On my way to school

July 8

I had my only class for the day at 8:00 this morning, followed by some planning. Luckily for me, on my ride into school and back from school this sun was behind clouds. It made for a pleasant ride. Usually if its at the end of a long day or if the sun is blazing down and I’m hot, I often think about how I’m enjoying my natural (and only) form of air conditioning.
This morning I made a point to take note of what I see on the drive to school. Before long I won’t be having the lovely drive any longer.
Once out of town, it is all dirt road. By dirt road I mean no gravel, simply dirt. I usually see at least one automobile but rarely, if ever, more than 5. Such vehicles are accompanied by a surrounding cloud of red dust, which makes a thin layer on my clothes and exposed skin. White shirts are pretty much out of the question. In addition to this shade of red. Green is the other shade filling most of my ride. Luscious foliage lines the road – grasses, trees, and often rows of maize. If you simply glance, you may think the plants along the side of the road are dead. Don’t be fooled they are simply covered in a thicker layer of dust than I am. Along the road dotted through this green vegetation are sporadic tethered animals, usually goats but an occasional cow. Though docile when you go by, the longhorns have a threatening air to them. I pass various buildings – non-profits, primary schools, small businesses housed in building fronts or roadside stalls, homes-some mud brick thatched huts, some concrete structures, some complete, some incomplete. That’s all beautiful, but what really gives the drive personality are the people along the way and knowing that this ride I take is their life and their community. Depending on the time of day, school children (primary) travel the road. Women walk along. Many have their babies tied to the backs and/or are carrying a bundle on their head. The boreholes I pass are surrounded by people coming to fetch water with their yellow jerry cans. Before long I am turning into Sir Samuel Baker or arriving back on the potholed asphalted roads of Gulu town.