Jackfruit

I started asking my classes everyday for a new Luganda word or phrase. This way, I will be getting pretty good just in time to go home and forget everything. Mwete gese? Are you ready? Mukwano gwange. My friend.

I’m in the office with Zam Zam and Joe. Zam Zam is tending to her baby boy who sleeps in the Headmaster’s office when she is teaching. She is married to a Christian, but she is Muslim. It comes up somehow in Joe and Zam Zam’s conversation that he goes to church on Sunday. She asks him if he is a Christian and he says that he is.

“Which kind of Christian are you then? There are many you know? Catholic, Protestant, Born Again…”

Joe answers, “Well, they call us Mormons, but we are really the Church of Christ.”

Then he invites her to come see what it’s about on Sunday. She says she would first like to learn about it before she goes, so that she doesn’t embarrass herself.

“Oh, you don’t have to.” Joe explains, “This church is for everybody, it is a very nice church, you can just come and it’s OK.”

I’m smiling through this entire conversation. Joe and I head towards Ntenjeru together. I ask him, “So, do you consider yourself a member of our church?”

“Yes, I want to be baptized.”

On the way to his taxi I explain to him what it means to make a covenant with God and what the specific promises are that you make when being baptized. I tell him about the Word of Wisdom and that he will have to be married to his wife. He nods his head and repeats some of the things I’ve said so he will remember them.

-

Walking home from school I see Alafua hanging out about 50 yards from the start of the road to Nsumba. I have a whole, very rudimentary, conversation in Luganda:

“Hey Alafua! What have you got to say?” (Alafua! Ogambaki?)

“Nothing, I’m just here.” (Tewali)

“Where are you going?” (Ogenda wa?)

“I’m going home.” (Ngende waka)

“You’re going home? Let’s go.” (Ogende waka? Tugende.) I give him my hand and he leads me up the path he’s sitting by. “Nsumba?” I ask pointing to the trail.

“Yes.” And with that we’re off. He asks me in Luganda for my sunglasses. I take them off and let him wear them for the walk. I can tell he thinks he’s hot stuff, and tries to act nonchalant as we pass kids on the way.

I think that this might be a good shortcut to use from now on. But this road takes us up Nsumba past the white house. I have to track back, but only a bit. I say goodbye to Alafua and take my sunglasses.

I get to the front yard at the same time as a little boy with a giant jackfruit. He has a huge machete and slices the giant thing in half and then smaller pieces. Some of the girls come out of the dorm and hand him 100sh and he gives them some fruit.

I’m impressed by this little businessman and buy myself some jackfruit. Jackfruit is the weirdest edible thing in nature. When you see a jackfruit tree, it just looks like any other tree but it has these large, green, bulbous, spiky fruits hanging from it in odd places. They look like they are pods from an alien planet that has invested a tree.

Inside the fruit there is very sticky sap that is impossible to get off of you. There are these sort of pods surrounded by tentacles? and inside the pods there are seeds. You have to pick out these pods from everything else. Fran says it tastes like a pair and pineapple combined and I agree. But Marilyn says it tastes like a banana and pineapple combined and I agree too.

Jimmy, one of the boys in the dorm, comes over with a bit of school paper and wipes away all the sticky white goo and cuts out the pit that is excreting it. Then he takes half of my fruit and walks away. What? Jeff and I laugh and I let him trot off because I can’t eat the whole thing.

Jeff is against the jackfruit. He refuses to eat, but can’t help and stare at the process of eating one. We talk about how weird the fruit is. I think that’s half the reason I eat it. It is just so weird.

As I finish my last pod, I sneeze. And then I sneeze again, and continue to sneeze for the next five minutes straight. Am I allergic to jackfruit? I had some before, but this is the first time I’ve had this much. I don’t want to be allergic! I’m too fascinated. I stay stuffed up for the rest of the night.