Back in Gulu..once again

The last weekend in Rwanda was really nice. We celebrated Peace's birthday Friday, and then on Saturday she took us to a wedding reception. There was traditional dancing and music-which was amazing and beautiful! It was a nice way to end the weekend. We just had a nice dinner together Sunday, and then on Monday Caitlin and I hopped on a 6am bus back to Kampala, which was up there on one of the top worst rides of my life. I was already feeling sad about leaving and had a stomach ache from probably something I ate, and i just felt sooo nauseous. About halfway through (Luckily I had brought a plastic bag with me, just in case) because I started puking in my seat...and then had to sit there for the rest of ride holding my puke bag! haha...in retrospect it was really funny, but at the time, during the 11 hours bus ride, it was not funny. We stayed two nights in Kampala, and am now back in Gulu. We watched the game on Wednesday and it was soo fun! Everyone was pretty upset that Man U lost though! I wasn't really going for either team...

So we are now staying with Caitlin's host family, and they have been very welcoming. It's nice to be back cooking and helping around the house. We walked and pumped water on Thursday and have been helping with dinner every night.


Peace and Love,
Michelle

Relaxation

It has been a week since the group has left-and a week on my own with Caitlin in Rwanda. It has been wonderful living with Peace and Victor. I cannot seem to emphasize enough how amazing these people are-and it is people like them that reinforce my faith in the kindness of human beings. Caitlin and I have been walking a lot-usually between 6-8 miles a day, but we were really bold and walked 14 or so miles on Sunday. We have just been walking around, reading, eating, talking, and spending time with Peace and Victor. It has been the relaxing time that we both really needed after the program. On Wednesday we got up early and took a bus to Lake Kivu in Kibuye. We ended up spending our money on a traditional Rwandan painting instead of going to Burundi. So we ended up going a little cheaper and spending 3 days in this small town-smaller than Cashmere. We found this small little guest house, and just walked around. Everywhere in the town has an amazing view of the lake. Yesterday we decided to go swimmer, despite contradicting responses of how safe the water was. But we found this small bit of sandy beach and decided to join the locals and jump in. It was soo refreshing, and hopefully we dont end up with any weird parasites of bacteria...but honestly, if we do-it was worth it. We got such a deal going ont his little trip-for around $30-I paid for the bus ticket to am from, two nights in my own room with a view of the lake, a clean towel, single bed, two buffet dinners, breakfast, and a guiness and coke at the beach. It's going to sure be hard going out in the US and going on trips, because there is no way you can get all of that for only $30.

We got on a bus this morning, and came back around 4 for Peace's birthday. We had cake and wine, and an amazing dinner. It was nice to be able to celebrate this with Peace. It's really going to be hard leaving and saying goodbye, and not knowing when I will be able to see them again.

We are going to head back to Kampala on Monday, then back up to Gulu on Wednesday in time for the big football game!! Everyone watches the football matches, so it will be so exciting to watch! Although if ManU looses, then I think it will be a rough night, since everyone in Gulu supports them. Either way, I think it will be a fun night. Then we have about 4 weeks left in Gulu, and back to the US. It's weird to start thinking about coming back-by the time I come home I will have been gone for 5 months...


Peace and Love,
Michelle

Freedom!

So last Saturday I turned in my 42 page paper and did my 20 presentation, and I think it went well! We left Gulu Sunday as a group and went to Murchison Falls and went on a game drive and saw amazing animals! Then we went to Jinja to see the source of the Nile, which is still debatable. It was nice being with the group again, although it was really weird having everyone getting ready to leave and packing and knowing that I wont be going home for another - weeks. It made me a little homesick.

So the group left Friday morning for the airport and Caitlin and I hopped on a bus and 11 hours later arrived in Kigali. We are staying with my homestay family, who are amazing! I think we may go to Burundi or just travel around Rwenda, its kind of exciting not knowing what ours plans will be. We will try to get back to Gulu by the 25th or 26th or May so we can try to still do something with a womens soccer team.

