Rhino Tour and Great Friends

This past weekend we all took a journey together back towards southern Uganda (at least that is what they told me) to the Rhino Sanctuary. The weekend was a blast and we all had a fantastic time (other than Kate whom unfortunately got sick.) Before I go into any more detail about the Rhino Sanctuary, let me take the time to tell you a little about my roommates and friends. There are 18 of us in group 2 and we have all bonded more than I thought possible, or ever expected.

*** On a TOTAL side note*** as I was sitting in my room typing this, I was just handed the ONLY key to our hotel entrance. I am the only one here and they are all at work. I don’t know if it is such a good idea to give it to me, but I am now feeling at lot of pressure to not lose it.

Anyway, four of the 18 of us go to Pabo from Monday to Thursday each week. They are only with us Thursday night to Sunday night, and we make the best of our time together during those three nights. Stephanie and Tammy are two of the girls that are there, and they are both great. Tammy used to be a swimmer and lifeguard like myself, only I am a surf lifeguard and she was not. So my summer job position was a little more impressive than hers. After church last week I found out that Stephanie was going to be in nun and actually was in the convent for a little while. I could not believe it. She still says that it is not totally out of the question. She is very sweet and is missed when she is in Pabo.

Lance and Justine are the married couple of the group and they are like my big brother and big sister. They are extremely generous, and more importantly hilarious. I have so much fun when I am with them and all of us on the trip look up to and admire them. They are hands down two of the greatest people I have ever met in my life. Justine always asks the questions that get the group to have a great conversation. She is also an unbelievably great photographer and I cannot wait to see her pictures of the trip. Lance owns a bar in San Francisco called Blue Light and we already have plans to visit them very soon. My parents should be able to sleep a little easier on Thursday – Sunday nights knowing that they are around.
The Atanga boys leave on Monday mornings and return on Friday (although Thursday this week.) It really sucks that they have to leave because they are some of the people that I am closest to. This is Big John’s 3rd summer in a row coming here and he is like a celebrity in Gulu. The man is literally 6’11” and you can see him coming from a mile away. He is the funniest man on the trip (besides myself obviously) and can really hold his own when we are all out. EVERYONE loves him, and I would not believe someone if they said they did not love him. He would do anything for anyone (and has done a lot for a lot of us.) I look forward to spending many Kentucky Derby’s with him and I am never worried about getting lost when he is around because he is so massive.

Kevin and Bill are the two other guys in Atanga. They actually met in college and have been lovers ever since. Just kidding. Kevin now lives in Colorado and Bill in Washington DC. I actually changed my plans on the way home and I am going to Amsterdam with the two of the when we leave here next month. Kevin is absolutely hysterical and loves to be silly. He always talks in a ridiculous accent when he is talking to the Acholi people because it makes him feel like he is speaking in a different language. Bill is hysterical too, but in a different way than Kevin. I am actually the only person on the trip that likes Bill. Just kidding, Kevin likes him too. He is very nice and has a very dry sense of humor, which I love. We have already made plans to visit each other on a bi-weekly basis, but then realized that that was ridiculous and not necessary. We then changed it to a monthly basis and realized that even that was not necessary and finally decided on a bi-monthly basis which I think is perfect and very reasonable. I am sure we will call each other bi-hourly every day though. We all miss these guys terribly when they are gone and I even sometimes stand at Bill’s door and knock on it asking if he can come out and play, obviously getting no response. It makes everyone laugh and it never gets old.
The other 11 of us are permanently living at Katharina’s and are continuing to bond every day. We all had a very great conversation last night before and during dinner about relationships and personal experiences. We were all sharing and comfortable to tell each other personal stories as if we have been friends for years.

