I'm Home

After a long but fun week of orientation I got to move in with my home-stay family, and I must say I hit the jackpot of host families. My host dad's name is Bosco and he is the home-stay coordinator for the program, which means if you have any problems with your home-stay you call him. My host mom's name is rose and they have three daughters. A six year old who I have not met yet because she goes to school in Kampala (boarding school is very popular in Uganda, especially in the Northern part of the country because the schools in the south have better reputations), and three year old twin girls. There are three dogs (one is a watch dog so I can't play with him, but one is a puppy so it evens out) and one cat. There are also nieces and nephews and other people living on the property who are all very friendly. I haven't figured out how everyone is related yet.

There are also a ton of small things that make my family super comfortable. They are very involved with a Catholic church in the area so I'm really looking forward to seeing what their worship is like here. I am their eighth student to host so they know what I need to learn about life here and are used to having visitors. That also means that they are not offended when I can't finish my thrid helping of rice :-) They also have a lot of friends from Minnesota so they are familiar with the state. Another huge plus is my host mom is not Acholi (the ethnic group in Gulu), so she does not speak the local language. That means English is the main language in the house. My host dad is Acholi so hopefully I will still get to practice the language.

My house is also very comfortable. I have a lot of luxuries that many of my classmates do not have. Gulu, like the rest of Uganda, is struggling with power. It is so bad in the area that my family got solar power, so I do not need to worry about having electricity. We also have indoor plumbing and a shower head that's mounted on the wall. Most of my classmates need to go outside to use the bathroom and they have to shower with a bucket. I am also lucky enough to have my own room. I feel a little spoiled with all of my conveniences, and even though I am grateful for my host family, I hope the comfort of my living situation doesn't get in the way of me learning what life is like in Northern Uganda.

Tomorrow we have our first excursion (field trip) as a class and I am SO excited. We are going to a cultural center, and rumor has it we will get to learn some traditional dances. Let's hope for some quality pictures of that experience!