This holiday season give gifts that help others. Click the link below for beautiful crafts that were all made by the women of Bigodi. All profits go back to Bigodi to assist with community projects.
Yes, I can ship them! Thank you for your continued support!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125216&id=572152211&l=e88ad1c5c4
Friday, December 18, 2009
Holiday greetings
Jamilyn’s Christmas Letter 2009
I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life...to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. - Henry David Thoreau
Dear friends and family,
I hope this letter finds you and yours doing well this holiday season.
I remember when I first came across the quote above; I was in high school and had just finished watching Dead Poets Society. At the time, I was profoundly taken with living life to the fullest and seizing all the opportunities that are presented to us. I’ll admit that in the fifteen years or so that have transpired since then I still believe in embracing life!
This year, that belief took me to the other side of the world (literally) where for six months, I lived in a small village in western Uganda with no electricity or running water. What was lacking in modern amenities was made up for by the breathtaking landscape and wildlife, the friendliest people I have ever met and the knowledge that the work I was doing was having a positive impact. During my time in Uganda, I trained over 100 teachers in conservation education. When I wasn’t training teachers, I was able to travel and explore much of what Uganda has to offer: chimp trekking, a ten day safari, white water rafting on the Nile, the beautiful Renzori Mountains, Kampala (the capital city), and most importantly getting know the Ugandan people. My experience in Uganda will always be with me and I will always be grateful that I took that leap of faith.
In the last four months since I’ve returned to the states, I’ve continued to raise awareness and money for community needs in Western Uganda. So far I’ve sent back just about $1000 raised from donations and basket sales. This money will be used to help build the first well in the village! In addition, I am still raising money to send children’s books and sanitary supplies to the schools that I worked with.
In addition to raising money and doing community presentations on Uganda, I have been busy with work, travel, and just enjoying being home. I am back in my old position at Wake 4-H Youth Development and working part-time at Williams-Sonoma. I feel so blessed to been able to take a six month leave of absence and return to my position.
In the last few months since I’ve been home, there have been many travels as usual. In September, I went to New York City with my boyfriend and two of our close friends. We had tickets to the Yankees/ Orioles game so I could see my childhood team play at the new Yankee stadium. It just so happened that we were there the night that Derek Jeter broke Lou Gehrig’s record becoming the Yankees all-time hits leader! In November, I was off to western NC so I could co-teach a week long pie making class at the John C Campbell Folk School! For an entire week in November, we made 19 different types of pies during the day and danced, attended concerts, and watched craft demonstrations in the evening! It was an amazing week.
I don't know what 2010 will bring but I'm sure it won't top the excitement of 2009. Thank you for your continued love and support.
Merry Christmas ---Love, Jamilyn
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Beatiful Uganda Crafts for Sale
Click the link below for beautiful crafts that were all made by the women of Bigodi. All profits go back to Bigodi to assist with community projects.
Yes, I can ship them! Thank you for your continued support!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125216&id=572152211&l=e88ad1c5c4
Yes, I can ship them! Thank you for your continued support!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125216&id=572152211&l=e88ad1c5c4
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
News from my friends in Uganda
Since I've been back I've enjoyed getting emails from my friends in Uganda.
This morning I got an email from my friend Julia, who is a primatologist living and working just a few miles up the road from where I was living. Julia took me under her wing while I was there and was an incredible friend/mentor. She has been living in Uganda for over 10 years!
Here is a link to a great article about her: http://www.primatehandshake.org/latest/julia-lloyd-primatologist-and-village-girl/
In the article she does a great job of explaining the tensions between conservation and sheer survival.
I miss her and my other Ugandan friends dearly!
This morning I got an email from my friend Julia, who is a primatologist living and working just a few miles up the road from where I was living. Julia took me under her wing while I was there and was an incredible friend/mentor. She has been living in Uganda for over 10 years!
Here is a link to a great article about her: http://www.primatehandshake.org/latest/julia-lloyd-primatologist-and-village-girl/
In the article she does a great job of explaining the tensions between conservation and sheer survival.
I miss her and my other Ugandan friends dearly!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who came out last night to the "Taste of Africa" party at my house. We had an amazing turnout!!
Throughout this entire journey, I have been so touched by everyone's support and generosity. We raised $702 at my staying in last night for the people of Uganda!!! Once you add in the donations that were received Monday at "Life in an Africa Village" and at my work on Friday, in one week $792 was raised!!!
Thank you for continual support on behalf of the people in western Uganda.
Check out pictures from the event at
http://brightlens.smugmug.com/Friends/Ja
Throughout this entire journey, I have been so touched by everyone's support and generosity. We raised $702 at my staying in last night for the people of Uganda!!! Once you add in the donations that were received Monday at "Life in an Africa Village" and at my work on Friday, in one week $792 was raised!!!
Thank you for continual support on behalf of the people in western Uganda.
Check out pictures from the event at
http://brightlens.smugmug.com/Friends/Jamilyn-Coles-Taste-of-Africa/9366213_TyFjW/1/626835281_HSuZv#626835281_HSuZv
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
2nd week back in America
I’ll be the first to admit that so far my transition back has been much easier than I ever anticipated! I’m loving being home though I certainly miss the beautiful Ugandan country side and my Ugandan friends.
Highlights from last week:
1. Attending St. Mark’s Episcopal church in Raleigh and visiting with old friends. I’ve been attending St. Marks off and on since 2003 so it was great to see everyone!
2. Cooking up a storm- One of the things I missed most in Uganda was being able to cook and shop for a variety of foods. In the last week I’ve made fresh banana bread, meat loaf, a cheese and yellow squash casserole (always one of my favorites that my mom used to make for me), eggplant Parmesan, couscous, London broil, and sweet corn on the cob just to name a few.
3. Taking care of business- Since I had two weeks off before I returned to work, I’ve been able to get a lot done around the house. It’s been nice to see my to-do list get a little shorter; house is power washed, lawn is cut, car is clean, dog went to the vet, me to the doctor, lots of food has been cooked and baked, clothes washed, and I even got a new washing machine.
4. My first Jaycee meeting in six months- It was so great to go to my first Jaycee meeting last week and to see so many friends! I was even in mentioned in the presidents closing comments as an example of what can happen when you step out of your box and try something new! I can testify that you never know where life will take you.
5. Home sweet home- Last Thursday, I drove home to beautiful Loudoun County, Virginia to visit with family and friends. I got to meet my best friend from high school s’ little boy who was born while I was in Africa. He is absolutely precious! I also had dinner with a dear group of high school friends, they had the pleasure of sitting though a 2 hour Ugandan slide show! On the way up to Virginia I stopped and visited with my 81 year old Aunt in Maryland.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Two upcomming events
I am hosting two upcoming events inspired by my time in Uganda! All are welcome to attend.
