A Fourth Shabbat of Muzungus and Mulling

This Shabbat is my fourth here, and it certainly has begun to feel like home.  At Friday night services, Rabbi Gershom thanked the long list of muzungu guests who came in for Shabbat and at the end he turned to me: "But Nava, you're not a muzungu!" A proud moment indeed.
Dinner at the rabbi's was relaxing and cozy. Probably the most interesting moment came at the end, when we came to Grace after Meals (the traditional blessing said upon completing a meal with bread) and he and his wife chanted an abbreviated version I had not heard before, one that was different even than the one included in the USY birconim (blessing books) we were using.  The rabbi explained that his version included all of the blessings one was required to say by halacha after a meal, though I did not get to hear (and will hopefully find out later) if he came up with this version himself and how he happened upon it.
It was also certainly a different experience being here with such a large group of guests, everyone who passed through here this weekend was fascinating, from a family with two young kids who've been traveling for 6 months, to a woman from a non-profit hoping to install a digital library center here, to an NGO worker who'd been based in Kampala and South Sudan for 6 years. It is amazing to hear about people's travels and how connected they felt to this place simply because they are Jewish. The ability and will of Jews to find other Jews even in eastern Uganda is impressive and in some ways quite inspiring.

This week I began thinking a lot about classification, which is perhaps an issue I've posited before, but which has only proved more intriguing to be as time goes on.  It is perhaps a moot question, as this community and its cultural, geographical and socioeconomic statuses are quite unique in the Jewish world.  But the fact remains that the community defines itself strongly as Conservative, why-ever that maybe.  Yet within the gates of the Nabugoye hill compound, home to several families, the synagogue and the guest house, there is a Meah Shearim-like feel imposed on Shabbat, as cars are not allowed inside and the public use of electronics and fire is strongly disfavored.  Yet there is clearly a variation of practice among actual community members (much like the American Conservative movement, I suppose) in terms of use of these things, as well as money, writing utensils, etc.  Theologically, I am still a bit lost--one bit that threw me for a loop included the rabbi's quite lengthy discussion of resurrection last week, in which he described the process of the dead "rolling under ground to Israel"at the end of days.  This wasn't a belief I necessarily associated with mainstream Conservative thought, but again, I'm curious to find out what's behind it, and what kind of theology (if any?) is being promoted in this community.  Hopefully I'll be able to discover more soon!
Tomorrow I'm hoping to visit the village of Putti, the Orthodox breakoff community, so to speak (yes, there's a breakoff--that's how you know they're Jewish!) From what I hear, it should be a very interesting contrast!