Moments
So as my trip is almost officially over I have been thinking about some of the most memorable moments of my trip and wanted to share them with you all. Some of them are funny, some of them are sad, some of them you might not understand. However, these are the moments that have made this trip an amazing, life changing, beautiful experience for me, so here it goes.
MOMENT 1:
Diana and I are sitting on a papyrus mat with 40 pairs of eyes looking right at us. We are in Pabo visiting our two kids that live there. Kevin, Laura and Megan have left and Diana and I are there for the night. No English is spoken by anyone around us and our Luo at this point is minimal and consists of nothing useful in this situation. So what do Diana and I do? Well the teachers inside of us come out, and we start doing math and English problems with sticks in the dirt. You can hear everyone around saying the math problems aloud, we know our numbers it is the first thing we both learned. The pressure is on Beatrice and Wilfred, I think I would have cracked with all those people around me, watching, waiting to see if I answer correctly. However, they both performed wonderfully even with everyone around them, and then they turned the tables. It was our turn to see if we could perform with so many people watching, I would like to say Diana and I did well, but I think the fact we only did addition problems helped.
This moment was amazing because of its simplicity. There we were sitting with two of our kids and their mother with a good portion of Pabo surrounding us by the end of the evening. I have never had as much fun doing math with kids as I did there. There was something beautiful and wonderful about writing in the dirt with a stick and hearing the old men doing the problem aloud. It is a moment forever cemented in my memory because I did not have a care in the world other than that stick, the dirt, and those kids.
MOMENT 2:
Again Diana and I are together but this time not in a camp but a school. It is our first school visit and we are sitting in a P4 classroom at Demonstration Primary School and over 100 kids packed inside of a classroom surround us. I was overwhelmed by the situation, and as the class continued I continued to have moments of is this really happening? Is it really taking 15 minutes of precious instructional time to pass out exercise booklets? Of course it is with over 100 children in a classroom. When the class finally begins I am straining to hear what the teacher is saying, and I look around me and I realize that the kids are not even straining anymore, at least half the class is lost in the back of the classroom. I found myself wondering if this man even knows who our students are, no one could blame him if he didn’t, he teachers two classes of over 100 students on a rotational basis.
This is the moment that helped me appreciate everything I ever received in terms of education all over again. I remembered just how lucky I am, that is not something I think about and realize often but this moment in time made me. Sitting in the back of that classroom made me remember why it is I want to be a teacher, simply put because a child should never sit in the back of the classroom and not even try to listen because it is of no use. That moment is the one that I will look back on when I am frustrated, and just don’t want to be in a classroom anymore. That is the moment that will motivate me to be the best teacher that I can possibly be, not just sometimes but every moment of everyday that I am in a classroom.
MOMENT 3:
Sitting in the office like any other day. A man walks in with a crutch, and wants to talk with us but does not speak English and Kevin is not in the office. So we go to the back of the compound and get Monica to help translate for us and he tells us his story. He is taking care of kids that are not his that he helped take care of in the bush. He is missing his leg because it was cut off by a machete and he has no means of an income and he just wants these kids to be able to go to school and have a fair chance at life. As we put in all of his information to the waiting list I have to turn my head away, I can’t look at him. Tears are rolling down my cheeks, and I can’t make them stop. As he gets up and shakes our hands and leaves the office a bit of me leaves with him.
This moment reminded me how cruel life can be. It was the first but not the last time I would have to tell a guardian, or a child themselves that there is nothing I can do to help them. That has by far been the most difficult moment for me of this trip I think. Telling this man with such a gentle face, who appeared to almost be in tears himself that we are not taking anymore kids and to go ask another organization. That mans face is forever in my memory and his story forever in my heart. I have heard the same story in 100 different ways at this point in my trip but it never gets easier. I hope that someone was able to help him and his children. I know the work that we are doing is great and what we are doing is helpful and I know that we can’t help everyone but sometimes I just wish we could.
MOMENT 4:
After the decision was made that we needed to get our kids into better schools we needed to go see these schools and talk with the head teachers. So Diana and I were off with the assistance of Kevin to go and see these schools that we wanted our kids at. First up was Negri Primary School for boys, Kevin told us it was a good walk, almost in the bush. So there we are walking on the main road and Kevin turns around and says we are going to take a strange route to get there but it is the best way to get there, and of course Diana and I are ready to go whatever way we need to. So there we are walking through this tall grass. It had not rained in a few days so it was a dry walk, until a small patch of the path had water in mud. I was at the end of the line and Diana and Kevin walked through no problem, and I just tried to follow where they had walked which should have been fairly simple. I was doing just fine until I try to step and my shoe falls off into the mud and I step right into the mud with my bare foot. All I could do was laugh at myself and of course Diana was laughing right along with me, and Kevin is shaking his head at me. Then Kevin says, “Madisson you love to hang out, have fun, and step in African mud.”
This moment is amazing because it is typical me. I am always the one who manages to get mud all over myself or step in the big puddle thinking that I am stepping into the shallow one. Mind this is not something that just happens in Uganda, this is me all the time no matter where I am in the world. I always have a shoe falling off or am falling down myself. I am by far the most graceful person that has ever walked this earth…not. It is a wonderful moment because there I was with mud all over my foot and all I could do was laugh at myself and was glad that everyone else could laugh at me too.
MOMENT 5:
Diana and Laura have just spent their last day in the office and we have had quite the get together with everyone but it is sadly time to leave. It is pretty late and the last of the taxi’s have already left Lacor for the night and we find ourselves in quite the pickle. We find a guy who has a car that will take us back to the hotel but wants to charge us 15,000UGX and we are just not having it, the price he is asking is absurd so we decide we will find another means of getting home. Our options are starting to dwindle and we are standing by all the bodas and think that this is our only option. Megan is 100% opposed to riding a boda at night, as we all are in most situations but we know we have to get back. Laura and I are already on the back of bikes, we are not happy about it but there is not much else we can do. Suddenly we see some headlights on the road and we tell our drivers not to leave yet. Megan goes into the road and flags them down and it just so happens to be a World Vision truck and they will give us a ride, for free all the way back to our hotel we just have to make a few stops along the way. Thanks Meg. So there we are in the back of a pick-up truck just riding around making a few stops here and there picking a student up, dropping her off. And as we are driving with the wind in our hair we sing “I’m leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again…” at the top of our lungs and it was wonderful.
This was great because this is typical us, especially Megan. We ride in cars with strangers when our taxi’s break down, or when it is too late to get on a boda. We have lucked out and had some great rides with NGO’s and those rides have certainly been high points of our trip. Sitting in the back of that truck singing that song, knowing that they were leaving the next day and Megan and I would soon be following could have been a sad moment but it wasn’t. It was great, wonderful, fun, and amazing. As we are driving and shouting the song we hit a massive pot hole and we get thrown about the back of the truck and all we can do is laugh and then keep singing.
MOMENT 6:
Diana and I are in Pajule finally! We are there to spend time with Maria during her last few days in Uganda before heading to Rwanda and then back home. It is a weekend full of ceremonies and festivities, certainly a good time to be in Pajule. At the end of the festivities the guardians of the program kids in Pajule start to dance. We are sitting and enjoying being able to watch them, next thing we know the three of us are part of the dance. It was so much fun to be dancing around with those women, and doing the special festivities sound effect that only the woman do.
Ahh to be dancing with the women, a great moment in time. It was as if they were embracing us, embracing them and that was amazing. We were at that moment not just white people they were performing for in thanks for our help but we were part of their group, dancing with them.
MOMENT 7:
SLEEP OVER!!!! So Diana and I are lying on papyrus mats on the floor of the office surrounded by most of our girls sleeping. We had had such a good night. We watched Stuart Little and ate biscuits and just enjoyed hanging out with the kids. The boys slept in another room at the back of the compound and we slept with the girls. We told them a night-time story, a new version of Cinderella and fell to our sweet slumbers. I was half way asleep and later found out that Diana was also not fully asleep when we both heard some of the girls rustling about. Suddenly the girls got up and turned on the light, instinctively both Diana and myself put our sheets over our heads and asked what was going on, we were really confused. The girls had opened the door and it was pouring down rain and still pitch black outside, what could they possibly be doing? We kept asking what was going on and finally Atim Sharon looked at us both and said, “the girls are urinating” They all came back in a turned off the lights and everyone eventually went back to bed, accept for myself because Janet was clutching onto me in an awkward manner that prevented me from really going back to sleep, but I didn’t mind one bit.
