This is Bat Country
**Quickly I want to thank some of you for your witty responses to my last entry. Yes, you are right…it is god that I’m not working in southern Uganda because you’re right, I probably would have written something like: “more later from the southern part” and that would have been weird.
Today has been a very eventful and exciting day for me in Gulu! I don’t even know where to begin. I am here to help kick off the launching of a new One Mango Tree project with the money awarded to us through Davis Projects for Peace. Up to this point there has been a lot of discussion in person and via email between me, Halle, Julie and Gulu Women’s Economic Development and Globalization (GWED-G, the indigenous organization which we’re working alongside with this project) but firm steps have not yet been taken. Essentially, we will be working with ten women from Unyama IDP camp and ten women from Bobi IDP camp, having Lucy train them in the tailoring of One Mango Tree products, and then taking them on as regular One Mango Tree tailors for business has steadily been increasing (Stateside and in Uganda) and we need more tailors!
Today, after a shower and breakfast I headed into the Owino Market (the central market here in Gulu town where Lucy’s stall is) and greeted the ladies. There were so many wonderful smiles and hugs! I sat on one of the extra stools and talked with the tailors as they continued cutting and sewing our beautiful bags. I had some other business to take care of, and Lucy was not yet there, so I took the opportunity to run off for about thirty minutes. I headed through the crowded, bumpy market to find my favorite trouser tailors (I call them trousers now because the first time I asked to have some made I said, “can you make me some pants” and they all laughed, because here, just as in the UK, pants are underwear). They saw me coming and welcomed me with about as much enthusiasm as the One Mango Tree tailors! I love Gulu. So I had a bag full of projects for them from patching jeans to “reducing” the size of trousers they had made me in the past, and I went ahead and ordered two new pairs of trousers. I’m so excited! Soon I will have trousers in every fabric they offer.
After fabrics were chosen and measurements were taken I said “Afoyo matek” (thank you very much in Lwo) and was off, detouring through the food section of the market, toward the GWED-G offices to greet Peter, Stella and Francis to set up a meeting to discuss what needs to be done for the project.
I had a pretty successful meeting with GWED-G and straightened out a lot of uncertainties we all had. Tomorrow Lucy and I are going in together to meet with GWED-G so we can figure out her exact needs and an ideal schedule for her involving the trainings, who she plans to use as her assistant, etc. Most of the daily logistics will depend on what Lucy needs to pull these off since she will be training everyone.
After our meeting with GWED-G, Shaina and I went and bought some juices and sodas and took them back to the Lucy’s stall and I introduced Shaina to all the tailors and we sat and chatted for a while. All the tailors are helping me to learn Lwo so that I can honor my name, Achen (which is not only German but also Acholi for the second born twin). They are also going to make me an Acholi dress, I just have to pick my fabrics! I’m so excited!
Shaina had an evening meeting to get to so we came back to Hotel Kakanyero, I showered and started working on as many computer things as possible before my battery died on me. Until a few hours ago, Gulu had been in a blackout for almost 24 hours so I had been seeking out all the businesses with generators.
I met Shaina at Bomah, another typical mono (Lwo for white) restaurant in Gulu, for dinner, but went early to steal their petrol-generated power and to see my friend Jacob who works there. Jacob is one of my favorite people to see here in Gulu. He’s actually very similar to my favorite Jacob in Kampala for they both giggle the entire time they are talking to me. I love it! These are two people I cannot be sad or angry around. I think we have some cosmic connection, for had I been a boy, my name too would be Jacob.
Sitting at Bomah, I was trying to get work done but instead ended up in gmail chats with four different people. Turns out, even from Uganda, thanks to Adrienne, I will be helping on Barak Obama’s campaign! We are organizing a fabulous fund raising event in good old Lawrence, Kansas (and possibly beyond). WARNING: Lawrencians…I may be hitting you up soon for your various talents! Stay tuned for more information on this front. I’m just excited to say on my resume that I organized a fund raiser for Obama from Uganda. How cool will that be?! Oh, well that and I support the guy. If for no other reason, I really like saying “Obamalamadingdong!”
Shaina showed up to Bomah so I tucked the computer away so we could successfully ignore each other because we were both fixated on the huge television broadcasting CNN. I never, ever watch TV here, so really, I think it could have been any program, but before moving here, if my television wasn’t on one of the Law and Order (original, Criminal Intent or Special Victims Unit) channels, it was typically on CNN. I have gone far too long without seeing Andersen Cooper’s beautiful Vanderbuiltian face.
The news disturbed me: shoot outs outside the US Consulate in Istanbul, Iran missile testing, Zimbabwe insanity. I couldn’t take it. I honestly haven’t been reading the papers lately or checking news online because I am seriously so fed up with the state of the world. I know it is important to be informed, and I’ve always been a news junkie, but honestly, ignorance is bliss and I would prefer to focus on the hardships I see around me because there are often uplifting stories around and within them, but those don’t make news headlines. It’s just war and Kristi Brinkley’s divorce and custody battle. Oh yes, and Jessie Jackson saying he wants to cut Obama’s nuts off. That was lovely. Al Sharpton hasn’t even gone that far! Yet.
So once CNN started re-rolling the stories as they do, Shaina and I started talking. She found out all kinds of interesting information today from this German photojournalist named Diamond. He was apparently one of the first photojournalists to cover the war in northern Uganda, and was here when it was not safe to be here. He’s covered stories in Sudan, Turkey and pretty much any other conflict zone you can think of. She relayed a lot of their conversation to me, but the most interesting/unnerving revealed was that not only does the Ugandan government own Bomah and most of the other mono hang outs in Gulu, when the war was going on and people were moving into the “protected” IDP camps, the government started buying land from those living in Gulu town, so now that the area is safe, they don’t have their land to return to. Essentially, the government was “helping” these people by giving them money for their land but now they’re stuck in the camps. And further, with the government owning all of these lands and businesses that international NGO’s rent or frequent, why would they want there to be “absolute” peace in the region? Why would they want the peace talks to be signed? If the peace talks are signed most of the NGOs will pull out and the money from places like Bomah and the Acholi Inn will stop flowing into the governments pockets. Just some food for thought. I, however, may have to stop taking meals at Bomah, which is too bad because I like seeing Jacob.
So now I am sitting on the balcony at Hotel Kakanyero (not owned by the government) listening to the sounds of the bats circling overhead praying on mosquitoes (and they’re not doing a good enough job, let me tell you) and the sounds of mid-eighties Madonna blaring from Havana Pub down the road. Tomorrow promises to be another full day and I’m excited for it! But now I must work on my research proposal and get some rest! More later from the northern part!
