Today We Are WHAT? … Leaving Gulu.

We’re wrapping up the five day seminar here in Gulu and getting ready to head back to Kampala. I’m almost tempted to pray we don’t get a flat tire or have any car troubles, but I’ll leave the praying to the mob of missionaries who’ve descended on the Church Hill hotel in the last few days. For my part I’ll just hope for the best and expect the wheels to fall off our SUV in the middle of nowhere.

On Sunday we are WHAT? … Headed back to the states. Before we leave however Andi, Steve, and I have been invited to our driver Caesar’s wedding. It’s not just any wedding though, it’s a traditional Bugandan wedding and we all have to go shopping for some tribal garb. Pictures will follow but from what I understand Steve and I will be wearing something that could generally be described as a “man dress.” Based on the descriptions I’ve heard so far it’s basically a decretive knee length shirt, so it shouldn’t be too awkward – or so I hope. Andi on the other hand will be wearing one of the traditional dresses with the big bows in front, like the ones in the picture.

And now I guess I should explain the WHAT? … Why I keep putting “WHAT?” in the in the middle of statements, and transforming them into rhetorical questions for no good reason. You’ll be happy to know that this is not a practice I plan to continue, I’ve been doing it because many of the Ugandans here in the Gulu area do it and I find it rather strange. At first I thought it was kind of amusing when Andi pointed it out to me but now it’s starting to wear on me. It only stands out when someone does it in the middle of every other sentence, which can drag a conversation out. And you have to imagine someone talking this way to really get the full effect. I don’t think reading it really does this phenomenon any justice. I recommend you give it a shot next time you go to the WHAT? … The bar or something.