Celine Dion moves from Vegas to Gulu

I complained to Erin about the constant noise in Gulu at all hours – she said that there is no social contract when it comes to noise [apparently this is affecting my brain as well – in my journal I have written “noize” several times]. There is a lot of reggae and (in my humble opinion) bad R&B, rap, and (ironically) God-forsaken Christian rock which is just DEATH – all of this is blasted at anytime, night or day. My neighbour (who hangs out just outside of my bedroom) plays the same song over and over and over for hours, and sometimes in the middle of the night. I haven’t yet been able to identify who the singer is, but the song is a sappy, Celine Dion-esque ballad that has something to do with catching falling stars. I hope a meteor does land on the record company that brought this song to the world.

However, the radio in Gulu does make me laugh. It’s a mix between English and Luo (the local language), and often switches between the two mid-sentence. Some of the announcers also use hilarious gangsta slang in their heavy accents, so I have heard the term “bling bling” repeatedly. I also heard, “I’d like to dedicate this song to all my homies in Gulu.”

The ads are also funny (and sometimes abrasive – think high-pitched shouting about cell phone plans) – one will be for the local clothing store, then the next ad will have the radio announcer say, “May 11^th, come and repent! Enjoy turning from your wicked ways at the all-day Gulu prayer festival. Hooray!” Hmm…praise Jesus.