens, all under the careful watch of the ever-present village children and the lovely 90-year old woman who visits the site daily to assess progress. This is truly a community effort. The women are grateful for a safe place to birth, the men are grateful for a job, the children are grateful for the entertainment.
We returned to our guest house covered in mud and very relieved to have enough water for a shower and one flush. They turn the water on only sporadically so we had to learn to time our trips to the bathroom accordingly. After cleaning up in the loosest sense of the word, we heading back for a bonfire, dinner and dancing. We drummed, we sang, we even did the hokey pokey. Two cultures brought together by music in service, in gratitude, and in joy. In the end, maybe that is what it's all about...