Ready, Set, Survey!

Afoyo!

[That means hello, goodbye, thank you, and about six other things in Luo, the local language in Gulu]

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been doing a lot of surveying recently. I am finally back in the office and getting to do some office work. It’s nice to get out of the hot African sun for a while. I do have to say that it has been an adventure so far though.

My favorite project was a seven-acre plot in Gulu for a ministry called Touch the World. They are based out of New Jersey and specialize in community development. They have already built a medical clinic that is about to open and are breaking ground soon on a vocational school.

Even though it was only seven acres it turned into a multiple day affair. It takes about 6 hours to get to Gulu but since we couldn’t travel at night in that area for safety reasons, the trip took three days despite it only taking 3 hours to actually do the work.

It is much hotter in Gulu than it is in Kampala. That means I did a lot of sweating during the day and I could hardly sleep at night. One night, a neighbor decided to play music over their loud speaker all night long. It literally could be heard all throughout Gulu and didn't end until 7am the next morning. That didn't help the sleeping situation either, especially while still fighting jet lag. Needless to say, it's good to be back in cool Kampala and sleeping in my own bed again.

The only disheartening moment came when a member of Touch the World mentioned in passing that there are still some land mines in the ground left over from when the LRA was active in Gulu. I made sure to clarify that the areas we surveyed would be clear of any land mines. They assured me that their property was safe! I have to say I was a bit nervous when they first mentioned that.

In any case, life is back to normal now that I am back and settled in Kampala again.

[Sorry, no pictures. I forgot to bring my camera with me on this trip. I will be sure to take some when I go back to Gulu in a few weeks.]