Today we visited Gulu Senior, Sir Samuel Baker, Atanga, and Awere. It was truly incredible. We would get to a school and the students would come out. They would greet us, we would begin to talk and they would tell us about their school and the classes they were taking. At Gulu Secondary School I met a young boy named Stephen, he was in S4 and wanted to do find a career that dealt with economics in the future. We talked about sports, basketball and frisbee, as well as our favorite subjects. He invited me to come back to the school that night to play basketball with him and his friends (but of course I couldn’t). When it came time to leave I found it difficult to say goodbye, because, I know I more than likely won’t be able to return to see him again. Before we left I had Alex Ammons take a picture of Stephen & I together - I won’t ever forget him. Later, when we visited Atanga Secondary School I met young man named Isaac, he is the captain of his classroom and very proud of the fact. Isaac enjoys learning Biology and Chemistry and as he showed me around the school he attempted to teach me some Lwo I had not yet learned. I think he was a little surprised I was so terrible at remembering (I’m American, so he thought I should easily remember... but I couldn’t). So we resorted to laughing about how difficult it was for me to pronounce words that were so simple for him. When I asked Isaac what his plans for the future were he told me he wanted to be a doctor and travel to the United States. Isaac invited me to his home that night to meet his family and see where he lived - but I knew I could not but assured him I gladly would if I were able. Before we left Atanga I asked John to take a picture of Isaac and I, I could see a look of sadness wash over his face as he realized we would more than likely never see each other again. But there was a passion in his eyes you do not see every day and I know he will achieve what it is he wants to do. Isaac lives in conditions most would scoff at, but with the help of Invisible Children and Schools for Schools there is hope. The students at Isaac’s school (Atanga) have an Invisible Children Club called “Bright Star” because, as he told me, “The hope Invisible Children brings is like a bright and shining star”. Isaac is part of this group and spoke highly of it. We then travelled to Awere “Original Site” and saw first-hand the school students from Awere “Displaced” will be returning to in January 2010. The site was beautiful and the classrooms well finished. It will be incredibly exciting for the students when they’re able to move back. The rehabilitation of Awere school is vital for the development of the north, in part because the LRA’s Leader, Joseph Kony, grew up there. As we left Awere and made our journey back to the intern house we took a detour along the way. As the matatus slowed on the side of the road and we set foot on solid ground we beheld a small village and in the background a large rock that almost appeared to be some sort of small mountain. This was the rock Joseph Kony visited as a youth and the place he claims to have been possessed by the spirits to commit horrible atrocities. The location has been named Kony Rock by the locals and is generally left alone, it’s not a place you go to visit, it’s just too taboo. As we climbed to the top it was so hard to believe a location so beautiful had been tainted by such evil - the view matched, if not rivaled the view from the top of the mountain at Fort Patiko. I almost felt guilty for being in such awe, this is the place where it all started, how could I feel like I was standing on one of the most beautiful places on earth?
As we were driving through the country today I felt so happy. I feel that every person is born with a small hole in their heart, but you never know what it is that will fill it up. Uganda, for me, is filling my heart - I feel so happy and at home here it’s incredible. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have been granted this opportunity.
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