Mama, do you love me?

Hmmm. What to say? Days here have become life. Never anything new and exciting, just the day to day business of life. Last week I spent the day on the set of a music video (I'll have to let you know if I made the final cut). I had a day of great conversations with some young adult guys in Kisenyi. It started by them asking if I wanted to smoke some ganja or cigarettes with them. To which I always respond, "I value my life and breathing too much." Some of them became curious if I really believed that smoking ganja would kill them. I responded, "slowly , but surely." One became very concerned saying that he looks after several young children and does not want to kill himself. We had a great chat about the reason that he smokes is because of the troubles that he went through as a child. When he's idle he has vivid images flashing through his mind of the trauma that he has been through and smoking helps him forget for the time being. Another man, Papa, interrupted, he's madly in love with me...love at first sight WHITE for him. He tells me that he smokes 45 joints a day and the only way that he would stop is if I promised him my love. REAL love. Sex and kissing. "Mama, I love you" over and over. Poor papa. All that I could do (and everyone else present) was laugh hysterically, but he was serious and getting quite upset. Mzungus have such an easy life. I have never had difficulties in life. I must be rich if I could afford a plane ticket to Uganda.
Some people here don't want to hear it. I am not saying by any means that his life is easy. But maybe if he wasn't sitting around idle with the guys all day every day smoking ganja, he could make something of it. He told me he started smoking because of hunger pains at around the age of 12. As a street child, no one ever offered him food. He said he wanted to know how he could quit. I suggested cutting back to 35 joints a day and using the money saved to buy a hot meal for a street child every day. So that he could help someone out of the cycle as he helps himself. To which he responded that I don't live a hard life. everything that I ever had was handed to me. "Mama, do you love me?" Ummm...No!