I vowed at the beginning of this trip that I would keep a journal, and a good one. Recently I have been slipping and I’m not very happy with myself. The problem seems to be that each day I come home a little more tired, a little less apt to do anything but sit and just relax. What I should be doing is reading a book, writing in my journal, etc. I’m just going to have to buck up and do it!! It’s already been four days since I’ve written and there have been other times when I didn’t as well. Luckily I have a bunch of writings already, hopefully I will stay on task in the future.
Today has been one crazy day. We began a Simba Stove at the Equator Primary School. Jeanette is the lady we are working with and she is such a doll, she really is just beautiful. Sadly, Jeannette suffers from AIDS and is very skinny at this point in her life. She is still very bright and has a great spirit about her. We are shocked by her ability to continue to serve the kids. She is the cook for all of the kids at the school. While Amber was investigating women’s groups, she came across Equator and NAADS and set up the project. We really kicked butt today on getting started. We got the entire foundation in and we couldn’t be happier, it turned out amazing. Dan, from Canada, is our man on site. He is well trained in construction and does a first class job with everything he does. He designed the foundation well, I couldn’t be happier. We will go back on Thursday to actually mold the stove.
There was a rather unfortunate circumstance today however. After Dan and I had finished with the stove, we were brought a meal by some women at the school. It was matooke covered in a peanut sauce along with some yummy perfectly ripened avocados. I dug in praying the food would be free of food born illness; after all, we don’t REALLY know these people and their cooking habits. The food was good however, and even Dan thought so, until the unthinkable happened. As he was eating his food he realized that there was peanut sauce on the matooke. Dan is severely allergic to peanuts, nuts in general, and legumes. He started to freak out, said some choice words (which I would as well had I known I had just eaten death itself), and then told me that he needed to throw it up and then get on a boda boda immediately to get back home and get his medicine. I panicked, but handled it well. My first thought was, “There aren’t even any boda bodas up in this area, we are going to have to run down the mountain and get one!” As we were sprinting towards the bottom, his through beginning to swell, a boda boda came driving up the path with a passenger. I sort of waved him down, he could see we were panicked and running. He drove past, we kept running. Seconds later I hear yelling behind us. It was the boda boda on it’s way toward us without a passenger, it couldn’t have been any luckier - except that we all know it wasn’t luck. I put Dan on the boda boda and sent him off telling the driver to take him to Nakazadde where the house is. I began sprinting again, but this time I was out of control; I don’t think I’ve ever ran so fast for so long in my entire life. It wasn’t until after 2 minutes of sprinting that I found another boda boda to take me back to the house. When I got there Dan had just pulled up and was in taking some benedryl pills. I asked him when it was time to give him the EpiPen shot, he said not until he said. So, of course, I prepared myself for what thought I might have to do. At first he didn’t feel like he needed to go to the hospital, then all of the sudden he said, “Ok, I need to go.” Jackie, Ashley, Dan and I hopped on the two bodas that were waiting out front and headed to Kawolo as fast as we could. There we went into the injections room where he was given a shot of hydrocortisone. Unfortunately they didn’t have epinephrine available. The nurse prepared the shot and then turned to me and asked if I was giving it, I told her “no”, she then proceeded to give it to him. I couldn’t believe she asked me, it was pretty funny. Maybe she had found out I was a medical assistant, I don’t know. We gave Dan a blessing. Trent anointed, I sealed. It was short, simple, and to the point - it felt good. He said he began to feel a little better or at least that the side effects of the reaction had stopped progressing.
Jackie, Trent, David and I decided to leave, Ashley stayed behind. Jackie and I decided it would be a good idea to go to Jinja and check out the hospital situation for future reference. To our surprise we got a call from Ashley saying they were in a car on their way to Jinja with Dan. His condition had worsened and they eventually gave him the EpiPen. We all met at The Surgery, a branch of the big hospital in Kampala. There was a nice Australian women doctor there, we felt very comfortable with her. She was very helpful and treated Dan accordingly. We left Dan and Trent overnight in Jinja because the doctor said it would be a good idea to have him stay in town.
It was a crazy day, I'm so tired right now and the group wants to watch a movie, I guess I'll watch one. I told the The Forgotten was a good one, it should be good. Until next time.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Day 28 - Really?
Ok, so, I’m pretty sure it’s a little late to be writing in my journal but I have been slacking lately and I’m not too happy about it. At the same time, I haven’t had much to write about, so maybe it’s OK. Alright, the previous statement isn’t entirely true. I can’t be in Lugazi, Uganda and NOT have something to write about; impossible. Sometimes I get the feeling that I forget to include the really important things in my journal entires. I guess it’s different when you out in the world on an adventure. Instead of writing mostly thoughts and feelings, I write what happened throughout the day, mostly because it’s a totally new experience but also because it seems like the right thing to do at the time. There isn’t much room for thoughts and feelings when you are new to a place because all you can possibly think about is the fact that you are in a new country trying to get your bearings. There are way to many occurrences that would just never happen back home and so there is an obligation to write about it. Now that I’ve been out of my comfort zone for 28 days, really gotten out of the Orem bubble to see the world, and have seen much and recorded much, I feel like it’s time to focus more on people, thoughts, and feelings.
I have a new friend named Amber. She is quite possibly one of the funniest people I have ever met. Why? Well, first of all... really? Ok, just kidding. Only she would understand the pun you just missed. That was an inside joke of ours; see, I’m already getting our of control. Amber seems to share almost my exact sense of humor, to the point that we both HALF to laugh at the other when they make a face, say something, or otherwise. What WE think and see as absolutely hilarious others don’t quite get. If I may say, our level of humor is on a higher level...er...just kidding. :-) We have a TON of fun together. The other night we were doing orthodontics on Heidi and I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard. We laughed for SO long as we attempted and succeeded putting the rubber color pieces back on Heidi’s braces. That was more or less the beginning of our new found friendship, even though we had laughed a little bit before and even in training back home; she’s great. Heidi is also a new good friend, also very funny, super dramatic, and can’t stand to have her ears touched nor even spoken of. If her ears are touched she will absolutely throw a fit, start screaming, and at seek to punch whoever or whatever bugged her ear. She cracks me up each day. When Heidi, Amber, and myself all get together, it’s a recipe for laughing like you’ve never seen. Amber and I are leads on the Lorena Stoves which we have decided to rename the Simba Stove. We thought that “Simba” was much more appropriate that “Lorena” here in Uganda, don’t you think? We have a meeting tomorrow with a school to discuss with them a little further how the stove works, it’s benefits, and what the agreement will be on getting materials, etc. We will also be going to a women’s group and plan out a stove there; they have already decided and are set on having a stove.
I really am liking my stay here and I’m doing everything I can to keep busy and not be lazy. Living in such a beauiful country and being in a house that is “nice” sometimes makes you want to be lazy and relax a little more. I’m not sure if I already mentioned it here in my journal, but I have had a thought lately that really has me thinking and a bit uptight. If when I get home and ask myself, “What did I do to help the people of Africa?”, and the answer to myself is not very convincing, I think I would have a heart attack. So many people have contributed to my being here and the last thing I want to do is throw away people’s time, money, and support by not pushing though and making things happen. Luckily, Simba Stoves and Hospital work is up and running and we will be having much work starting next week; I’m beyond excited. I need to know that I have made a difference, then I can leave here knowing that I have and I’ll have peace of mind. Then I can tell Sister Child that her generous donation to this cause indeed changed the lives of many. That way I can tell my grandparents who also financially supported this project that I too, like them, was able to improve the lives of troubled teens and people in general. My goal is not only show the people here and myself that I have the ability and desire to make a difference, but to show those who have supported me back home, especially my family, that because of me hundreds will have fewer respiratory problems and conserve their money on firewood, that hundreds of kids are better informed about HIV and it’s serious danger, that the people of Uganda KNOW that there ARE muzungus that truly care about them and their welfare because they too are children of our Heavenly Father.
I thank my heavenly father every day that I have the opportunity to be here and serve these people. I haven’t had this kind of opportunity since my mission and it’s quite refreshing. The time has come to snooze, until tomorrow.
I have a new friend named Amber. She is quite possibly one of the funniest people I have ever met. Why? Well, first of all... really? Ok, just kidding. Only she would understand the pun you just missed. That was an inside joke of ours; see, I’m already getting our of control. Amber seems to share almost my exact sense of humor, to the point that we both HALF to laugh at the other when they make a face, say something, or otherwise. What WE think and see as absolutely hilarious others don’t quite get. If I may say, our level of humor is on a higher level...er...just kidding. :-) We have a TON of fun together. The other night we were doing orthodontics on Heidi and I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard. We laughed for SO long as we attempted and succeeded putting the rubber color pieces back on Heidi’s braces. That was more or less the beginning of our new found friendship, even though we had laughed a little bit before and even in training back home; she’s great. Heidi is also a new good friend, also very funny, super dramatic, and can’t stand to have her ears touched nor even spoken of. If her ears are touched she will absolutely throw a fit, start screaming, and at seek to punch whoever or whatever bugged her ear. She cracks me up each day. When Heidi, Amber, and myself all get together, it’s a recipe for laughing like you’ve never seen. Amber and I are leads on the Lorena Stoves which we have decided to rename the Simba Stove. We thought that “Simba” was much more appropriate that “Lorena” here in Uganda, don’t you think? We have a meeting tomorrow with a school to discuss with them a little further how the stove works, it’s benefits, and what the agreement will be on getting materials, etc. We will also be going to a women’s group and plan out a stove there; they have already decided and are set on having a stove.
I really am liking my stay here and I’m doing everything I can to keep busy and not be lazy. Living in such a beauiful country and being in a house that is “nice” sometimes makes you want to be lazy and relax a little more. I’m not sure if I already mentioned it here in my journal, but I have had a thought lately that really has me thinking and a bit uptight. If when I get home and ask myself, “What did I do to help the people of Africa?”, and the answer to myself is not very convincing, I think I would have a heart attack. So many people have contributed to my being here and the last thing I want to do is throw away people’s time, money, and support by not pushing though and making things happen. Luckily, Simba Stoves and Hospital work is up and running and we will be having much work starting next week; I’m beyond excited. I need to know that I have made a difference, then I can leave here knowing that I have and I’ll have peace of mind. Then I can tell Sister Child that her generous donation to this cause indeed changed the lives of many. That way I can tell my grandparents who also financially supported this project that I too, like them, was able to improve the lives of troubled teens and people in general. My goal is not only show the people here and myself that I have the ability and desire to make a difference, but to show those who have supported me back home, especially my family, that because of me hundreds will have fewer respiratory problems and conserve their money on firewood, that hundreds of kids are better informed about HIV and it’s serious danger, that the people of Uganda KNOW that there ARE muzungus that truly care about them and their welfare because they too are children of our Heavenly Father.
I thank my heavenly father every day that I have the opportunity to be here and serve these people. I haven’t had this kind of opportunity since my mission and it’s quite refreshing. The time has come to snooze, until tomorrow.
Day 25 - Can it be?
Instead of going through the daily grind of what went on today, I’m going to express some feelings.
Africa is amazing, the people are a amazing, this experience is amazing. However, as with anything we endeavor that takes time, money, and effort given by our own free will and choice, there are consequences. Now, I don’t want the word “consequence” to be taken out of context or seen as a necessarily negative thing. A consequence is simply a result or effect of an action or condition. I have been able to make many comparisons between this experience and my mission. As incredible as the mission was and as much as I learned and experienced, it was HARD. I’ve never done anything so hard as the mission; at times it was unbearable. This experience is similar though I haven’t come across any “unbearable” moments just yet, unless of course we count my EXTREME stomach ache that I had last Monday and Tuesday that gave me cramps like never before.
Africa truly is amazing. It is the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying a lot. I thought Hawaii was beautiful, and it is, but Uganda beats it. The Nile was like paradise, I could possibly live there 1 week out of the year... every year... on a houseboat.
The people here are amazing. But just like any place on earth there are people that aren’t so happy, that aren’t so nice and friendly. The people that we have been working with thus far however have been just incredible. There has been so much love and acceptance from these people and it has been so great to be received so warmly. It’s nice to know that these people respect that we are here and are willing to work along side us to accomplish theirs and our goals. It’s when you encounter people that all they can think of is the fact that they think we have money and wonder what we can do for them, that’s when problems set in and it makes it hard to work with them. Luckily these are not the people we are working alongside; it would never work.
This experience has been amazing so far. I’ve never done anything like this in my life and it has really opened my eyes. You can never really understand what it’s like to be in a 3rd world country until you’ve gone. You can’t know what these people are truly experiencing until you work along side them, eat along side them, and sleep along side them. If anybody has heard about “mud huts” that people live in, it’s true, not a myth. The sight here can be stunning, although once you’ve been here for a while it’s less of a surprise and more of an awareness. We live in a house that is incredibly nice for this area and I feel so blessed to have what I have. We take for granted so many things, it’s ridiculous.
Let me go through a typical day of a women here in Lugazi. She most likely has anywhere between 4 and 8 children - the birth rate here is outrageous. She gets up around 6:00am and begins sweeping around the house. Breakfast is being prepared simultaneously, if there IS breakfast. The kids generally get up around the same time and begin their daily chores. When they are not in school they have chores around the house and they are quite disciplined. Kids wash dishes, clothes, walkways, floors, babies, etc. They are trained from very young to contribute to the family. Father’s are usually at work all day trying to provide for the family. If there isn’t a father, the mother TRIES to work, in which case she may have to put her kids in an orphanage if she cannot afford to survive them. The mother is continuously cooking and cleaning throughout the day, she stays home and just watches outside as people go by. Her life is nothing but caring for her kids and her home, she has NO life other than that. I try to imagine myself being a kid in that situation and I can’t even begin to comprehend what that would be like. The kids just play around the house all day if they don’t have any chores or can’t afford to go to school.
To be quite honest, I can’t even begin to compare our lives. They are just different and that’s the way it is. I think about the way these people are living and my initial reaction is to think that they are so bad off and that they are suffering terribly and life is miserable. And while this may be true for some, many have at least enough money to provide food which is all they are worried about, as well as a roof over their heads. If they have a mud hut with a good roof then they are good to go, they’re kept safe from the rain. If the kids can go outside and play with friends and kick balls around and make wire cars that they push around, they are happy. Life is different here and should NOT be compared with our own. These people truly are happy, it’s just the way they have been brought up so they don’t know any different. Could their lives be improved? Of course. Is it imperative for their survival that we try to make their lives like our own? No. For their happiness? Most definitely not. I’ve had to drop my thoughts of “so much needs to change.” Those aren’t the right thoughts because that’s not what NEEDS to happen. It is impossible to enter a community and in 3 months change it’s entire infrastructure; not going to happen! The BEST thing that we can do is support them in what they already have going and do small things to improve their living conditions. We don’t have the means or the ability to build homes for people, but we do have the skills and knowledge to build them an Adobe Stove which not only conserves firewood and heats three pots at once, but removes the smoke from the home which will dramatically reduce respiratory problems. The lesson remains that material things do not bring happiness. These people really don’t have much but they are happy, especially when the muzungus walk through their village.
These are my thoughts of the day, more later.
Africa is amazing, the people are a amazing, this experience is amazing. However, as with anything we endeavor that takes time, money, and effort given by our own free will and choice, there are consequences. Now, I don’t want the word “consequence” to be taken out of context or seen as a necessarily negative thing. A consequence is simply a result or effect of an action or condition. I have been able to make many comparisons between this experience and my mission. As incredible as the mission was and as much as I learned and experienced, it was HARD. I’ve never done anything so hard as the mission; at times it was unbearable. This experience is similar though I haven’t come across any “unbearable” moments just yet, unless of course we count my EXTREME stomach ache that I had last Monday and Tuesday that gave me cramps like never before.
Africa truly is amazing. It is the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying a lot. I thought Hawaii was beautiful, and it is, but Uganda beats it. The Nile was like paradise, I could possibly live there 1 week out of the year... every year... on a houseboat.
The people here are amazing. But just like any place on earth there are people that aren’t so happy, that aren’t so nice and friendly. The people that we have been working with thus far however have been just incredible. There has been so much love and acceptance from these people and it has been so great to be received so warmly. It’s nice to know that these people respect that we are here and are willing to work along side us to accomplish theirs and our goals. It’s when you encounter people that all they can think of is the fact that they think we have money and wonder what we can do for them, that’s when problems set in and it makes it hard to work with them. Luckily these are not the people we are working alongside; it would never work.
This experience has been amazing so far. I’ve never done anything like this in my life and it has really opened my eyes. You can never really understand what it’s like to be in a 3rd world country until you’ve gone. You can’t know what these people are truly experiencing until you work along side them, eat along side them, and sleep along side them. If anybody has heard about “mud huts” that people live in, it’s true, not a myth. The sight here can be stunning, although once you’ve been here for a while it’s less of a surprise and more of an awareness. We live in a house that is incredibly nice for this area and I feel so blessed to have what I have. We take for granted so many things, it’s ridiculous.