August 17th-Life in an African Village
“Life in an African Village” is a interactive presentation of my experience living and working in the African country of Uganda. I spent six months in 2009 based in Bigodi, a small rural village at the base of the Rwenzori mountains in Western Uganda. My work as a conservation education trainer for the UNITE project of the NC Zoo allowed me to experience, first hand, what life is like in a developing country.
Did you know that many Ugandans are subsistence farmers and provide for their families on less than a $1 a day? "Life in an African Village" is a presentation which will provide an overview of (a.) everyday life in Western Uganda, (b.) my experience working with teachers in ten rural schools that surround Kibale National Park, and (c.) international projects that may interest you!
This event will be held at the Raleigh Jaycee office located at The Flagship Building, 4332 Bland Street in Raleigh North Carolina at 7pm on August 17th. Please RSVP to jamilync@yahoo.com
August 21st- Taste of Africa
Instead of having a traditional welcome back party I am hosting a small fundraiser at my home.
In celebration of my recent trip to Uganda, join us for an evening of good food and friends!
We will be feasting on traditional Ugandan food such as chapatti (yummy fry bread), matooke (steamed plantains), medozes (donuts), posha (similar to grits), ground nut sauce (peanut sauce), and other traditional foods. You won’t want to miss the slideshow of pictures from this picturesque country. Baskets and jewelry made by the women of Bigodi (the village where I lived for six months) will be for sale. My souvenirs will also be on display.
All donations & proceeds from items sold will be sent back to the help fund community projects in Bigodi, Uganda.
This event will be held at my home in Clayton, North Carolina at 7pm on August 21st. Please RSVP to jamilync@yahoo.com
August 17th-Life in an African Village
“Life in an African Village” is a interactive presentation of my experience living and working in the African country of Uganda. I spent six months in 2009 based in Bigodi, a small rural village at the base of the Rwenzori mountains in Western Uganda. My work as a conservation education trainer for the UNITE project of the NC Zoo allowed me to experience, first hand, what life is like in a developing country.
Did you know that many Ugandans are subsistence farmers and provide for their families on less than a $1 a day? "Life in an African Village" is a presentation which will provide an overview of (a.) everyday life in Western Uganda, (b.) my experience working with teachers in ten rural schools that surround Kibale National Park, and (c.) international projects that may interest you!
This event will be held at the Raleigh Jaycee office located at The Flagship Building, 4332 Bland Street in Raleigh North Carolina at 7pm on August 17th. Please RSVP to jamilync@yahoo.com
August 21st- Taste of Africa
Instead of having a traditional welcome back party I am hosting a small fundraiser at my home.
In celebration of my recent trip to Uganda, join us for an evening of good food and friends!
We will be feasting on traditional Ugandan food such as chapatti (yummy fry bread), matooke (steamed plantains), medozes (donuts), posha (similar to grits), ground nut sauce (peanut sauce), and other traditional foods. You won’t want to miss the slideshow of pictures from this picturesque country. Baskets and jewelry made by the women of Bigodi (the village where I lived for six months) will be for sale. My souvenirs will also be on display.
All donations & proceeds from items sold will be sent back to the help fund community projects in Bigodi, Uganda.
This event will be held at my home in Clayton, North Carolina at 7pm on August 21st. Please RSVP to jamilync@yahoo.com
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Home Sweet Home
*** When I started this blog I intended just to blog while I was in Uganda but I’ve had such a great time with it that I’m going to continue it at least for a while. Don’t worry even though I am now back on American soil, I will still continue to be involved in projects to help my friends living in Western Uganda. I will post those events here ….
Thanks to all your prayers and positive thoughts I had a safe trip home and landed on July 25th! It’s hard to believe that I’ve been back home for nearly a week now! Time truly flies when you’re having fun! After a long trip home with a wonderful layover in London, I’ve had a great low key week back in NC. Here are just a few highlights from my first week back in America.
1. Landing at RDU and seeing the sign for the PONY tournament which is of course run by the Raleigh Jaycees! I knew I was home…
2. Waking up in downtown Raleigh with a view of our beautiful city, a perfect way to spend my first night back.
3. Seeing my house for the first time and being relived that it was all in one piece!! After living without so much for so long I realized how much stuff I have!! I’ve been wedding though much of it this week, like do I really need five winter coats?? The size of my bedroom amazes me, it’s at least two and half times the size of my entire house in Uganda! To put it into perspective my banda in Uganda was smaller than Henry David Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond.
4. Spending time with my three furry children- when I left for Uganda my kittens where just six & seven months old, now they are full fledged cats. It has been great to spend time with them and my five year old dog Juno! I was so blessed to have great friends taking such good care of them while I was gone; all three were very well taken care of.
5. Cooking- one of the things I missed most was being able to cook and prepare my own meals. I’ll admit it was certainly a luxury to have all of my meals( not to mention my laundry )prepared for me everyday however, I did miss cooking. So far I’ve made pretty simple dishes; I think my most complicated was a breakfast scramble with smoked salmon, spinach, mushrooms, and dill! Just that fact that I have a refrigerator has opened up a whole new culinary world; I can have dairy, orange juice, cold water, ice cream, all things that I have missed!
6. It is just like a ridding a bike- since I admittedly I am not the best driver I was a bit nervous getting behind the wheel for the first time in six months! Thankfully, it is just like ridding a bicycle and I hadn’t forgotten how.
7. Enjoying the great metropolis of Clayton, NC- While I work in Raleigh, I live in a small town just about 20 minutes south east. It has always reminded me of the small towns in Virginia that I grew up in. In the past I have often been two busy to enjoy living here instead spending much of my time in Raleigh. This week I’ve gone to our new farmers market (not quite like the ones I grew up selling at around the DC metro area), had my late fees forgiven at the library (evidently one library book was in my car the entire time I was in Uganda), and danced the night away to great band at the local bar just a couple miles from my house!
8. Thank you - I’ve been blessed though this entire journey to be supported by an entire “village” back here and it hasn’t ended yet. Before I even landed my car wasn’t working so three of my friends took care of it so that it was in working order when I got back! Before I got my plates back on my car Monday afternoon, my friend Stacy spent nearly an entire day running errands with me. From pet sitters to package senders to taking care of my bills to just listening to me when I had a rough day in Uganda; I could not have done this without everyone’s support.
9. Spending time with loved ones- The best part of this week has truly been just catching up with old dear friends. There have been lunches and dinners where we tried to catch each other up on the past six months. Laid back evenings just catching up in my living room, cooking for my sweetheart, long phone calls with those I haven’t seen yet, and lots of relishing in the simple moments. I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life!!
