Clay's Blog

• Gulu Walk 2007 Recap : The Kindness Of Strangers

  10/29/07 1 Comment

  October 21, 2007

  I took a nap yesterday and then couldn't fall asleep until 6am! ACK! The alarm went off around 7:30 and I was not happy. I thought about not going, but I knew I couldn't do that. I dragged myself out of bed and got ready. Slowly. I really should have been more prepared. I ran around grabbing my small across-the-shoulder bag, CD player, headphones... I couldn't find my CDs! How can I not listen to Clay? I need Clay to go with me! It's a long trip on busses from here to Westwood, dude. Luckily I had a couple in my BAF DVD case then I rememebred the Greek CD set California Clayfan gave me after 5th Grader! Hazah! I grab it and run to the door. What's this? Grey skies? I run back in to grab a hoodie.

  Now I literally RUN down the street because the bus is due in a minute. I can see it coming toward me. CRAP! It still has to turn down a street, go a short block, turn on the major street and the stop is a couple of blocks down. Did I say CRAP? Maybe it will stop and let me in here. I run at the bus, in the street, waving my arms in the air. It hesitates. It turns. Crap. I get to the corner and it's sitting at the end of the street waiting to turn left. I repeat that whole running and arm waving thing. Have I ever told you that I don't run? I hate it and I can't do it for longer than 20 steps before I want to stop. It sits there. I'm getting closer. It starts to turn. OH COME ON! It slowly pulls to the curb where I can see it, long before the bus stop. YAY! I made it! I tell the bus driver she is the best bus driver in the whole world. She tells me she's not supposed to stop in the neighborhood because the neighbors complain. (The neighbors with automobiles, most certainly.)

  A guy in a wheelchair and a guy with a bike slow us down just enough that I miss my connection bus. I only had a 3 minute layover, which I didn't notice before I left. I choose a different bus and hope I get there on time. Bus number three and I meet in downtown LA.

  I realized my brain is fully programed to notice any and all real or perceived Clay-related, well... anything. Today it seems especially fine-tuned. [read: brainwashed]

  I'm going to GuluWalk, which Clay told us about after his trip to Uganda which opened my eyes to what has been happening there. I will be greeted by an actress from his favorite TV show. I am wearing my OFC tshirt, TBAF rubber bracelet and JBT baseball cap. I listened to the Greek concert and thought about what a great summer it was. I thought about getting said CD after the 5th Grader taping which I still can't lable with an adjective for fear of being stoned by the unspoiled. I saw a billboard for Viva Laughlin which reminded me of Vegas where I will holiday with Clay in a few weeks. I saw a building named "The Bubble" and saw "The Bubel." In Beverly Hills I passed the future storefront for poshpuppy, which had an adorable sign in the window.

  I finally arrived just before noon, checked in, got my violently orange T-shirt and signed some letters for my Senators Boxer and Feinstein. Next we took a group photo and had a speech from Melissa Fitzgerald from the West Wing. They were taking photos like paparazzi and she told us they were going to be shown to some teens in Uganda who think nobody knows and nobody cares about what is happening there. They told us Los Angeles had the largest turn-out in the USA! Go us!

  

  I scanned the crowd in hopes of catching that familiar Clay gleam in an eye but alas. The group was very diverse, which always makes me happy. Quite a lot of them seemed to be students and there were also lots of Asians. Everyone else was there too... men, women, children, white, black, hispanic, very tall and very short, a couple of theatre groups. Early on I was approached by someone who was also alone and we buddied up, which was a lot more enjoyable.

  We began the walk, which was pretty cool. Lots of people had signs saying things like "PEACE IN NORTHERN UGANDA" and "END CHILD SOLDIERS" which they would aim at the traffic. There were so many of us in these violently orange shirts walking up the street that we would go on for blocks. People definitely noticed. Many people honked. Some waved or flashed peace signs. Some just slowed down, read and nodded. An older man stopped me on his way into a cafe to ask what it was all about, and he got the Super Cliff's Notes version from myself and my buddy. He seemed quite happy to hear it. Well, not IT, but that there were so many of us trying to do something about it. We wound our way through Westwood Village, sometimes chanting something I can't quite remember about child soldiers. In front of what I think was an apartment building we came across an older couple standing at a table in the grass. They were passing out bottles of water and had papers saying "Thank you Gulu Walkers. You are making a difference."

  We finally ended at a very cute little church. In front were tables with little candy bars, cookies and water. I got a tiny bag of M&Ms. Melissa tried to hand me a water bottle but I already had one. She's very perky. We take our refreshments into the church and sit down. We nearly filled the place. Some pews could have held more people but we went all the way to the back and into the small balcony. Cool.

