"That's strange, nah. Isn't it?"

Wednesday 13 August

So, this last Saturday, Sr. Claris and I before heading to Namugongo, attended the Ordination of 18 Priests and 15 Deacons in the Kampala Diocese which was held here at the Rubaga Cathedral. A short while after I sat down I told Sister that the Cathedral was decorated as if someone was getting married. “Mm. It’s a commitment. Isn’t it?” She responded. I agreed.

I told her I was going to be missing the wedding of a dear friend at home in America later in the day. I brought this up again as we were sitting in the front seat of a matatu (minivan/minibus type taxi packed with people) headed to the taxi park. And then she asked me without skipping a beat, “when is your day?”
“Sorry?” I responded not really understanding what she meant, thinking she couldn’t be asking when I was getting married.
“When-is-your-day?” She said enunciating and speaking very slowly.
“You mean my day to get married?” I asked.
“Mm” she nodded and responded affirmatively.
“I don’t have one.” I told her in a “what kind of a question is that” tone of voice. “I don’t have someone to be married to” I added.
“That’s strange, nah. Isn’t it?” She stated and asked.
If only I could have seen my facial expressions at that moment in a mirror.
“You mean it’s strange that I’m 29 and not married?”
“Mm” she said again. “Usually, they have someone all of the time, isn’t it?”
“Well, I guess it is kind of different. But not everyone has someone all of the time.”
“You’re unusual, exceptional, nah?”
“I guess so.”

While we’re on the subject:

Lingo:
- Ugandans here in Kampala (the phenomenon doesn’t so much exist in Bundibugyo) describe themselves as “single and searching.” You don’t ever really hear anyone just leave it at “single,” the two terms go hand in hand.
- I wear a simple wide silver band on the middle finger of my left hand. It’s not really of any significance, I just like the simplicity of the way it looks. Several nurses at the hospital have pointed to it and asked me, “are you booked?” The first time someone asked me this, my face must have shown my confusion because the nurse clarified her question for me and said “are you to be married?” Ah, I see. “No.” I replied. “Then what does that ring mean?” “Nothing. It means nothing, I just like the way it looks.” “Here we where a ring a bit different than that on that finger when we are booked” the nurse explained. “Then when you are married you wear a ring on the next finger.” So, needless to say, I’ve made the executive decision to keep wearing the ring on that finger despite what it means to Kampalans as it might ward off creeps.