I have been back in Gulu for about two weeks now.  Rwanda was very emotional, and I am glad I was able to experience it.  It has been nice being back in Gulu, seeing familiar territory, and seeing familiar people.  It's also nice to use the little Acholi that we have learned.

Currently, I am in my first official week of independent research.  I no longer have any classes, I am solely attending to my internship and conducting my research.  My research topic is still the same: relief efforts of the World Health Organization pre-, during, and post-conflict in northern Uganda so I am looking at between 1987 and present-day.

I am interning with the World Health Organization office in Gulu.  This not only allows for me to conduct research on this exact topic, it allows for me to learn more about the organization.  My dream is to work for the World Health Organization one day, so this feels closer to making that dream a reality.

Goodbye Rwanda, Hello Uganda

Tomorrow, I will be leaving Rwanda and heading back to Uganda.  It will take 3 days for us to make our way back to Gulu.  It has been an interesting experience in Rwanda, a very emotional one.  Seeing the memorials of the genocide is something that I would recommend for everyone to experience.  The amount of development that the country has undergone over the past 20 years is stunning.

Also the amount of forgiveness is humbling.  People on both sides of the conflict are living side by side.  I went to a women's group in Butare which consists of widows and perpetrators's wives.  It was humbling to see the women working together after the genocide.

It's very bitter-sweet leaving Rwanda.  This is definitely a place I would like to return to, however I'm excited to go back to Gulu and start my research.

Rwanda by pictures.

View of Kigali:

 Murambi Memorial Site in which thousands of Tutsi were killed during the genocide:

View from Murambi, surrounded by hills, which did not allow anyone to escape because they would be seen.

On our way back from Murambi:

The swimming pool in Hotel des Milles Collines (aka Hotel Rwanda).  This hotel housed many Tutsi during the genocide.

View of Kigali from Hotel des Milles Collines: 

Genocide Memorial Sites

Please be advised: This post contains sensitive pictures and information.  The pictures and descriptions are from the two genocide memorial sites visited today: Ntarama and Nyamata, both of which were churches.  The Genocide in Rwanda started on April 7, 2014 and lasted until mid-July (approximately 100 days) leaving close to 1,000,000 Tutsi dead.  During the genocide, Tutsi fled to these churches for safety.  After 2 weeks, they became massacre sites.

As we made our way to Nyamata Genocide Memorial, there were graves and tombstones.  This was a church where people were killed during the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.  It has now become a genocide memorial site.  Originally the bodies were kept in the same positions as they were at the time of the massacre, but as time went on, the bodies began decomposing, and therefore could not be left in the open.  As you walk in, you can see hundreds of thousands of clothes from those who were massacred.  It was overwhelming to say the least.  You can see holes in the ceiling from gun shots, you can also see the blood on the ceiling near the door where kids' heads were smashed against the wall.

In the back of the memorial is a mass grave.  I could only spend 5 seconds in there.  There are piles and piles of bones and skulls.  There are also a few graves.  On the skulls you can see where people were shot, beaten, you can even see machete cuts.  We were not allowed to take pictures inside, only on the outside.

Flowers left for those who were massacred.  This was on top of one of the mass graves.

Front door to the church.  The black door is the original.  On the right side you can see that the door was blown up, you can also see it at on the cement in front.  The killers used a grenade.

The second genocide memorial site, Ntarama Genocide Memorial, holds a similar story.  It was a church that people fled to for safety, but became a massacre site.  No pictures were allowed inside, but were allowed to be taken from the outside.

This is a side building to the left of the church building.  Grenades were used to blow away the wall.  Inside there are remains of school notebooks and textbooks.  Straight ahead you can also see a grave.

This is the left side of the main church building.  A grenade was used to break away the wall.

This is at the back of the church building.  Inside is the property of those who were massacred.  You can see bags, clothes, among other items.

This is the whole view of the back of the church.  The overall roof was constructed to preserve the memorial site.

These two building were behind the church.  The one of the left is what remains of the kitchen.  Foam mattresses were used to burn people inside.  The building on the right is the massacre site of children.  A blood stain remaines from where the heads were smashed.

This wall contains the names of those who were massacred.  This is not a complete list.  As more are discovered, their names are added.

This is the back view of the church building.  Hanging out of the window are the clothes of those who were massacred.

To end more on the positive side, I took some photos of Kigali, Rwanda on our way back.  This is the rural area of Kigali.

On to Rwanda

On our drive to Kigali, Rwanda.

Before leaving for Kigali, Rwanda, we had a chance to visit Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID) in Kampala, Uganda.  We had a chance to talk with some of the refugees and hear their stories.  The way that the refugees were able to come together and organize themselves to help each other out is no less than amazing.  They are completely independent of the government, and are supported by outside donations and also by portions of some of the income the members are able to generate.  The women’s group, that partners up with YARID, makes different types of bags and such, they then sell it which allows them to generate income for the group.  Seeing the organization and talking with the refugees was absolutely incredible and very humbling.  It really provides perspective and makes you think twice about the problems that you are facing.  Your problems become so small compared to some of the issues that they are facing.

Following our interaction with urban refugees, we visited the Nakivale Refugee Settlement.  We also had a chance to talk with the refugee population.  It’s also very humbling to hear about their stories and how they have come together.  One of the groups that we talked to was able to generate funding to build an adult school.  The school would employ the refugee population allowing them to make money in a trade other than farming.

