By Winnie Najjuma, Spirit of Uganda Chaperone
On Saturday, January 23, a few of the children took advantage of a beautiful sunny day (after nearly a week of rain and cold) to visit the Farmers Market in Davis, California. We walked to the market, which was only a few blocks from our hotel. We saw lots of food and fruit on sale, plus jewelry, plants, and even a violinist and guitarist playing soothing music. This atmosphere of market reminded them of our local markets back in Uganda.
The kids were very curious and checked out the items on sale. We got to a hot dog stand and Aunt Natalie asked if any of us wanted to have a hot dog. The children seemed unsure, until Florence (pictured on the right), one of the younger girls, pulled me aside and pointed at the hot dogs that were being given out. “Are those hot dogs?” she asked. She looked confused. I said, yes, those were hot dogs. She gave me a concerned look.
“You mean they eat the meat of dogs?” she asked, wide-eyed.
I laughed, assuring her that, no, “hot dogs” were not made from actual dogs. She and several of the other girls relaxed immediately, and placed their hot-dog orders — they preferred them without the bun.
Later as the girls enjoyed their treats, I heard some of them laugh among themselves. Apparently they all thought a hot dog was dog meat. The rest of the market was a great experience. We bought baskets, enjoyed ice cream and laughed with each other as we watched people walking countless species of dogs throughout the Farmers Market.
Visit the Spirit of Uganda page on Facebook for more photos from the Spirit of Uganda’s first few weeks on tour in Northen California.
