I've been in Gulu for the past few days, having taken the 8:00 am post office bus from Kampala on tuesday. Right before we left, a post office employee came on the bus and I thought she was going to make announcements about Gulu, but she just asked if anyone on the bus could lead us in prayer for a safe journey. I closed my eyes and missed New England.

I continue to be astounded by East Africa. Gulu is tucked into the corner of Ugana between Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo, and has been host to the longest civil conflict in Africa, the Lord's Resistance Army rebellion. It's one of the poorest parts of Uganda, agriculturally backwards, and with most of its residents still in IDP camps. I was expecting to arrive in a war-torn, crumbling outpost with dust instead of roads and no sign of a market economy. Oh, how the media can leave us so misinformed. You would never know Gulu had been in a civil war. The roads are paved and in better shape than many of Kampala's. The only soldiers are bank security guards. The town is bright, orderly, and charming. There are guest houses everywhere and shops where you can buy five different varieties of imported cereal. The atmosphere is very laid back, and happy hour seems to be a staple of the work week.

I like Kampala, but I love Gulu. Everything is within walking distance, and in the worst cases you can just take a boda. English is still pretty prevalent, and everyone is even more friendly than in other parts of the country. There are seven of my classmates here, currently staying in hostels while we look for an apartment. Katie, Ben, and I, more cost-conscious than the rest, share a bed in a squashed room barely big enough to hold our duffle bags. When not going to interviews or exploring, we have come close to polishing off the entire fourth season of "Friends." Considering our ambitions for the next six weeks, everyone is pretty calm, and I feel significantly less stressed than I thought I would. Every day we can just get out of bed and walk to our organizations, since Gulu has a branch of just about all of them, and be back in time for lunch.

maybe I'll write again in a week when I figure out the catch.