The Coffee Hut, Tuesday, May 22 at 11:00 am, African time

So, African time takes some adjustment. The best laid plans can be accomplished but at a pace that teaches patience. Although I was up early knowing that we were going to Gulu Referral Hospital today, I hadn't considered that my plans aren't everyone else's. The morning bucket bath takes time. Some water is heated over the charcoal for a bath and while that's heating, all the dishes from the night before are put out on the lawn for washing. One of the girls (Santo's nieces), Eunice, was washing dishes before school so we did them together. I took my bath then, Santo took his, then Annie. Meanwhile, Mego Daisy is making tea. By the time we are sitting down (Daisy doesn't have this meal with us), talk a bit about the plans for the day, and get ready to go (Santo's van and driver were giving us a ride to the hospital today), it was about 9:20. Dr. David was already in the middle of giving exams (for the medical students) so we waited for him and he led us to the clinic which was very, very crowded. Apparently it is busiest at the beginning of the week. The clinic is for HIV/AIDS patients only. There were many women, children, and some men. One of the sisters (nurses) greeted us and we set a time to interview her tomorrow morning. Annie will find a translator,(most likely Wow (sp.?) who is a very bright, personable and gentle young man who is without a job since his NGO project has concluded its work). He is Santo's nephew. So, no interviews today. That's how it goes. I may not be a part of the interviews since three people in a room with a patient might be intimidating. This brings up another issue. I haven't taken as many pictures of Gulu as I would like. I have plenty of pictures of the Okemo family. But taking pictures of the market, a shop, a street seems disrespectful, or at least I think it might. It might be interpreted as my wanting to capture the "oddities" of this town, country and culture. So I take the pictures very quickly when I can. Even now, I am watching a woman carrying a 4-5 gallon yellow plastic jug of water on her head (can you imagine?) across the street but if I were to whip out my camera, it would be impolite. This afternoon we are going with Santo and Daisy (whoa! Daisy too!) to see their future home in Pece (another area in Gulu - we are presently in the Laroo area). The Pece home will be bigger but Santo has already planted most of the trees that are in the Laroo compound. That's important to him. I think that might be because 1.) he LOVES fruit and the trees that produce them and 2.) the loss of trees, livestock, and agriculture because of the war makes having all these trees a source of pride. Then we will see the two acres that they own and have cultivated. Although most of what we eat has come from Daisy's compound, there are things bought at the market. And apparently Daisy sells some of her produce from the two acres as well. This brings me to another part of yesterday. We offered to buy beef to bring home from town yesterday so Annie took me to the market (a very large row of tables or shops under a long tin roof) to buy the beef. She warned me that it would not look appetizing. There are flies everywhere, and I mean everywhere. The smells aren't pleasant since it is a mixture of fish, meat and vegetable that have been out in the air for hours and hours. Annie chose the 2 kilos of beef (yes, she knew which meat she wanted) and we took it in a bag, with probably some flies going along for the ride. It was beef that looked very fresh and cost 8,000 schillings or about $5.00 US. That's not inexpensive in Ugandan terms. Daisy cooked the beef by boiling it (for a long time!) and it was served with posho (a very moist bread made with maize flour and water and cooked over the charcoal then formed into an oval). Finally, last night Santo talked about the present situation in South Sudan. Northern Uganda shares a border with South Sudan. Kony and the rebels are there and in the CAR (Central African Republic), and the Congo. He says that the rebels are in an area that is approximately the size of California. He also says that they are terrorizing and killing many in South Sudan and are being given aid in the form of weapons by Sudan. So the war between Sudan and South Sudan is more complicated than I realized. He is concerned about this and thinks that the world doesn't know the extent of Kony's influence because it is downplayed ("Kony's finished") by the media. I don't know why that is the case. I'll have to ask Santo later. I realize that this is one man's perspective and that there is always more complexity but still, I take what he says seriously. I have to write more about last night, including the many, many jokes Daisy and I share, including how I have to ride the bike to my son's (Eliza's) school to bring him the pullover sweater he forgot. I will have to bring bananas so that I can throw them to the baboons so they won't beat me. Then I will bathe in the Nile before I come back to Laroo. Eunice, Janet, Daisy and I danced the African way to the music on the radio under the sky exploding with stars. I brought out my iPad and played Aretha Franklin's "Respect" as well as "Stand By Me" and "My Girl." I taught the girls and Samuel how to dance my way (1960s-1970s). The girls were a riot and loved my ridiculous moves. Annie watched and I'm sure she was thinking that, as usual, her mother looked absurd but I think she really didn't care. After all, as Daisy says often, referring to a joke she shared with Annie last fall, "you dance, or you don't dance. You are free. It's up to you!" By the way, Daisy tells tall stories with a straight face. She is very funny.