Yesterday morning, I called BULA Children's Home for the first time since I returned to the States nearly 3 weeks ago. I was calling to congratulate the Directors on finally receiving unyielding confirmation that the home is registered: the certificate!

Within that call, I also had the great pleasure of talking to each child. This was fantastic and made me miss them all even more than I already do. They politely asked about my family and friends and how life was in New York. We naturally joked about the various things that seem to keep us all laughing: my random use of Luganda, me in dresses, bula (the original source of the organization's name), and jokes shared with the various International volunteers over the years.

The final conversation was with the youngest of the boys, and included the following:

Sister, Did you hear about Michael Jackson?

Yes, yes I did. What do you think about that?

Ehhh it is not cool!


As I fought back the giggles from this adorable exchange, I thought of the many months I spent living with the children at the former orphanage with little to entertain ourselves but each other. With no electricity, I used my laptop sparingly, and on a whim, I would randomly pull it out as a special treat for the kids. Each time, we would put on a photo slide show and blast music of their choosing. Without fail, they always chose Michael Jackson.

So for many nights in Uganda, I drained my laptop's battery, blasting Michael Jackson as the kids had the time of their lives, dancing in the little volunteer room where we shared so many memories.