Let me go through a typical day of a women here in Lugazi. She most likely has anywhere between 4 and 8 children - the birth rate here is outrageous. She gets up around 6:00am and begins sweeping around the house. Breakfast is being prepared simultaneously, if there IS breakfast. The kids generally get up around the same time and begin their daily chores. When they are not in school they have chores around the house and they are quite disciplined. Kids wash dishes, clothes, walkways, floors, babies, etc. They are trained from very young to contribute to the family. Father’s are usually at work all day trying to provide for the family. If there isn’t a father, the mother TRIES to work, in which case she may have to put her kids in an orphanage if she cannot afford to survive them. The mother is continuously cooking and cleaning throughout the day, she stays home and just watches outside as people go by. Her life is nothing but caring for her kids and her home, she has NO life other than that. I try to imagine myself being a kid in that situation and I can’t even begin to comprehend what that would be like. The kids just play around the house all day if they don’t have any chores or can’t afford to go to school.
To be quite honest, I can’t even begin to compare our lives. They are just different and that’s the way it is. I think about the way these people are living and my initial reaction is to think that they are so bad off and that they are suffering terribly and life is miserable. And while this may be true for some, many have at least enough money to provide food which is all they are worried about, as well as a roof over their heads. If they have a mud hut with a good roof then they are good to go, they’re kept safe from the rain. If the kids can go outside and play with friends and kick balls around and make wire cars that they push around, they are happy. Life is different here and should NOT be compared with our own. These people truly are happy, it’s just the way they have been brought up so they don’t know any different. Could their lives be improved? Of course. Is it imperative for their survival that we try to make their lives like our own? No. For their happiness? Most definitely not. I’ve had to drop my thoughts of “so much needs to change.” Those aren’t the right thoughts because that’s not what NEEDS to happen. It is impossible to enter a community and in 3 months change it’s entire infrastructure; not going to happen! The BEST thing that we can do is support them in what they already have going and do small things to improve their living conditions. We don’t have the means or the ability to build homes for people, but we do have the skills and knowledge to build them an Adobe Stove which not only conserves firewood and heats three pots at once, but removes the smoke from the home which will dramatically reduce respiratory problems. The lesson remains that material things do not bring happiness. These people really don’t have much but they are happy, especially when the muzungus walk through their village.
These are my thoughts of the day, more later.
Day 23 - The Nile
If anybody ever wants to talk to me about white water rafting, I’d be happy to... just don’t plan on trying to show me up. Today I rafted the the great White Nile of Africa, the longest river in the world, the river that I’ve learned about in geography class since elementary school, the ULTIMATE white water experience in the world; I did it.
The day started off usually and intimidating. As we prepared to leave the house to catch our 8:15am taxi to Jinja, it began to rain. And when I say rain, I do not mean a sprinkle, a bout, or anything else that would describe it as inferior. It RAINED. Rain so hard you could fill up a swimming pool in no time. Rain so hard that by standing in it for 2 seconds will get you absolutely drenched from head to toe. The best part about it was that we HAD to walk in it to catch our taxi, we had no other choice. We couldn’t miss our taxi because it was part of the package deal that we paid for. So we all bundled up the best we could, threw on our bags, and out the door we went. Luckily for me, I had some equipment that made my walk in the rain a little less painful than others. My dad bought me a super lightweight waterproof Rain jacket in St. George before I left. I keep it in my backpack at all times just in case. Also, the backpack I bought to come out here has a rain fly. These two things literally saved me. When I got in the taxi, the only thing that was wet were my pants, naturally. My upper body was dry and so was my backpack... so I thought. I later found the things in the bottom of my backpack a little wet, I’ll have to determine why and make sure I don’t let that happen next time.
The ride was uneventful except for the pouring rain which made things halfway interesting. My iPod Shuffle found its way to my ears, but only lasted 2-3 songs because a song came on that brought back a flood of memories I didn’t want to have. We arrived in Jinja at Nile River Explorers, the company we used to raft the Nile. We were greeting with a nice piece of paper to sign our lives away, a little discomforting but obviously necessary on their part. We had breakfast which was comprised of toast, chapati, eggs, pineapple, and midget bananas; it was quite good. We had a short introduction to rafting and some instruction on getting life vest and helmets. The whole time I had small knots beginning to form in my stomach. I kept wondering what I had gotten myself into and whether or not I was going to be able to handle it. The part of the Nile that we rafted was comprised of five Class-5, two Class-4, three Class-3, and two Class-2 rapids. Go ahead and look those up, Class-5 rapids are no messing around, they are HUGE and DEADLY if you’re not careful.
I got in a group with Trent, Jackie, Ashley, Emily, Heidi, and Lauren. Jackie spotted a particular guide and he was very cool. I was quite happy with my little group and knew that we would be laughing and having a great time. We got on the raft and entered the water; we were off. I knew there was no turning back and that my life was in the hands of the Nile, the raft, a life vest, a helmet, and a very experienced guide that had floated down the river over 200 times. The first couple of kilometers were used to train us with commands in the boat as well as being in the water and learning how to deal with the water when in rapids; we swam in a Class-1 rapid. We got back in the raft and were greeted with a Class-4 rapid to begin our journey. When we approached I got super nervous and figured I’d be in the water and halfway drowning. Luckily, that was not the case. We went over it, crazy as can be, but we made it and it was awesome. This was the trend throughout the day. I can’t really go in to detail about these rapids because there were so many of them. All I can say is that they were intense, so intense that I sort of felt like my life flashed before my eyes a couple of times, especially the last rapid which I will go into more detail about.
The last rapid was a class-5 and was called “The Bad Place”; it was most definitely the ultimate bad place and when I think about it I get the chills. Right before this last rapid there is a class-6 that we actually had to skip. We docked each of the rafts, got out, and the rafts were carried for us about 50 yards to skip the class-6. We got back in the raft and got going again. It was only another 20 yards on the water until we got there. I can’t even begin to explain the power of the water of the Nile. If you think you’ve seen big white water in your life, nothing compares unless you’ve been to Nepal which is considered the best in the world by some, though some claim the Nile to be best.... who knows. This water is out of control powerful and it’s very scary. We came to the edge of the water and went over. The picture of what I saw was equal to that of a washing machine on drugs. As the water poured over and plunged downward, water rolled over the top and created a sideways cyclone of sorts. Our raft hit the rushing current, the front flipped up, the back down, and we were ALL thrown out. I remember being in the water being tossed and turned like never before in my life. I remember spinning at least 10 full revolutions before my head poked out of the water. I held my nose and mouth with my hand to keep any water from going in and any of the precious air in my longs from escaping. Even though my head popped out of the water I still wasn’t in a position to get any air, I had to wait another 10 seconds for that chance to come around. The first person I saw when I finally got out of the water was Heidi. It was good to see somebody’s face in the water to remind me that I was still alive. Immediately I was worried about my fellow rafters. When I was finally well out of the water there was a rescue kayak right there to help me out. I grabbed on to the handle on the front of the kayak and wrapped my legs up and around as instructed before. He took me to the edge where I got off and tried to get ahold of myself. I was in shock to a point, I was shaken up big time. I couldn’t believe what had just happened to me.
The ride home was horrible. We sat in the back of a huge truck like a bunch of animals with a trailer stacked 4 high with rafts. The ride was horribly rickety. Many times I felt like I was going to fly out as we were traveling on roads through villages nearly the whole time. Ashley was scarred out of her mind, I felt really bad.
The night was pretty fun, we just sat around and talked and played cards. We had dinner, it was OK. We were super hungry so anything was good. We each got tickets for 2 drinks, I found an extra ticket and ended up having 4 drinks... yeah, 3 cokes and a bitter lemon Krest, it was heaven, they were even super cold. We must have sat around for 5 hours. When I got back in my dorm I discovered something a little unnerving. I had emptied my backpack out on the bed I was staying in which included a protein bar and some peanuts in a bag. I discovered that they had been eating through... by a mouse, or a rat, or some other rodent I’m unfamiliar with at this point in my adventure in Africa. I was so mad!! I ended up hopping in bed with a fellow volunteer because I was worried the little freaker would be back for some more chewing, but on my toes.
The day was amazing, I’m so glad that I rafted the Nile; what an accomplishment. Until next time.
The day started off usually and intimidating. As we prepared to leave the house to catch our 8:15am taxi to Jinja, it began to rain. And when I say rain, I do not mean a sprinkle, a bout, or anything else that would describe it as inferior. It RAINED. Rain so hard you could fill up a swimming pool in no time. Rain so hard that by standing in it for 2 seconds will get you absolutely drenched from head to toe. The best part about it was that we HAD to walk in it to catch our taxi, we had no other choice. We couldn’t miss our taxi because it was part of the package deal that we paid for. So we all bundled up the best we could, threw on our bags, and out the door we went. Luckily for me, I had some equipment that made my walk in the rain a little less painful than others. My dad bought me a super lightweight waterproof Rain jacket in St. George before I left. I keep it in my backpack at all times just in case. Also, the backpack I bought to come out here has a rain fly. These two things literally saved me. When I got in the taxi, the only thing that was wet were my pants, naturally. My upper body was dry and so was my backpack... so I thought. I later found the things in the bottom of my backpack a little wet, I’ll have to determine why and make sure I don’t let that happen next time.
The ride was uneventful except for the pouring rain which made things halfway interesting. My iPod Shuffle found its way to my ears, but only lasted 2-3 songs because a song came on that brought back a flood of memories I didn’t want to have. We arrived in Jinja at Nile River Explorers, the company we used to raft the Nile. We were greeting with a nice piece of paper to sign our lives away, a little discomforting but obviously necessary on their part. We had breakfast which was comprised of toast, chapati, eggs, pineapple, and midget bananas; it was quite good. We had a short introduction to rafting and some instruction on getting life vest and helmets. The whole time I had small knots beginning to form in my stomach. I kept wondering what I had gotten myself into and whether or not I was going to be able to handle it. The part of the Nile that we rafted was comprised of five Class-5, two Class-4, three Class-3, and two Class-2 rapids. Go ahead and look those up, Class-5 rapids are no messing around, they are HUGE and DEADLY if you’re not careful.
I got in a group with Trent, Jackie, Ashley, Emily, Heidi, and Lauren. Jackie spotted a particular guide and he was very cool. I was quite happy with my little group and knew that we would be laughing and having a great time. We got on the raft and entered the water; we were off. I knew there was no turning back and that my life was in the hands of the Nile, the raft, a life vest, a helmet, and a very experienced guide that had floated down the river over 200 times. The first couple of kilometers were used to train us with commands in the boat as well as being in the water and learning how to deal with the water when in rapids; we swam in a Class-1 rapid. We got back in the raft and were greeted with a Class-4 rapid to begin our journey. When we approached I got super nervous and figured I’d be in the water and halfway drowning. Luckily, that was not the case. We went over it, crazy as can be, but we made it and it was awesome. This was the trend throughout the day. I can’t really go in to detail about these rapids because there were so many of them. All I can say is that they were intense, so intense that I sort of felt like my life flashed before my eyes a couple of times, especially the last rapid which I will go into more detail about.
The last rapid was a class-5 and was called “The Bad Place”; it was most definitely the ultimate bad place and when I think about it I get the chills. Right before this last rapid there is a class-6 that we actually had to skip. We docked each of the rafts, got out, and the rafts were carried for us about 50 yards to skip the class-6. We got back in the raft and got going again. It was only another 20 yards on the water until we got there. I can’t even begin to explain the power of the water of the Nile. If you think you’ve seen big white water in your life, nothing compares unless you’ve been to Nepal which is considered the best in the world by some, though some claim the Nile to be best.... who knows. This water is out of control powerful and it’s very scary. We came to the edge of the water and went over. The picture of what I saw was equal to that of a washing machine on drugs. As the water poured over and plunged downward, water rolled over the top and created a sideways cyclone of sorts. Our raft hit the rushing current, the front flipped up, the back down, and we were ALL thrown out. I remember being in the water being tossed and turned like never before in my life. I remember spinning at least 10 full revolutions before my head poked out of the water. I held my nose and mouth with my hand to keep any water from going in and any of the precious air in my longs from escaping. Even though my head popped out of the water I still wasn’t in a position to get any air, I had to wait another 10 seconds for that chance to come around. The first person I saw when I finally got out of the water was Heidi. It was good to see somebody’s face in the water to remind me that I was still alive. Immediately I was worried about my fellow rafters. When I was finally well out of the water there was a rescue kayak right there to help me out. I grabbed on to the handle on the front of the kayak and wrapped my legs up and around as instructed before. He took me to the edge where I got off and tried to get ahold of myself. I was in shock to a point, I was shaken up big time. I couldn’t believe what had just happened to me.
The ride home was horrible. We sat in the back of a huge truck like a bunch of animals with a trailer stacked 4 high with rafts. The ride was horribly rickety. Many times I felt like I was going to fly out as we were traveling on roads through villages nearly the whole time. Ashley was scarred out of her mind, I felt really bad.
The night was pretty fun, we just sat around and talked and played cards. We had dinner, it was OK. We were super hungry so anything was good. We each got tickets for 2 drinks, I found an extra ticket and ended up having 4 drinks... yeah, 3 cokes and a bitter lemon Krest, it was heaven, they were even super cold. We must have sat around for 5 hours. When I got back in my dorm I discovered something a little unnerving. I had emptied my backpack out on the bed I was staying in which included a protein bar and some peanuts in a bag. I discovered that they had been eating through... by a mouse, or a rat, or some other rodent I’m unfamiliar with at this point in my adventure in Africa. I was so mad!! I ended up hopping in bed with a fellow volunteer because I was worried the little freaker would be back for some more chewing, but on my toes.
The day was amazing, I’m so glad that I rafted the Nile; what an accomplishment. Until next time.
Day 22 - Hope Burns
Today was Seya again, we are about half way done with our projects there, but at this point we are only sending people that are involved with the construction group because we don’t need too many people of there. There is only so much man power on there end that we have to keep our numbers low. We were there from about 9am to 4:30pm, it was a long day to say the least. We had lunch again, it was good as usual. We had potatoes, beans, cabbage, eggplant (which I don’t care for because the texture drives me nuts), rice, pineapple, and passion fruit juice, all for the low price of US$ 1.21 or 2000 shillings. I got totally full and it was all good, except for the eggplant of course. We worked hard today, I was quite busy from laying bricks, breaking and forming bricks, digging holes for posts, and a little chicken chasing on the side.... :-) I feel like we made pretty good progress, I have the feeling we will spend next week there as well, which is fine, I love it there.
I have two new favorite friends up at Seya: Isaac and Coleb. They are the funnest kids there that I’ve met... so far. They are always laughing and having a good time. They were hanging around me a lot today and we played around quite a bit. I chased them down and tickled them a couple of times, they taught me some Luganda, I taught them some Spanish, they were helpful with bringing wheel barrows full of cement (mortar) down to the project sites. I’m drawn to them because they have such amazing spirits, especially Isaac. There is something in his deep brown eyes that speaks innocence and strength at the same time. These kids really truly amaze me.
I got sunburned today, I could really feel it. The sun here is different, I’m not sure why. It’s almost like the sweat and humidity in the air acts as a magnifying glass and just torches your skin. At the same time, I’m on doxycycline which is for malaria, I know that is playing a big part in the burning, but dang. I hope I don’t peel, we’ll see.
I have two new favorite friends up at Seya: Isaac and Coleb. They are the funnest kids there that I’ve met... so far. They are always laughing and having a good time. They were hanging around me a lot today and we played around quite a bit. I chased them down and tickled them a couple of times, they taught me some Luganda, I taught them some Spanish, they were helpful with bringing wheel barrows full of cement (mortar) down to the project sites. I’m drawn to them because they have such amazing spirits, especially Isaac. There is something in his deep brown eyes that speaks innocence and strength at the same time. These kids really truly amaze me.
I got sunburned today, I could really feel it. The sun here is different, I’m not sure why. It’s almost like the sweat and humidity in the air acts as a magnifying glass and just torches your skin. At the same time, I’m on doxycycline which is for malaria, I know that is playing a big part in the burning, but dang. I hope I don’t peel, we’ll see.
Day 19 - Meetings Galore
I woke up today at 7:45 am, 15 minutes after my alarm clock went off, I was very proud of myself. I had a bad experience on Saturday when I decided to sleep until 11:30 am, definitely not a good idea. I was rested this morning when I finally woke up, even though I could have laid back down and shut my eyes for another hour or two. The benefits of getting up at 7:45 am this morning were extremely beneficial. Not only did I feel good in the morning, I had energy all day long with no sleepy spell. It’s only 11:17 pm now, so I should be able to get some good sleep again. We are waiting for Ashley and the 3 newest volunteers to arrive: Amber, Seren, and Heidi. We are so excited to get them here, it’s going to be a blast. We are already jammed in here so it’s going to be interesting having another 3 people, but we’ll make it work... somehow.
Today started out with a meeting at 10 am with Peggy and the advisers and medical superintendent at the hospital. We were there to get our point across that we were there to help and offer our services as needed. It was very hard to communicate with them, their English isn’t all that complete or easy to understand. We think they understood what our purpose was and we hope that they follow through. We asked that they provide us with a complete list of volunteer opportunities available in their facilities. They said that we could get a hold of the list on Thursday and in turn show it to out volunteers to get some things going. We waited to meet with the superintendent longer that we had the meeting... a little worrisome. After that meeting we headed back to town council and met with the mayor. It was Jeff’s first time meeting the mayor and I hadn’t seen him in about a week. He was as jolly as ever and eager to introduce us to his counselors and others. The purpose of the meeting was to talk about business and how we would like to train people to better their business if they have one, and if they don’t have one how to start one and be successful. The plan seemed well received. They asked Jeff to have the plan ready for Thursday so that he could present it to them and they could look over it.
