Privacy & Personal Space

I've thought long and hard about whether or not to blog about these two subjects. They are near and dear to my heart and at the top of my struggles right now. I know that there are some kids from the school that read the blog when they get a chance so hopefully they don't have time to get online and be offended by what I'm saying, but I just needed to vent.

On the issue of privacy...Pastor Dongo told me last year not to just let kids hang out all the time in the room because I need to have time to myself, etc. I kind of blew him off at the time. What did he know about how I tick. Well, he was right. It's difficult to balance time with the kids and the time you need to just unwind by yourself. If you know me well, you know I have some major introvert issues. They don't dominate my life, but when they come, I can seclude myself for a good period of time. I just need to be alone some times. Other times I enjoy being around other people. Here in Uganda because I have few friends, I have to rely on the kids often to be my peers. It's something I'm working on changing as I meet more people. And because the kids are here all the time...not much time for privacy. I think as a visitor you love the kids to be around all the time, but when you're a resident, it doesn't suit you as well.

Personal space is another whole issue, but it builds on the idea of privacy. Currently, Ismail, one of the high school boys, is living in the guest house with me. I thought he was going to be the only kid here during the break, but there are three others here. Since I thought he would be alone, Pastor Dongo and I decided he could stay with me...can you say big mistake. How many of you enjoy awkward moments? Me neither, but they seem to happen every day and even mulitple times a day with Ismail. If you've been reading the blog, then you know that when Grayson was here, Diana ended up in our room just hanging out doing nothing for a good period of time for no particular reason. It's very similar with Ismail. If I am reading, he'll just sit down like he's waiting for me to stop and to talk to him. Honestly, I have difficulty talking to him sometimes. If I'm in my room on my computer, he'll just sit down and watch. This morning, I was ironing clothes. He came into my room and just stood next to me quiet for about 10 minutes before leaving.

People tell me...is it me? Is it because I am alone on this journey? Am I just grumpy? Or is it that people in Uganda tend to not have issues with personal space and privacy. I thought about this and it brought me back to the fact that in their homes, there is no such thing as privacy or personal space. When you have a house that is 10' X15' with 7 people living there, there's no opportunity for personal space or privacy. Well, there it is, I have blogged in a while, and maybe I shouldn't have written any of this, but I couldn't take it any more!!! Oh well, TIA.