Things Heard

Here is your weekly dose of things these boys say.

Richard and John were joking around in my room.  Richard was acting like different types of guys and how each one dressed, talked and danced.  We were all laughing and I was telling him he should forget about finding a girlfriend because none of his lines would work.  That is when John came in.

John:  Auntie Amanda, you know what?

Me:  No.

John:  The truth is girls don’t like all of us boys for how we talk to them, they like us for how beautiful we are.

Me:  Almost fell out of my bed laughing.

Richard:  It’s true.

Vincent and I were eating lunch.  I finished my food first.

Vincent:  You are done eating?  What are you a washing machine?

Me:  What?

Vincent:  You ate like a machine!

At church on Sunday, they were talking about all of the plans they had to grow their women’s outreaches.  The programs are already really large and helping many women.  I was talking about it with Richard and asking for his opinion.  I always wonder how Ugandans see the projects that are started and sometimes these boys are so invcredibly insightful and thoughtful to what will work and not.

Me:  What did you think about the church’s plans?

Richard:  Some were fine, but some I didn’t like.

Me:  What didn’t you like?

Richard:  Well, I think that they are just using them to make money.  They are saying that they are helping them, but they are making them pay.  How is that helping?  When you really help someone, you just help them and don’t expect anything in return.  For them, they are just trying to get money and I think they have a lot of it already.




One day Jimmy had spent the whole day helping me do things so I let him go to the swimming pool that is near our house.  When he got back he came into my room.

Jimmy:  Thank you.
Me:  For what? (I expected him to say swimming, but I asked because it isn't common here to say what you are really thankful for or for what you are really sorry for.  The common response is everything or what I/you did.  I am trying to teach the boys to use their words better and really express themselves.)
Jimmy:  Loving me.
Me:  Heart melted.


Many of the boys were sitting in my room and helping to organise the paper that I had just gotten for the beads.  I got a beige colour and was asking one of the boys to get it.  I had also been in the sun all day and forgot to put on sunscreen before I left home, so I got burnt.

Me:  Get the beige paper?
Vincent:  Which one?
Me:  The one that is the colour of my skin.
Vincent holding it up:  This one?
Me:  Yes.  It's like the colour of my skin, isn't it?
Jimmy and Vincent laughing:  No.
Jimmy:  Your skin is red.
Me:  Yes, because the sun burned me.
Jimmy:  The sun burned me too, a lot.



Richard was sitting in my room making beads while I was on my computer answering emails.

Me:  Do you want to listen to music or talk?
Richard:  Music please.
Me:  Gee, thanks a lot.
Richard:  laughing