While in Rwanda, we will be visiting a lot of memorials.  I am taking a lot of time to prepare for the week ahead, as I am anticipating it to be very emotional.  

More pictures to come soon.

Uganda by Pictures

I am terrible at taking pictures in general, and while I've been in Uganda that hasn't changed.  I am also very slow to upload the pictures.  Here are some of the pictures that I remembered to take while in Uganda.  I will work on taking pictures more frequently :)

Tribal dancers at the King's (rwot) palace in Gulu, Uganda:

View of the rain from my house in Gulu, Uganda: 

On our drive from Gulu to Kitgum: 

Former Internal Displaced Person (IDP) Camp seen on our drive from Gulu to Kitgum:

View of the drive from Gulu to Kitgum:

Rain clouds gathering on our drive from Gulu to Kitgum (it rains a lot): 

Driving into the city of Kampala:

Kampala, Uganda:

View of the King's Palace from Buganda Parliament in Kampala, Uganda:

Struggles with homesickness

We have spent the past week in Kitgum, Uganda which is a rural region in northern Uganda.  This area is very close to South Sudan, I was told about 2 hours away driving.  This region was also extremely affected by the conflict.  We arrived on Wednesday, spent two days preparing for our rural home-stay, which lasted from Friday afternoon until Tuesday morning.  For this home-stay we were partnered up and had to conduct a miniature research project.  My home-stay was very short-lived. 

            I was very nervous when we arrived at the home-stay.  This was not like the home-stay in Gulu.  Every member of the family basically had their own hut.  The huts were small and round with a straw roof.  There was a curtain that created a small private space for sleeping.  Other than that there was a chair in the hut, and there wasn’t any electricity anywhere.  This was a very unique experience. 

            The first afternoon was pretty uneventful and consisted mostly of setting up our hut and trying to communicate with the host-family members, only two of whom spoke English, and both were gone.  I wish I knew more Acholi to better communicate.  The stars the first night were also very beautiful!  Seeing so many stars and actually seeing them twinkle was an experience unlike any other.  There were so many stars, it was mind-blowing. 

            Our dinner was simple and consisted of beans and a bread-type made with corn.  After dinner I felt fine and was looking forward to the next day to get some research done.  That feeling of happiness ended abruptly at 1am when I felt very sick and vomited.  I continued to vomit every 2 hours until 5am after which I vomited every hour.  At about 7:30am it was happening every 45 minutes.  The program staff came to pick me up as early as possible to rush me to the hospital.  The problem was that the recommended doctor in the area was out of town.  It was Saturday and not uncommon that doctors are out of town.  We ended up going to a private Catholic hospital in Kitgum.  I arrived at the hospital around 9am, feeling absolutely miserable, words cannot describe.  I had to get tested for malaria which is standard.  At this point I remember closing my eyes and picturing me laying in my bed back in Reno and given the opportunity I would have definitely purchased a ticket back home right then and there. 

            After the malaria was ruled out I was taken to a private hospital bed where they had to start an IV to replenish all the fluids I was losing and start the antibiotics.  After about 2 hours I finally started to feel better.  I have already been struggling with feelings of homesickness and at that point the feelings could not have been any stronger.  I am so grateful for the regional SIT staff for this specific program.  They have been so supportive and made me feel better not only about my homesick but also during my stay at the hospital.  I had someone with me the whole time, even overnight.

            I was finally discharged yesterday.  I am feeling much better and am on regular antibiotics that I take orally.  No more IVs!  Even though I couldn’t do the intended research in the rural home-stay, I learned a lot being in a hospital.  This was also my first time ever being checked into a hospital, and of all places it happened in rural northern Uganda.  What are the odds?

Munu Atim

I have officially been in Gulu for one week now!  I feel like I am finally adjusting to some of the cultural norms and practices in northern Uganda.  The host families that we are staying with have given us Acholi (language spoken in Gulu) names.  My name is Atim which means delivered from the outside.  So now I introduce myself as Atim Leissan.  The kids that live in the houses surrounding mine also call me “munu” which is the word they use to refer to a white person.  So as they run around they say “munu, munu” and are very excited to say hi.

Yesterday we went to the king’s palace in Gulu.  It was very interesting meeting with the rwot (king) and talking to him about some of the roles that the king plays in the community.  It is very traditional.  The king is hereditary and a lot of trust is placed in him.  One example he was giving us deals with immunization initiatives.  The people would look to the rwot to decide whether or not they should have their children be immunized.  Some other roles that the king has involve cultural preservation and development.  We also had a chance to walk around the compound and see some artifacts.  At the end, we enjoyed a ceremony of dancing and singing at the palace.  The dancers also invited us to dance with them, and while we were making our way up to the “stage” you could hear people saying “munu dance, munu dance.”  Definitely was a good time!

Today we visited the Gulu Women Economic Development and Globalization (GWED-G) site.  It was very humbling to hear about their work.  They are involved in women’s rights issues including health, peace building and peace conflict resolution, and economic empowerment, to name a few.  Unfortunately, it rained too much for us to actually go out to a site and see some of the work that they do first-hand, but hopefully we can come back another time. 

It’s very interesting to learn about the role of tradition and also development.  There is a real struggle in the society, especially in regards to women’s rights.  GWED-G, for example, encourages males to accompany women to the doctor and do some chores around the house which are considered to be for “females.”  There has been resistance in the community previously, however more recently it has become more acceptable.  There is still quite a ways to go.