Gulu

"Is it possible we found the place where parents teach their kids not to stare?" - Rebekah Adams

Mind's Eye Snap Shots:
Women in trousers

Broken Bodies

Humid

Altered gaits

Extreme Scarring

Women riding bicycles

Smiling Faces

Laughing Children

Clean streets

Well Kept houses

Children speaking incredible English

Hot

No staring

No pointing

Helpful people

Quiet

Men working

No begging

Mothers urging children to greet us with "aphoyo" (thank you) rather than "empa" (give me)

Old women in the market with no English eager to teach us new words

Gulu is so very different from the Ug I have known for the past 8 months. We walk the busy yet quiet streets unhindered. People actually smile at us. People go out of their way to help us. I haven't been shoved once here.

What is the cause? How can it be? Gulu and her people have been caught in a civil war lasting almost 20 years. These people have been taken hostage, murdered, tortured, their children kidnapped, homes and communities destroyed. Caught between the LRA and Ug's soldiers you would expect a different air here.

Children walk with a dance step. "Bye!!" the young ones squeal in delight when they see us coming. The best crown molding, painting, and tile work i have seen anywhere in Uganda.

The Acholi/Luo language sounds foreign to my ears attuned for Rukiga. The straight forward "sound" rules I have adhered to are thrown out the window. It seems as though each word's pronunciation is an exception to the rule. You can almost hear my mind sorting through my brain's file system, frantically searching for the proper response. Nigye. No. Bien, No. Fine, No. Kope! got it!

Some things remain familiar: corny radio commercials, funny advertisements, delicious african tea, amazing fruits, beautiful children, same red dirt as in Kabale, Indian run supermarkets and electronic stores.

But something is different.

Forgiveness.

In the mountain villages of the South I have oft been told that to forgive is impossible. You must never forget when you have been "abused". Retaliation is the only option. Here in the flat lands of the North I see a different message. Murals on walls paint pictures of peace, forgiveness, reconciliation and hope. I search for anger and bitterness on the faces I pass and find only a handful.

Having been here only a few days I can not make a generalization about the place, the people, or their future, but I will say this: from what I have seen, even if war does return in January, if these forgiveness-filled people will continue walking in love I believe they will not only survive, but live.