By Abigail Sanseri
This past weekend the interns and I went to Patongo for the Chief Justice’s daughter’s wedding
introduction. We began the drive on Friday. Four and a half hours in, we stopped in Gulu to visit
Bob Goff’s school and stay the night there. The buildings were brick with blue accents and the
entire campus was quite green. While there we got to speak to the students in an assembly and
then to some of the older students in groups of about ten. Some of the students were very shy
while others were very bold, asking questions about the United States and school there, among
other things. We were told to encourage them to attend university after high school, but it was
difficult to learn that all of the students I spoke to were around my age—the youngest was
eighteen and the oldest, 23—and while they were finishing high school, I had completed a
Bachelor of Science and started my first year of law school. Many of the students I spoke to were
considering attending university, and many for law school specifically. Speaking with the
students, while somewhat awkward, was an important experience that I will take home with me.
After staying the night in Gulu, we left the next morning for the wedding introduction. The drive
began on a pretty typical paved road, but an hour or so in we turned off onto a dirt road. I had so
much fun while our driver navigated the potholes and the people we saw on the way stared at us
open-mouthed (some waved). We passed small villages composed of huts, and fields of
sunflowers and other crops. Several hours later we arrived at the wedding ceremony and
frantically (myself at least) changed into our traditional dresses (the women) and suits (the men)
in the back of the van.
At the wedding we passed the time watching everyone arrive in their finery, and were awed by
the traditional Acholi dances. Lunch was buffet style and we were served goat, chicken, beef,
two types of potatoes, a thick (and I mean THICK) polenti-like starch, and more. Ugandan food
is an acquired taste that I have yet to acquire, but I ate until I was full and enjoyed trying the
different dishes, even if they were not to my taste. The chocolate cake we were served was also
delicious.
Toward the end of the day there were more dances, one of which we joined, and then speeches,
which were half in English and half in the native language. Pepperdine and specifically Scott and
Sally were welcomed by one of the speakers. The last speech (the last by necessity, if not
according to plan) was interrupted by a rainstorm and we all crowded under the tents to wait it
out. When the rain stopped, another native dance began and we wandered over to watch. Many
of the wedding guests watched the dance itself, but others watched us instead, and those of us
(myself included) who were dancing along. The weekend was overall a positive and educational
experience, and I look forward to other culturally immersive experiences this summer.
This post was written by a student at Regent University School of Law. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.