flexible

Definition: stretchy, bendy, bendable

This past Easter, I experienced first hand the importance of being flexible, in the physical and tangible sense of the word. My Easter holidays, Thursday to Monday inclusive, was spent in the district of Kibaale (south-west of Ikoba, about 3.5-4 hours driving by car) with a friend. To travel to my friend’s place of employment and home village, we used a boda-boda (motorcycle) which is a popular mode of transport to nearby places. As a female, I am expected to sit side-saddle in a skirt, cross-legged with heels, while holding on to the seat and my luggage, without a helmet, or protective apparel. Because the roads were in less-than-optimal conditions, my body tensed and bended according to the ditches, rocks, and swerves. Coming home from the holidays, I was forced to re-define the limitations of my body physique to accommodate for the number of passengers in our vehicle. The common mode of transport is a taxi which is an over-sized van, licensed to carry 14 passengers yet this rule is arbitrary, most taxis squish 20 passengers inside. Mislead by my friend’s promising words that I would have a comfortable 2.5 hour trip back to Hoima, I instead quickly sat inside a small Toyota sedan. Initially, there were only 6 passengers; 3 in front and 3 in behind. As we circled the town, waiting to leave we picked up more passengers, totaling 11; 5 in front, 6 in behind. A few kilometers after departing, we picked up more passengers waiting along the road where the peak number of passengers rose to 13; 5 in front, 8 in behind. Consequently, I was asked to either sit on a passenger’s lap or be left at the roadside, I chose the former. For over two hours, I began to truly understand how people feel when forced to remain in awkward positions. Interestingly, my body receives sufficient exercises in flexibility as I learn to appreciate and follow the guidelines of transportation in Uganda.

But not only do I develop the physical trait of flexibility, I also admire how flexible my friends are. The landscape of Uganda demands people to be flexible, especially herders, farmers, and agriculturalists. Jumping across small streams of muddy water, descending a steep and slippery embankment, twisting to avoid the sharp blades of grass, side-stepping pests and dangerous animals are all required to continue life in the village.

Definition: adaptable, accommodating, open

Also during my Easter holidays, I began to appreciate the characteristic, or attitude, of being flexible. Not only am I continuing to develop this attribute, but I recognize the increasing flexibility of my friends. As a foreigner with a weak immune system towards malaria, my friends accommodate for my need to sleep under a mosquito net. As someone with a different nutritional background, my friends accommodate for my dislike of beef, my intolerance towards milk, and my distaste towards millet. For their continued and relentless flexibility, I can only say thank you.

I also learn to be flexible as new situations arise that demand my attention, time, listening ears, or helping hand. As I reached Kibaale Thursday afternoon, I was completely unaware of the schedule that lay before me. Equipped with flexibility, I was able to easily and contentedly join in the various functions. I learned that my friend had a goal of erecting a drying rack outside. The poles were already set but the reeds needed to be tied. With a sense of curiosity, I also learned how to construct the rack using local materials only. As the weekend progressed, we traveled a few kilometers to my friend’s home village where once again, I learned how to be flexible. When asked if I would accompany my friend’s sister to the well and to the forest to collect firewood, I embraced the opportunity and immediately set out. When extended the invitation to visit various church projects, I nodded approvingly and walked with my friend to see the eucalyptus forest, the sugar cane plantation, the coffee plantation, the sweet potato and bean gardens. Had I not been flexible, I would have missed on learning much more about my friend and her life in Uganda.

As life continues here in Uganda, I daily learn how to be flexible. My body learns flexibility as I learn how to escape the dust blown from speeding vehicles, how to jump over the line of red ants, how to avoid tripping over my dogs that permanently follow me, and how to properly set my things in my room to avoid destruction by the uninvited rat. I develop the characteristic of flexibility as I agree to embark on new adventures, as I acquire new skills, as I seek out ways of enriching my friends’ lives, and as my senses become stimulated by new things. I hope I continue to improve my flexibility.