I know that I don't know

I didn't make it down to Mbarara. It was going to be a short trip, as I had planned to leave Wednesday, spend Thursday in the field with Dr. Card and then travel back to Kampala on Friday. I needed to be back in Kibooba on Saturday to have tea with the women's group, and the transport issue just didn't allow enough time for me to make the journey. I was then asking myself, "Now what?" I do believe that for some reason I wasn't meant to go to Mbarara, but I was searching for that reason, since I started to feel a little lost as to what would be my next step.

I spoke with a friend, Tom and he mentioned that I should consult one of his agriculture professors from Makerere University, Dr. Mutetika. There's an ingenious idea that I never considered. Duh. Sometimes I think I'm so focused on one goal that I lose sight of the possibilities that are surrounding me. I had goats and Dr. Card in the forefront of my mind and didn't even think of consulting other professionals. I just needed to take a step outside of the constraints of the little box I created and open myself up to the possibilities. I realized I know that I don't know, and I need to go to the people who do know!

Dr. Mutetika specializes in animal science. He kindly agreed to meet with me the following day. To my surprise he had arranged for the Department Head, Dr. Mpairwe to meet with us as well. These two gentleman were exactly what I needed. I thought I would be asking the questions and it was quite the contrary. They asked me, "Why goats?" I told them that we investigated pigs and it seemed to costly and too risky, with not enough return. I said that I was advised that goats were a hardier animal. They inquired about the main purpose for this project, what the citizens of Kibooba were interested in pursuing, what the land situation was like in Kibooba and which livestock are the people familiar with? They told me that they would like to come to Kibooba to assess the current situation, maximize what is already in place and create a model to successful benefit the school. I was blown away by these guys. Their knowledge and their willingness to help was exactly what I needed. Their expertise was going to allow me to help Kibooba the right way. What did I do to deserve this awesome turn of events?

I was high as a kite when I left the University. I went to hop on a boda, but Dr. Mutetika advised me that I should save money and take the mutatu, which are mini vans used for public transportation. I prefer the efficiency of the boda and don't mind spending an extra dollar or two. "Approved for 14 passengers" is painted on the mutatu door, but they usually pack 'em in like sardines. I've counted up to 18 passengers (not including hand held infants), plus the conductor and driver! I squeezed in the door and as I tried to slide in over a woman I heard a rip and felt a cool breeze across my legs. The slit in my skirt had torn and was just shy of being completely inappropriate! Let's just say really short shorts would have provided more coverage. Thankfully, the slit was on the side of the skirt and if i clasped it together with my hands I wasn't showing too much skin. Again, I asked myself, "What did I do to deserve this awesome turn of events?" Funny how life is full of peaks and valleys. Moments ago I was on top of the world and now I was suffering from mild humiliation. Oh well. I got off the mutatu and caught a boda to my seamstress to have her mend my skirt and my ego.

Connecting with the professors has felt like a small victory. I do believe that we are moving somewhere. Small baby steps, but nevertheless, we are moving forward.