Learning the Ways of the Acoli- Thursday, June 18

Our orientation began yesterday morning, and it has been jam packed full of information. We first met with Jolly, the country director for Invisible Children. For those of you who have seen the IC Roughcut, you know her as the woman who got it all started or as the woman who can open a Coke bottle with her teeth. Let me just say that in person, she does not disappoint. She has a very calming presence, but underneath you realize that she is a woman of steel and determined to make life better for the Acoli people. We also met Jared and Erica from Invisible Children. All three were very informative about IC Uganda and their goals here in Gulu and the surrounding areas. Some interesting factoids that we learned from Jolly:
Ugandan teachers are the lowest paid government employees in the country.
The brother of the Ugandan president tried to bribed the three filmmakers not to show the documentary.
The S4S partner schools here in Gulu have to invest 5% of the cost of the projects that IC does at their school. IC figures that it will take 5% each year to maintain the infrastructure once it is built, and that is up to the school.
The people of Gulu believe they will only have true peace once Joseph Kony is killed or arrested.

Our second session was with Balaam, one of the IC mentors. He spoke with us about the Lwo language, which is spoken by most of the people in Gulu. It was an interesting lesson and very overwhelming because their language is very different from ours. Their alphabet does not have the letters f, h, q, s, v, x and z, so the way that a word is spelled is not usually the way that it is pronounced. The meaning of the word can also change based on the intonation. For example, “apwoyo”, which is pronounced “afoyo” can mean “Thank you” or “rabbit” depending on how you pronounce it. I am pretty sure that I have been calling people “rabbit” all day when I wanted to thank them. The beauty of this country is that the people are so friendly and hospitable that they just go with it.

After lunch, we met with Walter, the headmaster of Pabo Secondary School, one of the schools in an IDP camp. He spoke with us about the customs and culture of Uganda. Some interesting points from him:
Shaking hands is very big here. It is their way of reinforcing the greeting and the pleasure or either meeting or seeing you. Hugging is not as it leads to the sex.
The Acoli are arable farmers; the soil in northern Uganda is the most fertile soil in the country. They demonstrate affection by feeding you.
They live in “clans” and eat together. Most often they will all eat from the same dish. You simply wash your hands and dig in.

Today, we were introduced to Jennifer, the head of education at IC Uganda. She spoke with us about the educational system in Uganda and also about the war and its effects on the people of Gulu. Some interesting facts from her:
Educational System:
The students attend primary school for 7 years, lower secondary school for 4 years, higher secondary for 2 years and then possibly 3 years of university. At the end of each school they sit for the national exam. This determines whether they move to the next level. The same national exam is taken by every student in the Ugandan school system.
Their school year begins in February and consists of 3 terms, and each term in 3 months long. They then have a month off. They sit for their exams in October to December.
Attendance is not compulsory; a teacher could have a range of ages in one stream (level).
The government does not often provide enough teachers for a school. Most of the time, the PTA (yes, the same one as in the states) will step in and pay for more teachers or supplement the salaries of those already there.
As a government teacher, you have no control over where you teach. Once you have taught in the same school for 10 years, you are automatically moved somewhere else. The government figures you have no more ideas to share with that school, so you must move to a new school to share your ideas.

War:
Joseph Kony believed that the Acoli (of which is he a member) were all evil and the best thing to do was to kill them. He felt he could “save” the children by abducting them and teaching them a new way of life.
Lots of atrocities occurred. To prevent people from exposing the whereabouts of the LRA, the soldiers would literally padlock their lips shut. They would also cut off lips, ears, noses, legs so they couldn’t run, etc.
Villages were destroyed. People who survived these attacks were told to take the dead people, cut them up into small pieces, cook them and then eat them. By the time the survivors had cooked the remains of the dead, the LRA would shoot them.
People were forced into IDP camps by the government. If the people were hesitant to leave their homes, the government soldiers would burn them down so the people no longer had an option. Because they were forced to move, they had to leave their land and could no longer farm, forcing them to become dependent on handouts- something the Acoli people are very against.
They have had relative peace now for 2 years, but the recovery has been slow, and they are not quite at ease yet.

The Gulu people are some of the most beautiful people I have ever seen in my life. I mean this in the physical sense and the emotional sense. The women are tall, slender but muscular, and they have such a regal walk. The men are tall, built and just beautiful. They smile, and the world becomes a little bit brighter. They are also so friendly and happy to have us here. Everyone speaks and wants to know more about you. They smile, laugh and help me with my terrible butchering of their language. We are often called “muno” or “mzungu,” which means “white person.” The children will yell it at you and say hello. And they stare in a very curious way. I find them so beautiful that often I stare back. I enjoy walking through the town and interacting with them. I feel very safe here (don’t worry, Dad, I am being careful and never by myself).

One last thing I will talk about. The main form of “public transportation” is called the boda boda, which is a motorcycle or dirt bike. I took my first ride yesterday, which was fun but a little nerve wracking. The roads here are truly terrible; most are dirt, there are HUGE potholes, dips, etc. The boda drivers are very good though and know exactly how to go to avoid the bad spots. One more thing about riding a boda boda: When wearing a skirt, women must ride side saddle. I tried this today for the first time even though I have been wearing capris because I figured I had to get used to it. Riding side saddle is a whole different experience because your center of gravity is completely different. You hold on with your left hand to the back handle (you NEVER touch the driver!) and place your bag in your lap. I am gaining confidence in this and figure since I will riding one to and from Sir Samuel Baker every day that by the end of this trip, I will be ready for my own motorcycle (Just kidding!!).