So I’m in Lira, but this was only after a bus ride that I can only explain as an AWA experience…
My Bus Ride to Lira
I got to the bus at 9:30…this is after going to a bus that was going to Gulu but had a stop on the way to Lira where I could get off and change buses where they told me there were no buses going to Lira on Sundays.
So I get to the Lira bus and they tell me the bus well leave in an hour. Awesome. The put me in an aisle see in the front row that looks straight out onto the road. I was nervous about this because buses in
After 2 and a half hours on the bus, with it being stuffed past capacity we pulled out of the bus lot. Even as we were driving our people kept knocking on the bus door to be let in and would jump in as the bus continued to drive. I was told that the trip would take 4hours from multiple people so at 4 o’clock I would be in Lira. Yay!
I guess my bus trip was fairly normal because with everything that went on I seemed to be the only one that thought it wasn’t normal. We got pulled over once and from that point on all the extra passengers had to sit low to the ground and the conductor sat in the very front looking out the window.
The second time we got pulled over all the excess passengers had to get out and be counted. They got back on but our conductor was arrested.
Oh at some point there was a really drunk angry man who got kicked off. And we stopped numerous times along the side of the road for what I can only describe as Ugandan fast food. We would pull up to a village and people would run towards the bus with water, juice, beef on a stick, roasted bananas (gonja) and roasted Cassava. There were a whole bunch of other things but I’m not going to write about them now.
At 6pm we arrived in Lira…so not a 4hour bus trip but still better than Greyhound.
Also maybe now I can mention, since I’m here and everything is ok, that I came to Lira with no idea where I was living or what I was going to do once I got there. All I had was a phone number for my advisor who I had met once. Thankfully my advisor came to get me and took me to what I thought was dinner (but what turned out to be lunch) and took me to his home to stay with his family, which is where I am still staying.
My first night in Lira my advisor talked to me about the past student who had worked for them. He said that he stayed at a guest house instead of his home because he wanted his independence. He made the connection betweens Americans liking their independence and how parents send their kids away. In comparison in
I was still undecided where I was going to stay (his home or a guesthouse) but my advisor chose for me…I was staying with his family. And the home is really nice like I have more TV stations available to me at his home than I do at my own home. And then the first couple of days went by and I had rides to work, rides home, was taken to lunch, had tea and dinner prepared for me. I was treated well. But something kept bothering me.
I’m American. I’m independent. I like choosing what I eat for lunch or dinner. I like choosing when I eat. I like to decide when I stop eating. I like my me time. The whole time I’ve been in
Then I stayed with my home-stay where I had a family taking care of me. Living there I gradually was able to be more independent and I think I was lucky to have the family I did because I think they allowed me to be more independent than a lot of other families but I was still dependent to some extent.
My independent study time was supposed to be just that…independent. I was looking forward to living a lone, washing my own clothes, preparing my meals and figuring out my new town on my own. It is with this mind set that I am now living with the family in Lira where completely under their care. Which most people would like and welcome but had me yelling inside “Let me go!”
I’m still trying to reconcile my desire for independence with my current living situation but I am gradually trying to do more and more on my own. Like on Thursday I walked to work and back all by myself. I even got lunch on my own…which seemed to surprise everyone else at the office. But this may have just been because my advisor is out of town…so we’ll see.
Lira
I like Lira. It’s a cute town. It’s not the prettiest place that I’ve been in
Unlike
Lira is considered a big town and is in “competition” with Gulu to be the Northern city…the thing is down town Lira is really small. Which is nice because I don’t have to worry about getting lost.
Lira is friendly, unintimidating and I can’t wait to get to know it better.
OBAMA!!!
Leading up to the election it was so exciting to be in
On the evening of November 4 I watched the election coverage and saw people standing in line excited to vote and talking about the historic election. Then I woke up at 6am to watch the coverage. (11pm Eastern Time) And I watched as Obama quickly took the lead and was announced to have been elected president. The whole time wishing I was home, wishing I could be there with other Americans and talk to them about what was happening. So I thought that since I couldn’t I would write some of the things I wished I could say and I hope you share your thoughts with me.
McCain’s Speech
I though McCain gave a very gracious speech. I couldn’t help but think that he was a man of deep pride and honor who loved serving
I believe that he changed, caving under political pressure. Where he used to reach out to moderates, he reached out to conservatives (as was clearly evident by his VP pick) alienating many people who may have supported him. Despite all this I hope now that the old McCain, the one who also gave the speech will be present to work with and push Obama throughout the next 4years
Side note though how obnoxious are Republicans…I can’t believed they booed when McCain said Obama was his president. Clearly McCain was mature enough to handle the election results, but his party may not be
Obama’s Speech
Obama’s speech was amazing! I want a recording of it to play over and over again. There were so many points in there that I loved.
When he talked about those who didn’t vote for him and he said he was there president and he heard them. How nice is it to have a president that will listen to you when you don’t agree with him and still try and understand where you are coming from.
Maybe my favorite part was when he was talking about the way America’s viewed abroad…maybe because I am currently abroad…He said “ And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular but our destiny is shared and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand…And to those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we have proved once more the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth but from the enduring power of our ideals; democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.”
I won’t say to much more about the speech because it’s amazing and speaks for itself. I will just say that as I watched him give it and saw the people in the crowd with tears in their eyes. In my mind I was mocking them until I realized that I had tears in my eyes too.
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