So...today I never want to leave...sorry... :)

It's true! Today...this may sound like an overstatement...but, today was one of the best days of my life. I shadowed one of the Invisible Children scholarship program mentors. IC has a Visible Child Scholarship Program in which they select certain students in need and provide school fees for them after they apply, go through interviews, etc. They are then required to meet certain standards of excellence in order to maintain their school fees, otherwise they go on probation, etc. The mentors are Ugandan, not internationals, which is excellent because the kids are really able to open up to them honestly. So, today, I got to shadow Oyella Betty to see what a day in her life is like. I woke up and went to the Invisible Children office in Gulu. I had to wear pants because I was told that I would be riding on the back of a motorcycle all day...and I did. Betty walked in the office to pick me up and she had the biggest smile on her face. I was so excited and rejuvenated by her joy! When we walked out of the office to start our day, Betty handed me a helmet and said, "You'll need this." That's not intimidating, right? The motorcycle looked more like a dirt bike. I was very nervous. But, Betty's smile kept me at ease. I put on my helmet with the Invisible Children logo across the front, made the sign of the cross, and hopped on the back. :) Immediately, I could tell that Betty loves driving the motorbike. It belongs to Invisible Children. They have many that they send the mentors out on during the day. So, Betty had to learn the bike when she became a mentor. But, she did very well...she just drives very fast! On the open roads we got up to about 70 miles per hour! Don't worry, Mom...I'm safe :)
Betty used to be a secondary school teacher, but changed to being a mentor for monetary purposes. She is perfect at it.
So, we went by her house, winding through the displacement camp, dodging chickens and goats within an inch of their life. But I think chickens and goats are always within an inch of their lives in Gulu. Betty changed into pants and we hopped on the motorbike again...off to Koro Secondary, which is about 10 kilometers outside of town, off of Kampala Road.
But, before we turned off of Kampala Road, Betty pulled over at a small building and said that we needed to go visit. When we walked in, I realized that it was the MEND facility where the women make the bags! What?! Betty! You're amazing! I walked into the back and there were about 12 women sitting at sewing machines and each looked up and smiled at me. It was beautiful. I felt so privileged to get to see them in action. I even got to see the new designs for the bags...keep an eye out, girls! They're awesome! I tried to take one with me, but they just laughed nervously. :) Betty is a joy to everyone she meets. She's like a celebrity.
Back on the bike and down a dirt road through some bush and corn fields for many miles. I have never felt more free...I may be romanticizing the situation. But I just rode on the back of a motorcycle through the bush in Africa!! on a gorgeous day! Truly, the greatest feeling that I can recall thus far. We rode through many small displacement camps and finally arrived at the school. Betty and I met with the head teacher of Kora for a few moments and then we met with her sponsored child, Nancy. She was such a sweet-hearted girl. She is currently receiving a warning for her grades. I tried to encourage her as much as I could, even though I only had a few moments with her. Then, we got back on the bike and rode to Nancy's mother's hut. About another 5 or 6 miles...through the bush. If I thought I was in the bush before, I was wrong. This bush was brushing up against my legs...but that doesn't slow down Betty! So good. Every now and then I would hear the sound of more terrified goats running for their lives.
Finally, we reached a clearing that held about 5 small huts. There were goats and chickens running around, and many piles of different colored beans and vegetables spread all over the ground. A very old woman was laying on a mat under a tree and a younger woman was sifting the beans by pouring them into a bucket from very high in the air. The wind would blow away the shells as the beans fell.
We pulled up and sat next to the elderly woman. She did not speak English, but we spoke what little Acholi I know and then Betty translated. They were all very sweet. For a while, I just sat listening to these three women speaking their native language. I was trying to think of how I could describe this moment to everyone I know. But then I realized that I just needed to sit and breathe it in. As I looked around, it was a square clearing surrounded by walls of corn stalks. The dirt was brushed so intensely that it almost looked like a polished floor. As the women spoke their rhythmic language, the wind blew such a quiet peace across the field. The birds in the trees, the sound of the stalk leaves, the chickens clucking, the goats whining...I will never be in that spot again...but I hope I will never lose the feeling that I gained from it.
I am so sick that I did not have my camera with me. So very sick...
After a while, we got back on the bike and rode back through the bush to town. I was just trying to soak it all in. As we reached town, Betty said that I must take something to drink before I go. I said, no, you don't need to worry about it. This is the last time that I will ever not suggest what I might want to drink. She took me to a small shop and we sat at a table with two older men. One of whom would be great friends with Lynn Johnson! I'm trying to track him down in town right now so that I can get a picture, Lynn! His shirt was bright green...you know the one...and it said, "Ithaca is gorges"!!!! Amazing! I will find this man, Lynn, I promise! :) Anyway, the waitress brought out two trays of mendazi (beignets) and a large, too large, cup of white milk...with chunks in it. Why? "Why are there chunks", I thought to myself. Betty said that this is her favorite...more than soda. It is sour milk. Holy hell! Are you kidding me? Okay, what to do...I can't be rude and refuse. She said to just put a lot of sugar in it. So, I did...and didn't breathe...and I sipped. Oh dear Lord...I didn't know what to do. I knew that if I tried to drink that whole thing that I would be on the floor for the rest of the weekend. So I smiled and sat and Betty, good woman that she is, knew that I was not okay with it. So she ordered an orange fanta for me. I love Betty!!! Love, love, love! :)
Then, we went back to the office. All in all...one of the best days of my life. Hopefully I will get to go with Betty again before I leave so that I can bring my camera.