Tuesday 6-16-09

Today we departed the Backpackers Hostel in Kampala. It was a really great place, I would definitely recommend it to anyone considering traveling though Kampala anytime soon.
On the way to Gulu we stopped at a place called Bavubuka. It was by far my favorite part of the trip yet. It is a place where dedicated to getting kids to express themselves through music and dance. I am sure you all know that I am not the biggest hip hop fan in the world, so I have to admit that I was not too thrilled to make a stop here; especially considering how tired I was. I cannot even begin to explain how awesome these kids were. They did some hip hop for us, all of which sent out positive messages as opposed to what most US rap is. One of the main kids really took a liking to me (not shockingly) because he liked my “style.” He told me that blue was his favorite color and I was obviously wearing blue from head to toe. We bonded real quick and the connection was incredible. I ended up giving him my blue “Kentucky Derby” hat (I know, it was VERY nice of me.) He was speechless and said he would wear it everyday and think of me. GROUP 3 – when you see some kid with a Derby hat on when you go there in 2 weeks, you will now understand why. Tell him I said Apwoyo (Hello.) It was actually pretty emotional, and I can not believe how much I loved it. It instantly made me appreciate everything I have and admire these guys for being so nice and so happy when they do not have hardly anything. I purchased a CD from them and will share with anyone interested when I get back to the States. You can also check them out online. I am not sure what their website it, but just google “Bavubuka” and I am sure it will be easy to find.
After leaving the guys at Bavubuka we headed to Gulu. The ride was long, and everyone was yelling at me because I kept complaining about how hot, tired, sick, uncomfortable, and restless I was. It was all worth it for the quick glimpse we got of the Nile River. It was absolutely breathtaking. We could take pictures for some government reason, but we are going on the river before we go home, so we will be able to take some pics then.
We arrived in Gulu at sundown and I have to admit I was a little nervous because of the uncertainty of the whole environment. We couldn’t see much and there are no street lights to guide the way. My nervousness lasted for about 10 minutes because once we entered our hotel, I was about as excited as I have ever been. It is awesome here, and I could not be any happier. There are about 12 rooms. I am sharing a room with Michael and we could not get along any better. He is one lucky guy for being able to share a room with me for the next 50 days. We are all so close already that we feel like we have known each other our whole lives. I can’t begin to tell you how close you get to total strangers when you go through something like this together. While I get along with everyone here, and genuinely care about all these people as if they were family members; there are a few of these guys that I am 100% positive I will be very good friends with for the rest of my life.
Enough, about that. After checking out our hotel we went to dinner at Katharina’s restaurant. We were all exhausted, but managed to throw back a few Nile Specials and talk about how we were feeling now that we were finally here. When we got back to our hotel the girls from Group 1 were there to greet us. It was very comforting to know that they have been here for 2 weeks and were LOVING it. There are 9 girls from group 1, so they were very excited to finally see some men in our group. They all seem real cool and I look forward to getting to know them.
When the girls left, I took my first Gulu “shower.” It was with FREEZING cold water, and I had to pour it on me from a bucket. To tell you the truth it was the most unsatisfying, frustrating shower I have ever taken in my life. So I probably will be taking showers sporadically.

OK, we are going to eat now, so I will go, but I will post soon. Hope you all are all enjoying summer. I miss you all and I will talk to you soon. Again, we are VERY SAFE and VERY HAPPY, and can’t wait to meet the new kids in group 3.