10. Abundance- As time goes on I will begin to process my time in Uganda, for now I’m just truly to recalculate to my life here. In all honesty, it was been much easier to slide back in to my old life than I ever expected. Everything seems completely normal and just as it should. Right now my time in Uganda feels like a very, very, very, very long dream and this feels normal.
One thing that has struck me is the absolute abundance of everything that we have available at our fingertips. Even in my little town of Clayton, I have the choice of nearly any cuisine for any meal that I could want instead of just what I can grow in my garden. I have enough clothes in my closet to clothe half the women in Bigodi! I certainly have enough furniture for a few homes. We all have a car instead of being the only one in the village with one. Going into Target, Wal-Mart, and Lowes Foods were all lessons on abundance; I haven’t seen that much stuff since I left the states. While I believe we have and use more than we need we are so very blessed to be Americans!
My experience in Uganda will always be with me and I will always be grateful that I took that leap of faith. However, for now it is great to be home!!
Thanks to all your prayers and positive thoughts I had a safe trip home and landed on July 25th! It’s hard to believe that I’ve been back home for nearly a week now! Time truly flies when you’re having fun! After a long trip home with a wonderful layover in London, I’ve had a great low key week back in NC. Here are just a few highlights from my first week back in America.
1. Landing at RDU and seeing the sign for the PONY tournament which is of course run by the Raleigh Jaycees! I knew I was home…
2. Waking up in downtown Raleigh with a view of our beautiful city, a perfect way to spend my first night back.
3. Seeing my house for the first time and being relived that it was all in one piece!! After living without so much for so long I realized how much stuff I have!! I’ve been wedding though much of it this week, like do I really need five winter coats?? The size of my bedroom amazes me, it’s at least two and half times the size of my entire house in Uganda! To put it into perspective my banda in Uganda was smaller than Henry David Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond.
4. Spending time with my three furry children- when I left for Uganda my kittens where just six & seven months old, now they are full fledged cats. It has been great to spend time with them and my five year old dog Juno! I was so blessed to have great friends taking such good care of them while I was gone; all three were very well taken care of.
5. Cooking- one of the things I missed most was being able to cook and prepare my own meals. I’ll admit it was certainly a luxury to have all of my meals( not to mention my laundry )prepared for me everyday however, I did miss cooking. So far I’ve made pretty simple dishes; I think my most complicated was a breakfast scramble with smoked salmon, spinach, mushrooms, and dill! Just that fact that I have a refrigerator has opened up a whole new culinary world; I can have dairy, orange juice, cold water, ice cream, all things that I have missed!
6. It is just like a ridding a bike- since I admittedly I am not the best driver I was a bit nervous getting behind the wheel for the first time in six months! Thankfully, it is just like ridding a bicycle and I hadn’t forgotten how.
7. Enjoying the great metropolis of Clayton, NC- While I work in Raleigh, I live in a small town just about 20 minutes south east. It has always reminded me of the small towns in Virginia that I grew up in. In the past I have often been two busy to enjoy living here instead spending much of my time in Raleigh. This week I’ve gone to our new farmers market (not quite like the ones I grew up selling at around the DC metro area), had my late fees forgiven at the library (evidently one library book was in my car the entire time I was in Uganda), and danced the night away to great band at the local bar just a couple miles from my house!
8. Thank you - I’ve been blessed though this entire journey to be supported by an entire “village” back here and it hasn’t ended yet. Before I even landed my car wasn’t working so three of my friends took care of it so that it was in working order when I got back! Before I got my plates back on my car Monday afternoon, my friend Stacy spent nearly an entire day running errands with me. From pet sitters to package senders to taking care of my bills to just listening to me when I had a rough day in Uganda; I could not have done this without everyone’s support.
9. Spending time with loved ones- The best part of this week has truly been just catching up with old dear friends. There have been lunches and dinners where we tried to catch each other up on the past six months. Laid back evenings just catching up in my living room, cooking for my sweetheart, long phone calls with those I haven’t seen yet, and lots of relishing in the simple moments. I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life!!
10. Abundance- As time goes on I will begin to process my time in Uganda, for now I’m just truly to recalculate to my life here. In all honesty, it was been much easier to slide back in to my old life than I ever expected. Everything seems completely normal and just as it should. Right now my time in Uganda feels like a very, very, very, very long dream and this feels normal.
One thing that has struck me is the absolute abundance of everything that we have available at our fingertips. Even in my little town of Clayton, I have the choice of nearly any cuisine for any meal that I could want instead of just what I can grow in my garden. I have enough clothes in my closet to clothe half the women in Bigodi! I certainly have enough furniture for a few homes. We all have a car instead of being the only one in the village with one. Going into Target, Wal-Mart, and Lowes Foods were all lessons on abundance; I haven’t seen that much stuff since I left the states. While I believe we have and use more than we need we are so very blessed to be Americans!
My experience in Uganda will always be with me and I will always be grateful that I took that leap of faith. However, for now it is great to be home!!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The long journey home
Thank you all for your support throughout this adventure! It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Uganda almost six months!
Tomorrow (Thursday) morning, I leave Bigodi to start the long journey home. My friend Julia will drive us to Fort Portal where I have one last school presentation to make than we will travel the five hours to Kampala for some last minute shopping. Next is a taxi ride to Entebbe, where I will be spending Thursday night. Friday morning, I depart at 9am from Entebbe on British Air and fly to LONDON where I have a 20 hour layover.
Friday evening will be spent catching up with my friend Tiffany (who stayed with us for a couple of weeks her in Bigodi) than staying at a hotel at Heathrow. Saturday, I leave London at noon again on British Air and get to Philly about 2:30pm. After going though customs and a three hour layover, I leave Philly at 6:40pm on an US Air flight and arrive at RDU about 8pm.
Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers for a safe journey home!
Tomorrow (Thursday) morning, I leave Bigodi to start the long journey home. My friend Julia will drive us to Fort Portal where I have one last school presentation to make than we will travel the five hours to Kampala for some last minute shopping. Next is a taxi ride to Entebbe, where I will be spending Thursday night. Friday morning, I depart at 9am from Entebbe on British Air and fly to LONDON where I have a 20 hour layover.
Friday evening will be spent catching up with my friend Tiffany (who stayed with us for a couple of weeks her in Bigodi) than staying at a hotel at Heathrow. Saturday, I leave London at noon again on British Air and get to Philly about 2:30pm. After going though customs and a three hour layover, I leave Philly at 6:40pm on an US Air flight and arrive at RDU about 8pm.
Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers for a safe journey home!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Week of July 6th-13th
It is hard to believe that I will be leaving Uganda in 11 short days. What an amazing experience this has turned out to be. This week’s blog will be shorter than normal as things are very busy with last minute school visits, meetings, and reporting. It feels like there is not enough time to get everything done before I leave.
