The temptation of Eve

Arriving in Gulu after being reunited with my family for the holidays in places where capitalism is at work kept my right brain busy.  It is my first experience of the dry season here (November to February) and Gulu is peppered with rust-colored dust. Nostrils

and eyes get dry, skin and heels crack, and yellow fever, malaria, and meningitis are said to be in theair. I thought that this climate could be the impetus to re-think my placement and go back to  

my comfort zone. I venture that more than a few volunteersgo through this stage.
The ambience of Gulu, even at my first impression, is very much like the place where I grew up and until the 1970s when I would return for visits:  small stores, oil lamps and candle lights, laid back attitude of the people, the quest of parents for better education for their children, garbage and poor sanitation, church festivities, presence of volunteers (we had a number of Peace Corps volunteers then in my town), thatched houses, bad roads. My living condition now has similarities too:   unbalanced diet of basic food on the table, predictable wardrobe, limited entertainment and socializing, and most activities are at one's leisure. My right brain was flashing images of scenes of the city life I left behind:  vibrant shopping malls, me at the steering wheel, ego-tripping and blue-skying with friends, sea foods and other random jpegs.  

I will sleep on it so I can listen to my left brain.

Christmas in Africa

Outdoor museum in Memphis, December 2010

Our family had been celebrating Christmas together away from home.  I create an adventurous itinerary so that each Christmas becomes a memorable time together.   This time, it would have been ordinary if I were just to fly back home, so I decided that the family should instead rendezvous in Egypt. For now, this post will show pictures of the travails in our desire to bask in the beauty of the ancient world.

The pyramids and biblical places; they are for real

Thanks to the internet, we were able to to map out a holiday with a shoestring budget:  Take a package tour of Cairo then be an independent traveler for the rest of the itinerary.   
At the Israel border of Eilat, Mia was briefly detained and questioned because her passport name, Fatima, was Muslim.  I had to explain to the border police that we are Christians, and she was named  after the patron saint of the Philippine People Power Revolution of 1986. At the Jordan border of Aqaba, it was my turn to be detained because I had an electronic visa and therefore not affixed to my passport.  In Petra, we could not afford to hire a camel to hasten the descent from the rock mountains, so the children had to contend with something low-end, the donkey.  As we were 5, we would normally be taken by 2 taxis (which could be very expensive).  In one instance, a jolly Jordanian driver agreed to take all 5 of us but he had to cover Mia with our bags so that the Israeli police will see only 4 passengers.
We found good hostels through the website of hostelworld.  For an average of USD10 per person per night we were able to make an unplanned trip to Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Fatima,  a Catholic with a Muslim name in the mountain of the Jews

Ask the kids what they most liked about the trip? 
It was their experience in climbing Mt. Sinai where they also finally got to ride a camel on the ascent that would have taken 3 hours on foot.

An African wedding

We were invited to the wedding of a Kenyan and a Ugandan bride from the Acholi region. The wedding was almost postponed because the bride's family was said to be demanding a very high dowry.

Dowry huddle

At the reception, family members were still holding a meeting and shuffling papers.  Perhaps some adjustments had to be made since one of the dowry-cattle perished in the journey.

Baby on the floor while mama sings

Unlike weddings back home, the church rites were not solemn, but too cheerful because of the incessant singing and sporadic bird calls, as if someone from the mountains just descended upon the congregation.  Even the homily was frequently interrupted by hand and voice acclamations.

The Kenyans welcoming the bride to their family

       

The bride's family

During the reception, the bride and groom received gifts consisting of practical things such as cookware, stool, kikoi (the traditional Kenyan shawl), a cane, a belt from their families. The purpose of each gift was explained.  Then the guests presented their gifts to the couple and finally the newlyweds gave a few select individuals take-home tokens as a sign of gratitude. The highlight of the wedding reception was the freeing of a pair of doves. 

Lovey dovey

The doves were actually the idea of Angie that she brought from home.  She made the cage from recycled cartons, as there are no bird cages here (they say it is not acceptable to hold a bird in captivity). The crowd was awed because they have not seen something like this before.  Weddings here in Gulu will never be the same again without the ceremonial pair of doves.                

The food unveiled

My co-vol Pius, a Kenyan,  said that he would not allow his son to marry an Acholi woman as she can be very expensive.  We'll see.  Practices could change with time.