Adony ba?

Moving into our homestays has by far been the most highly-anticipated moment of our trip.  To make a long story short, I lucked out big-time.

the compound.

My homestay father works for Caritas, an aid organization run by the Catholic Church.  My homestay mother works for an NGO that provides psychological support for people whose mental health has deteriorated as a result of the war.  This is something that is greatly needed here, as there is little in terms of mental health awareness.  There are "lapoya," or madmen, all over Gulu, and they scream in the streets without cause.

My homestay sister, Bridget, is a five-year-old firecracker.  She's been my best buddy since I moved in on Saturday and wants to play all the time.  She likes to "girigiri," which means "tickle" in Acholi.  Definitely my favorite vocab word so far.  She's also a bit of a biter, but we've made some progress on that front in the last few days.

my sister, Bridget.

My family is wealthy, especially by Ugandan standards.  I live in a compound with my parents, Bridget, and two little twin girls that are approaching their second birthday.  The family also has two maids and a houseboy, and they take care of the kids and the day-to-day of the house.  The parents are gone a lot on different projects (the day they were to pick me up, my mother was in Kampala and my father was in Nairobi.  Bridget came to greet me.)  I'm incredibly lucky, as some of my classmates are staying in less than desirable conditions.  I'm really enjoying my family so far, as they are younger and much more modern than we were warned to expect, which makes it much easier for me to relate to them.

my forty minute walk (five minute boda ride) home from the center of town.

The conversations we've had so far relate entirely to NGOs.  They both have a lot of experience and a perspective on foreign aid that is much different from my American opinion.  I feel its going to be eye-opening as I talk with them more about what the community needs versus what they actually get from foreign aid.  All in all, I'd say we're a perfect fit.