  The LA Vice-chair spoke about how well we did fundrasing. We had several of the top fundraisers in the U.S. for both individuals and teams including the TOP fundraisers for each category! It turns out that out of the over 100 cities participating, Los Angeles was the top fundraiser IN THE WORLD!

  There were a few speakers including Melissa Fitzgerald, someone from World Vision who is also a journalist from Africa (much better than the woman last time), the heads of the California and National Ugandan groups. (The later being born and raised in southern Uganda. He is a Lt. in the US Army and has served in Iraq.)

  Most touching was Awichu Akwanya who is a former child soldier. The moment he took the mic he started to cry and had a hard time speaking. He said that he had seen it all. ALL. He doesn't talk about it. He continued and pulled it together a little more but tears fell down his face during his entire talk. His accent was thicker which sometimes made him a little hard to understand. He discussed the peace talks. I don't think all of the leaders of different groups of the LRA are all together in one place and he said they need to all be there for the talks. He talked about how they hide in southern Sudan, so Sudan must retain peace for them to have it in northern Uganda. He told us how the President refuses aid for the people in the IDP camps, and how horrible it is there. He stressed the need, even if they declare peace, to not forget and think it's over. That is when the children will need help to learn to live without war. It's all they have ever known, they have no concept of how the rest of the world lives.

  Whenever he would mention the soldiers and the things they do, that he has done, he would begin to sob. The look of pain in his eyes is indescribable. He said that he could never write a book, there could be no movie that could capture all he had to endure. The pain on his face made it clear that he still carries it all with him. Trying to imagine that there is an entire generation of people like this is hard to comprehend.

  We were thanked emotionally many times by many of the speakers. After being invisible for so long, seeing so many people together to rally for their people, people most of us would never meet, was very important to them. You could see it in their eyes.

  We needed to vacate the church so they could prepare for a wedding and the event was over. I hadn't eaten anything except those few M&Ms but I decided to get on a bus rather than look for food there and prolong the journey. Wow, busses in Westwood are about as different as you can get from my neighborhood. I get one an hour, maybe. When this bus arrived, it was the kind that look like two stuck together with an accordion. It was also three of these. Three double-length busses. I didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes either. I was so jealous!

  When I jumped off bus 1 at the edge of Beverly Hills, I got a muffin from the Coffee Bean and then notice a liquor store. I head in there looking for something more substantial and wind up with a chicken pesto pita, which now that I write it sounds like a pretty "LA" thing to eat at a bus stop.

  I pull out my headphones because I need some Clay but ALAS! My CD player will not start. Damn, those were new batteries, too! I return to the liquor store and find only an eight-pack of batteries which isn't priced but I figured would cost me half a spleen. The cashier looks for the price on the display and can't find one so he charged me $4. Then he informs me he's probably giving me quite a deal (indeed) and I thank him. Maybe he could sense the genetic need I had for some clack.

  I return to the bus stop, pop in the new batteries and... nothing. Damn! Then I remembered that CD player got wonky for a while but suddenly fixed itself one day. I think something was dislodged inside and this time maybe for good. Well... crap. It's a long way home y'all. Oh well. I kill some time by picking up some random trash on the sidewalk and throwing it away.

  I catch a couple of busses and decide to jump off at Radio Shack/Target. After my bus fare, tshirt and food I need to find a CD player for $20 or less, as that's all I had on me. Radio Shack was too much and I had the hardest time finding any at Target. Finally I stumbled into the right area and picked up a $10 player and a jigsaw puzzle of NYC that glows in the dark. Sometimes I do those when I can't sleep and hey, that's the location of an upcoming Clayventure! Woohoo!

  I happily proceed to the bus stop in anticipation of Greek Clay when I realize... it's in one of those evil blister packs! I can't open that! I have barely anything in this purse and nothing at all sharp. Fortunately, one of the girls at the bus stop, who I don't even think spoke English, had a small corkscrew/knife to lend me!

  batteries... CD.... Ahhhh... sweet satisfaction.

  Now for my final bus, which historically makes me crazy. This is the one that more often than not makes me get off a mile from my house because they won't go to my stop. I ask the driver and he IS going to my stop! YAY! Extra yay because it is getting cold and that wind off the ocean can get bone-chilling. I expect him to make me exit the bus at his layover, but he doesn't! He's supposed to make me get out and freeze in the wind. Not only did he not make any clue that I should exit, he said he'd he five minutes and left me on the bus all by my lonesome while he went off for the loo.

  It was a long day but one filled many, many times by acts of kindness from strangers and I'm feeling very peaceful tonight.

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