After us is a full year of preparation in Salesian Mission House in Warsaw for the missions.In May we got the decision where and who will go for the missionary experience, and for us it was: Africa – Namugongo – Don Bosco CALM.
Though in different times, but finally all of us reached the place happily and safely. In the group we formed for the missionary experience we were: Wojtek Zawada, Anna Juszczakiewicz, Joanna Skalba, Marta Wilinska and me, Maja Eggert.
In CALM there is no time to be bored. There is always something to do. Wojtek does rather more technical things, for us girls, we spend our time with the boys, and we paint, draw, help them in doing their homework or engage ourselves in the sport activities. Boys also engage themselves in different things, some serve in the church; others are in the brass band or in the acrobatic group. It happens that while playing and so on the boys fall down, get minor injury, and then we enter into action as nurses.
From the time we came to CALM there has always been something happening. Behind us are the days of sports in Kira Primary School-volleyball, basketball and football. All the points were counted, the winner emerged and the prizes were given: t-shirts, sweets etc.
Each one of us has his or her specific duties, but we do sit together, discuss and take the decisions. Sport activities were a bit demanding but we managed to have them through. The one in charge of them was Joseph Nyerere who also did some duties as an empire. He was also helped by Fr.Jean Marie, and we had very faithful fun – Br.Robert Dias, the senior most confrere in the community.
Holiday time is for all the boys a kind of HOBBY TIME. They engage themselves in different activities, but not forgetting to have some time also for studies. The younger boys do their Holiday Package; older boys in the morning go to the reading room for revisions. Tha Salesian Fathers take spiritual care of all the boys. Sunday Masses are a bit different from the ones we have in Poland. They are longer, we sing more all accompanied by the drums, and this creates the feeling of being close to God and brings a rather strong prayerful atmosphere.
All the boys at CALM do also some physical work. The bigger boys are engaged in the farm, some are going with car to bring elephant grass for the animals. The younger ones are cleaning the outside of our compound. We can say also, there are some challenges in working with the young ones, as someone has constantly remind them about the discipline, but most of all how to be responsible for their private belongings – cloths, cups, basins etc. And we had to do some shopping in this matter, as many of them did not have – lost their cups, plates, basins and so on
On the 2nd of September we said good bye to the boys who study in Kamuli. We had very memorable times with them, listening to the African music (radio), dances and so on. Each one of them I would say is different and has got something unique to offer to this Home. We are very happy that we have had the time to know them and be with them and we cross our fingers for the success in their studies.
I think we the girls and Wojtek, can easily say that the time we spent in CALM gave so much energy, and in spite of some difficulties we always got a motivation to do an extra mile through the very sincere smiles, jokes and so on. We all have very memorable moments spent in CALM, and shall all be asking why I and I were sent here, to CALM. Answers sometimes come very fast, some need a bit of thinking, or just a pause for a moment.
We believe that the time we spent here in CALM will bring very positive and good fruits not only in our lives as volunteers but also in the lives of the boys
