I take back everything I said about this being a “kinder, gentler” dry season. What ever relief that was rendered with the teaser of rain on Sunday (by various account – 4 drops of liquid fell from the sky and that may have been bird droppings for all I know) has been compensated for with … Read more
A choking fog of malaise has drifted and settled over Gulu sifting into the nooks and crannies of the psyche like the cloud of fine red silt that is beginning to blow down the streets. Permeating hair, skin, nostrils, computers, clothes, sheets, mosquito net and shoes I am constantly covered in a rust-colored veneer. I’m … Read more
Funny how the universe can step up and provide the motivation or the answer or the person you need for the day. This came to me through a news letter I subscribe to and it reminded me that we often change the world in baby steps and sometimes by simply by being present and bringing … Read more
Yes – Obama! Yesterday we went Rhino Trekking at the Aiwa Rhino Sanctuary about two and a half hours south of Gulu, off the road to Kampala. The road was absolute torture even though we were riding with our friends in their very nice, Toyota SUV. Clearly these were not Peace Corps friends, though they … Read more
Awoke this morning back in Gulu, to the feeling of being back in the twilight zone. The deep bass drum of the marching band vibrated the windows had the distinctly ominous sound of a call to action. After having read in three different publications yesterday about Museveni’s threat to turn parliament over to the army … Read more
Had an interesting experience last Saturday. Gee was it really just a week ago? Why does it seem like so far back. Sometimes this feels like the land of “no-time,” or like I’m living in a time-warp. Is it 2013 yet? Here was last weeks eye-opener. When new Peace Corps Trainees arrive in country … Read more
Your donations and a sample pillowcase dress Tuesday we set out for our first Pillowcase Dress training with the men and women of Pawel Lalem, a village deep in the bush about 86 km (53 miles or so) north-ish of Gulu. With supplies (left) in tow, we bounced and tilted over one lane roads that … Read more
Haven’t had a day like this in a long time, which is a good thing. I was feeling the complacency of things having normalized – which they have. The problem is that THIS is normal, I’d just not been to a meeting in a long time. December 5th in International Volunteer Day or some such … Read more
Mid-service – the date we’ve been anticipating for well over a year now, has come and gone. Like a herd of turtles or a turd of hurdles, depending on which way you look at it – we all migrated toward Kampala – to the world of warm showers, softer beds, good food and friends, and … Read more
Finally we (LABE) have been able to pull resources together and get out to the villages in the bush with all the wonderful puzzles and books you have so graciously sent. When we (PCVs) first arrived we were warned that it might take a year to get projects off the ground. “Naaah,” one says. “I’m … Read more