Gangdiang

My host family, with some cousins

Last week, my program spent a week in Kitgum to experience more rural life.  For three days we lived with families “in the village.” 

village life

The name of the village was Gangdiang, which literally means home cow, or the place where cows are.  I learned a lot about Acholi tradition- the men and women eat separately, Church and school are very important, and everything is “not far” away.   I really wanted to connect with my host mother, but she didn’t speak much English, so I ended up mostly sitting with the men who could speak English.  I did learn how to grind ground nut (peanut) paste.  I slept in a grass-thatched hut, bucket showered outside, and played with some very cute children.  I had the most fun practicing Acholi, because every time I would say something (right or wrong) everyone would laugh and applaud and congratulate me.

My host mama. 

Anything I did was a big deal.  I went to the borehole to get water with my mother, and all of a sudden 50 people were watching me pump water.  I would ask children how they were or what their name was in Acholi and no one would respond.  Either my accent was terrible or they just could not get over me being there.  Throughout the weekend, I was asked to be a scholarship donor for university, to pay several children’s school fees, to pay for a man to go to America, and to be someone’s white girlfriend. 

I did make some connections with my host siblings, though.  I asked my family to give me an Acholi name, and they named me after their daughter, Lakica.  Her nickname is Ayaa, because she is the only girl they have, so I think I will also take that on as an Acholi name.  Many people think that I am saying Eveline when I say Emily, so having an Acholi name will come in handy. 

My namesake 

My host family had an adorable one year old son whose Christian name was Joshua.  As the youngest born, he clearly got anything he wanted.  He was always eating, sleeping, or listening to the radio.  The only English he knew he would use to listen to the radio.  “put this on! Put this on!” he would say.  When I went to school, apparently he asked his parents where I was, and when I left the village for good, he followed me to a neighboring compound.

JOSHUA

Oshkosh is global

Spending some time there made me realize how much Ugandans value development.  The way that people talk about economic development and modernization and denigrate traditional practices as backwards is disturbing .  I just find it so interesting, because people seem so ready to part with tradition.  They see American life as idyllic, and really did not seem to understand when I tried to talk about immigrants losing their traditions or the negatives of development like materialism and a loss of community.  Americans come to Africa partially to experience traditional life and culture, and yet most people I meet would much rather be living in America, or at least in town.  They don’t seem to see the value in killing their own chickens, or growing their own food, or knowing how to build a hut or bow and arrow from scratch, or cooking a meal with no processed food, or knowing herbal remedies for malaria.