While Jackie, Ashley and I were here for the first week, we really kicked butt and got a lot of things done. We set the way for the volunteers to be able to come in and get to work. We now have project leaders figured out and we are going to work to organize all of these areas and get projects off the ground. Our projects at home have been sort of a pre-runner to everything that we'll be doing this summer. It was an opportunity for everybody to see what it was going to be like to be building and working with the people. When we are done at Hope, we will be more divided and working in many many different areas in the community.
I'm feeling a lot better today than I was yesterday. I really can't even explain how I'm feeling. All I can say is that right in the pit of my stomach I feel cramps, pulling, jabbing, knifing, twisting like never before. It was enough to kill me. At this point, the pain comes and goes much less regularly, with the regular part being pain free. I'm not sure what caused it, but I'm glad it didn't last too long.
Today is a very unhappy day for me. I have been so careful with my things so as to not loose them or have them stolen... today ended that streak. When I got home from Hope yesterday, I removed my super muddy shoes at the step near the door like I always do so I wouldn't track any mud into the house. I went straight to my bed and was there for the next 6-7 hours. When I was organizing and picking up the front room, I looked outside and my Keens were gone. I couldn't believe my eyes. I figured the girls had taken them around back to wash up like they've done in the past. They said they saw them last night on the north side of the house and even this morning. Not only mine, but another guy's Keens and another guy's Adidas got taken as well. What we couldn't figure out is WHY they would take those three shoes only and not just clear out the whole lot of them!!! Anyway, I'm VERY upset and almost can't even handle it. They were $100 toward which Mom contributed half. Money is so sacred to me and now I feel so distraught and upset that I can barely think straight. I could just scream!!! I don't know what to do except be angry and hope for a miracle which don't really coincide. If they don't turn up soon, I'm going to have to go to town and see if i can pick something else up to replace them with, or have you guys get me another pair and send them with second wave. The shoes were perfect and I was LOVING them, I'm seriously SO sick about it.... ugh.
It was nice to go to the internet and update my blog as well as upload some new pictures. I’ve been a bit lazy with my picture taking lately, I guess just realized that I have 9 more weeks here and PLENTY of time to take pictures. I do need to get the camera out a little more often though, and remember to take it places that I go. I talked to my mom tonight, always good to talk to her. She’s one person that ALWAYS brings me happiness and joy just by the sound of her voice. My mom is incredible, irreplaceable, and my best friend. I miss her a lot, but know that she is rooting me on, praying for my safety, and most importantly wants me to have a fantastic time.
We had a slideshow of pictures from everybody tonight. They got their pics out of their families and explained who they were. I of course had to put a slideshow together and project it on the wall... I’m such a nerd. It was fun to see pictures, but I missed most of them because I was on the phone with my mom. After pictures we put on “Boy Meets World”, I couldn’t believe we were sitting in Lugazi, Uganda, Africa, in a home in Nakazadde, it’s just weird. It ended up being pretty funny and it was fun to remember watching it back in the day. We ended up staying up pretty late again, we even did some Yoga with Ashley, that was fun and HARD! I never knew how hard it was, wow. It really requires a lot of strength and you’d be in great shape if you did it often.
Today started out with a meeting at 10 am with Peggy and the advisers and medical superintendent at the hospital. We were there to get our point across that we were there to help and offer our services as needed. It was very hard to communicate with them, their English isn’t all that complete or easy to understand. We think they understood what our purpose was and we hope that they follow through. We asked that they provide us with a complete list of volunteer opportunities available in their facilities. They said that we could get a hold of the list on Thursday and in turn show it to out volunteers to get some things going. We waited to meet with the superintendent longer that we had the meeting... a little worrisome. After that meeting we headed back to town council and met with the mayor. It was Jeff’s first time meeting the mayor and I hadn’t seen him in about a week. He was as jolly as ever and eager to introduce us to his counselors and others. The purpose of the meeting was to talk about business and how we would like to train people to better their business if they have one, and if they don’t have one how to start one and be successful. The plan seemed well received. They asked Jeff to have the plan ready for Thursday so that he could present it to them and they could look over it.
While Jackie, Ashley and I were here for the first week, we really kicked butt and got a lot of things done. We set the way for the volunteers to be able to come in and get to work. We now have project leaders figured out and we are going to work to organize all of these areas and get projects off the ground. Our projects at home have been sort of a pre-runner to everything that we'll be doing this summer. It was an opportunity for everybody to see what it was going to be like to be building and working with the people. When we are done at Hope, we will be more divided and working in many many different areas in the community.
I'm feeling a lot better today than I was yesterday. I really can't even explain how I'm feeling. All I can say is that right in the pit of my stomach I feel cramps, pulling, jabbing, knifing, twisting like never before. It was enough to kill me. At this point, the pain comes and goes much less regularly, with the regular part being pain free. I'm not sure what caused it, but I'm glad it didn't last too long.
Today is a very unhappy day for me. I have been so careful with my things so as to not loose them or have them stolen... today ended that streak. When I got home from Hope yesterday, I removed my super muddy shoes at the step near the door like I always do so I wouldn't track any mud into the house. I went straight to my bed and was there for the next 6-7 hours. When I was organizing and picking up the front room, I looked outside and my Keens were gone. I couldn't believe my eyes. I figured the girls had taken them around back to wash up like they've done in the past. They said they saw them last night on the north side of the house and even this morning. Not only mine, but another guy's Keens and another guy's Adidas got taken as well. What we couldn't figure out is WHY they would take those three shoes only and not just clear out the whole lot of them!!! Anyway, I'm VERY upset and almost can't even handle it. They were $100 toward which Mom contributed half. Money is so sacred to me and now I feel so distraught and upset that I can barely think straight. I could just scream!!! I don't know what to do except be angry and hope for a miracle which don't really coincide. If they don't turn up soon, I'm going to have to go to town and see if i can pick something else up to replace them with, or have you guys get me another pair and send them with second wave. The shoes were perfect and I was LOVING them, I'm seriously SO sick about it.... ugh.
It was nice to go to the internet and update my blog as well as upload some new pictures. I’ve been a bit lazy with my picture taking lately, I guess just realized that I have 9 more weeks here and PLENTY of time to take pictures. I do need to get the camera out a little more often though, and remember to take it places that I go. I talked to my mom tonight, always good to talk to her. She’s one person that ALWAYS brings me happiness and joy just by the sound of her voice. My mom is incredible, irreplaceable, and my best friend. I miss her a lot, but know that she is rooting me on, praying for my safety, and most importantly wants me to have a fantastic time.
We had a slideshow of pictures from everybody tonight. They got their pics out of their families and explained who they were. I of course had to put a slideshow together and project it on the wall... I’m such a nerd. It was fun to see pictures, but I missed most of them because I was on the phone with my mom. After pictures we put on “Boy Meets World”, I couldn’t believe we were sitting in Lugazi, Uganda, Africa, in a home in Nakazadde, it’s just weird. It ended up being pretty funny and it was fun to remember watching it back in the day. We ended up staying up pretty late again, we even did some Yoga with Ashley, that was fun and HARD! I never knew how hard it was, wow. It really requires a lot of strength and you’d be in great shape if you did it often.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Day 18 - Sickness Overcomes
I have tried so hard while I’ve been out of the US to stay healthy by keeping my hands out of my mouth and off my face, making sure the food I ate was properly prepared, and doing everything physically possible to keep myself from getting sick. Well, I finally got a bug and it has been extremely unpleasant. We got up early yesterday and left for Seya at 7:50am. Around 8:40am after standing under a roof as the rain poured from the sky, a feeling in my stomach caught me by surprise. It was a sharp pain, one of twisting and pulling, I couldn’t quite pinpoint the pain nor it’s origin. This lasted basically all day. I tried to work through the pain while I was at Hope by hauling bricks and doing what I could to stay busy, it only worked for about 30 minutes and then I was in pain again. As the night went on, the pain got less and less. The pain comes in waves, even at this point. It will get really bad and I’ll hurt really bad and then it will float away for a while. As the night went on, the pain was less and less.
Our day was spent at Hope Children’s Home. We were to check on the Adobe stove, continue work on chicken coop, and start the pig pen project. When we got there, it began to rain, this was at 8:20 am or so. We waited for the rain to let up for about 2 hours, again I couldn’t believe how much water had fallen from the sky. The adobe stove wasn’t dry yet, in fact, it was still quite wet. We were unable to take the forms off knowing that if we did the thing would likely collapse. Kennedy told us that he had put water on top of the cement we had laid for the the top layer. I couldn’t figure out why he decided this was necessary. The water he poured went down the main hole (burner) in the front and saturated that clay, so we’re not quite sure how the rest of the stove is moisture wise. We are also unsure whether or not we should start a fire within to get the drying process up on it’s feet. Ashley was afraid that by doing so, we might interfere with the natural drying of the clay and cause cracking which would not be good. We decided not to make a fire, we will just have to be patient with the humid air here.
We formed an assembly line of sorts with volunteers and kids from the school to move bricks from one area to another. We needed bricks for the foundation of the pig pen that was down about 75 feet from the chicken coop. The line worked well and we moved 200-300 bricks in about 30 minutes. The kids are incredibly strong, not surprisingly. They are used to working everyday, especially taking water cans down to the now piped natural water well and hiking them uphill to the house. All the kids are well disciplined, know how to work, and love to work next to us muzungus. The leaders have mentioned to us that by working with the kids, they see that white people really can work and that life IS about work. It’s great to have such an impact on such a small matter as moving bricks from one end of the land to another.
We stayed at Hope until 1:30pm. We decided as a group to have lunch at Hope again, again I was impressed and the food was great. I was weary at first, not knowing WHO would prepare the food and just HOW it would happen exactly... sanitation was obviously on my mind. Luckily, everything they prepare here is cooked well. We had beans, rice, matooke (plantain), pineapple, mango, cabbage and a coke. I loved it, the flavor was great and I was full when finished. It cost us 2000 shillings for lunch there, which covers the food, drink (600 shillings), and the labor of the cooks. So, really, we got FULL on US $1, pretty amazing. Every time I eat I imagine just how little of our money provides so much food for them. It makes me sick to think about going out to dinner and spending $15 dollars on a plate. That would feed a child for over a month at the school.
We returned home, my stomach was still cramping like never in life. I was trying to contain myself and relax as we made out way home. I took my shoes off and went straight for my bed and slept. Laying down felt really good but didn’t solve the whole problem. Sleeping helped dull the pain. While I was sleeping, Edith came in the room and somehow I noticed and woke up. She was there to ask for my clothes to wash them, my heart sank. Here is this girl that all she can think about is serving us, it makes uncomfortable to a point, but then realize that she loves being around us and just wants to be a part of who we are and what we are doing. She has one of the sweetest spirits I have ever met.
I slept for a good 3-4 hours on and off. Dinner time came around and I was still in bed. Many people from the group including Jackie, Ashley, and Lesli came in to check on me and see how I was doing, I really appreciated that. Jackie asked me if I needed ANYTHING, she was so willing to help me get over being sick. She eventually got me a 2 liter sprite to help settle my stomach. Tori, bless her heart, brought me two Pepsi’s, I had been craving one all yesterday, and a nice note that wished me to get well. I absolutely love my group, everybody is so caring, loving, fun, and just awesome. I couldn’t have asked for a better group.
I felt the best after dinner during FHE and watching a movie. FHE was fun, we played a game that involved asking questions not normally asked to see how different people think. I believe the name of the game was “Loaded Questions.” It was fun because a lot of the time the questions were just downright hilarious and the answers we got from people made us laugh. Afterwards, we set up my computer and watched “The Invasion.” I had seen it once before, I think it’s a pretty good movie, I like it better the second time around. My group was pretty stoked to find out that I had brough 65 movies, almost enough to last us one per night... :-)
Our day was spent at Hope Children’s Home. We were to check on the Adobe stove, continue work on chicken coop, and start the pig pen project. When we got there, it began to rain, this was at 8:20 am or so. We waited for the rain to let up for about 2 hours, again I couldn’t believe how much water had fallen from the sky. The adobe stove wasn’t dry yet, in fact, it was still quite wet. We were unable to take the forms off knowing that if we did the thing would likely collapse. Kennedy told us that he had put water on top of the cement we had laid for the the top layer. I couldn’t figure out why he decided this was necessary. The water he poured went down the main hole (burner) in the front and saturated that clay, so we’re not quite sure how the rest of the stove is moisture wise. We are also unsure whether or not we should start a fire within to get the drying process up on it’s feet. Ashley was afraid that by doing so, we might interfere with the natural drying of the clay and cause cracking which would not be good. We decided not to make a fire, we will just have to be patient with the humid air here.
We formed an assembly line of sorts with volunteers and kids from the school to move bricks from one area to another. We needed bricks for the foundation of the pig pen that was down about 75 feet from the chicken coop. The line worked well and we moved 200-300 bricks in about 30 minutes. The kids are incredibly strong, not surprisingly. They are used to working everyday, especially taking water cans down to the now piped natural water well and hiking them uphill to the house. All the kids are well disciplined, know how to work, and love to work next to us muzungus. The leaders have mentioned to us that by working with the kids, they see that white people really can work and that life IS about work. It’s great to have such an impact on such a small matter as moving bricks from one end of the land to another.
We stayed at Hope until 1:30pm. We decided as a group to have lunch at Hope again, again I was impressed and the food was great. I was weary at first, not knowing WHO would prepare the food and just HOW it would happen exactly... sanitation was obviously on my mind. Luckily, everything they prepare here is cooked well. We had beans, rice, matooke (plantain), pineapple, mango, cabbage and a coke. I loved it, the flavor was great and I was full when finished. It cost us 2000 shillings for lunch there, which covers the food, drink (600 shillings), and the labor of the cooks. So, really, we got FULL on US $1, pretty amazing. Every time I eat I imagine just how little of our money provides so much food for them. It makes me sick to think about going out to dinner and spending $15 dollars on a plate. That would feed a child for over a month at the school.
We returned home, my stomach was still cramping like never in life. I was trying to contain myself and relax as we made out way home. I took my shoes off and went straight for my bed and slept. Laying down felt really good but didn’t solve the whole problem. Sleeping helped dull the pain. While I was sleeping, Edith came in the room and somehow I noticed and woke up. She was there to ask for my clothes to wash them, my heart sank. Here is this girl that all she can think about is serving us, it makes uncomfortable to a point, but then realize that she loves being around us and just wants to be a part of who we are and what we are doing. She has one of the sweetest spirits I have ever met.
I slept for a good 3-4 hours on and off. Dinner time came around and I was still in bed. Many people from the group including Jackie, Ashley, and Lesli came in to check on me and see how I was doing, I really appreciated that. Jackie asked me if I needed ANYTHING, she was so willing to help me get over being sick. She eventually got me a 2 liter sprite to help settle my stomach. Tori, bless her heart, brought me two Pepsi’s, I had been craving one all yesterday, and a nice note that wished me to get well. I absolutely love my group, everybody is so caring, loving, fun, and just awesome. I couldn’t have asked for a better group.
I felt the best after dinner during FHE and watching a movie. FHE was fun, we played a game that involved asking questions not normally asked to see how different people think. I believe the name of the game was “Loaded Questions.” It was fun because a lot of the time the questions were just downright hilarious and the answers we got from people made us laugh. Afterwards, we set up my computer and watched “The Invasion.” I had seen it once before, I think it’s a pretty good movie, I like it better the second time around. My group was pretty stoked to find out that I had brough 65 movies, almost enough to last us one per night... :-)
Day 17 - The Sabbath
We had the opportunity to visit Bill’s church today. He is a pastor here in Lugazi and back home and every once in a while he gives a sermon. We arrived at church at 11am at which point the music began. We were on our feet for 25 straight minutes with no break in the music dancing, clapping, and singing along with the people. I was totally tired after that. I’m so used to our system of worship that it was taxing on me. I love our system where we can just sit down and enjoy the music, prayers, and talks given by the members. The service was very different, very loud, very interesting... I enjoyed it. I love having new experiences as it gives me perspective and makes me grateful for the way our church is set up and who really oversees what goes on. Being a member of the true church changes life entirely. I gives so much comfort and I’m so so grateful for that. So many times in my life I have found myself distraught for one reason or another and it’s so comforting to have the knowledge that I do. It truly allows me to get over my problems so much easier.
As we sat there, kids began to come to us and wanting to hold our hands and sit on our laps. One little boy came over to me about half way through, he was pretty cute. It began with him standing in front of me when we were on our feet and then sitting on my lap when we sat down. The little guy smelled like urine, I knew he had been wearing his pants for a couple of weeks. But he was so cute, smilely, and just wanted to touch my hands and skin, play with my watch, and just be a part of the Muzungi tribe. The guy up in the front speaking thanked us for being here and said that they loved having visitors and that it meant so much to them. I felt good being there, there was a good spirit about the meeting. But at the same time, I was counting my lucky stars that I had been born into the Church of Jesus Christ and knew what the absolute truth was.
Since we decided to attend Bill’s church today, we called Pres. Mugimu yesterday and got permission to have our own sacrament meeting. It was so great. The spirit was strong as I partook and I was so happy to be hear with my friends. Because we didn’t have little cups, we blessed water in a water bottle and then passed it around old school for everyone to take a sip. Jeff gave a talk, we sang 3 hymns and it was just great.