What an amazing moment/night this was. The night as a whole was great but that moment when they all got up was just great. I don’t particularly know why it was just a hilarious situation that Diana and I laughed about hysterically not only that night but the next day. It was just a great time to be spent with the kids, because at the end of the day that is why I am here, for these kids. There is nothing like being woke from a great night of sleep by an abrupt light and fits of girlish giggling to find out everyone needed to go to the bathroom at the same time.
MOMENT 8:
So marriage proposals are something that everyone on this trip has had to deal with on a regular basis. There is one in particular that sticks out in my mind and I think others minds as well. We were all sitting at home when Molly knocks on our door. Molly is the woman that works here at the guest house that we have become very good friends with. This is not the first time she has knocked on our door to deliver us messages from people that are out in the bar but this would turn out to be a unique situation. There were four men and a woman sitting outside in the chairs by the other rooms and had requested that we come join them for drinks and that they wanted to marry us. Megan promptly responds to Molly that she should tell them that real men handle their own marriage proposals…OOOPS! Two of the men promptly came over to our door and asked us for drinks. We declined, but they insisted that we at least say hello to their other friends. Megan goes, expecting to be back momentarily but she doesn’t. Long story short we all end up out there talking with them, but without drinks. Diana gets away and Laura manages to also make a fairly quick escape leaving Megan and myself. There is this 31-year-old man sitting next to me showing me pictures of his family and asking me to be his second wife, I obviously decline. As Megan and I are making our escape they ask to take a picture with us, we give in hoping that after this they will leave. Megan takes some photos with one of the guys who likes her and then it is my turn. So I take a picture with Jimmy and get up to go and he asks for one more, I say okay. I figure Megan took about 4 pictures I can take 2. The man who proposed is the photographer and says that Jimmy and I should kiss. I say absolutely not, and Megan explains we don’t kiss before we are married. WHEW! We think we are in the clear. So I am sitting there getting the second picture over with and next thing I know there are two lips on my cheek grossly kissing me and I feel a tongue touch my cheek as well. I pull my head away, appalled by what has just happened, and Megan is completely grossed out by what she just saw. And Megan being the girl that I dearly love goes off on Jimmy because I am so furious and grossed out I am lost for words.
Why is this defining moment of my trip? Well because Jimmy has not went away. Megan and I have him knocking on our door just about daily. He wont take the hint that we don’t want to see him anymore. Thanks to Megan though he has not tried to kiss nor touch anyone again. He fears a munu lashing out on him again. Lets just say if he even tries to touch my arm or Megan’s arm he wont like the consequences. By the way I promptly went inside and washed my face.
So these are some of the memorable moments of this trip. The good, the bad, and the ugly. This trip has been amazing, and I would not change anything about it, other than the kiss that is.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Thankful
I would like to think that for most of my life I have been grateful for everything that has been given too me, specifically the medical treatment that I have received over the years. I was born cleft lip/cleft pallet as many of you know and have had to go through many surgeries and all the other work that comes along with it. I was born with a very severe bilateral cleft lip, and nearly no pallet what so ever. 40 surgeries later and without looking close many people don’t notice it anymore. I was lucky; within a few hours there was a team of doctors ready to start operating on me as soon as they could. I always knew that I had an outstanding team of doctors, I knew many people with clefts that were not nearly as severe as mine and their work unfortunately had not been done so well. It wasn’t until I came here that I fully understood and realized just how lucky I was. Sure I knew that there were children who didn’t get the surgeries needed to help fix the defect, hence the reason Operation Smile was developed. My doctors even spent two months a year in South America performing operations for children. Pictures can’t even capture what it is really like to not have the necessary work done to fix the lip and/or cleft. If one is honest most of the pictures shown are of young children, no older than eight most of the time and don’t capture the full extent of the issues it later presents in life. Needless to say since I have been here I have really been able to witness what it is not to have the work done. I have seen numerous people, none of which are children who have clefts that have been left un-operated on since birth some of the clefts being minimal and others being severe. There are a few memorable encounters that I would like to share:
Rwanda: Up until this point in our trip I had only seen a few untreated clefts. Here we are on our ‘vacation’ of sorts and we are walking through the taxi park looking for a taxi that can take us to the genocide memorial. As we are wondering through, before an English speaking man finally helps us, none of us spoke French; I glanced over and noticed a man. It was something I was taken aback by, one of the most severe unilateral clefts I have ever seen. Generally speaking unilateral clefts are not too serious, but there are the cases of very severe unilateral clefts and here I was witnessing with my eyes one that was untreated. It was difficult for me to tell the age of the man, but I would say he was no older than 24. His teeth had grown out, past where that portion of his lip should have been, the farther back the teeth were the closer they were to the portion of the existing lip. Some of his teeth were behind the lip, but very few. I was brought nearly to tears; I can’t imagine what it would be like to have had my cleft go untreated. I used to be very self-conscious about my lip, covering it whenever possible with my hand or a piece of paper in class. Over the years I over came that and forget that was ever an issue. Seeing him made me force myself to think about how I would feel if I had to go about my life without my lip, either part of it or my entire lip, and it was not at all a good feeling. I would think that it is something that he has probably grown used to, though I am not really able to say for sure, but it still must be hard. His teeth where in a way that I know makes it very difficult to eat and drink, our lips are there for a reason. My heart broke, knowing that I received at the time the best care possible, lucky to be born where I was, I had the best team of cleft doctors in the country at the time, and seeing a man that had received absolutely no medical care at all for his cleft.
Kampala: My first real day in Uganda. I am with Chris and Kevin walking through the taxi park looking for a taxi to go to the embassy. I was already overwhelmed with it all, Kampala is a city that I am used to however, and Kampala is like no city I have ever been too. As we walk through the park and I am looking around at everything just trying to take it all in I notice a woman. She has a baby on her back and a bag full of something atop her head and she had an untreated cleft. Not as severe as the man described from Rwanda but noticeable. Since it was my first day in Uganda there I was much more prone to having an emotional reaction, but this I was not expecting. Kevin and Chris did not notice, and I didn’t mention it but I found myself crying. Even though I was able to get a brief look at the woman you could see she was tired. All I could think to myself was, here is this woman that is carrying a baby on her back with a bag on top of her head and an untreated cleft. Knowing that the procedures for a cleft like that are minimal, many times only requiring two or three operations I couldn’t help but be upset. I kept thinking that at that very moment in time she might have been living the same life, but had she had the operations would it have made anything easier or better for her? I had to think to myself if anything it might have given her more self-confidence or something of the sorts, but I can’t be the judge of something like that. I do however know one thing and that is, even without the operations that could have potentially saved her much pain and heartache I hopes she knows and believes that she is beautiful; at least she was in my eyes.
Gulu: So our office is right across from the Lacor Hospital, we see all sorts of people with problems walking in there. However this moment didn’t occur at the hospital, or even walking by a clinic it happened while I was riding home from the office on my boda. On the way to where we are staying we pass many schools, and many roads that lead to schools, we see a lot of kids going to and from school on a regular basis. I was coming up to Gulu College and saw a group of boys walking away from the school on their way home. As like most people, they waved at me and I waved back and looked at them. A certain boy in the group grabbed my attention; he too had an untreated cleft. I would say this boy was not older than 18 at the oldest, nearly my age. I thought to myself, when I was 18 and had an untreated cleft would I have been comfortable? The true answer is absolutely not. Again, I would think he has become used to it, just something that is part of him, but I knew it didn’t have to be. I knew that had he been born in a different place, or at a different time he would have been walking with a treated cleft.
It has been very difficult for me to see an untreated cleft, when I received amazing treatment. It is even more difficult for me to know that I received this treatment mainly because I was born in the right place at the right time. I know that it more than likely has become just part of these people, their untreated clefts but that doesn’t change my thoughts about what might be different for them. I am unbelievably grateful for the privilege I had in receiving such amazing care, I hope one day everyone can have that care.
