Sunday, January 17, 2010

Filming begins...

There are about 3 million people in the greater Los Angeles area.
Kampala is 1/8th the size of Los Angeles and is inhabited by over 3 1/2 million people everyday.
There is not a single place from corner to corner, suburb village to suburb village and every road in between that is not filled with people. Everything is counter-intuitive here.
Don't stop for pedestrians. Don't let another car in...5 will fill the same space. Stay on the left side of the road.
This trip has been a blur of activity...jumping back in full swing, spending my time not only in one home, but divided between 7, and the kids in the village who all live in separate areas now.
The days start early, are filled from start to finish with work, and at all times contain huge groups of people.
I've had the pleasure and insane task of getting the supplies, new clothes, and making necessary improvements with the money people sent me with.
Today the kids at Bukesa opened up their new school backpacks, filled with towels, clothes, a new pair of shoes, bed sheets and underwear. All of these came from two grueling days Owino Market (a large 3 square block enclosed area that is like some insane circus of vendors who grab you and yank you to their stand, two foot wide walkways filled with hundreds of people, constant yelling, and which requires a 10 minute bartering yelling match to get the price on each piece of clothing, pair of shoes, or bath towel you buy.) Needless to say all the kids have new stuff.
We've been eating rice with vegetables which is a big change from their usual staple posho and beans.
We're building a chicken coop and re-painting the entire home.
And I have officially begun filming. Its taken a 7 days to spend enough time, and talk to a majority of the home's mentors, and cornerstone workers to see how to tell the story.
There is still a huge fear I won't be able to get enough shots, or have enough time, or capture what I need to in the next four days to create what is taking place in my mind, but I'm pretty hopeful.
I'm so blown away at the transformation so clearly seen in the lives of so many of the kids, and former Leadership Academy graduates. I'm so excited to share this story with everyone when I return.
4 days till my plane leaves, every hour between then and now planned out.
I hope it all works out.

See you when I return.

2 comments:

tabitha jane said...

love you! glad you are who you are.

Unknown said...

Glad to you.


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