#10 June 18th- Thursday

-Update on the war
-State of Education in Uganda
-Tour IC offices
-Arts in Acholiland (at Heals)

(Apwoyo-Thank you or hello)
Have you ever had one of those days that felt like a week? Each of the two days I’ve been in Gulu have been like that. I woke up for a jog a little after 6 am. I went running with my news friends Kevin, Bill, and Annie. We jogged down Pece (Peych-ey) Road and we got a few interested looks as we went down the road. It is not common for Ugandans to run unless there is an emergency. Most people take their time walking down the road talking with friends. My first impressions of Gulu have been that the town (soon to be a city) is bustling with economic opportunity. I have been thinking though that I am only seeing the surface. On the surface there are some examples of poverty. There are children with no shoes, but there are no beggars. There is trash along the road, but the interiors of all the buildings are very clean. The streets are congested with a few cars, many boda-boda’s (motorcycles), and many more people walking, and some bikes. On the jog we ran past a tree full of bats. I am glad it is near our hotel. The bats keep down the insect population. On the jog we passed the IC office. All offices of NGOs are typically gated compounds with barbed wire and broken glass on the tops of the walls. The sun rose and filled the African sky as we traveled down the red dirt road.
We came back around 7am just in time to say goodbye to our night guard. His name is David. He is a tall man with a warm smile and an AK-47. Another part of our hotel experience is a small black kitten who hangs out here. The kitten has invaded a few of our rooms. I have the job of getting him out of rooms. I bark like a dog and he rolls out. Today we took boda boda’s out to the IC house and met with an expert in the Ugandan education system. She shared that the system is driven by a few exams. Only 7% of Ugandans graduate from secondary school, but 70% of those who take to final assessments pass. There are many reasons that students fail to complete their education. The obvious reason here in Gulu has been the conflict. Up until recently, the test is given in Gulu regardless of the situation on the ground. Despite this, the scores in this region tend to be more competitive than you might expect. Kids see school as a privilege and not a right. All high school kids take 7 required classes and they have 3 elective classes. Our teacher shared that it is against Acholi tradition to beg. They feel humiliated by the need to rely on food assistance and they are eager to return to their farms and provide for their needs. Class sizes up here can be between 80 and 150. This is hard for me to conceptualize, and I think classes of 40 next year will seem a little less intimidating after this summer. I will meet my Ugandan teacher Yeko George on Friday night. I hope that we are able to develop a good relationship.
After the education talk, we had a break and returned to discuss the conflict. Historically speaking, Uganda has had a difficult history when it comes to succession of power. The history is defined by military coups. I wonder if this will repeat when it is time for the current president to cede power. Our teacher lived through the conflict hear terrorized by the LRA. She told us that the LRA would take pad locks and lock the lips of people they would find so as to send a message to others that they should not talk about LRA activities. This image is such a painful one for me to imagine and I can’t get it out of my head. After interacting with the people here, it seems so evil to torture people who possess such innocence. That is, no doubt just my impression of the people I have met, but there is a generosity of spirit and kindness that is undeniable. I am astonished by the resiliency to the situation. It is hard to imagine that a few short years ago it would have been unthinkable for me to walk down the streets I have been walking on.
After lunch at Kope Café (chicken curry) we met up in the IC offices. Most of the operations run by IC in Gulu are staffed almost exclusively by Ugandans. It is such a relief, yes relief to see that the money we have been raising over the past for years is actually making a meaningful difference in Gulu. I think I’ve always wondered if the assurances IC gives that money is making a change are really legit. Now that I am seeing it with my own eyes, I believe. I guess it is the doubting Thomas in me. On of the programs IC runs is called the Visible Child Program. This program provides a scholarship and a mentor to every student they serve. The mentors are qualified teachers who take this on as their full time job. The best part of this for me was that when I was walking home, I actually ran into a child who is on scholarship to Gulu High School. His name is Gustav. He shared what a difference this program has made for him. I told him that soon 2 blond haired muzungu would be coming to his school and that he should introduce himself. It would be fun if he spotted Bryn and Elena. Speaking of, they should be in Washington DC by now at Lobby Days. I’m going to make a plug here that you call your representative to encourage them to pass a bill that is before the floor in Congress. Basically it insures a continued relationship between the US and Uganda. Check out www.invisiblechildren.com for more info.
I had some pretty bad food tonight. It is called smoked meat. I kept wondering what kind of meat it was. It was soaked in a sauce that tasted like peanut butter and fish. I will avoid this dish in the future. In the evening we went to a club called Bamboo. It is run by a British expatriate so it draws in a pretty interesting crowd. I played a trivia game with my friend Kevin and a surgeon from Tanzania named Dr. Cliff. He has been working in southern Sudan and he is full of interesting stories. Lisa and the girls call every night. It’s the highlight of my day to talk with them. I haven’t been taking many pictures. Here is why. There is a strange tension for me about how to honor the dignity of the people while still capturing this experience to share. Right now, I’m holding off on taking many pictures. I think that once I’ve built more relationships with people I will feel better about getting shots with people I know.