As we sat there, kids began to come to us and wanting to hold our hands and sit on our laps. One little boy came over to me about half way through, he was pretty cute. It began with him standing in front of me when we were on our feet and then sitting on my lap when we sat down. The little guy smelled like urine, I knew he had been wearing his pants for a couple of weeks. But he was so cute, smilely, and just wanted to touch my hands and skin, play with my watch, and just be a part of the Muzungi tribe. The guy up in the front speaking thanked us for being here and said that they loved having visitors and that it meant so much to them. I felt good being there, there was a good spirit about the meeting. But at the same time, I was counting my lucky stars that I had been born into the Church of Jesus Christ and knew what the absolute truth was.
Since we decided to attend Bill’s church today, we called Pres. Mugimu yesterday and got permission to have our own sacrament meeting. It was so great. The spirit was strong as I partook and I was so happy to be hear with my friends. Because we didn’t have little cups, we blessed water in a water bottle and then passed it around old school for everyone to take a sip. Jeff gave a talk, we sang 3 hymns and it was just great.
Day 16 - Bujagali Falls
Today was very relaxing, although I slept in WAY too much. I went to bed around 1am and got up the first time around 9:30 am, on my own. Unfortunately I was so dang relaxed in my bed on a nice saturday morning that I kept closing my eyes. 11:30 am finally rolled around and I got out of bed, I was not happy with myself. I felt groggy and knew that that feeling would be with me the rest of the day.
We all decided to go to Jinja today and go to Bujagali Falls. Jackie, Ashley, and I had already been a week ago, but I was happy to go with the new group and check things out again. It’s gorgeous there so it wasn’t that bad... ;-) We struck gold when getting a taxi. First we were waiting for taxis to come up so that we could catch them in groups and meet everybody over there. While waiting, a man approached Jackie and told her that he would take us all to Jinja and back for 4000 USH each, 2 ways, AND he would take us directly to the falls and wait for us until were ready to go. We saved a ton of money with that deal, around 8000 USH each because we would have had to take boda bodas out to the falls from Jinja which would have cost 4000 each way. This time at the falls we found these two boats that take people on a small tour around the river and a couple of the islands in the middle of the river. They were asking for 5000 each, Jackie offered 3000 each because we had so many people going, he accepted. I almost didn’t go because I had my computer in my backpack and didn’t dare get on the boat with it in case we went over board. Jeff and Dan ended up staying so I left my bag with them, I was excited I got to go. We took two boats. Jackie, David, and I were on one, the rest were on another. The water temperature was absolutely amazing. We all wanted to go swimming, and had plans to, but time was cut short. We got off on one of the islands and walked up the way a bit to find a plot of corn growing, a mud/grass hut, and a witch-doctor... yes, a witch-doctor. We’ve heard some pretty psycho stories about those dudes, you definitely don’t want to get too involved with them.
If you can believe it, I didn’t take my camera on this trip, I couldn’t believe it, I was so mad. There were so many shots that I could have gotten that were beautiful, but oh well, it’s over. I’ll be back though for sure so it won’t be too big of a deal.
We finished at the falls and made our way to a place where we could go swimming. Unfortunately, the driver didn’t really know where to take us after he said he kinda did. We ended up at some resort that was incredibly nice, we were all blown away. There was a pool in the back as well as cabanas where you could spend the night for 120 EUR which is about US $190. It would be fun, but not worth it to us volunteers because we live so close and can visit whenever we feel like it. We took a bunch of pictures and wondered around for a bit before we packed it up and headed for Embira Forest. We got there and there wasn’t much light left. We ran into some other muzungus who were staying in this little hut out there, they said it had been a great experience. They said they went out looking for monkeys all day and didn’t see any, but when they got back to their hut the monkeys were everywhere above there heads jumping everywhere, I got excited about that. We sat and talked with them for about 20 minutes, by which time the light had left and it was time to return home. We piled in the taxi and had front door delivery service, it was so great. We plan on doing that taxi deal again in the future because it was a good price and it’s so fun to be with everybody in the same taxi.
When we got back we decided to watch a movie. Nobody could decided on what to watch so we looked at a bunch of pictures before and then finally decided on “A Beautiful Mind.” Only 20 minutes into the movie and people were filtering out. The others that remained fell asleep. The only ones awake were Lesli, Jeff, and myself. We finished the movie and I loved it! I had never completed the movie before so I was glad to finally finish it. It was pretty touching and heart wrenching all at the same time. I kept trying to imagine if I were like that or if my dad was like that, I don’t know how I would handle it. I’m just grateful for my mental health... well, as much as I have anyway.
After the movie Emily, Jeff, Lesli, and I stayed up for about 3 1/2 hours until 2:15am talking about all sorts of things, mostly deep doctrine things that we had always wondered or were curious to see what others thought. It was great to be with others that believe what I believe. That’s one more things that helps me feel good about being here in Africa. Not only do I see these people as my friends and I enjoy their company very much, I know that we are one in faith and that is so powerful and helpful to me being here. Until tomorrow, I’m way tired.
We all decided to go to Jinja today and go to Bujagali Falls. Jackie, Ashley, and I had already been a week ago, but I was happy to go with the new group and check things out again. It’s gorgeous there so it wasn’t that bad... ;-) We struck gold when getting a taxi. First we were waiting for taxis to come up so that we could catch them in groups and meet everybody over there. While waiting, a man approached Jackie and told her that he would take us all to Jinja and back for 4000 USH each, 2 ways, AND he would take us directly to the falls and wait for us until were ready to go. We saved a ton of money with that deal, around 8000 USH each because we would have had to take boda bodas out to the falls from Jinja which would have cost 4000 each way. This time at the falls we found these two boats that take people on a small tour around the river and a couple of the islands in the middle of the river. They were asking for 5000 each, Jackie offered 3000 each because we had so many people going, he accepted. I almost didn’t go because I had my computer in my backpack and didn’t dare get on the boat with it in case we went over board. Jeff and Dan ended up staying so I left my bag with them, I was excited I got to go. We took two boats. Jackie, David, and I were on one, the rest were on another. The water temperature was absolutely amazing. We all wanted to go swimming, and had plans to, but time was cut short. We got off on one of the islands and walked up the way a bit to find a plot of corn growing, a mud/grass hut, and a witch-doctor... yes, a witch-doctor. We’ve heard some pretty psycho stories about those dudes, you definitely don’t want to get too involved with them.
If you can believe it, I didn’t take my camera on this trip, I couldn’t believe it, I was so mad. There were so many shots that I could have gotten that were beautiful, but oh well, it’s over. I’ll be back though for sure so it won’t be too big of a deal.
We finished at the falls and made our way to a place where we could go swimming. Unfortunately, the driver didn’t really know where to take us after he said he kinda did. We ended up at some resort that was incredibly nice, we were all blown away. There was a pool in the back as well as cabanas where you could spend the night for 120 EUR which is about US $190. It would be fun, but not worth it to us volunteers because we live so close and can visit whenever we feel like it. We took a bunch of pictures and wondered around for a bit before we packed it up and headed for Embira Forest. We got there and there wasn’t much light left. We ran into some other muzungus who were staying in this little hut out there, they said it had been a great experience. They said they went out looking for monkeys all day and didn’t see any, but when they got back to their hut the monkeys were everywhere above there heads jumping everywhere, I got excited about that. We sat and talked with them for about 20 minutes, by which time the light had left and it was time to return home. We piled in the taxi and had front door delivery service, it was so great. We plan on doing that taxi deal again in the future because it was a good price and it’s so fun to be with everybody in the same taxi.
When we got back we decided to watch a movie. Nobody could decided on what to watch so we looked at a bunch of pictures before and then finally decided on “A Beautiful Mind.” Only 20 minutes into the movie and people were filtering out. The others that remained fell asleep. The only ones awake were Lesli, Jeff, and myself. We finished the movie and I loved it! I had never completed the movie before so I was glad to finally finish it. It was pretty touching and heart wrenching all at the same time. I kept trying to imagine if I were like that or if my dad was like that, I don’t know how I would handle it. I’m just grateful for my mental health... well, as much as I have anyway.
After the movie Emily, Jeff, Lesli, and I stayed up for about 3 1/2 hours until 2:15am talking about all sorts of things, mostly deep doctrine things that we had always wondered or were curious to see what others thought. It was great to be with others that believe what I believe. That’s one more things that helps me feel good about being here in Africa. Not only do I see these people as my friends and I enjoy their company very much, I know that we are one in faith and that is so powerful and helpful to me being here. Until tomorrow, I’m way tired.
Day 15 - Hope
Today was really the beginning of the essence of why we are here. We got up early in the morning, I showered quickly because that’s what I do, had a bite to eat, and then hopped in the van with Alocious and headed up to Hope Children’s Home.
Our plans for the day were to build an Adobe or Lorena Stove for the home and to begin the construction of a pig pen. I was involved with the pig pen at first but didn’t do much in the long run. I did however dedicate my time to the adobe stove that we made for Christine. She told us to knock down the old one to make room for the new larger one. I was surprised she wanted to do this, but happy that she had the confidence in us to make a newer better one! The process was slow but sure. We began by making frames out of some planks that the worker guys rounded up for us. They weren’t perfect, but they worked. We nailed them together and had our layout ready. This was our very first time with the stoves so we were sort of doing things only by what we had been taught or thought would be best for the design. It was pretty intricate as far as finding material to form the vents and the holes in the top. We ended up using banana truck to form the vents as well as the upper/smaller vents of the stove. We put grass in the middle to help support the weight of the adobe from crushing in.
We used about 3-4 loads of clay that was gathered somewhere down the hillside. It was pretty good clay, except for the last load which was pretty clumpy and hard to work with, we made it work with. We used 6 parts clay, 3 parts sand, 1 part water (instead of 3 parts because the clay was so moist), and 1 part cellulose. It actually turned out to be quite good stuff, it should dry very strong. I had been pushing to put a cement surface on top to have a nice finish. I went down to those working on the chicken coop and saw that they had an entire wheel barrow FULL of unused cement!! I was extactic! I asked them if we could use it, they concurred. I told Jeff and Dan and we brought it up and laid it down. I went to get a trowel and when I got back, Jeff reached out as if to take it. I gladly but unhappily gave it to him, I was eager to do the finish work myself. I figured I wouldn’t make a seen and that I just be OK with it, and I was. They did a great job, I’m sure it will look amazing.
We were there ALL day. We had lunch with the kids and workers. We had posho (a maize flour/water mixture), beans, rice, cabbage, and pepsi to drink. It wasn’t half bad. I won’t lie, I was a little nervous about the whole thing before hand, but when I was there and observing it all, I was so happy to be there and the food was quite good. Some kids stacked there bowls higher than mine to which I was surprised, but then realized that what we were eating was a treat for them, as they don’t normally get cabbage and rice to go along with the usual posho and beans.
The day came to a close and we were all so beat. To make it worse, we decided to go to African Paradise and dance our little brains out. It only cost 1000 USH to get in, which is the equivalent of 60 cents. When we got in there, there weren’t to many people but we began to dance anyway. About 30 minutes passed and we had been dancing hard, but it wasn’t until this time that more people began to file in and dance. We ended up dancing with the Ugandans and it was great. People were drinking so they were out of it, but it was still way fun. We would take little breaks here and there and sit around a table. I had 2 Pepsi’s, they were unbelievably good... mmmm. We stayed for about 2 hours before we finally took off and went home. We were tired out of our minds. We had worked up at Hope for around 7-8 hours and then danced for another 2. I know I’m going to be hurting tomorrow, I can already feel the pain creeping in.
The kids at Hope are amazing. They are happy, full of love, have a will to live, and I love them so much. They are so disciplined and helpful its amazing. I took many pictures of the kids, they turned out very well, I’m excited to get them posted. The lives of these kids are so simple that even rolling a tube down a hill gets them happy and excited. Well, I’m excited to see how the stove works out, we’ll go back Monday and check it out as well as finish the chicken coop and start the pig pen. Until tomorrow.
Our plans for the day were to build an Adobe or Lorena Stove for the home and to begin the construction of a pig pen. I was involved with the pig pen at first but didn’t do much in the long run. I did however dedicate my time to the adobe stove that we made for Christine. She told us to knock down the old one to make room for the new larger one. I was surprised she wanted to do this, but happy that she had the confidence in us to make a newer better one! The process was slow but sure. We began by making frames out of some planks that the worker guys rounded up for us. They weren’t perfect, but they worked. We nailed them together and had our layout ready. This was our very first time with the stoves so we were sort of doing things only by what we had been taught or thought would be best for the design. It was pretty intricate as far as finding material to form the vents and the holes in the top. We ended up using banana truck to form the vents as well as the upper/smaller vents of the stove. We put grass in the middle to help support the weight of the adobe from crushing in.
We used about 3-4 loads of clay that was gathered somewhere down the hillside. It was pretty good clay, except for the last load which was pretty clumpy and hard to work with, we made it work with. We used 6 parts clay, 3 parts sand, 1 part water (instead of 3 parts because the clay was so moist), and 1 part cellulose. It actually turned out to be quite good stuff, it should dry very strong. I had been pushing to put a cement surface on top to have a nice finish. I went down to those working on the chicken coop and saw that they had an entire wheel barrow FULL of unused cement!! I was extactic! I asked them if we could use it, they concurred. I told Jeff and Dan and we brought it up and laid it down. I went to get a trowel and when I got back, Jeff reached out as if to take it. I gladly but unhappily gave it to him, I was eager to do the finish work myself. I figured I wouldn’t make a seen and that I just be OK with it, and I was. They did a great job, I’m sure it will look amazing.
We were there ALL day. We had lunch with the kids and workers. We had posho (a maize flour/water mixture), beans, rice, cabbage, and pepsi to drink. It wasn’t half bad. I won’t lie, I was a little nervous about the whole thing before hand, but when I was there and observing it all, I was so happy to be there and the food was quite good. Some kids stacked there bowls higher than mine to which I was surprised, but then realized that what we were eating was a treat for them, as they don’t normally get cabbage and rice to go along with the usual posho and beans.
The day came to a close and we were all so beat. To make it worse, we decided to go to African Paradise and dance our little brains out. It only cost 1000 USH to get in, which is the equivalent of 60 cents. When we got in there, there weren’t to many people but we began to dance anyway. About 30 minutes passed and we had been dancing hard, but it wasn’t until this time that more people began to file in and dance. We ended up dancing with the Ugandans and it was great. People were drinking so they were out of it, but it was still way fun. We would take little breaks here and there and sit around a table. I had 2 Pepsi’s, they were unbelievably good... mmmm. We stayed for about 2 hours before we finally took off and went home. We were tired out of our minds. We had worked up at Hope for around 7-8 hours and then danced for another 2. I know I’m going to be hurting tomorrow, I can already feel the pain creeping in.
The kids at Hope are amazing. They are happy, full of love, have a will to live, and I love them so much. They are so disciplined and helpful its amazing. I took many pictures of the kids, they turned out very well, I’m excited to get them posted. The lives of these kids are so simple that even rolling a tube down a hill gets them happy and excited. Well, I’m excited to see how the stove works out, we’ll go back Monday and check it out as well as finish the chicken coop and start the pig pen. Until tomorrow.
Day 13 - New Arrivals
Today was great fun. I’m very tired at this point and don’t know how much is going to come out the end of my fingers and if it’s going to be good grammar or what have you. I should have written in it earlier, it’s going to be much harder to keep a journal with all sorts of people around all the time.
I room now with 5 guys. Initially I was in the big room, on the bottom bunk on one of two bunks. I had my new little home for the next 10 weeks and I was so excited about it. I felt at home, I felt like I had my own little place, I could even get a good nights sleep because I felt comfortable! When the volunteers arrived, I got jerked from my wonderful place and moved to the room that housed 5, just perfect for the 5 guys. While I was willing to do whatever, I was upset about having to make the move. Jen said that we could NOT have co-ed rooms, I was bummed. It would have been so much fun to mingle with the ladies, laugh all night, and just have a good time. Although, I do understand that it’s much more convenient for both sides to have their own gender rooms. Now I’m sitting in my new bed, again on the bottom bunk. I'm back at home, I’ve made it MY place again, so all is well.
We got up early this morning, at least, earlier than I have been getting up. We had a nice breakfast composed of pineapple, mango, bananas, and toast with ghetto margarine and orange marmalade stuff. It was all great, I loved it all. I began to prepare but then a spot opened up for me in the bathroom to take a nice warm shower, or rather spray off. I had to cease the opportunity, so Natalie and someone else took over for me. We began the day with breakfast followed by a quick orientation meeting in the front room. Many were tired, but also very anxious to get out and see the town. Today was all about going out and seeing the town, getting to know where things are, and just getting comfortable. Jackie, Ashley, and I each took a small group and went to certain locations from a list that Jackie made. It was fun to show them around, take them on boda bodas, and just have a good time. We met all together for lunch at Patron Hotel, I had matooke and beans, it was OK. The waitress was a bit slow, missing my order entirely, part of another, and not giving all of our change back, I was flustered.
The rest of the day was used to gather supplies for our project tomorrow, check e-mail, get unpacked and a little more organized, as well as taking a nap which was very well received. After my nap Tori, Natalie, Rylee and I all went out to get some nails and chicken wire for the projects tomorrow. We stopped and checked our e-mail, I had one from Andi, Mom, and Millie. It was so good to hear from them. They didn’t mention anything about my pictures, I hope they got to see them. I want to hear their reactions etc.
