an entry by carol, which was hard for her to type because she kept laughing/crying

While we briefly questioned the safety of traveling to Gulu because of the expanding threat of Ebola, our fears were quickly overcome by the desire to tell the story of Sandee and Lillian. Gloria, Lynne, Rosemary and I were headed to the IDP camp where their mother is living. They have not seen her for four years as they have been living and going to school at St. Mary Kevin’s. They could not afford to travel home on their holidays.

After visiting Peter’s village and meeting his family (and where a little girl asked me what tribe I was from), we set off for Gulu – supposedly a five-hour car ride. The journey itself turned out to be an adventure. The paved road between Kampala and Gulu is actually a road filled more with massive potholes then with paving. Weaving in and out, Jonathan, our friend and driver, expertly maneuvered what was a perilous obstacle course. Not only did he need to avoid the ruts and potholes, but more importantly he needed to avoid the boda-bodas (motorbikes) carrying their passengers, the oncoming traffic also weaving back and forth and the many walking travelers carrying their loads.

After about an hour, as Gloria was drifting off to sleep, Lynne was thinking about her next meal and I was contemplating the vast needs of the people here, there came a huge crash followed by what we thought was a rotating flat tire. Jonathan pulled over to the side of the road, miles from nowhere. Gloria and Lynne took the opportunity to find a natural rest stop. Jonathan put the van onto the jack and pulled out of the rear of the van what he hoped to be a spare tire, only to find that it was flat. As I burst into chuckles, Jonathan was talking under his breath that he wished he had checked it before we left. We all got back into the van to push ahead and find a petrol station. The tire was not flat but only had a bent rim. Moving only a few feet, we heard again a ominous noise. Jonathan had forgotten to remove the jack. He jumped out to get us moving. I have to admit I wasn’t worried at all and was giggling throughout a situations that could have been rather serious.

Once at the petrol station, Jonathan stayed with the van while it was repaired and we wandered around the town taking the opportunity to buy water and Fanta. A little while later, we were on our way again.

Next came yet another crash. The window shield next to Gloria had come loose and flew into the side of the van causing a tremendous noise. We stopped again and Jonathan searched for it only to find it was being carried by two little boys who had emerged from the bush by the side of the road. They proudly walked with their prize back to the van to return it to us. Lynne rewarded them each with a bag of M&Ms, a treat they surely have never had and will always remember.

We pushed ahead, determined to reach our destination before nightfall. Along the way our laughter turned to concern as we passed three overturned vehicles, one accident being very serious. Lillian became immediately tearful seeing a dead man lying next to his overturned truck. Rosemary comforted her as we sped along.

We arrived in Gulu as nightfall came and went directly to the hotel. After checking into our sparse rooms (up five flights of uneven and winding stairs), we gathered for dinner. As we sat for dinner, we lost electricity and sat in the dark until light returned via a generator. Each of us eventually left the table seeking a good night’s sleep, and the next day promised a different kind of journey.