Peace and Love,
Michelle

Almost done

The program is almost over. My paper is pretty near finished, all 43 pages plus 20+ pages of transcribed interviews. Only 1.5 spaced by the way. :) All I have to do now is print and bind and give a 20 minute presentation on Saturday! Then on Sunday we leave with the group to do some traveling to Murchison Falls and Jinja.
Caitlin and I confirmed out flight for June 29th. I think we will go back to Rwanda and visit my host family and from there take a bus to Burundi. After that-back to Gulu and we will stay with Caitlin's host family. We are not sure what is going to happen with the soccer idea. We are hoping to sitll meet with the empowerment soccer group from Seattle and try to buy soccer balls for the Gulu High School team. Right now, after being so busy and stressed about the research, I am ready to just play it by ear...so we'll see what happens.


Peace and Love,
Michelle

Broken Mirrors

So talk about a bit of bad luck. One of the girls from the program who lives with me broke a mirror Saturday, so we all joked about having bad luck...which seemed to come true. On Saturday, Caitlin and I received an e-mail saying that in order to change our flight, Brittish airways was going to charge us an additional 175 for the difference in airfare, aside from the 150 just to change the ticket and 50 for the study abroad travel agency...which we really had to think long and hard how we could save money and stay longer...

Also, we are going to move out of the place we are staying. The landlords brother is drunk all of the time, which worries us a little. And we found out from some local friends who said that they ripped us off when we told them how much we paid...

Aside from that, my research has been frusterating. My advisor wont meet with me-I gave her my paper to start proof reading and giving me suggestions and she hasn't gotten back to me in almost a week. Then this morning I was really sick-on the toilet for 3 hours-then had to drag myself out of bed for an interview, where I walked 45 minutes to get to, for her to tell me she was too busy to meet with me. SO then we went to the resource center where we do out typing for free, and the power is off, and they kick us out..

With the paper due next Friday I'm freaking out a little!!

On the upside, the women I have been working with are so wonderful and nice. They showed me how to do tie & dye and let me dye some fabric. ANother one of the ladies showed me how she did her embroidery. I'm enjoying that part-aside fromt he interviews, its nice to talk with the women. They are all employed by this organization that provides income generating activities to these women.

I'm just really excited for the paper to be turned in...and for the soccer project. A girl I went to high school with is coming to Gulu to help build a soccer team and a soccer field with her boyfriend. What a small world! SO, we are going to meet up and maybe work together. Their blog is
empowermentsoccer.blogspot.com

SO, as of now, I think we are getting a flight that leaves the 29th of June from Uganda...if all of the airfare stuff works out.

Peace and Love,
Michelle

Research

So we've been back in Gulu for about a week and a half now. The time is stressful trying to get all of the research done for my independent study. We have 2 weeks left until our 40 page paper is due. I'm working on a paper on the relationship between gender and poverty in a post-conflict society. I've found a lot of useful information, and I am also planning on working with an organization that focuses on income-generating activies available for women. Hopefully I can get it all done in the next two weeks.

Other than research, nothing much else is new. The power in all of Gulu keeps going out for a couple days at a time, so it's been difficult to get on computers.

I'm really enjoying my time here, and I'm excited to be here after the research part of over and just enjoy having some free days.

Peace and Love,
Michelle

Settled in Gulu

Finally all settled. Our apartment/compund is nice. Very basic, just a bare room with a bed. I am going to have to buy a desk or ask them to put in some nails to hang my clothes. The water hasn't been working so it's been bucket showers for the past few days. I've started my research, but am thinking that it will be a little stressful with only 3 weeks left. Hopefully it will all work out! I forgot how much I missed Gulu and how friendly everyone is here! I'm excited to be here for another 2 1/2 months.

The rainy season will be interesting...we got caught in a HUGE downpour yesterday and had to seek shelter with some security guards. Man, when it rains, it pours! And will probably be like this every day for the next month, but it has made Gulu nice and green. Instead of so dusty. But, sionce most of the streets are dirt roads, they flood and turn into pure mud!

Just time for a short update!

Peace and Love,
Michelle