Sorry it has taken me a couple weeks to get this started but
better late than never!
I am settled into a nice house in a compound with 4 other
houses in a neighborhood in Gulu, Uganda. It is in northern Uganda where the
Lords Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony waged a horrible civil war and
uprising for two decades. Peace came to the area in 2006 followed by an
inundation of non-governmental organizations. There are still many non profits
here but many have moved on to higher crisis areas. Gulu is the center for the
north and many organizations work in suburban or rural areas out of a base
here. The people here are traditionally of the Acholi tribe. They are kind,
community oriented people with a lot of pride despite their stigmatized
reputation as a result of being associated with the atrocities committed in the
region. Many people left the area for Kampala, the capital city in the south
during the war, and those who stayed in the north were forced to live in
internal displacement camps. Many children were abducted and forced to become
soldiers for the violent and insane leader, Kony, nominally a Christian man who
wanted to rule the region by the 10 commandments. The region is recovering from
this history, and in fact, if you didn’t know, you would not find many indications
in Gulu town which would portray it’s history. The people are truly warm
hearted and kind. They greet each other by holding each others hand briefly,
not a handshake like in the west, but a lingering exchange as you chat. Nearly
everyone speaks English for the most part, and they have a distinct cadence and
style of the language which ex-pats begin to imitate when talking to locals
(this is not offensive but helps facilitate communication). Most locals also
speak Luo, the language of the Acholi, as well as other dialects. Swahili is
also understood by many and some words are borrowed from it.
Gulu is a city of around 154,300 people. There are many
foreigners here, called Muzungu’s, or “whites” or “munos” by the local people.
They come from many different places, I have met aid workers and researchers
from Italy, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Australia and the United States. Many
large organizations have a presence here, mainly noted by stamped logos on the
SUVs around town. I have seen signs from the UN, Mercycorps, Red Cross, USAID,
Save the children, war child, and more. There is a downtown area which features
basic amenities enjoyed by ex-patriots such as a supermarket; Uchumi, a
coffeeshop with internet, an internet store called Orange where you can buy the
usb stick and bytes. There are two banks; Barclays and Stanbic, an Ethiopian
restaurant, an Indian restaurant, a radio station, and stores which have
smaller or more specific goods. There is also the main market which is a
sprawling area filled with stalls selling vegetables and fruits, freshly
slaughtered meat, various plastic kitchen items and foam mattresses as well as
textiles.
The main mode of transportation is a boda, a motorcycle
taxi. They wait around on nearly every corner and eagerly offer rides around
town for 1,000 shillings or 75 cents. At nighttime you are recommended to only
ride with someone you already know and can trust.
There is a popular restaurant which is usually filled
exclusively with foreigners called Sankofa. The food is good and affordable
($5) but rarely takes less than 45 minutes (and sometimes 2 hours) to
arrive. It is located conveniently in
between my house and my office and the people who work there are so friendly.
The pace of life is slow and an appointment at 4pm really
means more like 4-430, or usually at least by 5. But it is not uncommon that
people just don’t show up. Patience is a necessary virtue, and frustration is
still a frequently experienced emotion when trying to get things done. Communication
is different, its somewhat hard to explain but I will give some specific
examples later. The water and power have been pretty reliable, though it is a
routine occurrence for either or both to be out. I’ve learned to fill a bucket
with water in the mornings so that I can take a cup shower after yoga in the
evening. Promises of the immediate installation of a water tank have been
assured for about 10 days now. The sun comes up around 7 and sets quickly
between 7-730 at which point the mosquitos come out although they are not
nearly as bad as during the rainy season. When the night is clear the stars are
absolutely divine. The weather is hot or very hot, it is dry season and quite
dusty. There are gorgeous flowers in bright colors blossoming regularly. Cows, chickens
and goats wander around freely. There is a lot of construction being done and
new houses and buildings being built. The men and women are very hard workers,
some men work as boda drivers by day and night guard all night. The women are
often employed as house help cleaning and cooking and doing laundry.
The women carry their babies on their backs and it is so
beautiful to see. They sleep blissfully, tied safe to their mother as she does
her work, rides a bike, or walks around town. The children are very self
sufficient, rarely have I heard whining or crying. The people don’t treat their
babies or children like fragile dolls, and the children seem to mature faster
than in the USA. Even physically, babies can hold their head up a lot sooner
than babies in the west. Children are incredibly important to the culture, and
most women have babies at a young age.
Unfortunately there is violence against women, and not many
options for rights for a woman being abused. They often stay because the
children belong to the father and if they leave they must leave their children.
There is also an active transactional sex industry. HIV and Aids are prevalent
here in Uganda.
Christianity is the main religion, also Islam but to a
lesser extent, and most people still retain much of their traditional beliefs
and practices as well.
The food is pretty heavy, based in a few types of thick
dough, with vegetables mixed in, meat is a luxury.