I hope this find everyone in good health and with happy hearts wherever you are. Remember things might seem like a set back but many times they are hidden blessings and I am seeing that more and more especially regarding my cleft.
Rwanda: Up until this point in our trip I had only seen a few untreated clefts. Here we are on our ‘vacation’ of sorts and we are walking through the taxi park looking for a taxi that can take us to the genocide memorial. As we are wondering through, before an English speaking man finally helps us, none of us spoke French; I glanced over and noticed a man. It was something I was taken aback by, one of the most severe unilateral clefts I have ever seen. Generally speaking unilateral clefts are not too serious, but there are the cases of very severe unilateral clefts and here I was witnessing with my eyes one that was untreated. It was difficult for me to tell the age of the man, but I would say he was no older than 24. His teeth had grown out, past where that portion of his lip should have been, the farther back the teeth were the closer they were to the portion of the existing lip. Some of his teeth were behind the lip, but very few. I was brought nearly to tears; I can’t imagine what it would be like to have had my cleft go untreated. I used to be very self-conscious about my lip, covering it whenever possible with my hand or a piece of paper in class. Over the years I over came that and forget that was ever an issue. Seeing him made me force myself to think about how I would feel if I had to go about my life without my lip, either part of it or my entire lip, and it was not at all a good feeling. I would think that it is something that he has probably grown used to, though I am not really able to say for sure, but it still must be hard. His teeth where in a way that I know makes it very difficult to eat and drink, our lips are there for a reason. My heart broke, knowing that I received at the time the best care possible, lucky to be born where I was, I had the best team of cleft doctors in the country at the time, and seeing a man that had received absolutely no medical care at all for his cleft.
Kampala: My first real day in Uganda. I am with Chris and Kevin walking through the taxi park looking for a taxi to go to the embassy. I was already overwhelmed with it all, Kampala is a city that I am used to however, and Kampala is like no city I have ever been too. As we walk through the park and I am looking around at everything just trying to take it all in I notice a woman. She has a baby on her back and a bag full of something atop her head and she had an untreated cleft. Not as severe as the man described from Rwanda but noticeable. Since it was my first day in Uganda there I was much more prone to having an emotional reaction, but this I was not expecting. Kevin and Chris did not notice, and I didn’t mention it but I found myself crying. Even though I was able to get a brief look at the woman you could see she was tired. All I could think to myself was, here is this woman that is carrying a baby on her back with a bag on top of her head and an untreated cleft. Knowing that the procedures for a cleft like that are minimal, many times only requiring two or three operations I couldn’t help but be upset. I kept thinking that at that very moment in time she might have been living the same life, but had she had the operations would it have made anything easier or better for her? I had to think to myself if anything it might have given her more self-confidence or something of the sorts, but I can’t be the judge of something like that. I do however know one thing and that is, even without the operations that could have potentially saved her much pain and heartache I hopes she knows and believes that she is beautiful; at least she was in my eyes.
Gulu: So our office is right across from the Lacor Hospital, we see all sorts of people with problems walking in there. However this moment didn’t occur at the hospital, or even walking by a clinic it happened while I was riding home from the office on my boda. On the way to where we are staying we pass many schools, and many roads that lead to schools, we see a lot of kids going to and from school on a regular basis. I was coming up to Gulu College and saw a group of boys walking away from the school on their way home. As like most people, they waved at me and I waved back and looked at them. A certain boy in the group grabbed my attention; he too had an untreated cleft. I would say this boy was not older than 18 at the oldest, nearly my age. I thought to myself, when I was 18 and had an untreated cleft would I have been comfortable? The true answer is absolutely not. Again, I would think he has become used to it, just something that is part of him, but I knew it didn’t have to be. I knew that had he been born in a different place, or at a different time he would have been walking with a treated cleft.
It has been very difficult for me to see an untreated cleft, when I received amazing treatment. It is even more difficult for me to know that I received this treatment mainly because I was born in the right place at the right time. I know that it more than likely has become just part of these people, their untreated clefts but that doesn’t change my thoughts about what might be different for them. I am unbelievably grateful for the privilege I had in receiving such amazing care, I hope one day everyone can have that care.
I hope this find everyone in good health and with happy hearts wherever you are. Remember things might seem like a set back but many times they are hidden blessings and I am seeing that more and more especially regarding my cleft.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Pajule
So many things have happened since I last was able to update. So I am choosing to blog about the last two weeks in a couple different blogs this one in particular about Pajule.
So Diana and I went to Pajule where Maria is staying. Maria is part of our sister organization at the University of Illinois and they have an education program in Pajule that she is working with. Now just getting to Pajule was a task, one that should not surprise anyone who knows my luck with traveling. Diana and I rose early in the morning on Thursday July 3rd, planning to get to the bus park by 8 in the morning so that we could get the first ride to Pajule and get there by noon or so, it is only a two hour ride or so. So right on time we arrive at the bus park, and a man by the name of John Bosco helps us find a vehicle that will be heading to Pajule. So it seems as if everything is going in our favor until we realize no one else is in our taxi, but we don’t think too much of it and decide to pass the time by playing cards. Well this may or may not have been the best idea on our part because we drew a crowd, a big one. Now, this card game did not pass time for an hour or two hours or even three hours, we played cards for nearly six hours till it was finally time for us to leave the bus park, needless to say we didn’t make it to Pajule by noon. Our taxi had difficulty getting out of the bus park, it kept stalling but we finally got out and Diana and I silently rejoiced thinking that we were finally on our way to Pajule. The ride was going fine, until suddenly 15 kilometers outside of Gulu our taxi stops….in the middle of nowhere. Now this is not by any means an exaggeration, we were really in the middle of nowhere, the spear grass was taller than I was, the sun was beating down and there was one tree to offer shade which we would later find had a bee hive in it. So we pile out of the taxi and they try to restart it, failing to do so countless times. So what do we do? We pass the time with cards again, this time drawing less of a crowd, I don’t think I have ever been so happy to have a deck of cards in arms reach as I was that day. Nearly three hours later Diana and I decide we should start walking back to Gulu, we will catch a bodaboda on the way somewhere and try the adventure out again tomorrow. We walk up to the taxi driver who is already surrounded by a group of people requesting exactly what we were asking for; some of our money back. He refuses. So what do people do? That start to grab the mans arms and undo his belt and start to undo his jeans, Diana and I are in utter shock and want absolutely nothing to do with this situation and decide that our money is not worth it and we will just leave without it. Just as we are about to leave a Land Rover pulls up next to us with two men from New Zealand in it and an Acholi man driving with a lady and her baby in the back seat. They kindly offer us a ride and even ride in the back so that we could be in seats. They drop us off at the fork in the road and inform us that we can catch bodabodas from this point to Pajule. After a 15-minute search we finally get two drivers and we are on our way. I would just like everyone to know that was by far the scariest ride of my entire life, the road was very bumpy, we were going over 100 kilometers an hour and I had so much stuff I was always having to readjust myself. However, we did make it to Pajule in one piece, barely but in one piece. We were greeted by Maria who had waited all day on the road for us…I failed to mention that about the time our taxi died so did our phone…..
Pajule itself was an amazing experience. Sleeping in a hut, spending time with the family that Maria has spent her entire time here in Uganda with was great. The time spent there was primarily filled with celebrations and goodbye ceremonies but it was a blast! We were able to attend mass, a daily occurrence for Maria in Pajule. It was so neat being at a mass that is completely in Luo but I was still able to follow it just by watching the priest. The music at the church was beautiful, I could have listened to it all day long and not tired of it, they used traditional instruments and the music echoed off of the walls in the church so beautifully, it was music like I had never heard it before. The second mass that we attended while in Pajule required us to go up in front of the congregation and say a few words, this was neither the first nor the last time we would be asked to say something. The day we arrived in Pajule was the 4th of July, and well we celebrated in a way that I had never imagined I would celebrate. First off the big celebration was just making it to Pajule itself, which was enough a reason for me to celebrate as anything else. What was so wonderful about this 4th of July was the fact that we just sat outside and looked at the most gorgeous nighttime sky you have ever seen and just relaxed. We had a beer in our hands, A Nile for Diana, a Club for Maria and a Bell for me and it was wonderful. We were able to talk and relax.