The 3 girls that are at St, Mary’s Lacor school are Wendy, Lindsey, and Mandie. They are all special in their own way. Wendy is also in her third summer coming to Gulu and is extremely generous and giving. She seems to have a genuine concern about us and is always willing to help someone or lend advice. It is wonderful having her with us and sharing her past experiences in Gulu. Lindsey is hysterical and by FAR my favorite things about her (although there are many) is how hard she laughs at my jokes. She always laughs the longest and the hardest. Every time she laughs I say to the group “That is why Lindsey is my favorite. All you have to do is laugh very hard at my jokes, harder than Lindsey, and you will be my favorite.” Nobody really seems to be too concerned about being my favorite anymore and most of the time people just ignore me when I say that, but Lindsey knows how much I appreciate her. Finally, Mandie is absolutely awesome. She has three kids and her oldest is 21 years old. She has the best taste in music in the entire group besides me. She is very funny, extremely nice, and an absolute joy to have around. The trip would not be the same without her and I am so happy she is with us. She has had to deal with my whining and complaining more than anyone (except Michael my roommate, but more on him later) because I always sit next to her on our long journeys because she lets me sprawl out wherever we are. On the 6 hour drive from Kampala to Gulu she must have heard “I’m tired” “I’m hungry/starving” “I’m uncomfortable” “My butt hurts” “I have a headache” or “I’m bored” AT LEAST 5 times each. She handled it like a champion and definitely deserves a medal. This weekend on the mutatu to the Rhino Sanctuary there was 12 seats. There were ten of us. Everyone had their own seat and I had THREE seats. I was lying down on 2 and had my big bag on a third, which I was using as a pillow. This extremely selfish decision on my part forced Mandie to squeeze into the corner of the mutatu, but she never complained once. She even took a picture of me after I realized what I was doing and thought it was hysterical. Poor Lance, had ZERO leg room, and was in pain the whole time. I feel bad about it now, but I was real tired and needed my rest.

The three girls I spend the most time with are Lisa, Sharon, and Kate because they are with me at my school. I am very happy with my group because they are all wonderful girls and a lot of fun to be with. Lisa and Sharon are both from South Carolina. We have so many laughs together based on some of the ridiculous, unbelievable things we experience on our way to school and once we are at school. Sharon actually just learned how to play poker this weekend and already won Sunday night’s poker game. I was pretty mad, but she won fair and square and deserved the recognition. She also came to Kat’s with Bill, Michael and I on Sunday night to watch the Brazil and US soccer game. She even outlasted me, as I came home at half-time. Very impressive Sharon. Sharon and I also are usually home when the Atanga boys leave and we stand outside waving and we always joke that we are like a mom and dad waving goodbye to our kids going to college. Sharon was also part of the most frightening Boda Boda ride I have had yet. We shared a Boda Boda coming home from school and I was LITERALLY holding on for my life. I seriously thought I was going to fall off and Sharon was laughing, which made me laugh and thus made it that much harder to hang on. We have since decided that things will work much better if I put her backpack on my backpack when we share Boda Boda’s.

Lisa had the unfortunate duty of sitting next to me during the VERY LONG handover ceremony at our school last weekend. We were laughing so hard, but had to hide our laughter because we were the guests of the ceremony and were basically on stage facing hundreds of people. It was very difficult to do, and we have a lot of great quotes from that day. I am very happy Lisa was next to me, because she totally appreciated my reactions. When I was pulled onto the dance floor forced to try and dance the Acholi dance, I saw Lisa crying because she was laughing so hard at me. I basically was jogging in place and I am sure that image will forever be etched into her mind.

Kate is the other girl that is at school with us. She is originally from Connecticut but now lives in Texas. I am very happy that Kate is here and we have gotten pretty close. From day one people were saying we were like brother and sister, or like a married couple. Either way, we have a pretty cool relationship which I am sure will continue for quite some time. She was one of the first people that I bonded with. When I met the crew at JFK she was the only person with a “beverage” in front of her. By that point (after checking in, security, customs) I was ready for a drink and seeing Kate was like seeing an angel. We have been close ever since, and Kate will be the first to tell me I am too loud or I need to stop doing something. She is very open and honest and I respect that. Everyone needs a Kate in their life.
The final group of us is the Gulu High group. The four people in that group are Matt, Annie, John, and Michael.