A country of extremes- While the farmers were all complaining that rainy season was less rainy than normal; it was certainly more than enough rain for me. Many days I couldn’t do computer work because it rained all day and therefore we wouldn’t have any solar power. We are now officially into dry season and a drought. To the point that when I woke up this morning I was told that we couldn’t wash clothes today because we didn’t have any water! It also feels like we are living Stienbeck’s great dust bowl of America. Without any rain the roads are so dusty that I have to keep my eyes closed when ridding on a boda-boda; I just hope the driver has his eyes open!
An international dinner table- Last week, I stayed at my favorite guest house in Fort Portal as I was working on reporting and data entry that needs to be done before I leave the country. There were fascinating guests from all over the world! We eat family style at dinner so I dinned with people from Ireland, England, Germany, Uganda, NYC, the Netherlands, and Massachusetts. Some were on vacation traveling to all the great parks that Uganda has to offer. Others were working on projects ranging from doctors with a boarders, community libraries, church schools, school improvement and eco tourism. I even met a family with three kids from America who had been here eight years!
Data entry even in Africa- Last week, I entered over 500 surveys from children and teachers into a spreadsheet. While the work is not very exciting to say the least, it was heart breaking to see the following comments from children:
"If you go into the national park the wild animals there can eat you"!
In answer to what are the biggest environmental problems in Kibale National Park many replied with: that’s where rebels hide and animals that kill people live there (elephants)!
In answer to what you like most about forest, most children replied getting firewood!
The teachers had more uplifting comments:
“I am very grateful with the methods used by Jamilyn Cole when presenting to us and how she involved all of us actively in learning situations.”
“I truly appreciate for the arrangement of this training for it has made a great change in my way of doing things. “
“The training was so nice. May God bless Jamilyn Cole.”
“Let this UNITE remain forever and ever.”
“I leanrt many methods of teaching the conservation of environmental education.”
Most helpful “The methods and teaching games. Confidence and decent dressing of the facilitator Ms Jamilyn (African style of dressing not trousers).”
A country of extremes- While the farmers were all complaining that rainy season was less rainy than normal; it was certainly more than enough rain for me. Many days I couldn’t do computer work because it rained all day and therefore we wouldn’t have any solar power. We are now officially into dry season and a drought. To the point that when I woke up this morning I was told that we couldn’t wash clothes today because we didn’t have any water! It also feels like we are living Stienbeck’s great dust bowl of America. Without any rain the roads are so dusty that I have to keep my eyes closed when ridding on a boda-boda; I just hope the driver has his eyes open!
An international dinner table- Last week, I stayed at my favorite guest house in Fort Portal as I was working on reporting and data entry that needs to be done before I leave the country. There were fascinating guests from all over the world! We eat family style at dinner so I dinned with people from Ireland, England, Germany, Uganda, NYC, the Netherlands, and Massachusetts. Some were on vacation traveling to all the great parks that Uganda has to offer. Others were working on projects ranging from doctors with a boarders, community libraries, church schools, school improvement and eco tourism. I even met a family with three kids from America who had been here eight years!
Data entry even in Africa- Last week, I entered over 500 surveys from children and teachers into a spreadsheet. While the work is not very exciting to say the least, it was heart breaking to see the following comments from children:
"If you go into the national park the wild animals there can eat you"!
In answer to what are the biggest environmental problems in Kibale National Park many replied with: that’s where rebels hide and animals that kill people live there (elephants)!
In answer to what you like most about forest, most children replied getting firewood!
The teachers had more uplifting comments:
“I am very grateful with the methods used by Jamilyn Cole when presenting to us and how she involved all of us actively in learning situations.”
“I truly appreciate for the arrangement of this training for it has made a great change in my way of doing things. “
“The training was so nice. May God bless Jamilyn Cole.”
“Let this UNITE remain forever and ever.”
“I leanrt many methods of teaching the conservation of environmental education.”
Most helpful “The methods and teaching games. Confidence and decent dressing of the facilitator Ms Jamilyn (African style of dressing not trousers).”
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Mark your calendars
In celebration of my recent trip to Uganda, join us for an evening of good food and friends!
Date: August 21st
Time: 7:00pm
Location: My house in Clayton NC
We will be feasting on traditional Ugandan food such as chapatti (yummy fry bread), matooke (steamed plantains), medozes (donuts), posha (similar to grits), ground nut sauce (peanut sauce), and other traditional foods. You won’t want to miss the slideshow of pictures from this picturesque country. Baskets and jewelry made by the women of Bigodi (the village where I lived for six months) will be for sale. My souvenirs will also be on display.
All donations & proceeds from items sold will be sent back to the help fund community projects in Bigodi, Uganda.
Date: August 21st
Time: 7:00pm
Location: My house in Clayton NC
We will be feasting on traditional Ugandan food such as chapatti (yummy fry bread), matooke (steamed plantains), medozes (donuts), posha (similar to grits), ground nut sauce (peanut sauce), and other traditional foods. You won’t want to miss the slideshow of pictures from this picturesque country. Baskets and jewelry made by the women of Bigodi (the village where I lived for six months) will be for sale. My souvenirs will also be on display.
All donations & proceeds from items sold will be sent back to the help fund community projects in Bigodi, Uganda.
Monday, July 6, 2009
The realties of living in Uganda
Week of June 29th-July 6th
For most of my time here, I’ve been able to escape the daily hardships of living in western rural Uganda. I live with the most prominent family in our village; we are the only family with a car and solar power. Unlike most of the other women my age I do not dig in a garden daily with a baby on my back. Even here in Uganda, I make monthly what most people make in two-three years. This week I experienced first hand the challenges of living in this area of the world.
An attack in the forest- A week ago today, one of the researchers I know was captured at gun point in Kibale National Park. After spending all night on the forest floor, he was able to escape in the morning and get back to the research station. At this point the assumption is that they were poachers. Years ago rebels used to hide out in the forest but it has been a long time since anyone has seen rebels in the park.
Conservation and survival- People who work in the field of conservation here and many places around the world are often at odds with people who are just trying to survive.
Everyone who lives in the communities surrounding the park use either firewood or charcoal to do all of their cooking. Which means everyday there is firewood to be gathered. Many people don’t think anything about crossing the park boundaries to get firewood. One of the organizations we work with is trying to encourage people to plant trees on their own property that they will than harvest for firewood but it hasn’t been embraced by the community yet. The same organization is also training people how to build stoves that will use less wood.