The kids in Pajule are great! They are so much fun, like all kids. The older kids that are in Maria’s organization put on this amazing drama presentation for us and they did a superb job. The kids also sang songs to Maria and then Diana and I had our names thrown in the songs at random times…at one point in time I was Madisson the humble one and Diana was the gentle one. I still have some of the songs in my head, because well after the actual celebration ended there were still children around and just kept singing and singing, it was so much fun. I met a special little boy while I was in Pajule, Kamacech which means unlucky. I met him at the parish before mass and found out he was deaf and mute which of course immediately sparked my interest in him. As I learned more and more about him the more and more he had a place in my heart. He took a liking to me as well, leaving the parish after mass one morning holding my hand walking with me all the way back to our hut. He stayed for the evening for the celebration. There were so many other kids that I got to know, Linda being one. She is such a smart girl and wants to be a teacher, she looked after Kamacech while he was at the huts which put my mind at ease; I had found him earlier that day being beat with a stick by some other children so knowing she was looking after him relieved me, I hate to see anybody being beat up.
I have never seen so much food on one table in my entire life. On our second evening in Pajule there was a heap of rice on a tray as big as a big Thanksgiving day turkey. Speaking of birds with feathers, Diana and I were given the gift of a chicken later on that evening. Yes folks you read it, we were given a live chicken as a gift, I held a live chicken upside down by the legs as a gift. We would later find this chicken along with Maria’s chicken that she was gifted on our hut unexpectedly the next morning, a very unique way to wake up in the morning.
Pajule and the people that live there touched my heart in a very special way. I had so much fun just singing and playing with the kids, especially dancing. At one of the ceremonies the guardians of the program kids danced and invited us to dance with them and I don’t think I have had so much fun in my entire life dancing. I would love to come back to Pajule and spend an extended amount of time there and really get to know these amazing people that welcomed and accepted me in such a welcoming manner. The love that those people had for Maria was absolutely incredible, she really was a member of their family and that was a beautiful thing to see. Come to find out Diana and I are also a member of the family, BaBa (the father) told us we too were his children, but he does this to all visitors, but it is still a wonderful thought.
I hope that this blog find everyone happy and healthy. More importantly I hope it finds you with a smile on your face and love in your heart that you are sharing with those around you, even total strangers. I know this blog may seem a bit scattered but I couldn’t really talk about everything concerning Pajule so I just picked different chunks of the experience to put up on my blog.
So Diana and I went to Pajule where Maria is staying. Maria is part of our sister organization at the University of Illinois and they have an education program in Pajule that she is working with. Now just getting to Pajule was a task, one that should not surprise anyone who knows my luck with traveling. Diana and I rose early in the morning on Thursday July 3rd, planning to get to the bus park by 8 in the morning so that we could get the first ride to Pajule and get there by noon or so, it is only a two hour ride or so. So right on time we arrive at the bus park, and a man by the name of John Bosco helps us find a vehicle that will be heading to Pajule. So it seems as if everything is going in our favor until we realize no one else is in our taxi, but we don’t think too much of it and decide to pass the time by playing cards. Well this may or may not have been the best idea on our part because we drew a crowd, a big one. Now, this card game did not pass time for an hour or two hours or even three hours, we played cards for nearly six hours till it was finally time for us to leave the bus park, needless to say we didn’t make it to Pajule by noon. Our taxi had difficulty getting out of the bus park, it kept stalling but we finally got out and Diana and I silently rejoiced thinking that we were finally on our way to Pajule. The ride was going fine, until suddenly 15 kilometers outside of Gulu our taxi stops….in the middle of nowhere. Now this is not by any means an exaggeration, we were really in the middle of nowhere, the spear grass was taller than I was, the sun was beating down and there was one tree to offer shade which we would later find had a bee hive in it. So we pile out of the taxi and they try to restart it, failing to do so countless times. So what do we do? We pass the time with cards again, this time drawing less of a crowd, I don’t think I have ever been so happy to have a deck of cards in arms reach as I was that day. Nearly three hours later Diana and I decide we should start walking back to Gulu, we will catch a bodaboda on the way somewhere and try the adventure out again tomorrow. We walk up to the taxi driver who is already surrounded by a group of people requesting exactly what we were asking for; some of our money back. He refuses. So what do people do? That start to grab the mans arms and undo his belt and start to undo his jeans, Diana and I are in utter shock and want absolutely nothing to do with this situation and decide that our money is not worth it and we will just leave without it. Just as we are about to leave a Land Rover pulls up next to us with two men from New Zealand in it and an Acholi man driving with a lady and her baby in the back seat. They kindly offer us a ride and even ride in the back so that we could be in seats. They drop us off at the fork in the road and inform us that we can catch bodabodas from this point to Pajule. After a 15-minute search we finally get two drivers and we are on our way. I would just like everyone to know that was by far the scariest ride of my entire life, the road was very bumpy, we were going over 100 kilometers an hour and I had so much stuff I was always having to readjust myself. However, we did make it to Pajule in one piece, barely but in one piece. We were greeted by Maria who had waited all day on the road for us…I failed to mention that about the time our taxi died so did our phone…..
Pajule itself was an amazing experience. Sleeping in a hut, spending time with the family that Maria has spent her entire time here in Uganda with was great. The time spent there was primarily filled with celebrations and goodbye ceremonies but it was a blast! We were able to attend mass, a daily occurrence for Maria in Pajule. It was so neat being at a mass that is completely in Luo but I was still able to follow it just by watching the priest. The music at the church was beautiful, I could have listened to it all day long and not tired of it, they used traditional instruments and the music echoed off of the walls in the church so beautifully, it was music like I had never heard it before. The second mass that we attended while in Pajule required us to go up in front of the congregation and say a few words, this was neither the first nor the last time we would be asked to say something. The day we arrived in Pajule was the 4th of July, and well we celebrated in a way that I had never imagined I would celebrate. First off the big celebration was just making it to Pajule itself, which was enough a reason for me to celebrate as anything else. What was so wonderful about this 4th of July was the fact that we just sat outside and looked at the most gorgeous nighttime sky you have ever seen and just relaxed. We had a beer in our hands, A Nile for Diana, a Club for Maria and a Bell for me and it was wonderful. We were able to talk and relax.
The kids in Pajule are great! They are so much fun, like all kids. The older kids that are in Maria’s organization put on this amazing drama presentation for us and they did a superb job. The kids also sang songs to Maria and then Diana and I had our names thrown in the songs at random times…at one point in time I was Madisson the humble one and Diana was the gentle one. I still have some of the songs in my head, because well after the actual celebration ended there were still children around and just kept singing and singing, it was so much fun. I met a special little boy while I was in Pajule, Kamacech which means unlucky. I met him at the parish before mass and found out he was deaf and mute which of course immediately sparked my interest in him. As I learned more and more about him the more and more he had a place in my heart. He took a liking to me as well, leaving the parish after mass one morning holding my hand walking with me all the way back to our hut. He stayed for the evening for the celebration. There were so many other kids that I got to know, Linda being one. She is such a smart girl and wants to be a teacher, she looked after Kamacech while he was at the huts which put my mind at ease; I had found him earlier that day being beat with a stick by some other children so knowing she was looking after him relieved me, I hate to see anybody being beat up.
I have never seen so much food on one table in my entire life. On our second evening in Pajule there was a heap of rice on a tray as big as a big Thanksgiving day turkey. Speaking of birds with feathers, Diana and I were given the gift of a chicken later on that evening. Yes folks you read it, we were given a live chicken as a gift, I held a live chicken upside down by the legs as a gift. We would later find this chicken along with Maria’s chicken that she was gifted on our hut unexpectedly the next morning, a very unique way to wake up in the morning.
Pajule and the people that live there touched my heart in a very special way. I had so much fun just singing and playing with the kids, especially dancing. At one of the ceremonies the guardians of the program kids danced and invited us to dance with them and I don’t think I have had so much fun in my entire life dancing. I would love to come back to Pajule and spend an extended amount of time there and really get to know these amazing people that welcomed and accepted me in such a welcoming manner. The love that those people had for Maria was absolutely incredible, she really was a member of their family and that was a beautiful thing to see. Come to find out Diana and I are also a member of the family, BaBa (the father) told us we too were his children, but he does this to all visitors, but it is still a wonderful thought.
