Together We Are Free

On August 1st, the Remba family and I boarded the 5:30 am bus in Kigali to begin our trip up north...very north, 18 hours north to Gulu, Uganda. For the past three years I have been a representative of Invisible Children at TCU and I never once imagined that I would be able to travel to the site where the filmmakers once witnessed atrocities and needed to tell the world. The bus to Kampala was shocking to say the least. Imagine traveling through a deep valley in darkness as mist settles on top of the crops and the sun barely begins to peak over one of the thousand hills of Rwanda. Sounds unbelievable right? Then all of a sudden the bus is traveling at no joke 100 mph not stopping for anything in the way. It seems like our bus must have been high jacked as we fly over 3 foot speed bumps spaced 10 feet apart and pot holes that you are almost certain should swallow the axles. The impact of every bump is multiplied 10 fold in the back of the bus were we dont know what music to play on our ipods. The scenery calls for mellow Ray LaMontagne while the brain rattling, air catching, skin bruising results of sitting in the back call for Rage Against the Machine. I dont think I have ever listened to them but they picked a quite dramatic name and dramatic it was. I am assuming it would have been the perfect soundtrack to my long distance African bus experience. Forget about Enya... these people are hardcore. 2 hours from Kigali we reached the border of Uganda. We had to unload the bus and walk across. I was so excited but once again shot down by everyone who has no concept of personal space let alone line rules...especially when they apply to Mzungus. We somehow ended up to be the last ones through customs and the whole bus was giving us dirty looks when we finally borded again in Uganda. Funny that the people who dont know the rules of "No cuts no buts no coconuts" were now extremely angry that we were holding them up. bahhhhh we just shake it off.So from there we drove through lands of Uganda that looked like something from the Lion King for 10 hours and finally arrived in Kampala. We stayed one

 night in Kam

pala and then made our way the next morning to

 Gulu. This next stretch could take on

ly 4 hours if ofcourse you leave on schedule and not 2 hours later, dont have a flat tire or the usual front window

 change in a random small village for 2 hours- so lets just round the whole journey to Gulu from Kigali at a smashing 18 hours. So after that... I took a deep breath and was all smiles as we rolled into Gulu. 

 As of four months ago I did

 n

ot know I would be in Africa let alone Gulu, where my heart has been pulled. I have fought to help end the abducting of innocent childre

n forced to kill and sleep in the streets desperately trying to avoid losing their childhoods.....and now It was beco

ming a reality. A place were childhoods and lives were torn apart by rebel armies seemed to now just be a place of bustling bota botas (motos) in small roundabouts, many many bicycles, and people that can't stop smiling. Everyone you meet tells you "you are welcome" in this high pitch voice and a giggle becau

se thats what they  think all weste

rners sound like. The nights we w

ere in Gulu we were fortunate to experience downpours of rain, which were a blessing to the drought that had been 

devasting to the region for some time. On the first day we we

re there my roommates Natalie, Lexie and I grabbed botas over to

 IC headquarters where they welcome

d us with open arms for

 the work we had done, especially Natalie. We were briefed on all the new projects going on and I was bey

ond impressed. The aspect I like most about IC Uganda is that fact that all the staff minus 3 or 4 are Ugandans themselves. Everyone there is so great and working for the people, which is often lost in most organizations ov

er here which has depress

ed

 me a lot.

 Later that day Lexie and I took a bota through red dirt roads, high green grass, and small huts to an Orphanage called St. Judes. We spent the day as mothers in the toddler wing, feeding them and just giving them that motherly touch t

hat they miss out on so much. That nig

ht we went over to the IC ho

use and had a special screening of the Fall 1009 IC documentary who my ro

omate happens to be the star of. She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever gotten to know and I can't wait for all of you to meet her through the screen. 

The next day Rachel had set up a special trip

 for me to drive abo

ut an hour outside of Gulu to Pabbo Secon

dary School. YES I VISITED PABBO!! Pabbo Secondary School pulls students from one of the largest Internally Displaced

 Persons (IDP) camps in 

Northern Uganda. TCU and my friends there have given  so much of themselves to this school for years without ever seeing. That is devotion. I was able to travel there and be one of the few of any of the Schools for Schools who have. The h

eadmaster was so elated. He showed me all of the projects that our money has gone to support. The money we sent over from last fall has purchased a new generator, and is now working on the science lab. In the past our money has already constructed 

2 new buildings, water storage, latrines, desks, and books. I saw our work first hand and to represent TCU was humbling. To see our name on a plaque in a school full of children who have suffered in the middle of no where in Uganda was so moving. As I left the headmaster had one request-to help set up a scholarship

program in the US for one of our partner students to attend University. It would be beyond believable if TCU took a hold of this opportunity and changed a students life who has only kn

own our name by a plaque. I will return and spread the word. Every child is special. 

On the final night we were there we walked into Kope Cafe and happened to see Jolly Okot eating alone in the corner. Jolly s

aw Natalie and let out a little scream of joy and ran up and hugged her. We talked for a long time and heard the story of Jason, Laren, and Bobby from her own mouth. It was so great to get able to hear it from a different persepective. She made us laugh and showed us where the guys stayed the first night in Gulu. So crazy to think that Laren was only Natalies age. Gives hope that the youth will change the world lik

e he is doing. Jolly offered us to stay in her house in Kampala on our way home. We were all headed out the next day and were quick to take up th

e offer. She is such an amazing woman and we could talk for hours not to mention her husband Emmy is just as amazing! I am going to miss them. Nelly and I are the only ones who stayed one more night at Emmys and Jollys house cause there w

asnt room on the 1 am bus the night before. To top off such 

a surreal trip to Uganda nelly and I went to catch the bus and ending up having to chase do

wn a Jaguar!! We were 15 min late to the bus leavign because of traffic and there was no way we could miss our bus back to kigali. The bota botas started grabbing our bags yelling at us to get on that we would catch the Jaguar Bus. ha ya wasnt a real Jaguar but might have well been! We sped down the Kampala roads at probably 80 miles per hour, no helmets, hopping curbs, ridding on side walks, holding on for dear life, catching air on speed bumps, ducking under sidewalk signs, swerving in between cars hoping our bags dont catch a side mirror and let us down. Still no bus in sight. I call Nelly and look back to say "Are we seriously doing this right now?" She says like a CHAMP "We are seriously doing this." I reply "Were doing this." Hang up the phone and turn back to see a glint of the bus in the distance. I tell the bota that im not paying him if we dont catch the bus. He lays on the throttle....ya might not have been a good idea to tell him that. We are gaining on the bus when the botas honk...the bus driver sees us and opens the door but is NOT stopping. I tell the bota to go ahead of the bus so we can get off and catch the moving bus all at the same time. I jump off... throw a 20,000 shilling note at my bota to split with Natalies, throw my bags to the man on the bus (all while running keep in mind!) look back to Nelly who is fighting with her bota and many bags. I am now inside the bus as nelly runs alongside throwing me her heavy bags. She finally reaches out her hand and i pull her on. phew we made it. Like a movie....we made it. ARE YOU KIDDING ME that that just happened! unreal. we grab a seat and take some deep breaths. Rwanda here we come.