update, at last

So it's been almost a month. That's not because I'm lazy. It's because I'm poor and far away from any internet cafe, let alone power lines. I'll try to give ya the run-down on the gist of what's happened over the past weeks, but I'll have to speed through the amusing commentary a bit so I don't spend several hours merely making a post. Credit to Megan Clapp and her internet USB stick for allowing this post to be possible.

So around the end of May, after visiting Silver's place, I stayed with Toto in Mukono for a few days. It was great to stay with my other family. The family has managed to nearly cover all of the children's school fees for this term. Papa works on the other side of the country for the majority of the year, living alone to support his wife and kids back home. Meanwhile Toto and her children labor in the garden and do coursework all day. The family always impresses me.

After Mukono, I returned to Muyenga to receive Megan from her flight into the country. She stayed with us a few days and we got to watch How I Met Your Mother and other goofy sitcoms and laugh and enjoy a few days together.

Then Suzan and I went to the passport office, which was frustrating. We walked all around the city, into multiple suburbs, through a professional golf course, and home. We got American food in between as a lunch date.

The following day we left for Kapchorwa. We didn't know exactly how to get to Patrick's house, so when we reached an area outside the town, we asked for Isaac Chelibei, a guy who our friend Jenn stayed with in October. They welcomed us inside and then escorted us and carried our things up to Patrick's home, where we stayed for a bit longer than a week. We ate six meals a day (when you wander to a neighbor, you will be served), drank sketchy cave/mineral water, watched World Cup from town (I'm hooked - USA vs. Ghana tonight - oh, did I mention I am supporting Ghana and Argentina), and were the guests of honor to a baby dedication party. Toward the end of the week I went to Patrick's brother John's school where he teaches P7. I answered the students' questions about myself and my native country. I told them about the Civil Rights Movement, Native Americans, Corporate Agriculture, Weather, Family Structures, and the like. One boy asked "Do you have circumcision in your place?" I said, "Do you want to see?" Everyone looked at me terrified until I started laughing. They then joined in. I asked what their view of America was. One girl said it was like heaven. I asked if they could tell me anything about their nation's history, tribes, or politics. Schools in this country often teach more about Europe and the western world and Canadian prairies which don't even exist anymore than they do about Uganda. I told them all to go back to P6 because nobody could give me a single fact about their own home country. I was glad the family there and Suzan were finally able to meet. Oh, and if anyone ever wants to stay in Kapchorwa, stay with my family or another family, but definitely not at Noah's Ark Hotel. The staff forces you to buy things, prints false prices on menus, charges you extra, and does not monitor the fuel in their power generator. Every moment in Kapchorwa besides my short time watching football from there was grand.

Next we moved to Suzan's home in Oyam District. To reach there is difficult. Not many powered vehicles pass that way, so the prices are expensive. When you reach a certain trading center, you can then have someone pedal their bike with you on the back as you ride for nearly 2 hours to reach her home. Sometimes motorcycles head that way, which still takes quite a long time on the rural paths.

In the village (Atura) in Aber sub-county, I do a lot of sitting. They rarely allow me to do significant work besides cooking, occasional cleaning, and harvesting simsim. Sometimes I ride the bike. One day I rode about 40 kilometers and even made it to the next district. Sometimes we go to the River Nile and other times I go to the closest trading center to watch football with a TV powered by a fuel generator. We charge phone cards with a solar panel and loose wires rigged to do the job. Visitors come and sit with me. I'm one of the first white people to ever be in Atura. Once Suzan's family hosted Lawrence for a week, a munu (Luo for mzungu) who came to do spiritual healing. Another munu came once with his own food, refusing to eat local types. He left when the supply ran short.

Other times we walk a few kilometers to the forest to get some firewood. Sarah (Suzan's current non-biological mom) once took us to where the family keeps some goats. A man stays there far into the bush by himself, watching after these goats. They pay him in food, clothes, and sometimes money. The money is used to buy alcohol, which makes him so very happy. The only other use he has for the money is for lighting fires which bring the goats around the smoke so they don't get diseased by mosquitos. There are other people who live a bit deeper and rarely come to the trading center because they have to cross hip-deep swamp water to get there. Really, I've never been more at peace. I rarely have a clue as to what time it is. The people I am around are great. I play guitar outside. My only complaint is that I often become too idle, but I'm still trying to be creative and visit people to occupy my time, as well as finish reading some of next semester's books (I've already completely read 5).

We left Atura yesterday to come to Gulu to visit Papa at his school. Then we continued to Kitgum to visit Megan, where we are now. Messiah has given her a grant to start a scholarship program at Food for the Hungry.

Sorry for the mostly boring and general post. We are here until Monday, probably. So maybe I'll try to post a more thoughtful one soon. You know, take advantage of internet while it's around. Miss you all.