Locals here do not see the primates who live in the park as cute like many of us from the west do. Instead many here seem them as a nuisance as it’s the primates and other animals that raid people’s gardens here. I was in a meeting last week where one of the major items of discussion was what to do about the elephants that had crossed the park boundaries and were destroying gardens.
While people don’t eat much bush meat (primates) as they have in years passed, poaching still occurs in the forest. I was with a group of students recently and the ranger speaking to them knew whose parents were regular hunters in the park.
On the other hand many people in the surrounding committees know that the park and other local conservation sites provide jobs and that the tourists bring money into the local communities. So there is a constant struggle.
Accidents happen everywhere- Tiffany (our new housemate) was walking to the swamp with guide as she had done at least twice a day for the last two weeks when she was hit by a bicycle. The driver of the bike had lost complete control of the bike as it came careening over the hill at top speed. Tiffany was knocked backwards onto the gravel road. After applying basic first aid to her most visible wounds, I was able to convince Tinka that we needed to take her to the hospital in Fort Portal. I was very concerned because she was in a terrible amount of pain in her back and was asking the same questions over and over again.
Almost two hours after the accident occurred we arrived in Fort Portal where we had to go to three hospitals until we found one who could do x-rays that evening. By evening we had learned that she had a broken bone in her hand, a concussion, a compressed vertebrae, and had to have stitches in five places including on her head!
She was in the hospital for the next three days and two nights. I stayed with her the entire time to help navigate the language and cultural barriers. The hospital looked like something out of the 1900’s. There were about ten rooms all around a central courtyard that looked like it had been bombed at some point. Seriously, the courtyard was full of concrete rubble and a low hanging clothes line that patients had to navigate to get to the one bathroom or the surgery room. There were no electronic monitoring devices in the patients’ rooms. We had to supply our own sheets/blankets for the beds and there were no pillows. The care was so basic, about all they could do for her is clean her wounds, take x-rays, and give pain meds.
The sad thing is even with that basic care it’s more than most Ugandan’s receive. The boy (20 years old) who was driving the bike went to health clinic in Bigodi which is basically just a first aid clinic. Once his wounds were dressed he than went to another district (county)- to hid himself because he was afraid thatsince he hit a mazuga he would go to jail. Once I reassured his stepmom that he would not go to jail and that he needed medical treatment (he has a head injury), the next issue became payment. They didn’t have the money for treatment. Nothing breaks my heart more than someone not receiving medical care simply because they can’t pay for it. I offered to pay for his treatment but they have been unable to locate him.
Teenage pregnancy- A girl who is just 14 who attended one of the schools I work with gave birth last week. One of the many sad aspects of this situation, is she was at school on Monday no one knew she was pregnant and by Wednesday she had given birth. Many, many girls here get pregnant and or married very young. When I go to visit the secondary school there are so few girls in the classes because most have dropped out of school by than.
Field trips- On a happier note two of our schools went to Kibale National Park on field trips this week. Even though they all live within just miles of the park, none had ever been into the park legally. Many had crossed the park boundaries to get firewood or to hunt for their families. It is a little frustrating that some of the park staff put more emphasis on their foreign guest than the local youth who are the ones who directly impact the park. However, I am glad we able to take them on an official tour. This week we have kids going on their first visit to the botanical gardens in Fort Portal.
Classroom visits- We visited three schools last week, it was great to see all the hands on and conservation lessons that they are doing with the students. I even got to teach a class of 204 second graders- yes there were 104 all in one class! It is frustrating when we go to schools and teachers are absent. There is a very high rate of absenteeism among teachers and since there are no substitute teachers, when a teacher misses school that class is on it’s own for the day or another teacher will try to cover two classes. Neither works well.
No place like home-I’ll admit it after being here five and a half months; I am looking forward to going home. It’s the little things I’m looking forward to the most; hanging out with my pets, catching up with friends, enjoying good food, chilling on my back deck, and just enjoying being home.
For most of my time here, I’ve been able to escape the daily hardships of living in western rural Uganda. I live with the most prominent family in our village; we are the only family with a car and solar power. Unlike most of the other women my age I do not dig in a garden daily with a baby on my back. Even here in Uganda, I make monthly what most people make in two-three years. This week I experienced first hand the challenges of living in this area of the world.
An attack in the forest- A week ago today, one of the researchers I know was captured at gun point in Kibale National Park. After spending all night on the forest floor, he was able to escape in the morning and get back to the research station. At this point the assumption is that they were poachers. Years ago rebels used to hide out in the forest but it has been a long time since anyone has seen rebels in the park.
Conservation and survival- People who work in the field of conservation here and many places around the world are often at odds with people who are just trying to survive.
Everyone who lives in the communities surrounding the park use either firewood or charcoal to do all of their cooking. Which means everyday there is firewood to be gathered. Many people don’t think anything about crossing the park boundaries to get firewood. One of the organizations we work with is trying to encourage people to plant trees on their own property that they will than harvest for firewood but it hasn’t been embraced by the community yet. The same organization is also training people how to build stoves that will use less wood.
Locals here do not see the primates who live in the park as cute like many of us from the west do. Instead many here seem them as a nuisance as it’s the primates and other animals that raid people’s gardens here. I was in a meeting last week where one of the major items of discussion was what to do about the elephants that had crossed the park boundaries and were destroying gardens.
While people don’t eat much bush meat (primates) as they have in years passed, poaching still occurs in the forest. I was with a group of students recently and the ranger speaking to them knew whose parents were regular hunters in the park.
On the other hand many people in the surrounding committees know that the park and other local conservation sites provide jobs and that the tourists bring money into the local communities. So there is a constant struggle.
Accidents happen everywhere- Tiffany (our new housemate) was walking to the swamp with guide as she had done at least twice a day for the last two weeks when she was hit by a bicycle. The driver of the bike had lost complete control of the bike as it came careening over the hill at top speed. Tiffany was knocked backwards onto the gravel road. After applying basic first aid to her most visible wounds, I was able to convince Tinka that we needed to take her to the hospital in Fort Portal. I was very concerned because she was in a terrible amount of pain in her back and was asking the same questions over and over again.
Almost two hours after the accident occurred we arrived in Fort Portal where we had to go to three hospitals until we found one who could do x-rays that evening. By evening we had learned that she had a broken bone in her hand, a concussion, a compressed vertebrae, and had to have stitches in five places including on her head!
She was in the hospital for the next three days and two nights. I stayed with her the entire time to help navigate the language and cultural barriers. The hospital looked like something out of the 1900’s. There were about ten rooms all around a central courtyard that looked like it had been bombed at some point. Seriously, the courtyard was full of concrete rubble and a low hanging clothes line that patients had to navigate to get to the one bathroom or the surgery room. There were no electronic monitoring devices in the patients’ rooms. We had to supply our own sheets/blankets for the beds and there were no pillows. The care was so basic, about all they could do for her is clean her wounds, take x-rays, and give pain meds.