I hope that this blog find everyone happy and healthy. More importantly I hope it finds you with a smile on your face and love in your heart that you are sharing with those around you, even total strangers. I know this blog may seem a bit scattered but I couldn’t really talk about everything concerning Pajule so I just picked different chunks of the experience to put up on my blog.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Back from Rwanda
Hey just wanted everyone to know that I am back from Rwanda and will put a full update up in the next few days.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Life is beauty, and beauty is life
As my first month here in Uganda is winding down and my time left here in Uganda is becoming less and less there is a lot that I have been thinking about.
Coming here was a long road, one that was well worth it. I could not be more thrilled to be anywhere else on earth at this point in my life. I am at a time where the experiences I am having are going to shape the rest of my life, rather than waiting too long to try and experience things where my life interferes and shapes what it is I am experiences. This has been by far the greatest life altering experience thus far in my life. I can’t look at a school the same way, or a child, or a mother just doing whatever she has to do to put food on the table. I can’t ever look at a car, or a road, or a telephone the same, my outlook on life has completely been revamped in such a good way. I have only been here four weeks now, and I have six left but I could not be more pleased with what has occurred personally to my during my time here thus far.
I was on my boda-boda the other day on my way to work talking with my driver and suddenly there was a long pause of silence. My boda driver who I later found out his name to be Jeffery asked me, “Why are you here? There is danger looming? Don’t you fear being here?” I had never really stopped to think about it honestly. As I was sitting there with the wind in my hair looking up at the purest blue sky I have ever seen I realized, what do I have to fear? So I answered back, “I don’t know why I don’t fear anything bad happening while I am here. I guess it is because you are driving me to work, laughing, smiling and talking with me. How can I fear when you and all the other people I come into contact are smiling and laughing and living life. Once you stop smiling and laughing, and loving life is when I will become fearful.” He laughed and told me that he hopes he never has to stop smiling and laughing, he is just happy to be alive and because of that fact and that fact alone he must smile. As I continued talking with Jeffery he told me he was 19, my age, and all he wanted to do was go to school and become an electrical technician. My heart sunk, here is a guy who is my age who has seen and experienced things I can’t imagine and all he wants to do is go to school. I have always held my education highly on my priority list, actually it has always been at the top of my list. I know and realize how lucky I am to have received and continue to receive such a great education, however, it made me appreciate all over again just how lucky I am.
Whilst being here I have gained a new love for life. I have a renewed profound appreciation for everyday that I get to wake up. My entire outlook on life has changed, what once seemed important I am realizing is not, and what seemed trivial has gained such a great importance to me. I have done more here than I ever thought I would ever do at this point in my life, or in my life in general. I mean, I killed a chicken, never would I have thought I would do such a thing, but I did it. I wake up in the morning, brush my teeth, get dressed and leave for work…no makeup involved, or brushing my hair even, there is no need to do those things, one because I don’t always do them back in the states, and two there are so many more things I would rather spend time doing while I am here. I am still working on school assessments, and continue to get to know not only DMP program kids on a very personal level but also the non-program kids that are here all the time as well. The relationships I am making, and the effect they are having on my life is astronomical, I can’t properly put it into words.
Life is a beautiful gift and it took this trip for me to fully realize and appreciate it on a level that I didn’t realize I could. Just one look on a woman’s face who has a child on here back, a child walking beside her, while she pushes a bike full of wood, plus a basin full on stuff on her head, it seems strained and pained at first back then her baby laughs or her child does something, and the most beautiful smile comes across her face. Or take a look at the elderly man who has a long walking stick as he walks down the dirt path where dust from cars, trucks, vans and boda’s is being blown in his face; he squints his eyes and blocks his face with his free hand, he looks almost defeated, as your turn around and look at him and he raises the hand that was blocking his face and waves at you with a sincere smile, a sincere smile that says to you, thank you for being here, good luck to you in whatever you do, there is hope for tomorrow because people care. Or look at the child with a potbelly and snot on his face and flies all over him, he walks along down a path in Pabo, his eyes show you that there are things that have occurred to him that you will never know, but you raise your hand and say, Kope di? ( how is life) and he smiles and runs and slaps your hand and says kope, (life is good) These moments in time are what make me remember just how beautiful life is, and just how lucky I am to be in the presence of people who are living it to its fullest and loving every moment of it.
I hope this finds everyone in good health wherever you are reading from, and most importantly I hope this finds you all with a smile on your face and loving and living life, because it is such a beautiful thing.
Coming here was a long road, one that was well worth it. I could not be more thrilled to be anywhere else on earth at this point in my life. I am at a time where the experiences I am having are going to shape the rest of my life, rather than waiting too long to try and experience things where my life interferes and shapes what it is I am experiences. This has been by far the greatest life altering experience thus far in my life. I can’t look at a school the same way, or a child, or a mother just doing whatever she has to do to put food on the table. I can’t ever look at a car, or a road, or a telephone the same, my outlook on life has completely been revamped in such a good way. I have only been here four weeks now, and I have six left but I could not be more pleased with what has occurred personally to my during my time here thus far.
I was on my boda-boda the other day on my way to work talking with my driver and suddenly there was a long pause of silence. My boda driver who I later found out his name to be Jeffery asked me, “Why are you here? There is danger looming? Don’t you fear being here?” I had never really stopped to think about it honestly. As I was sitting there with the wind in my hair looking up at the purest blue sky I have ever seen I realized, what do I have to fear? So I answered back, “I don’t know why I don’t fear anything bad happening while I am here. I guess it is because you are driving me to work, laughing, smiling and talking with me. How can I fear when you and all the other people I come into contact are smiling and laughing and living life. Once you stop smiling and laughing, and loving life is when I will become fearful.” He laughed and told me that he hopes he never has to stop smiling and laughing, he is just happy to be alive and because of that fact and that fact alone he must smile. As I continued talking with Jeffery he told me he was 19, my age, and all he wanted to do was go to school and become an electrical technician. My heart sunk, here is a guy who is my age who has seen and experienced things I can’t imagine and all he wants to do is go to school. I have always held my education highly on my priority list, actually it has always been at the top of my list. I know and realize how lucky I am to have received and continue to receive such a great education, however, it made me appreciate all over again just how lucky I am.
Whilst being here I have gained a new love for life. I have a renewed profound appreciation for everyday that I get to wake up. My entire outlook on life has changed, what once seemed important I am realizing is not, and what seemed trivial has gained such a great importance to me. I have done more here than I ever thought I would ever do at this point in my life, or in my life in general. I mean, I killed a chicken, never would I have thought I would do such a thing, but I did it. I wake up in the morning, brush my teeth, get dressed and leave for work…no makeup involved, or brushing my hair even, there is no need to do those things, one because I don’t always do them back in the states, and two there are so many more things I would rather spend time doing while I am here. I am still working on school assessments, and continue to get to know not only DMP program kids on a very personal level but also the non-program kids that are here all the time as well. The relationships I am making, and the effect they are having on my life is astronomical, I can’t properly put it into words.
Life is a beautiful gift and it took this trip for me to fully realize and appreciate it on a level that I didn’t realize I could. Just one look on a woman’s face who has a child on here back, a child walking beside her, while she pushes a bike full of wood, plus a basin full on stuff on her head, it seems strained and pained at first back then her baby laughs or her child does something, and the most beautiful smile comes across her face. Or take a look at the elderly man who has a long walking stick as he walks down the dirt path where dust from cars, trucks, vans and boda’s is being blown in his face; he squints his eyes and blocks his face with his free hand, he looks almost defeated, as your turn around and look at him and he raises the hand that was blocking his face and waves at you with a sincere smile, a sincere smile that says to you, thank you for being here, good luck to you in whatever you do, there is hope for tomorrow because people care. Or look at the child with a potbelly and snot on his face and flies all over him, he walks along down a path in Pabo, his eyes show you that there are things that have occurred to him that you will never know, but you raise your hand and say, Kope di? ( how is life) and he smiles and runs and slaps your hand and says kope, (life is good) These moments in time are what make me remember just how beautiful life is, and just how lucky I am to be in the presence of people who are living it to its fullest and loving every moment of it.