The highlight of the night however was the initiation into the tribe of Muzungi. Jackie and Ashley had been planning something and were really excited about it. I was so curious to know what they had in store for us. I was nervous they were going to have us eat some cockroaches or something, luckily, that was not the case. It began inside of the house in the living area. The lights were shut off. Jackie stood in front of us and explained what we were to do. We were each given a candle to be lit by them both of them as we walked outside and down the front steps. After the candles were lit, we were instructed to go and sit down in the circle of chairs that had been created. After all had sat down in the circle, candles lit, Jackie and Ashley came over and began so speak. They first instructed us on how we were to be introduced into the tribe Muzungi which was by reading and filling in the blanks of a script they had written on a large poster size piece of paper. My turn came, at this point everybody was busting up because the whole thing felt like some big cult movement and I new there were people outside the walls of our home that were thinking, “Who are these people!?” As soon as everyone had been partly iniciated, they told us the final part of the initiation; I was fully taken by surprise.
The whole thing was caught on tape and I plan to add the video to this journal entry, that way all that I have said can be seen.
Edith brought out two chickens, everybody started freaking out, literally. The girls were screaming, they couldn’t even handle it. I was a bit on the edge of my seat because here I am thinking “initiation” and seeing that we were about to slaughter and eat some chickens. I wasn’t quite sure what to think at first, it was weird! But then I realized, “this is perfect.” We are only doing exactly what the locals do, and everybody other rural country in the world. If they want chicken, they grow it and then slaughter it! So we proceeded. Jeff and Dan, the two Canadian guys, each took knives an beheaded the chickens. Unfortunately for the chickens, the knives were anything but sharp. That was the only part of the whole thing that freaked me out. After they were beheaded, I got in there and helped pluck one of the chickens. A trick they use to loosen up the feathers is soaking the whole thing in hot water. It took about 10-15 minutes to pluck the chicken thoroughly and get it ready for gutting. I helped a little with cutting up the chicken into different pieces. Part of the deal with slaughtering the chickens was that we had to eat them. So the Achalam, the older one, brought out the charcoal stove from behind. They proceeded to marinade the chicken in salt and lemon and through it on the cooker. It took quite a long time to cook, I was surprised. The meat was rather chewy and there wasn’t much of it, these pour chickens here are pretty skinny, as they don’t get much to eat. I’m not sure what they normally eat though, there is so much vegetation they shouldn’t be as skinny as they are.
The whole experience was good, even though at first I was like, “what the freak is going on.” It sort of broke us all in a little bit and prepared us for the weirdness that goes on here in Africa. It was great to hang out and be friends with everybody. Until tomorrow.
I room now with 5 guys. Initially I was in the big room, on the bottom bunk on one of two bunks. I had my new little home for the next 10 weeks and I was so excited about it. I felt at home, I felt like I had my own little place, I could even get a good nights sleep because I felt comfortable! When the volunteers arrived, I got jerked from my wonderful place and moved to the room that housed 5, just perfect for the 5 guys. While I was willing to do whatever, I was upset about having to make the move. Jen said that we could NOT have co-ed rooms, I was bummed. It would have been so much fun to mingle with the ladies, laugh all night, and just have a good time. Although, I do understand that it’s much more convenient for both sides to have their own gender rooms. Now I’m sitting in my new bed, again on the bottom bunk. I'm back at home, I’ve made it MY place again, so all is well.
We got up early this morning, at least, earlier than I have been getting up. We had a nice breakfast composed of pineapple, mango, bananas, and toast with ghetto margarine and orange marmalade stuff. It was all great, I loved it all. I began to prepare but then a spot opened up for me in the bathroom to take a nice warm shower, or rather spray off. I had to cease the opportunity, so Natalie and someone else took over for me. We began the day with breakfast followed by a quick orientation meeting in the front room. Many were tired, but also very anxious to get out and see the town. Today was all about going out and seeing the town, getting to know where things are, and just getting comfortable. Jackie, Ashley, and I each took a small group and went to certain locations from a list that Jackie made. It was fun to show them around, take them on boda bodas, and just have a good time. We met all together for lunch at Patron Hotel, I had matooke and beans, it was OK. The waitress was a bit slow, missing my order entirely, part of another, and not giving all of our change back, I was flustered.
The rest of the day was used to gather supplies for our project tomorrow, check e-mail, get unpacked and a little more organized, as well as taking a nap which was very well received. After my nap Tori, Natalie, Rylee and I all went out to get some nails and chicken wire for the projects tomorrow. We stopped and checked our e-mail, I had one from Andi, Mom, and Millie. It was so good to hear from them. They didn’t mention anything about my pictures, I hope they got to see them. I want to hear their reactions etc.
The highlight of the night however was the initiation into the tribe of Muzungi. Jackie and Ashley had been planning something and were really excited about it. I was so curious to know what they had in store for us. I was nervous they were going to have us eat some cockroaches or something, luckily, that was not the case. It began inside of the house in the living area. The lights were shut off. Jackie stood in front of us and explained what we were to do. We were each given a candle to be lit by them both of them as we walked outside and down the front steps. After the candles were lit, we were instructed to go and sit down in the circle of chairs that had been created. After all had sat down in the circle, candles lit, Jackie and Ashley came over and began so speak. They first instructed us on how we were to be introduced into the tribe Muzungi which was by reading and filling in the blanks of a script they had written on a large poster size piece of paper. My turn came, at this point everybody was busting up because the whole thing felt like some big cult movement and I new there were people outside the walls of our home that were thinking, “Who are these people!?” As soon as everyone had been partly iniciated, they told us the final part of the initiation; I was fully taken by surprise.
The whole thing was caught on tape and I plan to add the video to this journal entry, that way all that I have said can be seen.
Edith brought out two chickens, everybody started freaking out, literally. The girls were screaming, they couldn’t even handle it. I was a bit on the edge of my seat because here I am thinking “initiation” and seeing that we were about to slaughter and eat some chickens. I wasn’t quite sure what to think at first, it was weird! But then I realized, “this is perfect.” We are only doing exactly what the locals do, and everybody other rural country in the world. If they want chicken, they grow it and then slaughter it! So we proceeded. Jeff and Dan, the two Canadian guys, each took knives an beheaded the chickens. Unfortunately for the chickens, the knives were anything but sharp. That was the only part of the whole thing that freaked me out. After they were beheaded, I got in there and helped pluck one of the chickens. A trick they use to loosen up the feathers is soaking the whole thing in hot water. It took about 10-15 minutes to pluck the chicken thoroughly and get it ready for gutting. I helped a little with cutting up the chicken into different pieces. Part of the deal with slaughtering the chickens was that we had to eat them. So the Achalam, the older one, brought out the charcoal stove from behind. They proceeded to marinade the chicken in salt and lemon and through it on the cooker. It took quite a long time to cook, I was surprised. The meat was rather chewy and there wasn’t much of it, these pour chickens here are pretty skinny, as they don’t get much to eat. I’m not sure what they normally eat though, there is so much vegetation they shouldn’t be as skinny as they are.
The whole experience was good, even though at first I was like, “what the freak is going on.” It sort of broke us all in a little bit and prepared us for the weirdness that goes on here in Africa. It was great to hang out and be friends with everybody. Until tomorrow.
Day 12 - Kampala
I’m so very tired right now, I barely have the energy to write in my journal. But today as I was writing a letter to my family and updating my blog with everything I have written so far, I realized as I read my journal entries how much they help me remember exactly what happened that day! When you come to a country and do this type of work, or go on a mission, or any other similar monotonous work, the days seem to blend together and you forget the important things that happen while you are in the service of others because there are just to many to remember!! I have proven to myself how important it is to write in a journal, after the prophets have counseled for years. I understand the purpose and I really am grateful that I do it, I will be so happy later when I go back. Also, it’s important that others hear what I’m doing. Ok, even I can tell when my writing is bad, it’s bad right now, I’m tired.
We got up this morning and hopped right on a taxi. No, we didn’t even get to shower, the water was off. I was not too happy about it because I’m used to showering every day, especially in this type of weather and conditions, you get dirty so fast and you collect tons of dirt. I feel nasty right now, the water IS back on, but I don’t quite have the energy to shower. I will definitely be wiping my face and neck down for sure, as well as brushing my teeth. Anyway... the taxi ride was one hour and cost us 2500 shillings, which equates to $1.52 to get to the capitol which is about 50 km or 30 miles. The ride is normally supposed to take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours, but I guess with our crazy taxi drivers they shorten that time pretty well. When we got there Ashley went to Parliament and visited with a man name Mr. Hamis. Jackie and I wondered to about 3 banks, back and forth, trying to get money out to pay rent. The catch is that we needed US dollars, not shillings. The problem with drawing shillings and changing it to USD is that is costs you, so we were trying our very best to get USD directly from the card. We finally got to where we needed to be and you know what? We didn’t have our frickin’ passports. It was actually just Jackie that needed it because I didn’t need USD for any reason. We weren’t too happy that we had come all the way to Kampala to have forgotten what we needed. But we figured we could do it tomorrow since we are going to Entebbe to pick up the rest of the volunteers. After the bank runaround, we went and had lunch at Nado’s. Jackie made it sounds like it was good, although I wasn’t too impressed. I ended up having a pepperoni and pineapple (my favorite combo pizza) and it was interesting to say the least. I ate the whole thing of course because I was starving but it was weird. Jackie had a chicken salad that looked pretty good, but wasn’t so great when she had it. It was fine, okay, but not fabulous. We left satisfied in our stomach but not in our minds. We made our way to Click - Internet Place and proceeded to use the internet for about 3 1 /2 hours. It was SUCH a good session, though we were under the impression that we would have broadband internet, we did not. It was a little faster than here in Lugazi, but not much, I was disappointed. I had a bunch of pics to send, an e-mail to write, facebook to check, blogs to update, and information to research. It ended up being OK though and I got it all done. I was so excited to finally get my blog and pics updated on my blog, I really hope they liked the pictures.
We actually met Ashley before internet and met Mr. Hamis. He was a nice man, well dressed, and happy to meet us. It was a quite aquaintance and then we were off to the Internet. Ashley went and grabbed a bite before she met us there.
After we finished with the Internet, we made our way by boda boda to Garden City. I don’t think I’ve ever feared for my life as much as I did then. This driver was absolutely insane. Weaving in and out of cars and people, riding the painted middle line between traffic to get ahead. Cutting people off, on the sidewalk, etc. I was very scarred and wasn’t sure I could continue the ride. I prayed my life be spared (once again), and it was, thankfully. I arrived a minute earlier than JackAsh and the ride was only 3-4 minutes, that gives you an idea of how fast the ride was. We went in to the grocery store there hoping to find permethrin, but to no avail. I checked with the pharmacy before leaving the store and they set they were out of it and that it would be back in stock in 2 days, we were not happy. Yet another thing that we came to Kampala for and were unable to obtain.
We grabbed an ice cream cone, bought a bottle of water at the airtime shacks on the road where we caught a taxi and made our way home. The ride this time was about 1 hour 15 minutes, not too bad. But it was closer to night and a little more scary. I listed to my iPod some of the way as Jackie and Ashley conversed. It’s hard to sit 3 next to each other and have a conversation, it gets pretty loud. We stopped by the market and grabbed some bananas. I bought 15 bananas on the stock for 1500 shillings! That’s only .90 cents!
-I just grabbed a banana, trail mix, and glass of water... I’m starving!!-
It’s crazy what you can get here for so cheap, but then again bananas grow like weeds over here, and when I say that I don’t mean fast, I mean in quantity. Jackie then decided she wanted to stop by one of the guys making chipati. I told her to be careful and advised her not to do it. She decided however that she would take one for the team and determine whether or not they were safe to eat by waiting to see if she got sick. The man cracked and egg, threw some chopped cabbage in and through it on the grill. This was comforting, as I knew it was being COOKED and that anything living would die. It wasn’t until he threw the chipati on top of the egg, flipped it over, threw another chipati on top and then placed his entire hand over the thing and pushed down as if to force it together, that I got grossed out and decided, “No.” But of course, I had to have a bite once it was done, do I did. It was wonderful, really, I would have bought one if I couldn’t have talked him into being a little more sanitary. We shall see what happens, I hope that she doesn’t get sick, I wish we could ALWAYS trust that it would be sanitary, it was only .36 cents and two of them would have filled you up.
On our way back to our house we found Zahara and Uda coming out of their store. We said hello, exchanged hugs, and made our way to Zahara’s house. It was beautiful, a very nice house that was well kept, I appreciated their cleanliness very much. We were brought juice and biscuits (crackers), it was all very good and so hospitable. They are again some of the nicest people I have ever met and I’m so excited to have a relationship with them, somebody we can trust and enjoy time with. Uda told us that she would be over tomorrow with chipati for us, I’m beyond excited. We said goodnight and headed home.
JackAsh has been doing a bunch of administrative work tonight. I have been been organizing my things and putting up hooks for mosquito nets. We are all pretty tired. Jackie is on the phone with her dad, I’m excited for her to talk to her family, she hasn’t spoken to them since she left SLC! Well, it is time, I must sleep as I will wake tomorrow at 8am. I hope I can get a good 7 hours again, that would be prefect. Until tomorrow.
We got up this morning and hopped right on a taxi. No, we didn’t even get to shower, the water was off. I was not too happy about it because I’m used to showering every day, especially in this type of weather and conditions, you get dirty so fast and you collect tons of dirt. I feel nasty right now, the water IS back on, but I don’t quite have the energy to shower. I will definitely be wiping my face and neck down for sure, as well as brushing my teeth. Anyway... the taxi ride was one hour and cost us 2500 shillings, which equates to $1.52 to get to the capitol which is about 50 km or 30 miles. The ride is normally supposed to take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours, but I guess with our crazy taxi drivers they shorten that time pretty well. When we got there Ashley went to Parliament and visited with a man name Mr. Hamis. Jackie and I wondered to about 3 banks, back and forth, trying to get money out to pay rent. The catch is that we needed US dollars, not shillings. The problem with drawing shillings and changing it to USD is that is costs you, so we were trying our very best to get USD directly from the card. We finally got to where we needed to be and you know what? We didn’t have our frickin’ passports. It was actually just Jackie that needed it because I didn’t need USD for any reason. We weren’t too happy that we had come all the way to Kampala to have forgotten what we needed. But we figured we could do it tomorrow since we are going to Entebbe to pick up the rest of the volunteers. After the bank runaround, we went and had lunch at Nado’s. Jackie made it sounds like it was good, although I wasn’t too impressed. I ended up having a pepperoni and pineapple (my favorite combo pizza) and it was interesting to say the least. I ate the whole thing of course because I was starving but it was weird. Jackie had a chicken salad that looked pretty good, but wasn’t so great when she had it. It was fine, okay, but not fabulous. We left satisfied in our stomach but not in our minds. We made our way to Click - Internet Place and proceeded to use the internet for about 3 1 /2 hours. It was SUCH a good session, though we were under the impression that we would have broadband internet, we did not. It was a little faster than here in Lugazi, but not much, I was disappointed. I had a bunch of pics to send, an e-mail to write, facebook to check, blogs to update, and information to research. It ended up being OK though and I got it all done. I was so excited to finally get my blog and pics updated on my blog, I really hope they liked the pictures.
We actually met Ashley before internet and met Mr. Hamis. He was a nice man, well dressed, and happy to meet us. It was a quite aquaintance and then we were off to the Internet. Ashley went and grabbed a bite before she met us there.
After we finished with the Internet, we made our way by boda boda to Garden City. I don’t think I’ve ever feared for my life as much as I did then. This driver was absolutely insane. Weaving in and out of cars and people, riding the painted middle line between traffic to get ahead. Cutting people off, on the sidewalk, etc. I was very scarred and wasn’t sure I could continue the ride. I prayed my life be spared (once again), and it was, thankfully. I arrived a minute earlier than JackAsh and the ride was only 3-4 minutes, that gives you an idea of how fast the ride was. We went in to the grocery store there hoping to find permethrin, but to no avail. I checked with the pharmacy before leaving the store and they set they were out of it and that it would be back in stock in 2 days, we were not happy. Yet another thing that we came to Kampala for and were unable to obtain.
We grabbed an ice cream cone, bought a bottle of water at the airtime shacks on the road where we caught a taxi and made our way home. The ride this time was about 1 hour 15 minutes, not too bad. But it was closer to night and a little more scary. I listed to my iPod some of the way as Jackie and Ashley conversed. It’s hard to sit 3 next to each other and have a conversation, it gets pretty loud. We stopped by the market and grabbed some bananas. I bought 15 bananas on the stock for 1500 shillings! That’s only .90 cents!
-I just grabbed a banana, trail mix, and glass of water... I’m starving!!-
It’s crazy what you can get here for so cheap, but then again bananas grow like weeds over here, and when I say that I don’t mean fast, I mean in quantity. Jackie then decided she wanted to stop by one of the guys making chipati. I told her to be careful and advised her not to do it. She decided however that she would take one for the team and determine whether or not they were safe to eat by waiting to see if she got sick. The man cracked and egg, threw some chopped cabbage in and through it on the grill. This was comforting, as I knew it was being COOKED and that anything living would die. It wasn’t until he threw the chipati on top of the egg, flipped it over, threw another chipati on top and then placed his entire hand over the thing and pushed down as if to force it together, that I got grossed out and decided, “No.” But of course, I had to have a bite once it was done, do I did. It was wonderful, really, I would have bought one if I couldn’t have talked him into being a little more sanitary. We shall see what happens, I hope that she doesn’t get sick, I wish we could ALWAYS trust that it would be sanitary, it was only .36 cents and two of them would have filled you up.
