Wang Oo

Friday night, I had the privilege of attending an acholi cultural ceremony called a Wang Oo (pronounced 'wahng oh'). This is one of the events that my program is sponsoring here in Gulu - in order to help preserve the cultural practices of this region. Wang oo is defined in Luo as a fireplace - a place for to find warmth and refreshment (especially for those in need, like orphans).

This event took place in a town called Bobi - basically the people sit in a circle around the outdoor fire, with the Rwots (the cultural tribal chiefs) at one end. Every 30 minutes or hour has a different theme for discussion, and the local people (youth, women, anyone is welcome to speak) come up to the microphone and ask protocol questions and discuss issues that are relevant to them. The Wang Oo starts with a meal around 5 p.m. and lasts the entire evening until 6 a.m.! We discussed everything from the problems facing women in rural settings, land rights, education issues, compensation for killings, alcoholism, problems of orphans, and appropriate dress code. The elders in the tribe are happy to give loads of advice to the youth. The whole meeting was in Luo, so my colleague and I had translators helping us understand the action.

I found this so helpful to understand the family structure and the local culture better. For example:

1. Ugandans have little tolerance for ambiguity - this makes so much sense, after having attended a forum where all their queries are answered on a weekly basis - this is the way their culture rolls.

2. Women's issues are also prevalent: one lady mentioned how women are marginalized, even from birth - because the family sees them as 1. a source of income and 2. a person who will eventually just join another tribe through marriage. For this reason, their education is neglected and they have fewer opportunities than men, even though many men spend their paychecks on alcohol (another issue we discussed) to the detriment of their families.

3. We had a lot of discussion on dress code: girls should not wear skirts high enough to show their knees, or tops that show their shoulders - this is considered flirtatious and perhaps 'like they are trying to attract a sugar daddy.' boys should also not try to attract 'sugar mamas' who buy them nice things while their families have no food.

4. Respect for the elders is completely ingrained - little kids grow up attending Wang Oo's every single week, learning and learning the traditions of their tribes from the Rwots.

5. People are not shy about correcting one another - one guy stood up and flatly contradicted something that the Rwot had previously mentioned. Everyone is free to express an opinion - but I realize as I type this, that freedom does not mean that someone will act based on their opinion - African culture is very much like this.

I realize these observations are stream-of-consciousness, but that is also largely how the event happened...

Between segments the MC would play cultural music, and everyone would get up to dance. It was so fun!

gummy bears & tequila

it has definitely been one of those days: out too late last night, up late this morning. walked out to leave for the office to find my car being involuntarily washed (making me even more late). forced to take a long lunch because my colleague wanted to do some tourist shopping. snapped at my driver for asking me to take responsibility for yet another dog. can't find the security lights in my house. am supposed to purchase sugar for my guards? visited a house for rent that had two graves in the front yard. refused to give a beggar part of my lunch, and had him removed from the restaurant porch when he got aggressive. was asked 4 questions by my client to which I did not know the answers. probably chipped my teeth from eating rice with rocks in it.

Tequila is the dog I'm pet sitting, and tonight we are hanging out. To add insult to injury, she is entirely high maintenance, and refuses to eat the gourmet dinner prepared for her. I still love her, but honestly...

my cure is normally to go out for a beer, but sometimes that involves too much cultural & human interaction. tonight, I'm breaking into my stash of gummy bears (1 bag down, 3 left) - heading upstairs, and going to sleep.

il Palazzo

The Lord has blessed me in many, many ways - the following is the most recent, which I'd like to share: For the next months, I’m house-sitting for my boss while she is out on vacation (blurry work/personal life lines? yes.) Actually, Amanda’s house is the largest in all of Gulu and the newest, circa March 2009 – I have entitled it the Palace.

The Palace is already furnished, so all I have to do is live here. I think there are 11 bedrooms, including a master suite complete with jacuzzi/bath. The house has a wrap-around balcony on the second floor, which lets me watch the sunrise & sunset, as well as any passers-by (this is the highest point for at least a mile, so I get a good view). I have a dear maid named Kety (who brings her adorable daughter to work – Faith is 2, and possibly my favorite person in Gulu). I also get a gardener named Ronaldo.

