Everywhere we go, everyone says that we are most welcome to Kampala, most welcome to Gulu, most welcome to Uganda, most welcome to Acholi Inn.
HELLO FROM UGANDA! I arrived late
Saturday to the capitol, Kampala, and on Sunday we drove 6 hours to our base
for the next month, Gulu. Today was all
kinds of orientation stuff- safety (“do not be worried, but do not be stupid”),
health, and language. I have too many things to say, and not enough time nor internet speed to say them!
This semester I will be learning the Acholi language, one of
the Luo languages. Today we learned at
least 17 ways of greeting people. I’m
overwhelmed, but I’m excited because I think learning the language will really
help me to understand the culture. Even
after one brief lesson, I have learned that it is rude to walk by someone and
not acknowledge them. If they are working,
you say, Apwoyo Toc (pronounced Afoeyo Toch) which means “thank you for your
work,” and if your intonation is wrong, you will actually be saying “rabbit
work.”
I was super overwhelmed by everything today, but the staff
is really encouraging and it’s lovely to be able to speak fast, casual American
English with my fellow students. As my
Acholi teacher told us today, “Your courage to come here means you are willing
to learn.”
Tomorrow, we tour the town, and then the next day we move in
with our host families!
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