Back in Wheaton

So I am back in the USA after traveling for about 32 hours.

My last day in Gulu I spent the afternoon and night at the office hanging out with the staff and the kids. I already miss them. It was so much fun. We taught the kids the "slapping game" and how to play "thumb wars." Dave and I also taught them how to throw a frisbee. They caught on fast! It was amazing!

It was really sad and hard to say goodbye to everyone. Not really sure if the kids got that I was leaving permanently. Everyone I met was just amazing and so incredibly nice. Despite their poverty and all the hardships the Ugandans have had to endure they are the most hospitable and generous people I have ever met. At the IDP camps many people have no source of income and rely on the World Food Program for food. When we visited Sharon's grandmother (Sharon is one of the children we are sponsoring, both her parents are dead and she is being raised by her grandmother) she offered us drinks. For the average Ugandan, pop is usually only bought for special occasions and celebrations; it really isn't consumed as regularly as it is here. It was very very touching that the grandmother had gone out and bought us pop and so willingly opened up her home to us, complete strangers.

Thursday night Collins, Moses, Stephen, Dave, Monica, and Lauren took me out to dinner. It was really fun.

Friday we woke up early and Monica, Grace's daughter, stopped by with a gift for me and my family - peanut sauce, yum!! The four of us then got on the bus to Kampala complete with live chickens.

5 hours later when we got to Kampala I went souvenir shopping for my family and for myself. We had time to stop at the hotel and I had a chance to take a real shower, it was so nice to have clean hair!!!

It was really hard to say goodbye to Dave, Monica, and Lauren. Lauren and I were saying it'll be so strange to not sleep in the same bed - I've gotten so used to sharing a bed with at least one other person!

My plane rides were a bit long but other than a delay in Brussels it was pretty uneventful. It was strange to eat with utensils again as well as to have food like butter!

One thing I did notice, while I was waiting for the planes, was that African kids are extremely well behaved and American kids wine, a lot! African kids also rarely, if ever, cry. They are a lot more mature for their ages and very independent. African babies are tough as well - majority of the time they are just lugged around on their mother's backs.

It is good to be home, I missed my family, friends, and pets. But it's strange as well. It's strange, and nice, to have my laptop, electricity, running water, not having to sleep underneath a mosquito net, mirrors (we rarely saw mirrors in Uganda!), and safe water - oh, and a refrigerator!!! Still adjusting to the time change though.

I really truly hope to go back soon, maybe after college I can go and teach. I would love to see how the kids are doing and how far the program has come. I truly hope that the peace talks continue and "our kids" stay safe and healthy; many of our kids are war and AIDs orphans and live in the IDP camps which have horrible conditions; many NGO's have been calling for the Government of Uganda to be held accountable for crimes against humanity because of the conditions in the camps.

After spending time in Africa I feel truly blessed by all the opportunities that are so accessible to me; many of our volunteers are awaiting their exam results to see if they qualify for Government sponsorship to attend the university. Kevin, who is extremely smart, had to drop out of college because he couldn't afford the fees; Paul hopes to be a doctor but can't attend the university just yet because it is too expensive; and Lucy works full time in her Uncle's shop as well as volunteers and nights and on the weekends in hopes of saving enough money for college.

Well, that's it. I will be uploading pictures soon online so everyone can see. For more updates check out Lauren's blog at: http://loyolachicago.typepad.com/uganda/.

or Dave's blog: http://dayinthelifeuganda.blogspot.com/

Love,
Amy

Last Week in Uganda

Wow- my last day in Gulu, strange! It went by so fast!

Monday we went to mass for Grace's foster child. Back when he was younger he belonged to a group of boys who b/c of the war were forced to wander - some people in Gulu adopted these boys and helped to raise them as theor own children - Grace was one of the womam whio welcomed him into her home. The mass was a wonderful experience, as ususal, even thouh it was in Luo!