I hope this finds everyone in good health wherever you are reading from, and most importantly I hope this finds you all with a smile on your face and loving and living life, because it is such a beautiful thing.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Vroom! Vroom!
So back home in Chicago I take public transportation everywhere. From the train to the buses the CTA is the way for me. In high school I got around through car pool, parents, school buses, walking, and eventually a car I myself drove. Well transportation here in Uganda is a bit different, but just as much fun. Here are a list of each way I have traveled.
Bus:
-So my first bus experience was on my trip from Kampala up to Gulu with Chris Walker. What an experience it was, the first thing I noticed when I walked on the bus was that there were boxes of baby chicks above head, this was my first indication that the bus ride would be one unlike any I had ever been on before. Prior to leaving on the bus Chris wanted to walk to where he would to go a week later to head back to the airport on his way home. So here I am left with a decision, do I leave my baggage on the bus and hope it is okay and go with Chris and Kevin, or do I stay with my baggage by myself. Kevin assured me my things would be safe if I left them there, but I was feeling a bit uneasy because Madison had things stolen from her and I was two days late because things of mine were stolen at the airport. Well I decided to start my adventures the right way and just go with the flow and leave my things there. What’s the worse that could happen? My things get stolen, as long as the most important things are with me then no use in fretting over it. So I leave my things and walk through Kampala and come back to the bus park. The driver of the bus assured me he would stay by the bus and watch my things, and when we arrive he is no where in sight but my things are all there safe and sound. Once we finally leave it was the bumpiest ride that I at that time had experienced. It was bizarre stopping in small villages and people where shoving meat on sticks through the window wanting us to buy it, that in itself was an experience unlike any other. 6 or so hours later we finally arrive in Gulu to be greeted by both Madison and Megan.
-My second experience on the buses was my travels to Pabo. If I never take that trip on a bus again I will be happy. First things first we waited over 2 hours for the bus, which itself was not too bad. However, when we walked on the bus we noticed large bags of cabbage blocking the aisle way. What to do? The only seats open where in the back. So we take it like champs and start crawling over them, it was like an obstacle course, and to no surprise to me the next day I had a wonderful bruise on my knee to mark my experiences on the bus. The bus ride was not nearly as long as the one to Gulu from Kampala however, I have never felt so sick to my stomach as I did on that bus. It took all the self control that I possess not to get sick while on the bus. To make matters even worse I had the window that was about to fall out of the bus and kept rattling, I couldn’t even enjoy the scenery. But all was well we arrived in Pabo safe and sound, even if a little nauseated.
BodaBoda (Border to Border, motor bikes)
- This is perhaps my favorite way to get around Uganda and the one I take most often. My first experience was just fine except that Megan was on a bike behind me and they ran out of gas and I of course had no idea where I was going or if I was even going the right direction.
-My favorite Boda experience was one morning when Diana and I were on our way to the office. I got on my boda and he started going the way we always go to Lacor, but then he makes a turn. I am completely and utterly confused as to where I am, so where do we go? Gulu University Hospital. I explain I want to go to Lacor, and he acknowledges that he knows where that is. So were off to Lacor, or so I thought. Again we are on roads I am not familiar with and have no clue as to where I am, next thing I know I am at Gulu Independence Hospital, on the opposite side of Gulu. At this point I am ready to hop off my boda and get on a new one, because who knows where I might end up next, but I decide we will give it one more shot. How many more hospitals can be in the area? Well it all worked out because the next hospital he took me to was Lacor, and I finally made it to Diana’s relief.
-Another great story concerning bodas happened about a week or so ago. We were all leaving the office and got on some bodas and where on our way home. Megan and Laura left before Diana and myself, and as soon as they pulled away it started to rain. All I could think was crap, now I am here in Lacor and I need to wait for the rain to pass. Luckily there were two brave souls that agreed to take Diana and I through the rain. We somehow catch up to and pass Laura and Megan. Diana is in front of me and her boda driver misses the turn and so do I. So what does her boda driver do? He takes a right onto a random tiny path way that goes through a corn field to get back to the main road that we needed to turn onto…my boda driver follows. We eventually got home safe and sound, fairly dry and without corn husks in our hair.
Car/Truck:
-This is a form of transportation I have only taken twice but both have been quite the experiences. My first journey that took place was the night of my arrival at the airport. Once greeted by a familiar face in the form of Chris Walker we needed to get back to the place in which we were going to be sleeping for the night. Now Chris warned me before we even pulled out of the parking lot that the driving here was different and to try and suppress any screams or shouts, I could not help but think what am I doing in this car. Overall it was a fairly good experience, nothing to scary only a few times that I closed my eyes and went to my happy place.
-My favorite travel experience thus far on this entire trip was the one that took place on my way back from Pabo in the back of a white pick up truck. I am sitting on bags of salt, next to a lady sitting on top of boxes filled with curry powder and Diana sits across from me on the tire cut out in the back of the truck. We are surrounded by other boxes of items such as sugary drinks and more curry powder, along with tires, and some machine tied down at the end of the truck bed, not exactly the roomiest of places but by far one of the most fun. The bumps where still there, but I didn’t really notice them with the wind in my hair and the most gorgeous scenery I have ever seen in my entire life. Plush trees ranging in every shade of green imaginable, hills rolling covered in grasses, absolute gorgeousness. I could not stop smiling and laughing, I was having the time of my life. Our truck was literally being chased by small children as we stopped in villages along the way to drop off all the goodies surrounding us. Once everything was dropped off, including my seat the ride was much more roomier, and I found myself sitting on top of a bag filled with I don’t know what, though I am sure there were a few pairs of flip flops shoved in there, which was place on the tire. I wish I could travel to and from every place this way, I felt totally free and at peace, it was amazing.
Taxi:
- This is my least favorite form of transportation, but I do occasionally find myself sitting in one. The taxis here are a bit different from the ones back at home. Here they are white vans with seats covered in animal print fabric and windows tapped around the edges. Taxis here also have seats that can be lifted up and then put back down to help accommodate more people. In Kampala we needed to go to the United States Embassy before heading back to Gulu so a taxi it was. There ride there was not too bad, however, the one back was one to remember. Kevin, Chris and myself were in the last row of seats in the back of the taxi driving around Kampala. Kevin fell asleep momentarily and of course I had no idea where I was and Chris wasn’t quite sure. Well when Kevin woke up he thought we had passed where we needed to get off so we got out of the taxi immediately after Kevin woke up. Well it turns out we go out of the taxi just a little to soon and ended up walking away from where we needed to be until we finally figured out we were a good ways away and it was time to walk.
- The night of the welcoming ceremony, the one filled with rain and leaking tarps. After speaking with some folks back home on Skype Kevin managed to snag the last taxi in Lacor for us to get back home in. So we pile in, I am still fairly soaked from pushing water off the tarp where I happened to be in the worse spot possible and I think I managed to get more water on my than off the tarp. So we are driving along, in the dark on bumpy roads and I begin to get a headache. Now this headache was not brought on due to the bumps or the loud noise, it was from the fumes inside the taxi from the car. I was not the only one to be bothered by them and finally windows were opened up to let some much needed and desired fresh air in the taxi
So there you have it. Some of the experiences I have had getting around Uganda. Though not all of the trips have been the best on my stomach and or brain cells. Every trip has been an experience different from anything I could ever imagine, and I have loved every minute of it. I hope you all think about riding on the back of motor bike with the wind and your hair and more than likely dust in your eyes next time you are on your travels, because believe me it is an incredible feeling, and something I know I will miss.
