Christmas in Gulu

So sorry for the lack of updates! But you don't wanna hear my excuses, so I'll just get down to all the fun, exciting, touching, emotional, meaningful things we've been doing.

I think I last left you telling you that we'd be going to a traditional introduction. Well we traveled to Jinja after taking two hours getting ready and into our gomas. Gomas are traditional dresses that wrap around you under your arms and are tied with a sash. They were very very hot, and I was pretty sure I was gonna have a heat stroke in the first hour outside in the sun. It was really cool, though. We got to be a part of the family and bring in the dowry. We had to in fruit baskets on our heads, and a lot of people at us. It was great, though. We tend to make people laugh wherever we go.

The next day we started a 6 hour trek to Gulu, but it wasn't the worst bus ride I've ever had. Very bumpy, but awesome scenery. We got to cross over the Nile, and it was so beautiful. Gulu is much smaller than Kampala, and it is much hotter and dustier, but I already liked it when we arrived the first day.

We stayed at HEALS (Health Education and Literacy/Sports), and it was so nice. HEALS helps kids that have been affected by the war to recover from the trauma they have experienced, and we got to hang out with them a lot. We did an art project with them, and they performed a traditional dance for us. The man in charge of HEALS is Norman from the movie War Dance, and the facility was founded by Jolly Okot so they hae a lot of connections with Invisible Children.

On our first full day, we went to Iriaga Satellite Camp and visited the child mothers. These women are amazing. A lot of them had been abducted and forced to be wives to the rebels, and they returned home with children that their families did not want. But they are so resilient. They are so full of life, and the children are so amazing. They performed several songs with us and shared their homes.

That night we got to have a meeting with Chairman Norbert Mao, who is basically the Mayor of Gulu and he is running for President in 2010. He talked with us about his plans for his campaign, and he wants to focus a lot on education and health care. His plans are fantastic, and I really hope he gets the Presidency because he would be great for Uganda. He even offered some of us positions to work with him while he is campaigning.

The next day we met with a man named Robinson who is the District Inspector of Schools in Gulu. He's done a lot of things in the North to improve education and catch them up with the rest of the country. There are a lot of factors in the education system that need to be improved, and I'm not sure where I fit into everything. But I know that I would like to live here and pursue an internship or work of some kind.

We spent Christmas Eve at a friend's house after we visited Alokolum IDP Camp. We had fun sharing Secret Santa presents, and then in the morning Santa came and delivered us some much missed candy. We spent the day with Winnie and she served us an amazing Christmas dinner of traditional food.

I was really sad to leave Gulu. That is the place where everything I've focused on for the last two or three years of my life has taken place. That is the place I've longed to travel to for so long, and we had very very few days there. I wish we could've been there at a different time so we could visit some NGOs and really see some more of the North, but the time we spent there sucked me in. There is not way that I cannot spend time there. As our friend Vinnie said, "Every time you leave Gulu, you leave a part of yourself there." Even after just 4 days, I feel like I want to be there and meet more of these people. I love Kampala, but Gulu is where I would like to be.

I hope you are going to have a wonderful New Year's Eve! We will be celebrating in town and then heading to Rwanda on the 2nd. I love and miss everyone at home! Until next time!

P.S. I'm sorry it was so long to get this posted. Internet in Gulu was impossible, and it was closed for the Holidays. Sorry for my lame excuses Alex ;)