Thursday..

I walked to work this morning on my own and amazingly managed to find my way without getting lost.  It was a beautifully sunny morning and not too hot at around 8ish.  There were plenty of people going about their business as I walked through and lots of children on their way to school.  I was met by lots of beaming smiles.  There's lots to keep you interested - chickens, goats and cows roam amongst the vegetation.  There are crops, sunflowers, maize, paw paw and all sorts growing on pieces of land in amongst places where people have built their homes.  I arrived at the office much to the relief of the Project staff who were convinced I was going to get lost and have to call them!  They then mentioned that I had caused a bit of a panic last night - the guest house staff where I was staying had called them in a panic wondering where I was.  This then caused a bit of a panic amongst the Project staff who were convinced they had dropped me back at the guest house after work!!  There was no need to panic really as I was in my room all along except nobody had bothered to check this before they started sending out a search party!  Still, I guess it's nice to know that people are looking out for you.

Today I've been feeling a bit tired - the week has caught up with me a bit.  And today was very hot and humid which made me feel a bit lethargic - everyone else seemed to feel the same today.  A thunderstorm threatened early afternoon but never materialised.

I spent today training Robert on Quickbooks - it was quite an eye opener for him and it was great to see his eyes open at the possibilities for making his life and workload much easier.  At the same time, I think he felt quite daunted by the learning in front of him.  I really felt this was going to be one of the most productive things which I could offer and I wanted to start the training early so there was sufficient time for him to do a worthwhile test run before my departure.  I really hope they will get the funding to purchase the software.   We spent the morning on the training and then a couple of hours in the afternoon by which time we were both a bit brain dead.  I also found out that he has an ulcer so was not feeling too well.

There are the biggest bees I have ever seen and they have some kind of nest lurking outside of my window in the office - they buzz really loudly which freaks me out a bit.  The mosquitoes have been out in force today also.


Went to lunch with Winnie & Dennis.  Winnie is adorable - she can never understand what I'm saying but she has a very engaging sense of humour lurking beneath the surface which presents itself once we both make ourselves understood!  She is not from Kitgum but towards the border with Sudan.  She stays in a room in town - her sister lives nearby with her husband.  She cooks outside.  I had rice and beans again today but wasn't terribly hungry & neither was Winnie.  We were all a bit jaded from the heat.  Dennis met a friend in the restaurant and so was talking with him for a bit.

I walked back to the office with Dennis and he started to tell me a little bit more about former child soldiers that he had worked with and knew of in Kitgum.  He said that many of the girls who escaped, despite being forced to marry and make children whilst in captivity, would still feel a huge desire to return to their husbands who were still fighting in the bush for the LRA.  He also mentioned that many of the child mothers would form relationships with other former child soldiers after escaping.  None of this is that surprising.  The level of indoctrination these children underwent and the means by which this was enforced is unimaginable. And it was a case of murder or be murdered.

It's all very hard to take in.