On our way back to our house we found Zahara and Uda coming out of their store. We said hello, exchanged hugs, and made our way to Zahara’s house. It was beautiful, a very nice house that was well kept, I appreciated their cleanliness very much. We were brought juice and biscuits (crackers), it was all very good and so hospitable. They are again some of the nicest people I have ever met and I’m so excited to have a relationship with them, somebody we can trust and enjoy time with. Uda told us that she would be over tomorrow with chipati for us, I’m beyond excited. We said goodnight and headed home.
JackAsh has been doing a bunch of administrative work tonight. I have been been organizing my things and putting up hooks for mosquito nets. We are all pretty tired. Jackie is on the phone with her dad, I’m excited for her to talk to her family, she hasn’t spoken to them since she left SLC! Well, it is time, I must sleep as I will wake tomorrow at 8am. I hope I can get a good 7 hours again, that would be prefect. Until tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Pictures... FINALLY!
I have been waiting forever to get some pictures up. I meant to get some up before I left Amsterdam while I had a broadband connection but failed to do so, a mistake I later realized. The internet here is about as good or worse than dial-up... yeah.
Go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/CLAllred
Here you will find picture I took in Amsterdam as well as ones I have taken while here in Uganda. They are amazing, I won't lie. Let me know what you think. Thank you for all of your support!
Go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/CLAllred
Here you will find picture I took in Amsterdam as well as ones I have taken while here in Uganda. They are amazing, I won't lie. Let me know what you think. Thank you for all of your support!
Day 8 - Lugazi... for real.
We are absolutely, positively in our house, FINALLY!! I’m sitting right now in the front room on one of the couch chairs, Jackie and Ashley are, as always, discussing plans about the next couple of days, but mostly for tomorrow. Our day was extremely productive, we got a ton done and we are all very tired. The deal went through on the house. We got it for $500/month with electricity and water. It will end up costing just barely over a dollar a day for everybody to live here the first wave, and under a dollar a day for the second wave. We made three trips from MTA today with bunk-beds, supplies from last year, and all of our luggage. The people that were living in this house have turned out to be some amazing people, so kind and generous and very helpful. Jackie and I planned on cleaning the place when we got here so we got up pretty early to make that happen. When we got here they were ALL over it, cleaning everything, under everything, the sinks, the works. We were so grateful. We offered to help, but we didn’t really get involved with the cleaning. Instead, I began setting up the bunk beds and rearranging all of the rooms to make the beds work the best way possible. I also helped at MTA load a bunch of beds, then I drove to Lugazi with two men that were helping, we were great to talk to. The one I was sitting next to told me that he would love to visit or move to America but that is was only a dream, that was very humbling. The driver was nuts, but a good one. We were swerving, dodging, speeding, etc. I was sort of scared for my life, in which case I prayed my life be spared. We got there pretty quick though, which was nice. When we got there we unloaded the bunks and then my work began. I spent many hours arranging and setting up the beds, it was tiring and by the end I was wiped. Again, the arab family that moved to the boy’s quarters behind the house were so unbelievably helpful to us and made the whole thing happen much quicker. I met some new friends, one of which I really really love already. There names are Edith (18), Achalam (18 & another 13), Achmed (20), Salim (19 son), Laula (12 year old daughter), Wudá (mom), Salina (grandmother), and Zahará (sister of grandma). Edith is my new friend, so sweet, so helpful, and I just love her! She’s 18 and has her head on straight. I asked her who could do a load of my laundry, she mentioned she could do it, I asked her how much and she told me “nothing, for free.” I was absolutely blown away. I couldn’t even handle it. I immediately told her that I couldn’t do it for free because I “needed” to pay her. She asked why I needed to pay her, I told her because I felt like she deserved to work for money. I told her I wanted to hire her for the 11 weeks that I will be here, she agreed. The I said that since she had agreed that I would need to pay her for her work over the next 11 weeks, again, she told me “for free.”
Before all of this had happened with the laundry, I had Edith, and both Achalams (the 2 girls have the same name) in my room. They were just watching me unpack and observing everything. I could tell they thought I had a lot of stuff, which I do, I felt kinda embarrassed because I’m so dang high maintenance. I got the big candy bag out and and handed them some candy to try. They liked it and even kind of laughed because of the difference from their own candy, it was so great. We conversed in there for at least 30 minutes, the last of which was a mini lesson in Luganda. I asked about some key phrases and got them written down. I was told by Deo the other day that I have the best Luganda accent he has EVER heard from a Muzungu (white person), I was pretty happy about that and I’m sure my face was glowing. Quite an accomplishment for only 3 days in the country. I plan on leanring as much as I can so that I can feel like I’m a part of the people.
I’m so happy to be in a house, I can’t even express how good it feels. It’s the closest westernized thing available to us and it just makes me feel less away, less in a 3rd world country, etc. The standards of this house in Lugazi are spectacularly high, probably a good 9.0 out of 10. As far as utah standards, it would be about a 3 out of 10, not too good. But, having lived in New York for 2 years, I know what this type of housing is all about and it’s 100% OK, I’m beyond grateful to be here. I can now unpack my suitcase, hang up some clothes and just have a space for ME!
Later on in the evening while Ashley was gone with Peggy getting light-bulbs and keys made for all of the volunteers, Jackie and I went out and got something to eat. She wasn’t hungry but she came along anyway to give me some company, I really appreciated it. I had matooke (plantain), chipati (tortillas), and an Irish potato with some broth from the meet they prepare, it was pretty good. I liked the chipati that Bill’s niabo (madam) fixed us, it was tortilla style and much better. When I ordered, I guess the waitress understood that we wanted two plates of food, so Jackie accidentally got one, I felt bad, I still need to give her some money for that. On our way back, the most ridiculous things happened to us. It was dark, we had just gotten on the main road, Jackie was talking on the phone. All of the sudden I see Jackie drop like a rock and I freaked! She had fallen in the ditches that line the streets here in Lugazi. Her foot landed in some nasty mud soup that was probably highly contaminated. She scraped up her knee, leg, and arm. When we got a little further, we came to a hill of dirt; I decided I would walk it at an angle, not a good idea. I totally fell on my butt and scraped up my arm as well as getting dirty the nice white shirt I had just put on. I jacked up my wrist too! It has been hurting for the last day or so and I totally landed on it, I hope it’s not bruised and out for the count, I sort of need it.
We sat in the house for about 3 hours tonight just relaxing and planning (that part was mostly JackAsh; Jackie and Ashley…hehe..that’s what I call them when I’m angry at them, it’s so perfect). It felt so nice to just relax and settle in. Now I’m in my new bunk, on the bottom, next to the window, my new place for the next 11 weeks. I hope I sleep well, I need to solidify the contact I made... with myself... ok, I’m tired. I’m so excited to be here, until tomorrow.
Before all of this had happened with the laundry, I had Edith, and both Achalams (the 2 girls have the same name) in my room. They were just watching me unpack and observing everything. I could tell they thought I had a lot of stuff, which I do, I felt kinda embarrassed because I’m so dang high maintenance. I got the big candy bag out and and handed them some candy to try. They liked it and even kind of laughed because of the difference from their own candy, it was so great. We conversed in there for at least 30 minutes, the last of which was a mini lesson in Luganda. I asked about some key phrases and got them written down. I was told by Deo the other day that I have the best Luganda accent he has EVER heard from a Muzungu (white person), I was pretty happy about that and I’m sure my face was glowing. Quite an accomplishment for only 3 days in the country. I plan on leanring as much as I can so that I can feel like I’m a part of the people.
I’m so happy to be in a house, I can’t even express how good it feels. It’s the closest westernized thing available to us and it just makes me feel less away, less in a 3rd world country, etc. The standards of this house in Lugazi are spectacularly high, probably a good 9.0 out of 10. As far as utah standards, it would be about a 3 out of 10, not too good. But, having lived in New York for 2 years, I know what this type of housing is all about and it’s 100% OK, I’m beyond grateful to be here. I can now unpack my suitcase, hang up some clothes and just have a space for ME!
Later on in the evening while Ashley was gone with Peggy getting light-bulbs and keys made for all of the volunteers, Jackie and I went out and got something to eat. She wasn’t hungry but she came along anyway to give me some company, I really appreciated it. I had matooke (plantain), chipati (tortillas), and an Irish potato with some broth from the meet they prepare, it was pretty good. I liked the chipati that Bill’s niabo (madam) fixed us, it was tortilla style and much better. When I ordered, I guess the waitress understood that we wanted two plates of food, so Jackie accidentally got one, I felt bad, I still need to give her some money for that. On our way back, the most ridiculous things happened to us. It was dark, we had just gotten on the main road, Jackie was talking on the phone. All of the sudden I see Jackie drop like a rock and I freaked! She had fallen in the ditches that line the streets here in Lugazi. Her foot landed in some nasty mud soup that was probably highly contaminated. She scraped up her knee, leg, and arm. When we got a little further, we came to a hill of dirt; I decided I would walk it at an angle, not a good idea. I totally fell on my butt and scraped up my arm as well as getting dirty the nice white shirt I had just put on. I jacked up my wrist too! It has been hurting for the last day or so and I totally landed on it, I hope it’s not bruised and out for the count, I sort of need it.
We sat in the house for about 3 hours tonight just relaxing and planning (that part was mostly JackAsh; Jackie and Ashley…hehe..that’s what I call them when I’m angry at them, it’s so perfect). It felt so nice to just relax and settle in. Now I’m in my new bunk, on the bottom, next to the window, my new place for the next 11 weeks. I hope I sleep well, I need to solidify the contact I made... with myself... ok, I’m tired. I’m so excited to be here, until tomorrow.
Day 7 - Lugazi
As we set out today, we had new plan in mind to make sure that we’d be able to survive in Lugazi as far as language is concerned. The last couple of days we have been supplemented with the mayor and the town council to help translate for us and communicate our ideas in a way they’d understand. We soon realized that we needed to be able to communicate with them on our own or all of our volunteer service would be wasted because with without communication, how in the world is ANYTHING supposed to get done!? It won’t! So we made some contacts today and discovered that we really can communicate enough with the people in order to help them the most. Mission accomplished.
We set out today early in the morning for Mukono Town Academy, a primary school, to get all of our things out of storage and cleaned up. It was by far one of the worst things I’ve ever had to do as far as cleaning and heebie-jeebies. There were spiders and their webs absolutely everywhere, the beds covered with droppings, dust, a dead smelling putrified rat, a dehydrated yet living gecko, and this list goes on. We had to ditch the mattress that the rat had died on, it was saturate with dead rat guts and a smell that nearly killed us. We also had to get rid of a mosquito net or two, what a shame. I took the responsibility of taking the wooden bunks out one by one and cleaning them up, scrubbing them down with water and a brush to get rid of all the webs, spiders, and cockroach droppings. I got 5 1/2 beds done before we had to leave. Jackie cleaned the plastic chairs while Ashley worked on taking all the sheets off the the mattresses to be washed. There were a lot of supplies that will be very useful to us so we were happy about that.
After finishing at MTA, we went and caught a taxi to Lugazi. We had a small meeting with Bill, a guy that we met a couple days ago who has lived on and off in Lugazi for 5 years now, about 6 months out of the year. He was so great to us, I really enjoyed talking to him and I have a good feeling about him. Unfortunately, he’s leaving in the middle of the month so we only have him for a short time. He returns at the end of July which sucks because I will have left town. We asked him many questions and got a lot of extremely good information about the town, it’s people, and what to expect. I feel like we got information that will be beneficial to us as we work with the people here. We had mentioned that we wanted to go to lunch and when we got there we realized that he had his house lady fixing us some food, it ended up being so delicious. We had squash, chicken soup, chapati, watermelon, amazing pineapple, irish potatoes, and an orange Fanta. The meal was great and so was the talk. From there he took us up to Hope Children’s Home where he is supporting many many children, a total of 90 kids, not all in this school however; they had 38. The grounds was great, the kids were so warm and nice. When we got out of the car, Bill initiated a string of hugs, I got a hug from every kid that was there, it was heart melting. They were so sweet and all I wanted to do was help them. We got a tour of their living quarters and they were well kept and pretty nice (as far as things Ugandan). We were then showed the gardens which covered immense ground, it was stunning. So lush and green and full of great food. They grow bananas (both matooke and sweet), passion fruit, mango, papaya, pineapple, beans, tomatoes, and cabbage. I learned some things about the different fruits that’s pretty interesting. It takes a full year to get bananas from a tree as well as a pineapple. We made our way from the kid’s quarters to where the school/church is located. We watched as people worshiped in this church that was open, no walls, except on one side and it was made of bamboo. There were benches inside and a type of podium up from. After observing, we were invited to watch what they do when they worship. The are two drummers and a person that gives the “sermon.” There was singing, dancing, and clapping of hands all involved. It was unbelievable experience to be a part of a group of Christians half way across the world basically in the middle of the jungle worshipping God. Again, it was very surreal, and experience I will never forget. We later introduced ourselves and I introduced myself in Lugandan, they got a pretty big kick out of it.
After having been dropped off by Bill’s driver back in Lugazi, I returned my pepsi bottle and then we made our way to the bank. We had to check out the bank to make sure that it accepted all types of cards so that we wouldn’t have a problem getting money out while we are there. We were a little bit nervous being a couple of muzungus walking in a bank to get money. The people here know and expect that we have money, so it can be scarry. We then went to an internet café that ended up being pretty ghetto, the internet crapped out on us so we got out of there and got on a taxi for Mukono. I was super drowsy in the taxi and did a bit of drifting off. We finally got back to Mukono after a TON of stops on the freaking taxi. We went to another internet café because we didn’t get finished in Lugazi. I didn’t get any e-mails from the family, kinda sad. Oh well, not to worry, they have lives too. After internet we went home and Jackie and Ashley went up and talked with Deo.
WE GOT THE HOUSE!!! We have been negotiating with these Indians to get a decent price and we think we have so we are extremely happy about it! The house is REALLY nice for Uganda and will help us feel a bit more westernized which is important because we need a resort after a long day’s work. Deo and the town council have offered to get us a guard as well as 6 dorms if we were to need them during the second wave. We have seriously been hooked up in Lugazi and we are very excited to be working there. I’m going to do some research to see if I can get us some internet for the house. We were told it is $60/month which is definitely doable with all of us pitching in. It would be beyond nice to have internet at home. I and others would be able to have much more communication with family and we’d be able to contact HELP via e-mail and do research if needed. Deo has given us a truck to use tomorrow and it will be here at 9:00am to pick up all of our things. We are planning on getting up around 8am to get ready and have breakfast before we load it up! It’s going to be so nice to be in a house and settle in, it’s not fun to live out of an unorganized suitcase and deal with all of that. We are going to clean the crap out of it and make it all nice... pardon my French.
We set out today early in the morning for Mukono Town Academy, a primary school, to get all of our things out of storage and cleaned up. It was by far one of the worst things I’ve ever had to do as far as cleaning and heebie-jeebies. There were spiders and their webs absolutely everywhere, the beds covered with droppings, dust, a dead smelling putrified rat, a dehydrated yet living gecko, and this list goes on. We had to ditch the mattress that the rat had died on, it was saturate with dead rat guts and a smell that nearly killed us. We also had to get rid of a mosquito net or two, what a shame. I took the responsibility of taking the wooden bunks out one by one and cleaning them up, scrubbing them down with water and a brush to get rid of all the webs, spiders, and cockroach droppings. I got 5 1/2 beds done before we had to leave. Jackie cleaned the plastic chairs while Ashley worked on taking all the sheets off the the mattresses to be washed. There were a lot of supplies that will be very useful to us so we were happy about that.
After finishing at MTA, we went and caught a taxi to Lugazi. We had a small meeting with Bill, a guy that we met a couple days ago who has lived on and off in Lugazi for 5 years now, about 6 months out of the year. He was so great to us, I really enjoyed talking to him and I have a good feeling about him. Unfortunately, he’s leaving in the middle of the month so we only have him for a short time. He returns at the end of July which sucks because I will have left town. We asked him many questions and got a lot of extremely good information about the town, it’s people, and what to expect. I feel like we got information that will be beneficial to us as we work with the people here. We had mentioned that we wanted to go to lunch and when we got there we realized that he had his house lady fixing us some food, it ended up being so delicious. We had squash, chicken soup, chapati, watermelon, amazing pineapple, irish potatoes, and an orange Fanta. The meal was great and so was the talk. From there he took us up to Hope Children’s Home where he is supporting many many children, a total of 90 kids, not all in this school however; they had 38. The grounds was great, the kids were so warm and nice. When we got out of the car, Bill initiated a string of hugs, I got a hug from every kid that was there, it was heart melting. They were so sweet and all I wanted to do was help them. We got a tour of their living quarters and they were well kept and pretty nice (as far as things Ugandan). We were then showed the gardens which covered immense ground, it was stunning. So lush and green and full of great food. They grow bananas (both matooke and sweet), passion fruit, mango, papaya, pineapple, beans, tomatoes, and cabbage. I learned some things about the different fruits that’s pretty interesting. It takes a full year to get bananas from a tree as well as a pineapple. We made our way from the kid’s quarters to where the school/church is located. We watched as people worshiped in this church that was open, no walls, except on one side and it was made of bamboo. There were benches inside and a type of podium up from. After observing, we were invited to watch what they do when they worship. The are two drummers and a person that gives the “sermon.” There was singing, dancing, and clapping of hands all involved. It was unbelievable experience to be a part of a group of Christians half way across the world basically in the middle of the jungle worshipping God. Again, it was very surreal, and experience I will never forget. We later introduced ourselves and I introduced myself in Lugandan, they got a pretty big kick out of it.