After mass was a receptopm for the 2 Deacons who were caonoized. There were introductions and appluase for all the guests, for some reason we got a special introcdtion s well! We got to meet a priest from Rome - he has lived in Uganda since 1976! The altarservers entertained us with song and dance and there was LOTS of wonderful Ugandan food! When the sun set, there ws a quarter moon with a star right nect to its tip - a blessing from the virgin mary our hosts told us. It was really cool. As the night wound down we again attempted to dane th "calypso" with the children -they love to dance!

Tuesday we visited Grace's school with Paul, a volunteer. Grace teaches at one of the schools for the IDP camps. It was quite an experience! The classroom had 46 children all crammed into bench like desks, ususally 3 chilren to a desk. The room had a hard, cmpact dirt floor and there wre no lights, I have no idea what they do when it isn't sunny out. There aren't enough books so for the reading lesson Grace had to write the whole story on the board! Despite all thsi the children were very well behaved, though thnk we wre a bit of a distraction. They welcomed us with some songs. I have yet to meet a ugandan whio cant sing or dance!! We sat for their reading lesson and attempted to learn some luo as well. Break was at 10:30 and we went to the "teachers lounge" to have tea and crackers. One interesting thing is that when a chikd greats or serves an adult they must kneel before them - somethng I hav not gotten used to! The chldren aslo give us little curtsys when they great us. We are still trying to adjust to "african time." For example, if someone tells you an event starts at 9:00am expect it to begin at 10:30am. We asked hoiw long break ws anbd the teacher said till 10:50... I looked at my wathch and it was 11:10 and no one seemed tyo be in a hurry to go back to class.

After break there was a math lesson, multiplication of 4. We then visited a P7 class, or Primary 7. In Uganda, a child goes to nursery school for 3 years starting at thr age of 3. They attend K1, K2, and K3. Then they go for 7 years of primary school (P1-P7). After primary they go for 6 years of secondary school. "O" level, or ordinary level is for 4 years then they go to "A" level, or advenaced level for 2 years. In "A" level they begin to specialize in subjects. After completion of "A" level they go for 4 years of universiy.

After school we went to Grace's mother's home for more celebrations for the Deacon. We got to meet mny of Grace;s family members. We had a lot of time to talk with the Deacon and some of his friends from the seminary- Ugandans love to talk about politics and religion. Eddie, a seminarian from Kenya, tried to start a debate about people who wear the rosary like a necklace. They also asked us uor opinon about the peace talks as well as the Iraq War. Everyone was surprised tha the USA is lacking young men and women who want tp joine the priesthood or become a nun. (Eddie asked Monica and I if we would become nuns)

Wednesday we spenet the day at the office and had a brief meeting wth Grace and al the volunteers about the program and collaboration with anothe group back home who work with kids who attend "failing schools" in IL I tried yto teach the volunteers and kids how t shuffle cards with the bridge -Robert said I must gamble because I am good at shuffling! I also got to hold a little baby which was great fun. A little girl told her mother I looked like Jesus...?

Today we visited anoother school and an IDP camp with Grace and Paul. One of the girls in the program, Sharon, lives whith her grandmother in the camp. We spent tme in her home, a one room hut used for cooking, washing, cleaning, and sleeping. The camps really are very crowded. One man brouht us his 2 year old little girl and asked ys if we knew what was wrong with her, I wish we could've helped her! Grace said she thought the girl had ring-worm. We also got to meet what they called one of ther "characters" a man wth a mental dissability. He asked us girls if we would marry him.

It had rained a bit when we had left so Grace offered us the inside of the truck - everyone laughed when we declined and said we were fine with the back of the truck and that we didn't mind the rain. (Oh, the huts aso leak a bit wen it rains!)

It is strange to see aid from the US as well as so many UN, UNICEF, and World Relief vehicles everywhere; as well as so many soldiers. Thre are also many signs directing th way to Sudan nad the DRC whch is strange as wel.