Matt is back this summer for a second year in a row and I actually read Matt’s blog about last year before I even knew him, so it was kind of like meeting a mini-celebrity. Matt is such a nice guy and since the Atanga boys have left (matt and big john are close because of last summer) Matt and I are getting closer every day. He really steps it up when we go out and sometimes is actually a bad influence on me, which I LOVE. Just kidding. He has a lot of knowledge about the Acholi culture and always has some information to share with us. With only four of us guys left here during the week, I am very thankful that Matt is back this summer and can’t wait to get to know him more over the next month.

Annie is back for her second summer as well. She lives in New York and is going to be a movie star one day. She is an amazing artist, actress, and person. She is so deep and intelligent and I love to just listen to her talk. She has a huge heart and seems genuinely interested in all of our stories and all of our past experiences. It seems like no matter what we are talking about she has something profound to say. She is a fantastic person and I am sure I will take the short drive to NYC to visit her often.

John (or Little John as to not confuse him with Big John) is someone that I look up to. He is 31 and the father of 2 beautiful little girls. He has dedicated so much time and energy into Invisible Children. He could possibly be the nicest guy I have ever met and is here for absolutely all the right reasons. He is making a difference in so many kids lives and has selflessly left behind his family for 6 weeks to make a difference. It is much easier for someone like me to do something like this because I do not have the responsibilities that he has. He has already formed many close relationships with Acholi students and the Acholi people in general. I really admire the guy and for those of you that know me, know that I do not say that too often.

The final person in the group is Michael. I could literally copy and paste just about everything good that I said about everyone and it would pertain to this guy (except that he does not own a bar in San Francisco). After 2 and a half weeks with this kid I think of him like a brother. I know that I may not be the easiest person to live with in general let alone sharing a SMALL BEDROOM with me for 6 weeks. Michael has taught me so much already and shared his personal stories with me, which inspires me to be a better person. I have never laughed so hard with someone and then immediately after have a totally deep, serious conversation which could go on for hours. The rest of the crew often complains that they hear us talking like little school girls at night, which makes it difficult for them to sleep. I always tell him to quiet down but he is too loud and can’t seem to whisper (or maybe that is me.) Anyway, this guy will be a life-long friend and that is an absolute fact.
We also have Catherine living with us who is our leader. She is really cool as well and extremely talented. She is doing some amazing things with her life and is also someone that I look up to. She is also based in NYC and I hope to see her often.
These 18 people have made this adventure the best few weeks of my life and no matter what happens I will take these friendships with me forever. There is absolutely no price tag you could put on having 18 good friends across the country. This is not even counting the group 1 girls with whom I have been getting closer with. They are some amazing people and their stories continue to astound me. I will meet group 3 tonight and I am sure they will be just as incredible.

I have also gotten pretty close with some of the Acholi teachers. The MAJOR point that they are stressing to us in the teachers exchange program is to build relationships with our Acholi teachers. The reason for this is because while it would be fantastic if the Acholi students we are working with for a few weeks get something out of us being here, it is much more important for the Acholi teachers to get something out of us being here. Weather it is new techniques, or styles of teaching, or whether it is simply building close international bonds with us, the main point is to work with them and to become friends with them. Tomorrow I will be at school most of the day and I hope to spend it with Tony. He is the most soft-spoken gentile person I have ever met. He is probably the total opposite of me, but we have bonded and we will continue to have a friendship and bond long after I leave Gulu. Hopefully one day I will even be able to get him out to the States and experience everyday life in America.

I think that I have went on long enough for today even though I did not even get to the Rhino Sanctuary. I simply wanted to tell everyone about the amazing people here so when I mention their names from now on at least you will have some sort of clue as to who I am referring to.

Tomorrow I will post about the Rhino Sanctuary and about my experience proctoring the examinations tomorrow. I am sure you will all be holding your breath. Until next time.
-Ryan