Bus:
-So my first bus experience was on my trip from Kampala up to Gulu with Chris Walker. What an experience it was, the first thing I noticed when I walked on the bus was that there were boxes of baby chicks above head, this was my first indication that the bus ride would be one unlike any I had ever been on before. Prior to leaving on the bus Chris wanted to walk to where he would to go a week later to head back to the airport on his way home. So here I am left with a decision, do I leave my baggage on the bus and hope it is okay and go with Chris and Kevin, or do I stay with my baggage by myself. Kevin assured me my things would be safe if I left them there, but I was feeling a bit uneasy because Madison had things stolen from her and I was two days late because things of mine were stolen at the airport. Well I decided to start my adventures the right way and just go with the flow and leave my things there. What’s the worse that could happen? My things get stolen, as long as the most important things are with me then no use in fretting over it. So I leave my things and walk through Kampala and come back to the bus park. The driver of the bus assured me he would stay by the bus and watch my things, and when we arrive he is no where in sight but my things are all there safe and sound. Once we finally leave it was the bumpiest ride that I at that time had experienced. It was bizarre stopping in small villages and people where shoving meat on sticks through the window wanting us to buy it, that in itself was an experience unlike any other. 6 or so hours later we finally arrive in Gulu to be greeted by both Madison and Megan.
-My second experience on the buses was my travels to Pabo. If I never take that trip on a bus again I will be happy. First things first we waited over 2 hours for the bus, which itself was not too bad. However, when we walked on the bus we noticed large bags of cabbage blocking the aisle way. What to do? The only seats open where in the back. So we take it like champs and start crawling over them, it was like an obstacle course, and to no surprise to me the next day I had a wonderful bruise on my knee to mark my experiences on the bus. The bus ride was not nearly as long as the one to Gulu from Kampala however, I have never felt so sick to my stomach as I did on that bus. It took all the self control that I possess not to get sick while on the bus. To make matters even worse I had the window that was about to fall out of the bus and kept rattling, I couldn’t even enjoy the scenery. But all was well we arrived in Pabo safe and sound, even if a little nauseated.
BodaBoda (Border to Border, motor bikes)
- This is perhaps my favorite way to get around Uganda and the one I take most often. My first experience was just fine except that Megan was on a bike behind me and they ran out of gas and I of course had no idea where I was going or if I was even going the right direction.
-My favorite Boda experience was one morning when Diana and I were on our way to the office. I got on my boda and he started going the way we always go to Lacor, but then he makes a turn. I am completely and utterly confused as to where I am, so where do we go? Gulu University Hospital. I explain I want to go to Lacor, and he acknowledges that he knows where that is. So were off to Lacor, or so I thought. Again we are on roads I am not familiar with and have no clue as to where I am, next thing I know I am at Gulu Independence Hospital, on the opposite side of Gulu. At this point I am ready to hop off my boda and get on a new one, because who knows where I might end up next, but I decide we will give it one more shot. How many more hospitals can be in the area? Well it all worked out because the next hospital he took me to was Lacor, and I finally made it to Diana’s relief.
-Another great story concerning bodas happened about a week or so ago. We were all leaving the office and got on some bodas and where on our way home. Megan and Laura left before Diana and myself, and as soon as they pulled away it started to rain. All I could think was crap, now I am here in Lacor and I need to wait for the rain to pass. Luckily there were two brave souls that agreed to take Diana and I through the rain. We somehow catch up to and pass Laura and Megan. Diana is in front of me and her boda driver misses the turn and so do I. So what does her boda driver do? He takes a right onto a random tiny path way that goes through a corn field to get back to the main road that we needed to turn onto…my boda driver follows. We eventually got home safe and sound, fairly dry and without corn husks in our hair.
Car/Truck:
-This is a form of transportation I have only taken twice but both have been quite the experiences. My first journey that took place was the night of my arrival at the airport. Once greeted by a familiar face in the form of Chris Walker we needed to get back to the place in which we were going to be sleeping for the night. Now Chris warned me before we even pulled out of the parking lot that the driving here was different and to try and suppress any screams or shouts, I could not help but think what am I doing in this car. Overall it was a fairly good experience, nothing to scary only a few times that I closed my eyes and went to my happy place.
-My favorite travel experience thus far on this entire trip was the one that took place on my way back from Pabo in the back of a white pick up truck. I am sitting on bags of salt, next to a lady sitting on top of boxes filled with curry powder and Diana sits across from me on the tire cut out in the back of the truck. We are surrounded by other boxes of items such as sugary drinks and more curry powder, along with tires, and some machine tied down at the end of the truck bed, not exactly the roomiest of places but by far one of the most fun. The bumps where still there, but I didn’t really notice them with the wind in my hair and the most gorgeous scenery I have ever seen in my entire life. Plush trees ranging in every shade of green imaginable, hills rolling covered in grasses, absolute gorgeousness. I could not stop smiling and laughing, I was having the time of my life. Our truck was literally being chased by small children as we stopped in villages along the way to drop off all the goodies surrounding us. Once everything was dropped off, including my seat the ride was much more roomier, and I found myself sitting on top of a bag filled with I don’t know what, though I am sure there were a few pairs of flip flops shoved in there, which was place on the tire. I wish I could travel to and from every place this way, I felt totally free and at peace, it was amazing.
Taxi:
- This is my least favorite form of transportation, but I do occasionally find myself sitting in one. The taxis here are a bit different from the ones back at home. Here they are white vans with seats covered in animal print fabric and windows tapped around the edges. Taxis here also have seats that can be lifted up and then put back down to help accommodate more people. In Kampala we needed to go to the United States Embassy before heading back to Gulu so a taxi it was. There ride there was not too bad, however, the one back was one to remember. Kevin, Chris and myself were in the last row of seats in the back of the taxi driving around Kampala. Kevin fell asleep momentarily and of course I had no idea where I was and Chris wasn’t quite sure. Well when Kevin woke up he thought we had passed where we needed to get off so we got out of the taxi immediately after Kevin woke up. Well it turns out we go out of the taxi just a little to soon and ended up walking away from where we needed to be until we finally figured out we were a good ways away and it was time to walk.
- The night of the welcoming ceremony, the one filled with rain and leaking tarps. After speaking with some folks back home on Skype Kevin managed to snag the last taxi in Lacor for us to get back home in. So we pile in, I am still fairly soaked from pushing water off the tarp where I happened to be in the worse spot possible and I think I managed to get more water on my than off the tarp. So we are driving along, in the dark on bumpy roads and I begin to get a headache. Now this headache was not brought on due to the bumps or the loud noise, it was from the fumes inside the taxi from the car. I was not the only one to be bothered by them and finally windows were opened up to let some much needed and desired fresh air in the taxi
So there you have it. Some of the experiences I have had getting around Uganda. Though not all of the trips have been the best on my stomach and or brain cells. Every trip has been an experience different from anything I could ever imagine, and I have loved every minute of it. I hope you all think about riding on the back of motor bike with the wind and your hair and more than likely dust in your eyes next time you are on your travels, because believe me it is an incredible feeling, and something I know I will miss.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
My Pabo Experience
So the alarm goes off at 7:30am, today is the day we travel to Pabo. We get ready, and Kevin comes a knocking at the door, over an hour early to inform us we need to get ready because two buses that go to Pabo and further have left, so only one remains. We walk to where we need to pick up the bus and we wait, and wait, and wait. Kevin and Megan have already left; they needed to make some stops along the way to get the certificate for our land. The bus finally arrives and then it finally leaves. Just getting on the bus was an adventure, which should have been the first sign that Pabo would be a day to remember. There we bags and bags of cabbage in the aisle of the bus so we had to climb over them to get to some seats, crazy looking munus climbing over cabbage I bet that was a sight. The ride itself was not at all comfortable; it was so bumpy, I had to make myself not throw up.
But we finally get to Pabo, it only took us an hour or so once we were on the road rather than the 2.5 hours Kevin thought. So here I am in the biggest IDP camp in Uganda walking to meet our two kids that live there. We thought we would go check out the school first and then go to the kid’s huts. As we are walking along I step in this huge pile of mud, this is a regular occurrence it seems I can never stay out of mud. So after Kevin helps me wash my foot and shoe we can actually go to the school…it was lunchtime, so it was like walking into a lion’s den. We were followed by a swarm of children, well over 100, perhaps close to 200. There were times we could barely walk the kids were grabbing our hands and just wanting to touch us. We talked with Wilfred and Beatrice’s head teachers about how they were doing in school, and we got fairly general answers but we didn’t really expect much more. Diana and I decided we wanted to spend the night in Pabo. Kevin didn’t think we should stay in a hut because it might not be safe if a priest did not escort us, and there were no priests present that day. However, we were able to make arrangements with the parish to sleep over night there once we were doing spending time with our kids. We walk through a maze of huts and arrive; I finally got to meet Beatrice and Wilfred, as well as the rest of their family. A bit of a back-story, they have two younger brothers one named Daniel who fell into the stove when he was younger and was burned very badly and has scars all over his body from the incident. Their mother is HIV positive so life can be tough for them sometimes, in addition to the already difficult life in an IDP camp. So we chatted with their mother for a while till it was time for Laura, Kevin, and Megan to head out. School was not over yet so Diana and I decided to go observe the classes and then come back to the hut with the kids when school was over.
