The first thing I heard when I arrived in Nairobi was P-I-M-P by 50 cent on the radio. The second thing was Waterfalls by TLC. Classic Nairobi. I arrived at the Sankara at 9:30 p.m., had to run over to my friend's place and pick up a phone - but alas, we think it got stolen from her room.... So, back at the Sankara, no phone, had to be up in 4 hours to leave for Gulu. ugh. So, off to the airport, 5:30 a.m., 4 suitcases left at the Sankara, 1 backpack and a passport, and I was on my way. My friend Sophia met me in Entebbe.
It's been 2 years since I've been to Gulu, and 2 years since I've seen any of my dear, dear friends from the Northern Uganda Transition Initiative (NUTI) program... the NUTIzens we called ourselves. I came into town for a NUTI wedding - our operations manager, Bill, was marrying an Acholi lady named Joanna. Bill is a delight if I ever met one, and Joanna is equally delightful. So, 2 days of flying, 5 hours' drive to Gulu, and a minor car accident later... (our driver's fault, no one was hurt)... Sophia and I arrived in Gulu town. Gulu has changed quite a bit since I was there - there's a even an Uchumi Supermarket now! big time. We stayed with Sophie's cousin Joy, and her daughter Abby. Friday, we went out for Ethiopian food - but the restaurant has moved twice since I lived there... so we had to do a little searching. On the way there, we ran into Lydia, Patricia, and Lindah. Lydia said her heart stopped beating when she saw me! It was a great moment. And a greater hug.
The next day I woke up with about 100 mosquito bites all over my arms & legs. Way to not turn down the mosquito net, girls. You would think we were n00bs. Well, after a quick trip to the supermarket for breakfast (pizza, that's right) - we got ourselves all ready to go. You should have seen us. Actually, you will - I'll post pictures. Now I knew a few things from my last Acholi wedding:
1. You always, always wear a long dress.
2. You wear as many colors as you can find. Color blocking was invented by the acholis.
3. You never, ever, ever expect things to be on time. There is a lot of waiting involved in Uganda in general, and even more so at weddings! Eat in advance - dinner will certainly be later than you expect!
4. It's a bit confusing - but you first do the negotiation of the bride price, then the introduction, then the giving away of the bride to her husband's family - this can be several different events, or it can be one long ceremony, or a whole slew of mini-events. Then there's a civil ceremony in a church (that can be a few months later - up to several years).
5. Dancing inevitably goes late into the night. You can get involved in dancing at almost any point. It's encouraged.
There are a lot more ins and outs than this, but for the mzungus - that's the basics. So, we arrived on time, grabbed some lunch, and waited. And waited... and you're going to have to wait too... for part 2 of this blog post and pictures!
It's been 2 years since I've been to Gulu, and 2 years since I've seen any of my dear, dear friends from the Northern Uganda Transition Initiative (NUTI) program... the NUTIzens we called ourselves. I came into town for a NUTI wedding - our operations manager, Bill, was marrying an Acholi lady named Joanna. Bill is a delight if I ever met one, and Joanna is equally delightful. So, 2 days of flying, 5 hours' drive to Gulu, and a minor car accident later... (our driver's fault, no one was hurt)... Sophia and I arrived in Gulu town. Gulu has changed quite a bit since I was there - there's a even an Uchumi Supermarket now! big time. We stayed with Sophie's cousin Joy, and her daughter Abby. Friday, we went out for Ethiopian food - but the restaurant has moved twice since I lived there... so we had to do a little searching. On the way there, we ran into Lydia, Patricia, and Lindah. Lydia said her heart stopped beating when she saw me! It was a great moment. And a greater hug.
The next day I woke up with about 100 mosquito bites all over my arms & legs. Way to not turn down the mosquito net, girls. You would think we were n00bs. Well, after a quick trip to the supermarket for breakfast (pizza, that's right) - we got ourselves all ready to go. You should have seen us. Actually, you will - I'll post pictures. Now I knew a few things from my last Acholi wedding:
1. You always, always wear a long dress.
2. You wear as many colors as you can find. Color blocking was invented by the acholis.
3. You never, ever, ever expect things to be on time. There is a lot of waiting involved in Uganda in general, and even more so at weddings! Eat in advance - dinner will certainly be later than you expect!
4. It's a bit confusing - but you first do the negotiation of the bride price, then the introduction, then the giving away of the bride to her husband's family - this can be several different events, or it can be one long ceremony, or a whole slew of mini-events. Then there's a civil ceremony in a church (that can be a few months later - up to several years).
5. Dancing inevitably goes late into the night. You can get involved in dancing at almost any point. It's encouraged.
There are a lot more ins and outs than this, but for the mzungus - that's the basics. So, we arrived on time, grabbed some lunch, and waited. And waited... and you're going to have to wait too... for part 2 of this blog post and pictures!
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