Gulu - The Real Deal

Okay...so the long trip to Gulu turned out to be just that, after a rather disorganized start, which is how things seem to happen in Africa. The plan can change suddenly and you just have to grin and get on with it. We were supposed to get picked up early, head into town to pick up more volunteers and then head north - leaving about 8.30 and arriving about 1.30pm. Instead, the town volunteers got picked up at 6am, then they came to get us about 8.30 and we went back into town again! So we didn't end up leaving town until about 10...which meant we didn't arrive in Gulu till just after 5pm. First impressions of Gulu: hot, rustic and very friendly. I feel like I'm in the real Africa now. And did I mention hot?

The following day was also spent in the van, touring around some of the major spots in Gulu. Our first mission was to make the drive out to Laminadera Children's Village, which is where Watoto babies go when they become old enough to be housed in families. This journey was the highlight of my trip so far, especially the part where we got lost in the back blocks of Africa. All of the roads out here are red clay. Some people pay good money to enjoy theme park rides. We got the best of them for free! The country is just stunning. As we passed small trading posts, people doing their washing and bathing in the streams, clusters of grass huts, animals of all descriptions and the most beautiful, wild flora and fauna, I found myself musing that I'd be quite happy to be left out there for the rest of my days.

We strayed far enough that when we stopped to ask for directions, the people eyed us with a wariness that suggested they hadn't seen white folk in a mighty long time. There was a fair amount of comedy involved in trying to ascertain where we were and how to get where we needed to be, given that our constituents spoke a mix of English and Lugandan, while the locals speak various hybrids of Acholi. We eventually worked out that we needed to go back a few trading posts and make a turn that we hadn't seen, which we did, finally arriving at the village. I should note at this point that I can see why they are collecting money for projects. The road into the village would have suited a large tractor better. Our driver did an admirable job to get us within walking distance.

As soon as the children saw us, they came flooding out of the classrooms and play areas, fighting to hold our hands. The girls crawled on their knees to try and keep up, which I found very disconcerting. The culture here is for women and children to bow down in the presence of men or those of supposedly higher status, until they are given permission to stand (don't get any ideas guys...). We looked around the school and then went to look at the children's homes...similar in set up to Suubi and Bbira, but still being developed. The place had such a peaceful country feel to it and also bordered the local community - an unusual juxtaposition of the traditional mud and grass hut clusters and red bricked homes. Again, I would have been happy to stay in this place long term.

Eventually we wound our way back into town, stopping in for a quick tour and meet & greet at the church. Then, after a quick bite, we went for a tour of Living Hope. This organization was set up to help women who were raped and traumatized by LRA soldiers during the war here. These women literally had nowhere to go, so Living Hope was established to give them a place to heal and rebuild. Currently, their operation includes a sewing room and peanut butter factory. They are also developing a shea butter factory. The women make items like aprons and bags, as well as peanut butter, which is sold through touring Watoto Children's Choirs and elsewhere. There is also a daycare Centre set up to provide for working women with children. The women are given extensive and ongoing counseling and discipleship. A very moving and humbling experience to meet the women there and see them at work.

Finally, we stopped in for what we though would be a quick tour of the Babies Home. This turned into a 2 hour orientation which was a little daunting given that we had been on the go for 2 days. And did I mention the heat? :p The home design is well thought out and there seems to be a higher level of organisation here. The home can cater for 70 odd children, but is currently housing about 40 odd, given a recent resettlement of children to the village. The pace here seems a little more laid back and the people are far more friendly than in the city. Despite all this I am still feeling a bit daunted by the prospect of having to start all over again, learning routines, meeting new people, finding ways to enrich the curriculum...all in only 3 weeks or so. I'm not sure how it manage to make much of a contribution, but I'll try.

What I have realized very quickly is that I have been brought here at a very auspicious time. I have just had the privilege of witnessing an event that has only happened 6 other times since before the birth of Christ (this being the 7th) - a full solar eclipse. Some other countries in the world may have been able to view partial eclipses depending on their location, but the place toted as the best viewing spot for the full show?: Gulu, Uganda. We watched this amazing spectacle from a hotel rooftop, in the middle of town. Oddly enough, later that evening we were hit by a proliferation of locusts, grasshoppers and other insects. They're still crawling around inside and outside of the house this morning, much to the delight of the local birds and cats.

It is also a matter of timing in respect to the people I am meeting here. Before I left home, my flatmate introduced me to a movie called Machine Gun Preacher. It's a movie about a self-confessed, biker hillbilly (Sam) who went to Southern Sudan and ended up fighting Muslim extremists to protect men, women and children who were being slaughtered, tortured and drafted into the LRA against their will. He now has an international ministry and is still hard at work in Sudan (and elsewhere). As 'luck' would have it, one of the bases for his ministry is here in Gulu. In fact, we had the pleasure of enjoying a meal here in our apartment with one of his right-hand men and one of the mothers who is looking after a house load of orphaned children here. It was a full house with 7 volunteers, Chris, Mamma Irene and 8 of her children, ranging in age from 3 and 20yrs.

It's so ironic to me, to be meeting these people. I have been saying to my colleagues that, whilst I have loved the Watoto experience, I still feel I am not operating at my highest potential. Though it would scare me near senseless, I have always said that I'd be in my element if someone dumped me in the middle of a refugee camp in southern Sudan. I have always had an interest in engaging with people from Arab cultures, have worked with refugees back home, learnt to speak some of the language etc. I've never understood the purpose of all that, but here in Gulu I feel I am closer than ever to being in the place God intended for me....who knows what will come of it. Maybe nothing, but it also seems far from coincidental.

However, please dont worry folks, I'm not planning on running off into the wilds of Africa just yet...The lion still has to find a heart! :) I'm the biggest coward I know and am still waging a constant war against the enemy, who sits on my shoulder day and night reminding me of all my flaws and failings. The battle rages on...but I press on in this place with a lot of hope and an ever constant desire to do what is right and good here.