My friend Alfred

Coming back to Gulu, I was probably looking forward to seeing two people the most. There are a lot of special people, but I was most looking for Orach Amos, the P7 student I had become friends with, and of course, my teaching partner from Awere SS, Nyeko Alfred.

Last night, I asked Amy what it would cost to send a letter to US. She told me 2000 /= and I said I thought I would write a letter to Alfred, and leave it with the head teacher of Awere SS, Matthew. I sent word through as many channels as I could, but both of these meetings were not going to happen this year. I really wanted to leave a way for Alfred to contact me. I am pretty sure Orach Amos, is going to school in Kampala, and although I miss seeing him, I think this is probably a very positive step for a bright, outgoing young man.

One of the people in the house yelled that there was someone at the front gate for me from Awere SS. I thought it might be Odong Collins Otika, the S2 student I have been seeing a lot or another student. But they had included the word Alfred.....could it be....no....don't get your hopes up. I leaned through the small 3 foot gate, and peered outside. There standing against the wall was my friend Nyeko Alfred. I was so happy to see him, we hugged and laughed immediately. I could not believe this was happening. Alfred and I had came inside, and
Amy soon greeted us. I think Amy really respected Alfred's teaching and demeanor last year. She was very happy to see him also, but I think she was really happy for me too. She knew how hard I had worked to make this happen......

Switch gears, Alfred had been hearing from more than one person I was in Africa, specifically Gulu, but the stories always lost something in translation. He has a new job and it is very hard for him to get time off. So on Wednesday morning, he got on his bike and rode to Gulu, and specifically to my front gate. He got there at 820 am, and I think I had left at 810 am. Again, there was an incomplete exchange of information, with someone telling Alfred I may have left for Ginja. Here is the extraordinary part, Alfred's bicycle trip had taken him 4 hours. Yeah, I know I figured it out after he had left, that he must have left at around 4 am and traveled over muddy, bumpy roads for 4 hours on a bike to see me. Luckily, Abraham Lincoln, (his real name there is also an Acholi name but I forget it---btw, Abraham is one of the few survivors of the Ebola virus in the world), told Alfred I was teaching and would be back in the evening.

Alfred and I took a couple of pictures and quickly caught up. Although, we had pledged to stay in touch, we had not heard from each other in several months. Alfred took a new job in the Pader district last year compiling statistics. He did not want to leave Awere SS, but felt compelled to for more job security. So Alfred has not been available by phone or email since. We walked through the streets of Gulu, and laughed and talked, we talked about good things, and the struggle that living in Northern Uganda continues to be. We ran into an old student of both of ours in the street. And the student could not believe he was seeing both of us together.

We had a great dinner at Diana Gardens, traditional African food. I had invited Alfred to eat at the IC house, but Amy had brought out a taste of the American style food, and Alfred said we should find a place to eat in town. "Too sweet, " he said and laughed the Alfred laugh, where he smiles as his face crinkles up just a bit, and if you were his friend you would know how special seeing your friend laugh during tough times is. Dinner was great, and since I am leaving soon, I decided to give Alfred my phone. We then walked through the streets of Gulu in the dark trying to find someone who could print from a digital camera, so Alfred could take back the picture you see on the blog tonight.

After awhile, we realized it was pointless, and were far, far from home. The power was sketchy so there was almost no light, and in the excitement I had not brought my flashlight. Our walk home, would appropriately take us past Awere SS, where we had first become colleagues and friends. It had rained earlier in the day and was about to rain again, so Alfred and I did our best to remember in the dark where the big puddles were. 15 minutes from home, I hit a big one, but was able to extract my shoe, before it got to my sock. So there I was in the dark in Gulu with a cherished friend trying to find the right path home. All of a sudden 2 things happened, lightening flashed in the distance, and for just a brief second you could see the next 30 feet of dirt. The lightening was very helpful, and then as we passed the town Aloyo I Long, there was another light for our path. About 50 African lightening bugs could be seen in the weeds, so as long as we stayed in between the two sets of flickering light we were okay.

This year, through many tears and many laughs, I have come to now what true friendship is. I know when I see it in the present, I know when I have shared it in the past, and those two help me to see good friends and hopefully be a better man and a better friend to you. If you had taken a picture in the dark last night, you would have seen an African man of dignity and grace walking with his friend a tall American, but I know in my heart there beside the both of us was another friend of mine. Thank you my friend, for the lightening and the lightening bugs, I will not ever forget you. Thanks for lighting the way for me and my friend Alfred, he really is a good man, isn't he?

John