After saying farewell to our friends we were escorted to the P.5 class that Beatrice is in. I was pleasantly surprised by what I say: A class size of around 80 (not too bad), an active teacher, in class participation, and in class feedback. We then were taken to another building where Wilfred was in his P.4 class. It was towards the end of the day so they were done with lessons, but the teacher managed to make us feel quite uncomfortable. He was talking to the students about how much Americans love them, and what sort of things they need because of the 21-year war. He introduced who he thought was our kid, but was the wrong boy completely, we tried to correct him but he just thought he had got the name wrong. Overall the experience at the school was very good, though at times very overwhelming and awkward. After school we followed Beatrice and Wilfred back to their hut to spend time with them for the evening. Both Wilfred and Beatrice struggle in English and well I am still working on my Luo so we were not able to talk much but it was nice to be able to at least be with them. After arriving at the hut we were served dinner, so much food it took everything I had to eat it, but it was tasty.
After dinner we went outside to sit with everyone and Diana and I started doing math problems in the dirt with our kids. Next thing you know as we are working a large group of forty or so forms around us. So we are working with the kids, and I felt kind of bad because you can hear people counting and answering the problems out loud. It was an interesting experience but I loved it.
So we wanted to walk around the camp to see just what it was like, so we start walking. We stop at a store and a man comes out and explains they don’t understand what we are saying so he translates for us and they realize what we want to do and take us for a walk. It was the most impoverished yet beautiful place I have ever seen. I couldn’t cry even though I wanted to, I couldn’t because everyone else was laughing. The huts were so close I could lie between them and touch both. Look out to the distance just a ways and you see mountains, lush green trees, and the most gorgeous sunset ever. This was the first time that I was really exposed to the stereotypical Africa that you see on late night commercials from feed the children. In Gulu I had seen children with potbellies and flies on their faces but not every time I turned around. This is what I saw in Pabo, and it was heartbreaking yet at the same time reassuring. What I mean by this is that the conditions were awful but the people were still smiling and laughing, they have not lost hope and faith that tomorrow will be better so neither can I.
We arrive back at the hut and we are just sitting outside it, with about 40-50 pairs of eyes just starring at us. We were not supposed to leave till 8 for the parish but Diana and I thought that it might be best if we leave early. Word was traveling around the camp that we were there and more and more people were coming around and we didn’t want to cause too much of a commotion/hassle for the family with all the people around their hut.
After spending an interesting and fun night at the Parish it was sadly time for us to leave Pabo. Peter walked us to the area that we could get a ride back to Gulu and we found ourselves in a slight predicament, taxi or the back of the pick up truck? We thought that maybe we should go on the taxi, but then we found out it was going to be a long time till it left, and well TIA (this is Africa) so a long time could very well be 5 hours. So we hop on the back of this pick up truck and it was so much fun. The scenery was beautiful, the ride wasn’t too bad, wind was in my hair and I could not stop laughing and smiling.
Overall my time in Pabo was amazing, life changing and a beautiful experience. I plan on going back a few more times before I leave to get to know and experience more with the people who live in some of the worst conditions you can imagine.
But we finally get to Pabo, it only took us an hour or so once we were on the road rather than the 2.5 hours Kevin thought. So here I am in the biggest IDP camp in Uganda walking to meet our two kids that live there. We thought we would go check out the school first and then go to the kid’s huts. As we are walking along I step in this huge pile of mud, this is a regular occurrence it seems I can never stay out of mud. So after Kevin helps me wash my foot and shoe we can actually go to the school…it was lunchtime, so it was like walking into a lion’s den. We were followed by a swarm of children, well over 100, perhaps close to 200. There were times we could barely walk the kids were grabbing our hands and just wanting to touch us. We talked with Wilfred and Beatrice’s head teachers about how they were doing in school, and we got fairly general answers but we didn’t really expect much more. Diana and I decided we wanted to spend the night in Pabo. Kevin didn’t think we should stay in a hut because it might not be safe if a priest did not escort us, and there were no priests present that day. However, we were able to make arrangements with the parish to sleep over night there once we were doing spending time with our kids. We walk through a maze of huts and arrive; I finally got to meet Beatrice and Wilfred, as well as the rest of their family. A bit of a back-story, they have two younger brothers one named Daniel who fell into the stove when he was younger and was burned very badly and has scars all over his body from the incident. Their mother is HIV positive so life can be tough for them sometimes, in addition to the already difficult life in an IDP camp. So we chatted with their mother for a while till it was time for Laura, Kevin, and Megan to head out. School was not over yet so Diana and I decided to go observe the classes and then come back to the hut with the kids when school was over.
After saying farewell to our friends we were escorted to the P.5 class that Beatrice is in. I was pleasantly surprised by what I say: A class size of around 80 (not too bad), an active teacher, in class participation, and in class feedback. We then were taken to another building where Wilfred was in his P.4 class. It was towards the end of the day so they were done with lessons, but the teacher managed to make us feel quite uncomfortable. He was talking to the students about how much Americans love them, and what sort of things they need because of the 21-year war. He introduced who he thought was our kid, but was the wrong boy completely, we tried to correct him but he just thought he had got the name wrong. Overall the experience at the school was very good, though at times very overwhelming and awkward. After school we followed Beatrice and Wilfred back to their hut to spend time with them for the evening. Both Wilfred and Beatrice struggle in English and well I am still working on my Luo so we were not able to talk much but it was nice to be able to at least be with them. After arriving at the hut we were served dinner, so much food it took everything I had to eat it, but it was tasty.
After dinner we went outside to sit with everyone and Diana and I started doing math problems in the dirt with our kids. Next thing you know as we are working a large group of forty or so forms around us. So we are working with the kids, and I felt kind of bad because you can hear people counting and answering the problems out loud. It was an interesting experience but I loved it.
So we wanted to walk around the camp to see just what it was like, so we start walking. We stop at a store and a man comes out and explains they don’t understand what we are saying so he translates for us and they realize what we want to do and take us for a walk. It was the most impoverished yet beautiful place I have ever seen. I couldn’t cry even though I wanted to, I couldn’t because everyone else was laughing. The huts were so close I could lie between them and touch both. Look out to the distance just a ways and you see mountains, lush green trees, and the most gorgeous sunset ever. This was the first time that I was really exposed to the stereotypical Africa that you see on late night commercials from feed the children. In Gulu I had seen children with potbellies and flies on their faces but not every time I turned around. This is what I saw in Pabo, and it was heartbreaking yet at the same time reassuring. What I mean by this is that the conditions were awful but the people were still smiling and laughing, they have not lost hope and faith that tomorrow will be better so neither can I.
We arrive back at the hut and we are just sitting outside it, with about 40-50 pairs of eyes just starring at us. We were not supposed to leave till 8 for the parish but Diana and I thought that it might be best if we leave early. Word was traveling around the camp that we were there and more and more people were coming around and we didn’t want to cause too much of a commotion/hassle for the family with all the people around their hut.
After spending an interesting and fun night at the Parish it was sadly time for us to leave Pabo. Peter walked us to the area that we could get a ride back to Gulu and we found ourselves in a slight predicament, taxi or the back of the pick up truck? We thought that maybe we should go on the taxi, but then we found out it was going to be a long time till it left, and well TIA (this is Africa) so a long time could very well be 5 hours. So we hop on the back of this pick up truck and it was so much fun. The scenery was beautiful, the ride wasn’t too bad, wind was in my hair and I could not stop laughing and smiling.
Overall my time in Pabo was amazing, life changing and a beautiful experience. I plan on going back a few more times before I leave to get to know and experience more with the people who live in some of the worst conditions you can imagine.
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