HALF WAY GONE!

Hello All!!!

I finally broke down and bought a phone... haven't called anyone yet, but it is quite useful for texting and finding everyone else in town. I got it in the hopes that I will get to meet up with Charles and Sarah now. (teacher from last year) It's also quite uselful for harrassing John and Matt! I missed three calls from group 2 last night telling me to get my butt to Bambu- but yesterday I was a group 3er. Just sat and gossiped with everyone.

Amy returned from sending off group 1 with husband and Hero in tow. Such a great family! The power went out for the first time since I’ve been here this year. Which is amazing here! It rained last night which we needed so very badly. Everything was covered in red dust – including me when I walk anywhere. Maybe I’ll make it to school today without feeling gritty and sweating through my shirt! We have a 25 minute walk to school and it is lovely. We pass many houses, a primary school, many small stands where women sell vegetables and right outside the gates of Gulu High is a place where they make desks – yesterday the smell of laquer was overwhelming and reminded me of home for some reason! I’m heading in now to teach with Irene at 12:10, then lunch of posho and beans and then roundtable discussion. Hope to talk about our research project so that I can get started on that.

Have been spending more money this year than last. Being in town is great though. We’ve actually developed hang outs this year. Bambu (Fuglies as of Thursday) has a Trivia night every Tursday. The questions are designed to make you feel bad… they start out easy and end up hard as hell! Always lots of remote African knowledge, which us Muzungus suck at. We’ve also been back to Elephant Graceland a bit and of course Da Pub. Cold beers, good music and great company! Cafe Larem (Larem = friend, where I am now, actually sells cookies and coffee. However, their power is not working and I have a limited battery life, so I will post two blogs in one and keep it a bit short today. Miss you all, but can't believe that it's half over already!


GULU HIGH PREFECT CEREMONY
Gulu High had a ceremony on Thursday for the in-coming/out-going prefects. It had all the regular things that make a Ugandan celebration unique. It started 3 hours late, which is actually just on time here. While we were waiting the students entertained us by dancing and lip syncing to American hip hop/ Ugandan songs mashed together with hip hop beats. The performers lip sync and if he/she is pleasing to the crowd they will come and slip money into the performer’s pockets. Sometimes tying bandanas around their necks. Then came the speeches… the long, long speeches that are so eloquent, yet repetitive. I heard 9 different versions of the same 30 minutes speech. It was interesting. (From a shirt that Brit and Melody bought here that reads, “We saw fisherman, it was interesting.” So poetic and has become our response to everything. It was interesting.) After that was the actual hand over ceremony in which the same 4 minute song was on repeat while 40 students were sworn in. (40 or so minutes) It was great, but after 6 hours we were done!

Miss you all!
Jo