Expat Way of Life

We made it out alive! Though we never encountered any obvious physical danger, being in Gulu was an all around frightening experience. The streets were so quiet. All the time, night or day. The market was open from about 9-5, unheard of in African society. It was clear that people were afraid to be in the streets when the sun went out. I felt like I was in a different world. There were about five NGOs on every block, so our presence wasnt astonishing as it was in other parts of the country. Foreigners were almost as popular as Acholis.
Professor Schwenk from Georgetown University/Makerere University spoke to us about foreign aid and development in Africa. He brought up several very good points that I have taken for granted while here. I have raged about my desire to see self-sufficiency within the community, but in so many ways I have. The NGOs that we've visited have largely been run by Ugandans so there is a desire for people to uplift themselves, it's just that the shortage of resources causes them to seek additional help. The fact that Westerners spend so much money on luxurious bullshit makes them prime targets. Why shouldnt someone in need solicit help from someone who cares more about dressing and feeding their cats, than a malnourished child. He also forced my group to face the tourist culture that they claim to despise, yet perpetuate. Yes, people will ask you for money if you come into their homes flaunting it and do not offer any alternatives to their request. And these same patterns of behavior start naively, but soon develop and become harmful. Case in point is the distribution of foreign aid. It is often given in sporadic bursts of large sums of money, politically loaded, and as a result mismanaged and misappropriated.