After having been dropped off by Bill’s driver back in Lugazi, I returned my pepsi bottle and then we made our way to the bank. We had to check out the bank to make sure that it accepted all types of cards so that we wouldn’t have a problem getting money out while we are there. We were a little bit nervous being a couple of muzungus walking in a bank to get money. The people here know and expect that we have money, so it can be scarry. We then went to an internet café that ended up being pretty ghetto, the internet crapped out on us so we got out of there and got on a taxi for Mukono. I was super drowsy in the taxi and did a bit of drifting off. We finally got back to Mukono after a TON of stops on the freaking taxi. We went to another internet café because we didn’t get finished in Lugazi. I didn’t get any e-mails from the family, kinda sad. Oh well, not to worry, they have lives too. After internet we went home and Jackie and Ashley went up and talked with Deo.
WE GOT THE HOUSE!!! We have been negotiating with these Indians to get a decent price and we think we have so we are extremely happy about it! The house is REALLY nice for Uganda and will help us feel a bit more westernized which is important because we need a resort after a long day’s work. Deo and the town council have offered to get us a guard as well as 6 dorms if we were to need them during the second wave. We have seriously been hooked up in Lugazi and we are very excited to be working there. I’m going to do some research to see if I can get us some internet for the house. We were told it is $60/month which is definitely doable with all of us pitching in. It would be beyond nice to have internet at home. I and others would be able to have much more communication with family and we’d be able to contact HELP via e-mail and do research if needed. Deo has given us a truck to use tomorrow and it will be here at 9:00am to pick up all of our things. We are planning on getting up around 8am to get ready and have breakfast before we load it up! It’s going to be so nice to be in a house and settle in, it’s not fun to live out of an unorganized suitcase and deal with all of that. We are going to clean the crap out of it and make it all nice... pardon my French.
Day 6 - Lugazi
As often happens in life, we get built up one day and ripped down the next. We went to Lugazi yesterday for the first time and found out a lot of information and made really good contacts. The town counsels members to acting mayor Deo have been incredibly helpful and I have fallen in love with each of them, they are so kind and willing to do whatever we need.
We started our day out at the the Mukono Town Academy, a school located nearby us. I took my first boda boda ride today and it was great. His boda wasn’t that nice however, the springs were bottoming out and it was a bit rickety, but oh well. We got to the school and found the room where our bunks and other equipment is being held. EVERYTHING was covered in spider webs and rodent droppings. There is going to be some serious washing going on when we finally get to it. Christopher Mugimu, the headmaster of the school, has been holding it for us for free. He told us that he would have a couple of his guys help us get everything cleaned up, so nice of him. It’s going to take a good half a day to get everything ready to move in. The first thing however will be getting a house. We are in the middle of negotiating a price for rent for a house in Lugazi. They are giving us crap and I hope it doesn’t last long, we really need the house. It’s a GREAT house, furnished, and very nice for Uganda. There is a lot of room and even a front room to just chill with a TV and a couch or two.
We spoke to 3 different groups of people today. Two women’s groups and a room full of politicians, it was pretty amazing to say the least. I even spoke some Lugandan, they got a kick out of it. I introduced myself and told them what I doing in Uganda, where I was from, and that I was glad to be there. I honestly feel like this is National Geographic and that I’m doing something HUGE, and I am!!! That’s what’s so great about it. How many people can say that they’ve been to Uganda, Africa, even Mukono or Lugazi for that matter and say that they worked amongst the people for 2 1/2 months. I have the experience of a lifetime and I HAVE to make the most of it.
Second, we went to the internet café sending off some e-mails. Ashley and Jackie did personal e-mailing and then e-mailing to HELP and its volunteers. I got an e-mail from my mom today that she sent two days ago. It was great to hear from here. I haven’t had access to the internet since I got to Uganda and its been a little tough. Internet sort of makes me feel better, more connect with home, I guess I will have to learn to live without it. I type a really long e-mail to mom and got out some feelings that I’ve had, it felt good to vent and know that she cares. The internet experience here in Mukono wasn’t all that however. The power went out 2 times and the internet was pitifully slow. Even to load google took a long time, it was slower than dial-up for sure. I got to my e-mail eventually however and it was nice to get and send mail. I sipped on a Pepsi while I did so, it was great, out of glass.
After e-mail, we made our way to the taxi yard and caught a taxi to Lugazi, 1500 shillings, not bad. The ride was rickety, as always, and a bit scary with them driving crazy on the roads. We finally got there however and met up with Deo at the Patron Hotel to discuss what we were going to do. That’s when we made out way into some villages and introduced ourselves. In one village, we played games (Jackie and Ashley actually, I did the recording) with the kids, it was one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen. For as little as these kids have, it was as amazing how happy they were. Seeing the muzungus for them was like going to a freak show, and they love it. They smile, wave, want to shake your hand and interact with you. They played games for about 20 minutes while we waited for Deo to get back from his political discussions with the village people. While we waited for Deo after the last discussion, Barbara took us to two clinics and the hospital in Lugazi, I wasn’t too impressed. I was even a bit scared about the whole situation and I’m not sure I want to work there. The conditions just weren’t suitable for me. The electricity wasn’t even on and this was a national hospital. I didn’t have a great feeling about it and wonder now whether or not I’ll be doing any medical help at all. We did however visit with a Doctor who works in Kampala and as far as we know the hospital there is quite nice. I had the idea that I could go to town with him when he goes and save a taxi ride, and then maybe even be his assistant. I’m going to discuss that more with the CDs and the doctor to see if that is a possibility.
We sat around a table outside of the Parton Hotel discussing many details about the housing situation and the concerns that Jen has for us in Lugazi. I got mosquito bites which makes me a little nervous. But, I’m on the doxy and I have to trust that will protect me. I will inevitably get bit while I’m here so I’m just going to have to relax about that. I had a Fanta orange soda while we talked. The discussion got pretty heated and the town council really showed that they wanted us there and that they are willing to do whatever it takes for us to be in Lugazi. Deo has even offered us a guard for free while we are there for 4 months and even 6 rooms in a boys quarters for free if we absolutely needed the room.
Now I’m sitting in the meeting area of our nice guest room aside from the house. Jackie and Ashley are over at the table talking about plans for tomorrow while we are by ourselves in Lugazi. There is so much to do, plan, and actuate before the volunteers get here. It’s a bit overwhelming to be honest. I hope we get through it quick and I can’t wait for the other volunteers to get here. It’s not very fun to watch 2 country directors sit back and do all of this planning and not really be apart of the whole thing. I think that is part of the reason that I have been having the feelings that I do about being nervous to be here and getting all those irrational thoughts. I will be doing my best to stay positive. Until tomorrow.
We started our day out at the the Mukono Town Academy, a school located nearby us. I took my first boda boda ride today and it was great. His boda wasn’t that nice however, the springs were bottoming out and it was a bit rickety, but oh well. We got to the school and found the room where our bunks and other equipment is being held. EVERYTHING was covered in spider webs and rodent droppings. There is going to be some serious washing going on when we finally get to it. Christopher Mugimu, the headmaster of the school, has been holding it for us for free. He told us that he would have a couple of his guys help us get everything cleaned up, so nice of him. It’s going to take a good half a day to get everything ready to move in. The first thing however will be getting a house. We are in the middle of negotiating a price for rent for a house in Lugazi. They are giving us crap and I hope it doesn’t last long, we really need the house. It’s a GREAT house, furnished, and very nice for Uganda. There is a lot of room and even a front room to just chill with a TV and a couch or two.
We spoke to 3 different groups of people today. Two women’s groups and a room full of politicians, it was pretty amazing to say the least. I even spoke some Lugandan, they got a kick out of it. I introduced myself and told them what I doing in Uganda, where I was from, and that I was glad to be there. I honestly feel like this is National Geographic and that I’m doing something HUGE, and I am!!! That’s what’s so great about it. How many people can say that they’ve been to Uganda, Africa, even Mukono or Lugazi for that matter and say that they worked amongst the people for 2 1/2 months. I have the experience of a lifetime and I HAVE to make the most of it.
Second, we went to the internet café sending off some e-mails. Ashley and Jackie did personal e-mailing and then e-mailing to HELP and its volunteers. I got an e-mail from my mom today that she sent two days ago. It was great to hear from here. I haven’t had access to the internet since I got to Uganda and its been a little tough. Internet sort of makes me feel better, more connect with home, I guess I will have to learn to live without it. I type a really long e-mail to mom and got out some feelings that I’ve had, it felt good to vent and know that she cares. The internet experience here in Mukono wasn’t all that however. The power went out 2 times and the internet was pitifully slow. Even to load google took a long time, it was slower than dial-up for sure. I got to my e-mail eventually however and it was nice to get and send mail. I sipped on a Pepsi while I did so, it was great, out of glass.
After e-mail, we made our way to the taxi yard and caught a taxi to Lugazi, 1500 shillings, not bad. The ride was rickety, as always, and a bit scary with them driving crazy on the roads. We finally got there however and met up with Deo at the Patron Hotel to discuss what we were going to do. That’s when we made out way into some villages and introduced ourselves. In one village, we played games (Jackie and Ashley actually, I did the recording) with the kids, it was one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen. For as little as these kids have, it was as amazing how happy they were. Seeing the muzungus for them was like going to a freak show, and they love it. They smile, wave, want to shake your hand and interact with you. They played games for about 20 minutes while we waited for Deo to get back from his political discussions with the village people. While we waited for Deo after the last discussion, Barbara took us to two clinics and the hospital in Lugazi, I wasn’t too impressed. I was even a bit scared about the whole situation and I’m not sure I want to work there. The conditions just weren’t suitable for me. The electricity wasn’t even on and this was a national hospital. I didn’t have a great feeling about it and wonder now whether or not I’ll be doing any medical help at all. We did however visit with a Doctor who works in Kampala and as far as we know the hospital there is quite nice. I had the idea that I could go to town with him when he goes and save a taxi ride, and then maybe even be his assistant. I’m going to discuss that more with the CDs and the doctor to see if that is a possibility.
We sat around a table outside of the Parton Hotel discussing many details about the housing situation and the concerns that Jen has for us in Lugazi. I got mosquito bites which makes me a little nervous. But, I’m on the doxy and I have to trust that will protect me. I will inevitably get bit while I’m here so I’m just going to have to relax about that. I had a Fanta orange soda while we talked. The discussion got pretty heated and the town council really showed that they wanted us there and that they are willing to do whatever it takes for us to be in Lugazi. Deo has even offered us a guard for free while we are there for 4 months and even 6 rooms in a boys quarters for free if we absolutely needed the room.
Now I’m sitting in the meeting area of our nice guest room aside from the house. Jackie and Ashley are over at the table talking about plans for tomorrow while we are by ourselves in Lugazi. There is so much to do, plan, and actuate before the volunteers get here. It’s a bit overwhelming to be honest. I hope we get through it quick and I can’t wait for the other volunteers to get here. It’s not very fun to watch 2 country directors sit back and do all of this planning and not really be apart of the whole thing. I think that is part of the reason that I have been having the feelings that I do about being nervous to be here and getting all those irrational thoughts. I will be doing my best to stay positive. Until tomorrow.
Day 5 - Lugazi
Last night we set some goals and had a prayer that all that we had talked about would come to pass and that we would have success. Today was above and beyond what we had expected. We had breakfast early, around 7:50am, and then made our way to the taxi yard absolutely FULL of taxis, it was crazy. We left Mukono and arrived in Lugazi 40 minutes later around 9:10am. Deo received us into his 2nd home very warmly as he did the first. Deo is the mayor of Lugazi and is also a polygamist, so he has a wife in Mukono and one in Lugazi. The home in Lugazi was just as nice, if not nicer than the one here in Mukono.
Deo was of tremendous help today. Not only did he taxi us around the entire town of Lugazi, but he introduced us to 3 or 4 school headmasters, 4 of his counselors, 2 women’s groups, and a women that works in the hospital. We found a house today! It’s absolutely perfect, I don’t think it could get much better. It has 4 rooms with one GIANT master bedroom, 1 1/2 baths, a kitchen, a refrigerator that needs a little fixing, a from room with couches and a TV! There is a courtyard right outside the front door which would be perfect for getting together outside for dinner and whatnot. It’s in a great central location in Lugazi, though Deo suggested that we have a guard. As a write, Ashley is on the phone with Jenn right now working out the last details about the place. I hope that we get it, it will be perfect.
Deo took us on an incredible tour of the town; it is beautiful to say the very least. I seriously felt like I was on national geographic walking with the Ugandan people up on the hill above the school. There were kids all around, most of them following us. We checked out the school and learned that it was incomplete and needed some more work. A floor needed to be laid and the walls plastered. We will be looking into our funds for that, I hope we can get a project approval through and make it happen. We continued up the hill where we were able to see the entire town of Lugazi, it was breath taking. The sky was storming in the distance, it was pure green everywhere you looked, and I couldn’t have been happier. It was absolutely amazing. I’ve never felt the way I did standing on top of that hill. I felt like I was in another world; I was. We proceeded on to find women with make-shift hammers breaking up rocks. They did this all day for about 8 hours in the hot sun. I got down and broke with them for about 2 minutes and broke a sweat immediately. The rocks are mixed with cement and sand as a floor base. They would fill a truck load in about a week and they’d earn 15,000 shillings, not very good considering. I took some pictures, we got some footage and then we made out way back. We made many trips around the town, it was fascinating and fun to wave to all of the kids. It was crazy to see the looks on some of the kids faces, as if they had never seen a white person before... funny thing is, that’s probably the case.
Deo has been incredibly helpful up to this point, not even charging us for our room and board. I have learned to love the people that works with him and I hope that they aren’t involved in his cunning works. They were extremely helpful today and I hope to work with them in the future.
We got cell phones today, sim cards were quite inexpensive. It was only 3,000 USH for a sim card which allows any and all incoming calls for free, so basically you get your own number for $1.75 We then bought a large amount of minutes for one of the phones. I thought about getting myself a sim and putting it in my phone. I tried the MTK and it didn’t work, I have yet to try the CelTel. It it does, that would be awesome.
We had a great dinner. Mashed potatoes all flavored up (and a bit salty, but way good) with some beans in a yummy sauce and of course that extra delicious passion fruit drink that we have had for three meals now. Mum has been so great to us and making us excellent food. I’m jealous of those dang BYU kids that will be staying in the house and getting all that yummy food. Meanwhile, I’ll be loosing weight... I hope that’s not the case.
Now it’s time for bed. Another day has gone by and it was a long one, about 12 hours long. I got some amazing pictures, ones that will supplement this jounal entry and help me to remember exactly what I experienced and just how I felt. Last night was hell, I sure hope I can sleep this evening. I was very tired today and I can’t be like that anymore. Until tomorrow.
Deo was of tremendous help today. Not only did he taxi us around the entire town of Lugazi, but he introduced us to 3 or 4 school headmasters, 4 of his counselors, 2 women’s groups, and a women that works in the hospital. We found a house today! It’s absolutely perfect, I don’t think it could get much better. It has 4 rooms with one GIANT master bedroom, 1 1/2 baths, a kitchen, a refrigerator that needs a little fixing, a from room with couches and a TV! There is a courtyard right outside the front door which would be perfect for getting together outside for dinner and whatnot. It’s in a great central location in Lugazi, though Deo suggested that we have a guard. As a write, Ashley is on the phone with Jenn right now working out the last details about the place. I hope that we get it, it will be perfect.
Deo took us on an incredible tour of the town; it is beautiful to say the very least. I seriously felt like I was on national geographic walking with the Ugandan people up on the hill above the school. There were kids all around, most of them following us. We checked out the school and learned that it was incomplete and needed some more work. A floor needed to be laid and the walls plastered. We will be looking into our funds for that, I hope we can get a project approval through and make it happen. We continued up the hill where we were able to see the entire town of Lugazi, it was breath taking. The sky was storming in the distance, it was pure green everywhere you looked, and I couldn’t have been happier. It was absolutely amazing. I’ve never felt the way I did standing on top of that hill. I felt like I was in another world; I was. We proceeded on to find women with make-shift hammers breaking up rocks. They did this all day for about 8 hours in the hot sun. I got down and broke with them for about 2 minutes and broke a sweat immediately. The rocks are mixed with cement and sand as a floor base. They would fill a truck load in about a week and they’d earn 15,000 shillings, not very good considering. I took some pictures, we got some footage and then we made out way back. We made many trips around the town, it was fascinating and fun to wave to all of the kids. It was crazy to see the looks on some of the kids faces, as if they had never seen a white person before... funny thing is, that’s probably the case.
Deo has been incredibly helpful up to this point, not even charging us for our room and board. I have learned to love the people that works with him and I hope that they aren’t involved in his cunning works. They were extremely helpful today and I hope to work with them in the future.
We got cell phones today, sim cards were quite inexpensive. It was only 3,000 USH for a sim card which allows any and all incoming calls for free, so basically you get your own number for $1.75 We then bought a large amount of minutes for one of the phones. I thought about getting myself a sim and putting it in my phone. I tried the MTK and it didn’t work, I have yet to try the CelTel. It it does, that would be awesome.
