Lira

---

Hello,

I’m back in Kampala after a short visit to Lira. Three of my friends from the program want to do their independent study projects with formerly abducted child soldiers. So they went to Lira with the aim of talking with organizations doing just that.

We boarded a bus in downtown Kampala after some confusion on where exactly the bus terminal was. As we got on the bus the driver started moving people out of their seats so that we, the muzungus, could have a seat. This was very uncomfortable and some people were yelling at us and the driver. I wanted to just get off the bus at that point, but we didn’t. There was no room for my luggage, so it sat on my lap the whole trip. My legs and butt went numb at some point, and I kept passing in and out from heat exhaustion. They pack people on to the buses, every seat was full, with children sitting on their parent’s laps, and people lined the isle standing or sitting on their luggage.

The four of us were very tired and delirious by the time the bus made it to Lira. As we were standing in the parking lot we noticed that Hope had poop all over her leg -babies don’t wear diapers here, so they go any where, any time. Hope must have brushed against some on her way off the bus. Zack, who had sat at the back of the bus, told us that the little girl next to him just squatted and went to the bathroom right next to him.

We met with a friend of one of the ladies who works in our resource center. She helped us find a hotel and showed us around town and where to eat. That evening we met with two men, one runs a rehabilitation center for children who are handicapped and formerly abducted child soldiers. The other man is a political figure, I’m not exactly sure that he does, but he was able to give us some contact information.

The next morning we went to the rehabilitation school. When we got there they told us that we were going to be the guest speaker that day for the children. The school has the capacity for 300 students, but currently only had 26, so everyone was in one classroom. The students sag songs for us and asked questions about the US -what is the marriage system like, why do we have troops in Iraq, where is Osama bin Laden. I was impressed by how knowledgeable the kids were on world politics. After that we went to a secondary school that used to be a rehabilitation center, but was now functioning only as a school. Then we drove to an Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp where people are living because there is insecurity in their homeland in northern Uganda. This was an intense experience -I was overwhelmed by the state of the children who were malnourished. We didn’t stay long though because we couldn’t find the village leader to answer our questions.

The next day we woke up early and boarded the bus for our return trip. This time the bus was a little less crowded. Well, less people, more chickens. At one point one woman lost her chicken and it was crawling around somewhere under our seats. The trip took twice as long this time -7 hours. Needless to say we were delirious again and couldn’t stop laughing by the time we rolled in to Kampala.

Now it’s Sunday and I’m with my homestay family. I’ve already done my wash, so I think I may go for a walk. There are miles of dusty roads here that I have yet to explore. This week we’re doing field visits for our in-depth study -grassroots. Next Sunday we leave for our eastern Uganda excursion. This is when we live with a rural family in their village. I’m very excited for this part of the program. We are also stopping off at a couple waterfalls where we’ll be able to hike around.

-B

---

Comments

[Barbara Dixon]

Olyotya!!
Kikati Brit!! Your trip sounds amazing!! I'm so envious that you went up north, and impressed that you braved the bus system to do so!! Im going to send you an email soon! But, for now, go to Masala Chaat House for a masala dosa..its cheap and delicious and im missing that place a lot! stay safe! -barbara