No matter where you are in this world, there are few sights more breathtaking than a sky full of stars, especially after you have been staying in a city where they are completely obscured by light and haze.
On Friday, I was finally reunited with my dear friend Fr. Manana (aka’ed as “My Man Godfrey”), who picked up Fr. John and me from Mazzoldi House in Kampala and took us to Lima Farm, a 268-acre project of the Apostles of Jesus with the Evangelizing Sisters of Mary. I am not wired to live in a city; during the few days I spent at Mazzoldi, I felt cramped and uncomfortable. As soon as we were out at the Farm, I instantly became more relaxed and comfy.
There isn’t a lot of electricity here at the farm. The little they have is generated by solar power and is mostly used to pump the water out of the bore hole (which I am 98% sure is the African phrase for “well”). My Man Godfrey and I sat and talked in the guest house as night embraced the compound. When we could no longer see our hands in front of our faces, Fr. Manana lit a kerosene lamp in the other room, and we continued chatting by it’s soft light.
Just a little bit later, we walked over to the main house for dinner. As soon as I stepped outside, I was bowled over by the sheer number of stars dotting the black sky. I pointed out the constellations I knew to Fr. John and Fr. Manana, and stared in wonder for a few moments before going into the house. We ate dinner by the light of another kerosene lamp, and, when we had all stuffed ourselves with the bounty of the land, we returned to the guesthouse. I had expected to once again be blown away by the stars, but this time, it was the moon that took my breath away. She had risen while we ate and bathed the entire area in moonlight so bright I almost had to shade my eyes. Most of the stars did not even attempt to compete with her beauty; only Orion the Warrior and Taurus the Bull continued their celestial struggle. Our long shadows followed our steps back to the guesthouse, and I bid goodnight to the moon and the stars and said a silent prayer of thanks to be under African skies.
Red, that imagery is breathtaking all by itself I can't even begin to imagine what it must actually be like to see it in person. You're awesome!
ReplyDeletep.s. So, is Day Light Savings time at all thought of in Africa or do their days just continue the dark to light progression through the year?
We're so close to the equator that the days are pretty much the same length all year round, so there's no point in changing clocks.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you're enjoying the blog! Miss you, Bear!