The sad thing is even with that basic care it’s more than most Ugandan’s receive. The boy (20 years old) who was driving the bike went to health clinic in Bigodi which is basically just a first aid clinic. Once his wounds were dressed he than went to another district (county)- to hid himself because he was afraid thatsince he hit a mazuga he would go to jail. Once I reassured his stepmom that he would not go to jail and that he needed medical treatment (he has a head injury), the next issue became payment. They didn’t have the money for treatment. Nothing breaks my heart more than someone not receiving medical care simply because they can’t pay for it. I offered to pay for his treatment but they have been unable to locate him.
Teenage pregnancy- A girl who is just 14 who attended one of the schools I work with gave birth last week. One of the many sad aspects of this situation, is she was at school on Monday no one knew she was pregnant and by Wednesday she had given birth. Many, many girls here get pregnant and or married very young. When I go to visit the secondary school there are so few girls in the classes because most have dropped out of school by than.
Field trips- On a happier note two of our schools went to Kibale National Park on field trips this week. Even though they all live within just miles of the park, none had ever been into the park legally. Many had crossed the park boundaries to get firewood or to hunt for their families. It is a little frustrating that some of the park staff put more emphasis on their foreign guest than the local youth who are the ones who directly impact the park. However, I am glad we able to take them on an official tour. This week we have kids going on their first visit to the botanical gardens in Fort Portal.
Classroom visits- We visited three schools last week, it was great to see all the hands on and conservation lessons that they are doing with the students. I even got to teach a class of 204 second graders- yes there were 104 all in one class! It is frustrating when we go to schools and teachers are absent. There is a very high rate of absenteeism among teachers and since there are no substitute teachers, when a teacher misses school that class is on it’s own for the day or another teacher will try to cover two classes. Neither works well.
No place like home-I’ll admit it after being here five and a half months; I am looking forward to going home. It’s the little things I’m looking forward to the most; hanging out with my pets, catching up with friends, enjoying good food, chilling on my back deck, and just enjoying being home.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Week of June 22nd-29th
1. 48 garden hoes, 90 flour sacks, and 10 watering cans- All this and more was purchased to get ready for my last big training which was held this past weekend. I trained 40 plus 5th-7th grade teachers this weekend! This was the second time that I had trained this particular group of teachers. We had a great time learning new activities that they could incorporate into their teaching. The highlights of the weekend included a tour of the Bigodi Wetland, a presentation by the Community Conservation Warden of Kibale National Park, and learning to make learning aids from local materials.
I love taking teachers on a tour of the Biogdi Wetland, most have never been on a tour because they think there is nothing special there. However, after the tour they are always amazed at the variety of primates, plants, birds, and tree species. It is our hope of course that they will pass on this knowledge and respect for the local environment to their students.
This week the teachers from Green Circle (a school in Fort Portal that is trained in Montessori methods) taught us how to make posters and charts for classrooms out of empty flour sacks! Using a flour sack and a few magic markers the classrooms at Green Circle are covered with diagrams of the digestive system, water cycle, geographical features, and many others. Our teachers had a great time making their own flour sack charts for their classrooms!
2. Elephant ball- I always intersperse games into my trainings to keep things fun and lively. All of the games can also be done with students so it’s great for teachers to experience them. Speed ball, one of favorite name games is always a hit with the teachers. Last week we all learned a new game that the teachers loved. Jamaal, the Canadian who was staying with us for a few days taught us how to play elephant ball. Everyone stands in a large circle with their feet wide apart and their shoes touching their neighbors. Players than bend over and make a trunk with their arms. The object is to keep the ball inside the circle by using your “trunk”, if the ball goes though your legs than you are out. The teachers had such a great time playing this game; I can’t wait to see students playing it!
3. Repeat customers- I’ve enjoyed getting to know all the teachers though these trainings. Many teachers have had such a good time that they have come to 4 out of 5 of the trainings (they only ‘had’ to come to 2). Somebody even told me that they didn’t expect the trainings to be so much fun!
4. Thank you- In addition to receiving lots of great packages for me while I’ve been here many of you have sent things for the teachers and students that I work with. The teachers were so very grateful for the volleyballs (netball is very popular for girls here), playground balls, sanitary pads, girls underwear, children’s books and educational games that you sent. They wanted to make sure that I told all my American friends and family thank you!!
5. Free range chickens – At Tinka’s we have five goats, two dogs, and lots of chickens. The chickens are literally free range roaming around finding food wherever they can. I know it’s good for them and produces yummy meat however; I don’t like it when they graze off my dinner plate!
6. An elephant break-in- Our housemate, Tiffany went on safari to Queen Elizabeth this weekend and an elephant broke into to their vehicle. She evidently used her trunk to get into the car and get the snacks!
I love taking teachers on a tour of the Biogdi Wetland, most have never been on a tour because they think there is nothing special there. However, after the tour they are always amazed at the variety of primates, plants, birds, and tree species. It is our hope of course that they will pass on this knowledge and respect for the local environment to their students.
This week the teachers from Green Circle (a school in Fort Portal that is trained in Montessori methods) taught us how to make posters and charts for classrooms out of empty flour sacks! Using a flour sack and a few magic markers the classrooms at Green Circle are covered with diagrams of the digestive system, water cycle, geographical features, and many others. Our teachers had a great time making their own flour sack charts for their classrooms!
2. Elephant ball- I always intersperse games into my trainings to keep things fun and lively. All of the games can also be done with students so it’s great for teachers to experience them. Speed ball, one of favorite name games is always a hit with the teachers. Last week we all learned a new game that the teachers loved. Jamaal, the Canadian who was staying with us for a few days taught us how to play elephant ball. Everyone stands in a large circle with their feet wide apart and their shoes touching their neighbors. Players than bend over and make a trunk with their arms. The object is to keep the ball inside the circle by using your “trunk”, if the ball goes though your legs than you are out. The teachers had such a great time playing this game; I can’t wait to see students playing it!
3. Repeat customers- I’ve enjoyed getting to know all the teachers though these trainings. Many teachers have had such a good time that they have come to 4 out of 5 of the trainings (they only ‘had’ to come to 2). Somebody even told me that they didn’t expect the trainings to be so much fun!
4. Thank you- In addition to receiving lots of great packages for me while I’ve been here many of you have sent things for the teachers and students that I work with. The teachers were so very grateful for the volleyballs (netball is very popular for girls here), playground balls, sanitary pads, girls underwear, children’s books and educational games that you sent. They wanted to make sure that I told all my American friends and family thank you!!
