So yesterday I had the most amazing opportunity to go to a traditional Ugandan funeral.  One of the past presidents of a Kampala Rotary club passed away last week, and my host, Deborah, invited me to go with her and her family.  The funeral was out in the country, so I got to see parts of Uganda that I haven't yet seen.  On the way out of town, we had to pass through the slums.  I was completely unprepared for this experience and am still trying to process it.  They were absolutely massive.  You could see their tin roofs stretching out for miles.  My host was telling me that they even have towns within the slums with names like Chicago, New York, and Chocolate City.  In order to reach the burial grounds, we had to go down this long dirt road.  Deborah warned me to hold on, that we were about to experience the "real Uganda."  It was quite the bumpy ride.  I have a bruise on my shoulder from the seat belt and I think that our truck was even airborne a few times. 
   When we pulled up, I was a bit intimidated at first but Deborah is great about looking out for me.  There were hundreds of people there, all in traditional dress.  Because I was the only white person attending, I got quite a few comments.  Of course I couldn't understand most of them because they were all in Lugandan but Deborah translated for me.  I've already started on my quest to learn Lugandan.  So far I know how to say yes, how are you, and oh dear. 
    The funeral itself was nothing like our funerals back home.  It started at 11 with a eulogy that went on for hours.  People were just sitting around on the grass, either talking among themselves or reading the paper and not really paying attention.  Local politicians showed up to campaign amongst the crowds of people.  Finally, around 3, they started the actual service.  Meanwhile, there were a bunch of ladies in the background cooking huge pots of food over open fires.  It is tradition that the family feeds all of the guests at the service a meal afterwards.  The actual burial didn't start until 4, which is when we finally left.  I was surprised to see that absolutely noone left the service early.  That is definitely something that you wouldn't see in the States.  There is no way that you could get people to sit through a 5+ hour service. 
     Deborah's brother-in-law in getting married in October, and she's invited me to come along and experience a traditional Ugandan wedding, as well.  Weddings are apparently an even bigger deal than funerals here.  She has even promised to help me find a traditional dress to wear.  It looks like it is going to be quite the event.  Deborah has already proved to be an absolutely amazing host counselor!