We had a great dinner. Mashed potatoes all flavored up (and a bit salty, but way good) with some beans in a yummy sauce and of course that extra delicious passion fruit drink that we have had for three meals now. Mum has been so great to us and making us excellent food. I’m jealous of those dang BYU kids that will be staying in the house and getting all that yummy food. Meanwhile, I’ll be loosing weight... I hope that’s not the case.
Now it’s time for bed. Another day has gone by and it was a long one, about 12 hours long. I got some amazing pictures, ones that will supplement this jounal entry and help me to remember exactly what I experienced and just how I felt. Last night was hell, I sure hope I can sleep this evening. I was very tired today and I can’t be like that anymore. Until tomorrow.
Day 4 - Mukono
We have finally arrived in Mukono, Uganda, Africa. I am still in a daze, I can’t actually believe that I’m here. I feel like it’s a dream or that I’m actually somewhere familiar, but that’s obviously not the case. We caught our plane this morning at the Schiphol, the plane left a little late. Luckily we made up for time in the air which is common-place and arrived in Entebbe, Africa around 8pm. The plane ride was much better this time around, it went pretty quick actually, maybe because I have already done it once this trip, but in all reality the plane was nicer. The service was great, I watched a movie, had 2 or 3 diet cokes, was served lunch and dinner. The seats reclined just enough more than the last the last plane that I could actually lay my head back and I ended up sleeping for a good 3 hours, to my surprise. We arrived in Entebbe and the first thing I was greeted by was the warm and very humid air. It was very weird, something I’ve only felt in certain places like Hawaii and New York, but this is much worse. The next friendly greeting was from all of the flying bugs littering the sky just above my head because of all of the lights that shined down to give light to us walking off the plane, down a staircase. We waited outside until Jackie’s host family from 5 years ago picked us up. While waiting I used the restroom and took out 100,000 shilling... though i’m not sure what that equates to in US Dollars. Jackie did it so I followed suit.
The car ride from Entebbe to Mukono was anything but nice. They had planned on 2 of us, but there were three. So we crammed four of us, us 3 and one of the kids in the back seat, the lady and the son sat in front and the father drove. The worst part about the ride was the horrible air that filled the cabin as we drove from the airport into town. It was about a 40 minutes car ride if I remember right, and the whole time I was breathing the nasty air. It was part smoke from fires, part exhaust from all of the motor vehicles, and part stench from the the humidity mixed with people and animals, not the most desirable. But, the experience was worth it and I'm glad I had it.
I found out this guy is the acting mayor of Mukono and he also holds another important responsibility that I don’t recall. He is very kind and giving. The mother (one of two, he’s a polygamist) fixed us a great meal. Some sort of mixture with peas in it and a type of gravy-like sauce, with boiled skinned potatoes. The best part was the passion fruit juice that was served, unreal, too good to be true, the REAL deal. I enjoyed the dinner and was very grateful. I hope that I can eat well enough that my intestines will behave.
I found my first gecko tonight, in my room even. He was SUPER cool. I went to get a picture of him but he jumped of my finger. There will be more and I’ll get a great picture. Jackie and Ashley did some planning this evening so that we can make tomorrow as effective as possible. Our first priority is to get sim cards for the phones and get some housing. Once we get housing, we’ll really be able to move forward.
Now here I am, sitting on my bed for the night under a mosquito net. The place is actually really nice considering what’s around us (mud huts). We found out tonight the water doesn’t work, which for Ashley, doesn’t seem to be a problem. She’s kind of granola, ok, she’s TOTALLY granola. Mom would yap at me if I didn’t shower, I’m glad she does. I think it’s totally gross and very unflattering to NOT shower. Anyway, enough of that. It’s hot, very hot. Humid and hot. I’m not sure how I’m going to sleep tonight. This is the worst possible situation to be in as far as sleep conditions go. I like the cold, I don’t do hot, I CAN’T sleep in hot. I’m wondering what exactly I’m going to do. Jackie is in the other room sweating her guts out as well. Meanwhile Ashley is in her room loving it...whatever.
The car ride from Entebbe to Mukono was anything but nice. They had planned on 2 of us, but there were three. So we crammed four of us, us 3 and one of the kids in the back seat, the lady and the son sat in front and the father drove. The worst part about the ride was the horrible air that filled the cabin as we drove from the airport into town. It was about a 40 minutes car ride if I remember right, and the whole time I was breathing the nasty air. It was part smoke from fires, part exhaust from all of the motor vehicles, and part stench from the the humidity mixed with people and animals, not the most desirable. But, the experience was worth it and I'm glad I had it.
I found out this guy is the acting mayor of Mukono and he also holds another important responsibility that I don’t recall. He is very kind and giving. The mother (one of two, he’s a polygamist) fixed us a great meal. Some sort of mixture with peas in it and a type of gravy-like sauce, with boiled skinned potatoes. The best part was the passion fruit juice that was served, unreal, too good to be true, the REAL deal. I enjoyed the dinner and was very grateful. I hope that I can eat well enough that my intestines will behave.
I found my first gecko tonight, in my room even. He was SUPER cool. I went to get a picture of him but he jumped of my finger. There will be more and I’ll get a great picture. Jackie and Ashley did some planning this evening so that we can make tomorrow as effective as possible. Our first priority is to get sim cards for the phones and get some housing. Once we get housing, we’ll really be able to move forward.
Now here I am, sitting on my bed for the night under a mosquito net. The place is actually really nice considering what’s around us (mud huts). We found out tonight the water doesn’t work, which for Ashley, doesn’t seem to be a problem. She’s kind of granola, ok, she’s TOTALLY granola. Mom would yap at me if I didn’t shower, I’m glad she does. I think it’s totally gross and very unflattering to NOT shower. Anyway, enough of that. It’s hot, very hot. Humid and hot. I’m not sure how I’m going to sleep tonight. This is the worst possible situation to be in as far as sleep conditions go. I like the cold, I don’t do hot, I CAN’T sleep in hot. I’m wondering what exactly I’m going to do. Jackie is in the other room sweating her guts out as well. Meanwhile Ashley is in her room loving it...whatever.
Day 3 - Amsterdam
Well, another day gone by, and the last one here in Amsterdam. The days have actually passed pretty quick. We stay quite busy, lots of walking and looking around, I kinda feel like a missionary again in that sense. We got up pretty early today... OK, not really. It was only 9:20am. Yeah. We WERE going to get up earlier, but we were sort of tired. We woke up to Ashley in our faces, waking us up, I felt like such a dork. We got ready and made our way to the Anne Frank Museum. Ashley felt the need to take us the long way, the REALLY long way. As in, we walked an extra mile to get there and it took 45 minutes, if not longer. It was only 15 minutes away in the first place... GRRRRR! But we forgave her and had a great time. It was the actual place that Anne Frank hid when the Nazis were after the Jews. It was here and a couple of others that hid there for I think 2 years until they were finally found out. It was interesting to be in the same confines as Anne herself and the others. We were in the tiny rooms they hid in and saw some of the decorations the Anne had made on the wall to spruce things up during their stay. I’m very glad I went, it gave me a new respect for her and her journal entries.
After Anne Frank, Ashley took off to the flower garden in Keukenhof, she stayed for a long time, longer than she anticipated she loved it so much. In the meantime, Jackie and I were out getting gifts for my family, it was so hard. I hate shopping for gifts for my family, it’s so dang hard. But, luckily, I got something for everybody but dad. But he’s OK, I’m sure he’d just want me to get something for the rest of the family. Jackie tagged along and was a good sport while I did the shopping. After we got done sending that stuff off, 19 Euros later (just to send), we found out the all of Amsterdam isn’t as ghetto as where we have been staying. It’s actually quite beautiful and we found that out by going south on a random tram. We have decided that we’ll give Amsterdam a second chance in the future.
We met back up with Ashley and hung out in the Hostel bar for about 2 hours. We just talked about Europe and Africa and our plans once we get there. It was nice to just sit for while, we have been up and on the run since we got here and my shoulders are getting a bit tired from taking my backpack around with my camera and four lenses. But that’s the price one must pay in order to get awesome pictures, which I did. After we chatted, we made our way to Vondle Park, on the southwest part of town. We discovered that it would have been very beautiful had we been there in the day, unfortunate that we weren’t. Ian met up with us and took us to a bar called something like Blue Tea House, or something along those lines. He offered us drink, of course we told him Coke Light (ashley and I), but Jackie got a nice steaming cup of hot chocolate, it was freezing outside. We sat around and talked for a while and finally got up and made our way home. We had to stop by Ians to get Ashley’s luggage. We then caught the #1 tram and took it to Central where we got off and walked home. It was kind of a big ordeal, but we were happy to help. I may have just been very tired. And here I am, typing at 1.:46 in the morning; what can I say, I’m a night owl.
That was our day, our last day. We get up tomorrow at 7:15am, check-out of the hostel at 8:00am, and have a flight to catch at 11:10am. It’s another long 8 hour flight, but this time I’ll be listening to music and talking with Jackie and Ashley, as long as they don’t fall asleep that is. Until tomorrow.
After Anne Frank, Ashley took off to the flower garden in Keukenhof, she stayed for a long time, longer than she anticipated she loved it so much. In the meantime, Jackie and I were out getting gifts for my family, it was so hard. I hate shopping for gifts for my family, it’s so dang hard. But, luckily, I got something for everybody but dad. But he’s OK, I’m sure he’d just want me to get something for the rest of the family. Jackie tagged along and was a good sport while I did the shopping. After we got done sending that stuff off, 19 Euros later (just to send), we found out the all of Amsterdam isn’t as ghetto as where we have been staying. It’s actually quite beautiful and we found that out by going south on a random tram. We have decided that we’ll give Amsterdam a second chance in the future.
We met back up with Ashley and hung out in the Hostel bar for about 2 hours. We just talked about Europe and Africa and our plans once we get there. It was nice to just sit for while, we have been up and on the run since we got here and my shoulders are getting a bit tired from taking my backpack around with my camera and four lenses. But that’s the price one must pay in order to get awesome pictures, which I did. After we chatted, we made our way to Vondle Park, on the southwest part of town. We discovered that it would have been very beautiful had we been there in the day, unfortunate that we weren’t. Ian met up with us and took us to a bar called something like Blue Tea House, or something along those lines. He offered us drink, of course we told him Coke Light (ashley and I), but Jackie got a nice steaming cup of hot chocolate, it was freezing outside. We sat around and talked for a while and finally got up and made our way home. We had to stop by Ians to get Ashley’s luggage. We then caught the #1 tram and took it to Central where we got off and walked home. It was kind of a big ordeal, but we were happy to help. I may have just been very tired. And here I am, typing at 1.:46 in the morning; what can I say, I’m a night owl.
That was our day, our last day. We get up tomorrow at 7:15am, check-out of the hostel at 8:00am, and have a flight to catch at 11:10am. It’s another long 8 hour flight, but this time I’ll be listening to music and talking with Jackie and Ashley, as long as they don’t fall asleep that is. Until tomorrow.
Day 2 - Amsterdam
We had a great day today. We made our way to Keukenhof, a place where they grow flowers, mainly tulips. There is a sort of theme part that shows all of these flowers, it was rather amazing. I didn’t know exactly what to expect and I had high hopes. It greatly exceeded my expectations and I’m very happy I went. While Jackie did some recording, I was taking pictures, lots of them. They turned out pretty good too. The only weird thing that came out was the red, and I hope it’s not because I have my camera set on “Landscape” mode. I had fresh strawberries with whipped cream, and an authentic brautworst, it was pretty good, although the bun was a bit small and it would have taken two buns to fit the thing. Luckily, the guy cut in half and Jackie and I each had a half. We ended up staying for about 3 hours, 1 of which was used to doze off under a monstrous tree on velvety soft grass; it was serene. I could have slept for hours, it was Alice’s Wonderland for sure.
I still can’t believe that I’m here, it still hasn’t registered. I guess more than anything I feel like I’m just on a short vacation and things are going be back to normal soon. This is not the case however, and it only about to get worse. Although our living conditions will be mildly okay, that of the Ugandans will not be, nor will their hygiene, among other things. We have seen Amsterdam and have deemed it a rat hole, as far as the inner-city goes of course. Is it fun? Absolutely. Would I want to stay long, most definitely not. It’s a place you come to for no more than a week, visit all of the cool parks, museums, and shops and then get the hell out. It’s a sleazy slime bag of a place, one full of perversion and drugs. While the people are nice an willing to help, it’s not the best environment. As I write, I have a tiny bit of a headache. I’m not sure if that from all of the nicotine and weed I breathed in today, or my lack of caffein; lets hope for the latter.
We moved hostels today. We only stayed in the first one, Bob’s Youth Hostel, for the first night as the other nights were booked and have since moved to Meetingpoint Youth Hostel. It seems to be cleaner and more well kept. The price is about 2.50 but no breakfast. Regardless, it’s a bit cheaper. Luckily I’ve had WiFi in both buildings, something I didn’t count on but was hopeful of. It has aloud me to communicate with my family which is so great.
Today was a pretty funny day, full of laughs at the flower park. We came back to town and walk around a little bit. I did a little bit of shopping after my grandpa told me to spend some money and get some souvenirs, and also to try and send something to the girls. I bought a couple of post cards at the flower park, I’ll get those sent of tomorrow, they should enjoy that.
Ashley got in to town today and has been staying with a guy named Ian; the “I” says like it’s pronounced. He came over later in the evening after she had arrived, he was pretty cool. Ashley is participating in something called couch surfing. A program where people volunteer space in their home for people to come and stay, random people. For Ashley is has turned out to be a great experience, as this isn’t her first time doing it. We went out and found a thing called a “Squat,” an abandoned building turned bar. When the building is abandoned and no one takes it over for a year, people are legally aloud to go in and claim the property and turn it into whatever they want. The drinks are cheaper at squats. Ian bought us a drink. I had vodka...haha, just kidding. I had a Coke as did Ashley. Jackie stuck with water because they didn’t have “light” also known as “diet.” Ian proceeded to have a beer. It was a different atmosphere that a regular bar. You could call it a ghetto bar, yes, with ghetto people inside. People otherwise rejected in public seens (from my observations.)
We went to Burger King for a late dinner. I had two burgers (kids), a med fry, and a small 10 oz shake thing. It case me 6.50 euros, also known as EXPENSIVE in USD. Oh man, I’m so done spending money here, it makes me sick. Our dollar is just horrible.
I’m not sitting on my bed typing in my journal. We are on the fourth floor of Meetingpoint Youth Hostel. I’m on the top bunk of bed #11 and I’m looking out the window down to the streets of Amsterdam. It’s quite a seen. It has settled down a lot, but there is still commotion and will continue to be for a couple of hours I’m sure.
I still can’t believe that I’m here, it still hasn’t registered. I guess more than anything I feel like I’m just on a short vacation and things are going be back to normal soon. This is not the case however, and it only about to get worse. Although our living conditions will be mildly okay, that of the Ugandans will not be, nor will their hygiene, among other things. We have seen Amsterdam and have deemed it a rat hole, as far as the inner-city goes of course. Is it fun? Absolutely. Would I want to stay long, most definitely not. It’s a place you come to for no more than a week, visit all of the cool parks, museums, and shops and then get the hell out. It’s a sleazy slime bag of a place, one full of perversion and drugs. While the people are nice an willing to help, it’s not the best environment. As I write, I have a tiny bit of a headache. I’m not sure if that from all of the nicotine and weed I breathed in today, or my lack of caffein; lets hope for the latter.
We moved hostels today. We only stayed in the first one, Bob’s Youth Hostel, for the first night as the other nights were booked and have since moved to Meetingpoint Youth Hostel. It seems to be cleaner and more well kept. The price is about 2.50 but no breakfast. Regardless, it’s a bit cheaper. Luckily I’ve had WiFi in both buildings, something I didn’t count on but was hopeful of. It has aloud me to communicate with my family which is so great.
Today was a pretty funny day, full of laughs at the flower park. We came back to town and walk around a little bit. I did a little bit of shopping after my grandpa told me to spend some money and get some souvenirs, and also to try and send something to the girls. I bought a couple of post cards at the flower park, I’ll get those sent of tomorrow, they should enjoy that.
Ashley got in to town today and has been staying with a guy named Ian; the “I” says like it’s pronounced. He came over later in the evening after she had arrived, he was pretty cool. Ashley is participating in something called couch surfing. A program where people volunteer space in their home for people to come and stay, random people. For Ashley is has turned out to be a great experience, as this isn’t her first time doing it. We went out and found a thing called a “Squat,” an abandoned building turned bar. When the building is abandoned and no one takes it over for a year, people are legally aloud to go in and claim the property and turn it into whatever they want. The drinks are cheaper at squats. Ian bought us a drink. I had vodka...haha, just kidding. I had a Coke as did Ashley. Jackie stuck with water because they didn’t have “light” also known as “diet.” Ian proceeded to have a beer. It was a different atmosphere that a regular bar. You could call it a ghetto bar, yes, with ghetto people inside. People otherwise rejected in public seens (from my observations.)
We went to Burger King for a late dinner. I had two burgers (kids), a med fry, and a small 10 oz shake thing. It case me 6.50 euros, also known as EXPENSIVE in USD. Oh man, I’m so done spending money here, it makes me sick. Our dollar is just horrible.
I’m not sitting on my bed typing in my journal. We are on the fourth floor of Meetingpoint Youth Hostel. I’m on the top bunk of bed #11 and I’m looking out the window down to the streets of Amsterdam. It’s quite a seen. It has settled down a lot, but there is still commotion and will continue to be for a couple of hours I’m sure.
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