5. Free range chickens – At Tinka’s we have five goats, two dogs, and lots of chickens. The chickens are literally free range roaming around finding food wherever they can. I know it’s good for them and produces yummy meat however; I don’t like it when they graze off my dinner plate!
6. An elephant break-in- Our housemate, Tiffany went on safari to Queen Elizabeth this weekend and an elephant broke into to their vehicle. She evidently used her trunk to get into the car and get the snacks!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Week of June 15th-22nd
1. 45 teachers and me- This past weekend, I spent two days training 45 p1-p4 (1st-4th grade) teachers from nine area schools on how to integrate conservation education into their classroom teaching. It was the second time that I had trained this particular group of teachers and we had a fantastic time learning new activities that they could incorporate into their classes. I am always amazed at the turnout we have for these trainings as many teachers come from over an hour away. None of the teachers have cars so they either walk/bike very far distances to get here or have to hire a boda boda to carry them over bumpy poorly maintained “roads”.
One of UNITE’s goals and my personal mission’s is to teach teachers hands on ways of teaching. We want to help move teachers away from chalk and talk to more interactive ways of teaching. Even without text books or classroom resources there are many things you can do to make a lesson interactive and engaging for students. The teachers learned many new methods over the course of the weekend that they can use when teaching conservation education and other subjects.
In addition to learning new methods of teaching, we invited the Community Conservation Warden from Kibale National Park to come and talk to the teachers about the park’s school conservation programs. Saturday afternoon, we took all the teachers on a guided tour of the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. Only one of the teachers had even been on a tour there. They had no idea what types of primates or birds live in this area. If the teachers don’t know about their local environment than how can we expect them to teach is to their students! It was great to see their reactions to seeing baboons up close and learning about the different types of birds and trees.
2. What can you make from a handful of beans and rice? - Since schools here do not have money for teaching materials most of the classroom walls are bare. However, there are many teaching aids that can be made from locally found materials. I invited the staff from a Montessori trained school in town to come a lead a workshop during our training on making learning materials. The teachers loved it and they all got to make a learning aid to take back to their schools. I can’t wait till I can post pictures so you can see the creativity of these teachers.
Using different types of beans, rice, plywood, and glue made from cassava flour: they were able to make a diagram of the human eye so students could clearly see the pupil, iris, and other parts of the eye. A chart of the different types of soil was created from just a piece of plywood, beans for the lettering and borders, cassava flour glue, and soil. Many teachers chose to make a fish so their students could learn the different parts of the fish; it was made from just paper, beans, and cassava flour glue. My group used banana fibers (from the trunk of a banana tree) to make a large sheet of paper on which we than painted a colorful map of Uganda!
I wish I had time to more of these workshops as there are so many things that can be made for the classrooms with just a little time and creativity! Unfortunately, my time is starting to run out – I leave Bigodi one month from tomorrow. I do have one more training next week for the p5-p7 teachers that I am looking forward to.
3. I will miss…- There are many things that I will miss when I head back to the states in just about a month. I will miss kids running down their driveways to say “Mazuga, mazuga how are you?” as they see me jogging past. I will miss running into my friends in the local bar. I will miss healthy natural food prepared by someone else. I will miss working with this amazing group of teachers. I will miss seeing the beautiful Renzori Mountains from the porch of my little house. I will miss the fact that since there is “no hurry in Africa” in five months, I haven’t been late to a single function. I will miss my little village of Bigodi where it seems like almost everyone knows me. I will miss feeling like I am making at least a small difference in the world. And of course I will miss Leon.
4. New housemate- Last week we got a new housemate. Tiffany is from the UK and will be staying with us till mid July. She is an undergrad studying biology/conservation and is volunteering at KAFRED for the month. For the last five days, a University student from Canada has been staying with us as well. Jamaal is on a three month field placement in Uganda studying community development. They are both great fun and it has been a real treat for me to have English speaking company! Both even attended my training over the weekend and seem to really enjoy it.
One of UNITE’s goals and my personal mission’s is to teach teachers hands on ways of teaching. We want to help move teachers away from chalk and talk to more interactive ways of teaching. Even without text books or classroom resources there are many things you can do to make a lesson interactive and engaging for students. The teachers learned many new methods over the course of the weekend that they can use when teaching conservation education and other subjects.
In addition to learning new methods of teaching, we invited the Community Conservation Warden from Kibale National Park to come and talk to the teachers about the park’s school conservation programs. Saturday afternoon, we took all the teachers on a guided tour of the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. Only one of the teachers had even been on a tour there. They had no idea what types of primates or birds live in this area. If the teachers don’t know about their local environment than how can we expect them to teach is to their students! It was great to see their reactions to seeing baboons up close and learning about the different types of birds and trees.
2. What can you make from a handful of beans and rice? - Since schools here do not have money for teaching materials most of the classroom walls are bare. However, there are many teaching aids that can be made from locally found materials. I invited the staff from a Montessori trained school in town to come a lead a workshop during our training on making learning materials. The teachers loved it and they all got to make a learning aid to take back to their schools. I can’t wait till I can post pictures so you can see the creativity of these teachers.
Using different types of beans, rice, plywood, and glue made from cassava flour: they were able to make a diagram of the human eye so students could clearly see the pupil, iris, and other parts of the eye. A chart of the different types of soil was created from just a piece of plywood, beans for the lettering and borders, cassava flour glue, and soil. Many teachers chose to make a fish so their students could learn the different parts of the fish; it was made from just paper, beans, and cassava flour glue. My group used banana fibers (from the trunk of a banana tree) to make a large sheet of paper on which we than painted a colorful map of Uganda!
I wish I had time to more of these workshops as there are so many things that can be made for the classrooms with just a little time and creativity! Unfortunately, my time is starting to run out – I leave Bigodi one month from tomorrow. I do have one more training next week for the p5-p7 teachers that I am looking forward to.
3. I will miss…- There are many things that I will miss when I head back to the states in just about a month. I will miss kids running down their driveways to say “Mazuga, mazuga how are you?” as they see me jogging past. I will miss running into my friends in the local bar. I will miss healthy natural food prepared by someone else. I will miss working with this amazing group of teachers. I will miss seeing the beautiful Renzori Mountains from the porch of my little house. I will miss the fact that since there is “no hurry in Africa” in five months, I haven’t been late to a single function. I will miss my little village of Bigodi where it seems like almost everyone knows me. I will miss feeling like I am making at least a small difference in the world. And of course I will miss Leon.
