Gulu = Piny Maber

Notice: This post is extremely long. Below is the first e-mail I sent to friends and family after my arrival and first night's stay in Gulu.

Piny Maber = Good Surroundings :)

Hello All!.

I know this is long – but so much has happened!

I am writing to you now from the library at Gulu University. Surprisingly enough, I went to bed before 11PM last night, and woke up this morning to roosters crowing at 6:20AM. When I sat up in bed, I could hear women singing Luo outside of my bedroom door, mooing cows, yipping puppies, and the giddy laughter of children outside the gates of my home. I am staying with David Abang, his wife, Beatrice, their two children, Geraldine and Edgar (who are very sweet), as well as a handful of tenants who are renting rooms at their home. I have a beautiful room for myself, complete with a cushy chair, table, full-size bed, mosquito net, bookshelf, stool. Though there is electricity to be had in town and at home, the power often goes out. Last night, we had no power – all movements were done by candle light, or the glow from our cell phones. I am living very far from town – about a 15 minute boda (moped) ride away. When I look out from my gates, I can see huts reminiscent of those in the IDP camps, and acres beyond acres of grass. Moses said that I am "away from civilization" here, though I don't feel that way… there are several neighbors. It is beautiful here in Gulu.

On the way to Gulu, I enjoyed an enriching conversation with Moses (the man who escorted me from Kampala to Gulu and has become a new favorite friend), over the duration of our 8 hour long trip. At each stop, about a dozen people came over holding live chickens, roasted bananas, bags of peanuts (G-nuts, they call them here), skewers of goat's meat and beef. I told Moses that he is 10x smarter than I could ever hope to be – we talked about Obama, Clinton, US Politics, politics in Uganda, life in Gulu, life during the war in Northern Uganda, Samuel L. Jackson, etc. He knows so much more about the US than I do, and can run statistics from the election off the top of his head. I asked him about hospitals in Kampala, and he described Gulu's health care system to me. We talked about his major in Communication Studies, and what projects he is pursuing in terms of using performing arts to reach the children of Gulu to let them learn about peace-building. (Peace-building and human rights are equally as important as HIV/AIDS here, it seems. When I went out with some Makerere Univeristy students on Saturday, I met the president and one of the initiators of the Uganda chapter of Youth and Human Rights. He gave me a DVD to watch and pass around. The students here are amazing, of the few that I met, they seem to be involved in so many organizations!) Once we got into Gulu, I sat on the stoop of a barber shop while I waited for Moses to get his phone fixed, and from there, I had my first boda ride. Because I was wearing a skirt, I sat with both legs on one side, and the fear of death eroded within a split second of flying down the road. We drove out into literally, the middle of nowhere, to Moses' stepmother's house. I have tons of pictures to show you, but I'm afraid the internet here won't allow me to load any without having to wait for at least 2 hour's time. The children were adorable and sweet – each one greeted me with a handshake. One of the children, Sara, climbed the mango tree (about 12 feet up!!!), and threw down mangos, nearly missing little Joseph's bobbing head (he is 2 years old) as he ran to retrieve the fruit. I did it true-Ugandan style, and peeled the mango with my teeth – soon, our mouths and teeth were filled with mango fibers.

After playing jump rope, we rode the boda to David's house. I went on an errand to chat with some neighbors – listening to a group of 8 elders chatting in Luo, all the while watching the sunset and the roosters and chickens running around.

For dinner, we had tilapia in a soup very reminiscent to the kind Mom makes at home. (It tasted like Canh Chua!!). Beatrice, David's wife, treats the water here (1 tablet for every 20L of water), so I feel very safe eating and drinking with them. They are kind beyond words. We ate in the dark – I could not even see my hand in front of my face, but everything was so peaceful. The tea is amazing, the best I have had in my life. Later, I chatted with the women of the house – Beatrice, Geraldine, and Percy (a Gulu University student who is my "age-mate"), and Geraldine showed me her notes from Numerical Analysis and Calculus (crazy!). Next, we boiled some water and filled basins with water. Here, they bathe both in the morning and in the night. Beatrice, Geraldine, and I took our own basin outside in the wide open space of the compound, and proceeded to all strip naked. Because it was so dark outside, I could only see their silhouettes, but otherwise felt quite sheathed by the darkness. We were standing about 3 feet away from each other, cupping the water with our hands to bathe ourselves. As I looked up, I could see ten thousand stars in the sky – I had never quite seen anything as beautiful. Wrapped in towels, the three of us sat around the fire in the kitchen, and swapped stories, as I asked about life in Gulu – education, health, marriage, the differences in ethnic groups in Africa, etc. I also began to learn some Luo, and showed off the little Luganda that I know. Beatrice says that I will know more Luganda than her by the end of my stay, and that I will be fluent in Luo by the time I leave. I'm learning the languages even faster than Spanish…

It is very humbling to be here – pit latrines took a bit to get used to, as well as bathing outdoors next to a banana tree, going through an elaborate process to lock my doors, etc. Nontheless… I love it here. From what Moses had told me, people are not used to seeing an Asian (Oriental, I guess) person here – though they have seen many foreigners. Some assume that I do not speak English, since a lot of what they know about Asians comes from Asian films. I have been proposed to at least three times by now.

Victor and Sirisha: I want to start interviewing today (I have been waiting for this!), but unfortunately, David is in the hospital with a mild case of malaria. Today, Edgar (Beatrice's 12 year old son) is going to take me around town and show me the different hospitals, as well as some NGO's. I have been talking to several people about healthcare in Uganda, and access to facilities always comes up in the discussions. Please let me know if there is something specific you would like me to do – while David is in the hospital, I plan to go myself to speak to a couple of NGO's who seem willing to converse about their projects… when I go to town, I will hopefully be able to stop by and strike up a conversation. I have been keeping an intense expense report, and have recorded every single detail. When I get an opportunity, I will e-mail you my budget report. For now, I hope this e-mail is okay in terms of being my "Activity Report", as I have not yet been able to begin any interviews or work. Very sorry!

Sorry this e-mail is so long… but OH! I was able to get my baggage, so no worries there. Until next time then.

Amari Mada (I love you),

Bianca