My name is Aya

Sorry that the updating has been pretty non-existent (the internet connection is pretty non-existent) and I would rather be spending time in the town instead of the hot frustrating internet cafe. Anyways, I moved in with an Acholi family and I absolutely love them! I have 8 host brothers, which is why my name is Aya (it means the girl among boys) which my host father thought was very fitting since I also only have brothers in the states. My host parents both work in education (the mother is a deputy headmistress at a primary school and the dad is in charge of education for the whole Gulu region). The first night was a little awkward, and they constantly think that I am wasting away to nothing because they don't think that I am eating enough. But overall I am so happy to be with them and am really sad that I have to leave in a week.

We had spent our first week in Gulu sitting through lectures on the history and politics surrounding the conflict, but we just got back from our first experiential learning trip. We went to Kitgum where we met with Child Mothers (women who are about my age who were abducted and as a result of those abductions now have children) who have returned from the bush and we heard some of their stories and it was so overwhelming. We had just spent time discussing how great it was for people to come back from the bush and to be reintegrated and live happily agian with their families, but to see that it doesn't always happen and that these women have almost no means for improving their situation of the situations of their children is so heartbreaking.

It is really starting to hit me just how truly devastating this conflict really is, no matter how much you read in books or watch in movies it is so hard to really understand what it means to the people. Like my host brother Patrick who is 20 has never lived when there is not armed conflict. He has spent nights sleeping in army bunkers fearing that he is going to be abducted by the LRA. I still can't wrap my mind around never knowing anything close to peace. There is just so much that has happened and my mind has just been blown so many times and with things that I can for sure not say on the internet but I just already have so much to say and process that I can't imagine what it is going to be like in 3 months.

Anyways again the internet is stopping me. I hope that you are all doing well!

Cwingi Yom,
Aya