Its a sad day in Gulu.....

Hello Everyone,



Today we put Mama V and Auntie Cassie on the bus to Kampala, so that Cassie can fly back to Bermuda. We had a final stop at Cafe Larem, and then back to the compound to say goodbye to everyone. She will be greatly missed. By the children, the staff, and the community. She is great with the kids and has a huge heart for the children and the people in the community in generl. She even made a point to say goodbye to the elderly mama who lives next to us, and the woman was so happy for her to do so. She wanted to know when she was coming back, and said that a year may be too long. I am quite certain that this will not be her last stop here in Gulu, and it has been a fantastic two months working with her.



After some sulking (just in case Cassie reads this ;)...) I went back to Cafe Larem for some reading, then home to spend some time with the children. Paul pulled me up to the table, and asked me why I didn't leave for Bermuda with Auntie Cassie and had to explain that I won't be going to Bermuda, but to America, and that I won't leave for another five weeks. To which he said," Uncle Joe, we go on airplane to America?!" When I replied telling him that I would be going alone, and that he would have to stay here, he started to well up with tears. He was trying to be tough, so kept looking away and tried his best not to shed a tear. To be honest I don't know if he did or not, because I had to just tell him I loved him and walk away before I started crying.



Its so hard to believe that I have only been involved in there lives for two months, and even harder that I will only be involved for one more. Well at least for this trip. I sat thinking after dinner about what both Auntie Cassie and I have done here. Thinking that the helping around the house, and with the kids has been a bonus, but I think they could have handled it without us if they had had to. I know that Cassie left a lasting impression on the community, and I am hoping and praying that I am leaving more than just "Uncle Joe, your stomach is big", or me getting to the kids to say booga booga, and finding out that in Acholi it means fat and soft(fitting that is what the kids call me), or that several boda drivers call me Africa(black) because I was kidding with one of them over a month ago and told him that he was the muzungu and I was Africa. Its been a fun joke that has now spread to a bunch of drivers. I am sure that what I am doing is making an impact, and I just want to make sure that I make a lasting and positive impression on this community, but especially on our children. I know that I am not there dad, but I do know that I am one of the few male role models they have. Here's to making the most of the time I have left, and to leaving a mark that lasts.

Love and miss you all,

Joe