It's not goodbye, it's see you later!

Michelle, Me, Jon Bosco, Merina, and Mama infront of the house

I’m finishing my final hours in my homestay now.  It’s bittersweet because as hectic as it always is, I’m going to miss the hussle and bussle of the Aludi house.  And as challenging as it was for me to have the little sisters (who officially turned four on Friday!), I love them so much and am fearing not having them around all the time.  I mean, my alarm clock broke, how will I wake up at 6:30 anymore?

Friends, Merina, and me dancing at the party

In about 30 minutes (which will probably turn into some time in the next 2 hours) we are having our farewell party.  Mama took me to town and had a dress made for me so I will be a real Acholi woman this afternoon.  This culture is the most accepting I have ever experienced.  Even if you just greet someone with a few Acholi words they instantly say, “Ah, you are Acholi now.”  I love it!  Hoping I can find someone to say “Kop ango?” to back in the US.

 Well a little update, I was in Mbale this past week for about 3 days.  Erik thought it would take 4 hours to get there, but it ended up taking 10, so our time was very limited.  But we did get to enjoy Sipi Falls.  It’s a beautiful place in the mountains of Eastern Uganda (where the temperature is significantly lower) that includes a number of waterfalls and hiking paths.  We got to play in the first fall for a while and cool off, but as we set out for our 2 hour hike, it started to downpour.  It was a lot of fun, but I made the misktake of wearing my showershoes that day, and because when the mud gets wet, it gets thick and cakey.  So my shoes lasted about a total of 5 minutes before they fell apart.  The next 2 hours I enjoyed the cold rain, amazing views, and possibility of getting jiggers in my feet.  I swear by the time we reached the van I had at least 3 inches of mud caked to my feet, almost like I had created some sort of natural shoes.

Destroyed shoes, tried to leave them in town for a local, but when I woke up the next morning someone had cleaned them, fixed them, and placed them outside of my door!

Two of the falls!

               

In Mbale we also visited a children’s home.  It is more of a rehabilitation center for street children.  It practices sustainable methods by giving the children a place to go to school for free and a safe place to spend the day, while also learning life skills and receive the needed psychological support.  It reminded me of a place in Guatemala that worked in a similar manner, rewarding successful students after time.  At first it may seem counterintuitive to send a street child back out after a day of lessons, but this place actually provides them with the knowledge to handle their living situations in a productive manner.

It was awesome to come back to Gulu and be received so warmly by my family.  Maybe its because we have short time left together, but we are just so excited to do things together now!  I cooked for mama last night while she watched her favorite soap “Beautiful but Unlucky.”  She really loves the quesadillas I make.  And I’ve gotten pretty good at making my own chippati.  Mama told me out of the 9 students she has had, only one other attempted to cook for her.  When I asked what, she couldn’t even speak she was laughing so hard.  Apparently the girl boiled apples (the most expensive fruit here) and the poured sugar on top.  Mama said it was so bad no one could force it down.  +1 for Charlotte!

After that, I met up with friends to go to a Halloween party at the Invisible Children house.  It was an interesting experience.  First off, I’ve forgotten what its like to be part of the majority.  So many muzugus there!  People got pretty into their costumes, too, which was pretty cool to experience in Uganda.  Rachelle and I ended up dressing as sailors, thinking we were going all out, but people literally were unrecognizable in body paint and extravagant getups.

Well I move into my new house tomorrow.  I’m excited for a change of scenery but I know I’ll be back here all the time for Mama’s cooking and her words of wisdom.  Its funny the ups and downs I’ve had with this family, and although there are some things that I just can’t bring myself to accept here, I overall love love love my Mama and sisters.