Day 8: Back to Gulu

We returned to Gulu today, Thursday, said farewell to Murchison. We’d miss the beauty of the lodge and the luxury of the meals. Gulu isn’t quite as glamourous with their accommodations or or food availability. But, Gulu DID have air conditioning where Murchison did not! We took a different road back to Gulu this time. Instead of traversing over interstates which would be smoother, but take longer, we went along a dirt road that took us past several villages and IDP camps. This was MUCH more rough, but definitely favored all around. We got to see the “real Uganda” here--as if we hadn’t seen enough already. Part of it was enlightening. What seemed so hard to grasp before -- the grass-topped huts, women carrying firewood on their heads, men using whatever means necessary to cart what they needed -- was no longer so shocking anymore. Not that I suddenly accepted the poverty. But, I realized that these people have lived this way for thousands of years. They have families, well-behaved children, and close-knit communities that we don’t have in the states. Why is that? They are not unhappy (as a general rule) with their lot in life, and I wonder if they see “Muzungus” as trying to destroy their heritage as we are so infamous for doing. Yes, they need healthcare education; yes, they have political unrest; yes, they have social problems. But, the core of their society is very positive. Some, of course, see whites as their savior. The solution to all their problems.

This evening, we went out to eat and met Lucy, a Gulu resident and former employee of World Vision (before they pulled out of the area a few years ago). I don’t know all the details of her story, but I do know that at one point, she was forced to run away from home with nothing more than her school books. And this past year, the government had her brother killed because he was speaking out against corruption. Currently, she’s getting ready to undergo surgery for a large cyst on her ovaries. She’s had a difficult run, that’s for sure.