Muzungu

Muzungu, in luganda means 'white wanderer', one who does not sit still.

This word was originally used for the Europeans during the colonization of Africa. Everywhere I go I am greeted by children or sometimes adults I've never met yelling and pointing... Usually with smiling faces and waves...
Muzungu, Muzungu
Bye Muzungu
Hi Muzungu
Muzungu, how are you? (Which sounds a little more like 'ha wa you?'

Sometimes it's fun and makes me feel like a celebrity. Sometimes it's a little annoying... Can you imagine if the roles were reversed in Steamboat and I saw a black person walking down the street and started yelling 'black person, black person' and pointing?... I haven't tried it yet, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't go over well.

I'm leaving the CLD guest house early tomorrow morning to spend a week with the CMC anthropology class in western Uganda and Rwanda before they fly back to the US. I can't help but think, maybe Muzungu is an appropriate term for me. By the end of my two months here I will have traveled more than many Ugandans will in their lifetime. Ugandans have no problem just sitting and hanging out, they are really good at it actually, maybe too good. Trying to get anything done here on schedule can be incredibly frustrating. So, I'm trying to chill out and go with the flow. I read a quote before I came that said: 'Patience is slowing to someone else's pace'. That has been my goal.

Why is it that we as westerners have such a hard time staying still? Why are we always on the go and trying to get things done? I am learning that it is ok to just be... It's ok to hang out without an agenda and just sit with someone without saying a word. Our presence can speak to someone's value as much as our words can and maybe even more.