Before you completely write me off due to housing jealousy – remember I won’t get to spend many waking hours here…

Here are some snaps of the wrap-around balcony, views from the balcony, and the upstairs sitting room:

Renewed impressions

I've been here 3 days, and here are some first (but really 4th time around) impressions of life:

1. we lost power in the airport twice while I was standing in the visa line - everyone got nervous and I could hear the mumbling crowd, but I'm a pro by now and had my headlamp ready.

2. I forgot how funny some of the phrasing is over here - for example: my driver picked me up from the airport, and accidentally rolled one of my suitcases over some dude's foot. The guy says, 'My friend, why are you trying to break my foot?'

3. Also forgot about generators - the one outside my hotel room whirrs into action every 6 minutes and turns into this buzzing that I think might be inside my head, and then magically it stops, and I think maybe I'm going crazy.

4. It's not rainy season (yet), but the rain is pouring down in sheets.

5. Oh yeah, the hilarious forward-ness toward mzungu gals - this morning, my chef asked me, "If I go to America, will I find a nice girlfriend like you?" I said, "You just try it and see."

6. The long speeches. Africans have this unbelievable speech-making ability - even the most unlikely suspects take one subject and turn it into a 20 minute speech. This morning my teammate Stephen (still hungover from last night's party at The 4 Turkeys) stepped up to give a recap of yesterday's discussion (which I was having trouble remembering in my non-hungover state). This guys talked, preached more like - for 45 minutes. He kept using these platitudes like, 'If I'm wrong I beg somebody will correct me' and 'Who is with me? If you're not with me, you must be asleep.' He wasn't even finished when we started pleading for mercy, so he made a 15 minute conclusion and sat down. And of course we all clapped - in true Ugandan style.

7. And finally, the african booty - it is so big. ask anyone who has been here - it's like a separate appendage. Sometimes I wonder if it's even connected to the rest of the body... it makes certain legendary American booties pale in comparison.

Sorry this post is devoid of pictures - I'll 'take some snaps,' as they say here, very soon.

ps. special thanks to Em for your editing assistance at 6 a.m.

Ready, set...

This Sunday I leave for Uganda again - two months this time, unless my trip gets extended (which is always possible). So, for the last weeks I've been mentally preparing, of course, but now it is time to pack. For shorter trips to Africa, I have this down to a science - I know exactly how many interchangeable outfits I need, what types of drugs, even how much toothpaste.

I mentally divide packing into three parts:
1. throwing lots of clothes on the floor in organized (but only in my mind - you would never know it) piles
2. shopping for various snacks & gathering the equipment I'm supposed to take to our field office
3. sorting/jamming into my suitcase.

My girl Maggie always says she can't believe the amount of stuff I fit into a tiny suitcase - it used to cover an entire room in our old apartment. We called it 'the loading station.'

This time it's a little different - I'm taking the big suitcase. I know, that fact in & of itself overwhelms me. Secondly, I am taking options for what to wear - highly unusual... Anyway, this website is normally what I use to create a sweet packing list: http://www.onebag.com/ - the guy's theory is that you can pack everything you need for 3 months of travel in one carryon size bag. Amazing. The most important rule is to not pack anything that is not on your list - that's the hardest for me - I mean, what if I end up needing that extra headband?


I won't burden you with the endless details of my packing list (it involves a big trip to Trader Joe's), but here's what my room looks like in packing stage #1:

Fredericksburg

This past Sunday, I wandered about an hour south to the old timey town of Fredericksburg to meet Becky for lunch and get in some good, quality time before I head back to Uganda. Fredericksburg has lots of cool Colonial history, but most tourist things are closed on Sunday - that was just fine, since we were not about to spend all afternoon in the Not so current currency exhibit. It was about a thousand degrees outside, so we escaped into as many air-conditioned antique shops as possible... it was even too hot for ice cream, believe it or not!


We walked down by the Rappahanock river and befriended this homeless hippie lady, who gave us a running commentary as we took a self portrait (something about how cameras are so high-tech these days, and no one knows which button to press). Of course, the heat didn't hold us back from being totally vain - we climbed around underneath this decrepit building and did a fun photo shoot... fun until Becky noticed the trappings of a homeless dude's temporary shelter. We decided to leave it in peace and walked back through Old Town.

Fredericksburg is a great place to spend the afternoon - as I was driving back to DC, I noticed a bunch of people swimming in the shallows of the Rappohanock - how fun! Next time we are definitely getting in on that action.

Results of our photo shoot:

Becky, the model



















I may have climbed through poison ivey for this artsy shot



















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