Go figure I am finlly learning my way aruond town and it is time to leave. I now know how to catch a boda-boda as well know what is a fair price. I can walk to the bus park, groceryr store, church, bank, and internet cafe w/o gttin lost. I am even getting used to the dust and the latrines!

Everyone asks me about the USA and Chicago and can't believe that the lights are so bright at nght we can't see the stars. They are also shocked that when you see people on the street you do not greet them and ask how they are. Ugandans greet everyone, even perfect strangers. If they nkow you they will ask how your night was, how your morning is, how your family is, and perphaps offer you a drink. The hospitality of the Ugandans is amazing. It is not strange or uncommon for a boda-boda or a taxi driver to inquire about yuor family, if you are married, or ask where yuo are from.

So tomorrow morning I head back to Kampala on the bus- yea for the 6 hr drive! It is quite an adventure, African public transportation. I am not sure if I can describe it properly or compare it to anything. Imagine an old bus crammed as much as possible with people and luggage - there are even people sitting in the aisle. There is one "pit" stop, at a field. The seats ae about half the size of the CTA seats and the road is full of pot holes you sometimes hvave to drive on the shoulder.

I think that is about it. I cant believe hoiw fast 3 weeks went! I really wll miss Uganda and all of the people I have met here. Thw Acholi peopl;e have suffered so much yet they are by far the most friendly and hospitable peopel I have ever met.

See you soon!

Love,
Amy

Music, Singing, Mass, and Game Rides, African Style!

Hi eveyone! I can’t believe this is my last week - it all went way too fast, but I've loved every minute of it!

So last Thursday all of "the girls" (Lauren, Monica, and I) went to the office in the afternoon, There weren't a whole lot of kids there so we hung out w/ Lucy, Robert (2 volunteers), and Grace. Lucy, Lauren, and I taught each other songs and Lucy also told us a story. I was able to teach all of the volunteers and Grace how to make hemp bracelets and we hope to be able to sell them here in Gulu and in the USA to help fund Dwon Madiki. (Actually pronounced Dwon Madiri with a flipped "r").

Friday morning Clare, another volunteer, called us and invited us to "pray" with her at her former school, Sacred Heart. We didn't realize that when she asked us to "pray" we were actually goijng to a full mass. It was to celebrate the Feast Day of the Sacred Heart. Mass was incredible! There was so much singing, dancing, and celebrating. I don't thinbk I've ever heard a homily where the priest was able to make his congregation laugh so much before - the kids loved their priest. When Clare realized I could semi do the high pitched yell she kept asking me to do it - I got some pretty amusing looks when I did... =)

After mass we packed and headed to the National Park - the roads were acutally really good, mostly because prior to 2003 they were rarely used b/c of rebel activity. We passed many IDP camps, they really are extremly crowded! Along the road we also got to see many monkeys, birds, antelopes, and even a herd of elephants!

We had to cross the Nile to get to where we were staying. While we waited for our Ferry we got to get really close to a hippo who had ventured out of the water to graze. There were so many bamboos! They were really bold too - one kept following Monica around until she threw him her banana; the same one climbed into Moses' (Collins' cousin, and another attorney) car and took a carton of juice. Some soldiers gave us some sugar cane (which to Moses' amusement we really didn't know how to eat) and we kept hving to throw pieces to the bamboos so they wouldn't keep following us!

When we got to our lodging we were all VERY excited to discover we had running water and a shower! It was so nice to have clean hair!!! It was very hot out so we enjoyed dragging our mattreses out to the screened in porch and sleeping out there - the breeze was so nice!

Saturday we took a boat tour down the Nile to the falls - along the way we saw a lot of hippos, antelopes, birds, and crocodiles. It was so incredibly beautiful!

After the boat we drove up to the falls. I have never seen water falls as incredible as these! They were so powerful and the water was just so clear and unpolluted, it was awesome!

Sunday we woke up early and went on a "game ride." There weren’t any cars available so we just took Collins' truck. (We realized a little too late that the nice breeze didn’t mean we wouldn’t get sunburned – we all have pretty sweet tan lines…) Anyways, we got to see a lot of giraffes (and are now able to distinguish b/w the male and female giraffes!), antelopes, birds, water buffalo, and water bucks.

Today we are planning on going to mass with Grace – one of her nephews is getting ordained as a deacon. I also hope to catch the “football” match – if Uganda wins then they get to go to the African Cup!

That’s about it for now.

Love,
Amy

PS. So I guess “Amy” is short for Emilio – so whenever I say my name, people assume it’s “Emmy” and hence I guess I have a boy’s name. In Uganda, “Lauren” is also a boy’s name as well – we are in search of new names.

What I will miss about Gulu

• The people
• Incredible hospitality
• Music everywhere
• Laid-back attitude
• Night sky
• Very little pollution
• Dancing
• Food
• Friendliness towards everyone
• Simplicity of life
• Positive attitude of the Uganda people
• Beautiful landscape
• Really cool wildlife everywhere
• Summer night lightning storms
  

Things I took for granted before coming to Africa

• Electricity
• Refrigerators
• Running water
• Toilets
• Flushing toilets
• Showers
• Clean clothes
• Drinkable water
• Clean hair
• Paved roads
• Sidewalks
• Street lights
• Reliable internet
• Computers
• Accessible medication
  
• Reliable health care
  

Let's learn some Luo =)

Hey everyone, here is the limited Luo, the Acholi language, I have been able to learn so far.

Good morning: ee-cho-ma-bel

Hello: ko-ba-dee

How are you: ko-ba-know

I am well: ko-ba

Thank you: ah-foye-owe

Delicious: mir

one: achel

two: ar-ee-owe

three: adek

four: an-when

five: ah-beech

six: ah-bee-chel

seven: ah-bee-air-owe

eight: aborro

nine: ah-boo-when

ten: apah

I FINALLY HAVE CLEAN CLOTHES!!!

Hi everyone!!! So we finally have ALL our luggage and I don't think I have ever been so grateful for clean clothes before in my life!!! Lauren and I got to experience Ugandan public transportation as we had to go back to Kampala on Tuesday to pick up and sign for the luggage - lets say I will never complain about the CTA again.

Wednesday we had lunch w/ Collins and his colleague who he partners with in a firm in Arua and went to the office around 5 when Grace and the kids arrived from school. Took lots of pictures again and attempted to brush up on my Luo. We met Collins father and one of the ladies who lives in the complex also showed us some photos (Nathan, a lot of them were pictures of Stella growing up, it was great!)

I also gave a brief tutorial on the 35mm cameras to some of the staff but it didn't last lng as it got dark pretty quickly.

We are planning on having a "staff" meeting Friday morning then going to the National Park Friday afternoon to Sunday morning, we hope to be back Sunday in tme for the ordination of one of Grace's relatives!

We are planning on visiting some of the kids schools and their homes next week, which I am very excited about and we hope to get some more documentation in with our camcorder as we had electricity last night and was able to recharge it.

Until I came here I never really realized how common Malaria is. We have come into contact with three people who have contracted it within the last week. It's kind of mind-boggling how relatively easy it is for "us" to protect ourselves against it with the use of our malaria meds and mosquito nets - and how available these items are back in the USA where malaria isn't a risk at all!

We semi tried to organize our room last night and compiled all of our meds into a bag - it's just kind of strange to think of all the resources that is so easily available to us, and we have so much of it! I guess meds for malaria and HIV/AIDS are supposed to be free or easily accessible except the corruption here is horrible and those who most need it, such as the ones who live in the IDP camps, rarely have access to such meds. Most clinics actually don't care any medications at all. The people from Iowa that we met that had opened up a clinic north by one of the IDP camps said that the health department was shocked that they actually carried medications.

Another problem that people run into is that the on;y medications that are usually available are the herbal remedies. Dave and I actually were able to peek into a store that sold some local remedies. There were bottles lined up on dusty shelves with labels underneath - the "medication" literally looked like they were water with some food coloring put in.