4. New housemate- Last week we got a new housemate. Tiffany is from the UK and will be staying with us till mid July. She is an undergrad studying biology/conservation and is volunteering at KAFRED for the month. For the last five days, a University student from Canada has been staying with us as well. Jamaal is on a three month field placement in Uganda studying community development. They are both great fun and it has been a real treat for me to have English speaking company! Both even attended my training over the weekend and seem to really enjoy it.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Marriages, burials, and chickens-My 19th week in Uganda
I’m a little late posting this due to lack of computer availability and a good internet connection this week. This is for the week of June 6th-14th.
1. Good to be back- After traveling throughout much of Uganda on Safari, it was great to be back in Bigodi and in my normal routine last week. I will miss my little African village when I head back to the states in late July!
2. Attending an introduction- Last week I got to attend the introduction of our neighbor’s cousin. An introduction here is sort of like an engagement party, it’s where the bride’s family accepts the bride price or dowry from the husband to be and the two families are officially introduced. The actual marriage will occur at a church ceremony a month or so later. In this case as with many marriages here the couple had actually lived together for the last seven years and had two children together! The official wedding and introduction are often put off for many years due to the expense of these celebrations.
There were well over two hundred in attendance at this introduction. It was a very formal affair with the men in suits and the women in their best traditional dresses.
3. Losing one of the oldest members of the village-Last week the oldest woman in Bigodi passed away. While everyone knew she had three generations of grandchildren no one knew exactly when she was born. Tinka did know what king she was born under so he was able to look that up on the internet and at least narrow it down to a decade. The decision of the village elders was that she was 113!!! She even cooked for Tinka’s Grandfathers wedding so many years ago!
4. Month long birthday celebration- I’ve always loved birthdays and while this year’s birthday was a little anti climatic, I’ve continued to get packages and cards for the last five weeks! This week two birthday packages arrived, one from my sister and one from my old high school friends. My sister obviously knows me well because not only did she include books, balls for the kids (she is a PE teacher after all), but there was also chocolate for me!! The package from my friends was gigantic and must have cost a fortune to send. They included lots of books, assorted magazines including Bass fishing, volleyballs for the kids (netball is very popular here), and lots of snacks for me! I am very blessed to have such a supportive group of friends and family.
5. Twelve secondary teachers and me- Last weekend, I trained 12 teachers for the local Secondary school. I hadn’t worked with them yet so it was a joy to get to know them. Since they teach at the secondary level they were all fluent in English, which made the training at lot easier on me. We had a great time learning conservation activities that they could incorporate into their teaching. There were two surprising things for me: one was that while the schools mission is “We conserve to develop” they were actually doing very little in the way of conservation education. The second was none of the teachers at the school had ever been on a tour of the Bigodi Wetland which is less than a mile from the school! None of the teachers had any idea of how many birds’ species live in the swamp or could name the different types of primates. We took a guided tour of the wetland and by the end of the weekend; all knew that there are 200 different types of birds and eight species of monkeys living in the wetland!
6. 26 pounds gone- One of the great side effects of living and working in Uganda has been losing weight by sampling eating natural foods and walking a lot. So far I have lost 26 pounds!!!
7. I’ve heard about chickens coming home to roost but this is nuts- I had two incidents involving chickens last week. While napping, I felt something jump up on my bed at first I thought it was Leon but no it was a chicken. Tinka thought maybe she was looking for a place to lay her eggs! Later in the week, I was getting my “juice bucket” from outside as it was drying upside down; when I picked it up I heard a loud squeak and there was a small chicken. Evidently, she had been missing and trapped under my bucket for two days as I was out of town!
1. Good to be back- After traveling throughout much of Uganda on Safari, it was great to be back in Bigodi and in my normal routine last week. I will miss my little African village when I head back to the states in late July!
2. Attending an introduction- Last week I got to attend the introduction of our neighbor’s cousin. An introduction here is sort of like an engagement party, it’s where the bride’s family accepts the bride price or dowry from the husband to be and the two families are officially introduced. The actual marriage will occur at a church ceremony a month or so later. In this case as with many marriages here the couple had actually lived together for the last seven years and had two children together! The official wedding and introduction are often put off for many years due to the expense of these celebrations.
There were well over two hundred in attendance at this introduction. It was a very formal affair with the men in suits and the women in their best traditional dresses.
3. Losing one of the oldest members of the village-Last week the oldest woman in Bigodi passed away. While everyone knew she had three generations of grandchildren no one knew exactly when she was born. Tinka did know what king she was born under so he was able to look that up on the internet and at least narrow it down to a decade. The decision of the village elders was that she was 113!!! She even cooked for Tinka’s Grandfathers wedding so many years ago!
4. Month long birthday celebration- I’ve always loved birthdays and while this year’s birthday was a little anti climatic, I’ve continued to get packages and cards for the last five weeks! This week two birthday packages arrived, one from my sister and one from my old high school friends. My sister obviously knows me well because not only did she include books, balls for the kids (she is a PE teacher after all), but there was also chocolate for me!! The package from my friends was gigantic and must have cost a fortune to send. They included lots of books, assorted magazines including Bass fishing, volleyballs for the kids (netball is very popular here), and lots of snacks for me! I am very blessed to have such a supportive group of friends and family.
5. Twelve secondary teachers and me- Last weekend, I trained 12 teachers for the local Secondary school. I hadn’t worked with them yet so it was a joy to get to know them. Since they teach at the secondary level they were all fluent in English, which made the training at lot easier on me. We had a great time learning conservation activities that they could incorporate into their teaching. There were two surprising things for me: one was that while the schools mission is “We conserve to develop” they were actually doing very little in the way of conservation education. The second was none of the teachers at the school had ever been on a tour of the Bigodi Wetland which is less than a mile from the school! None of the teachers had any idea of how many birds’ species live in the swamp or could name the different types of primates. We took a guided tour of the wetland and by the end of the weekend; all knew that there are 200 different types of birds and eight species of monkeys living in the wetland!
6. 26 pounds gone- One of the great side effects of living and working in Uganda has been losing weight by sampling eating natural foods and walking a lot. So far I have lost 26 pounds!!!
7. I’ve heard about chickens coming home to roost but this is nuts- I had two incidents involving chickens last week. While napping, I felt something jump up on my bed at first I thought it was Leon but no it was a chicken. Tinka thought maybe she was looking for a place to lay her eggs! Later in the week, I was getting my “juice bucket” from outside as it was drying upside down; when I picked it up I heard a loud squeak and there was a small chicken. Evidently, she had been missing and trapped under my bucket for two days as I was out of town!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Back from Safari part 2
** Please forgive the length of this entry but there was so much to write about!
Saturday May 30- Jinja
After spending an amazing day rafting the Nile, we spent the evening at a fantastic lodge called the Nile Porch. The Nile Porch over looks the Nile as it approaches the falls. According to my guide book “the tents are spacious yet cozy, with inner mosquito netting and verandas facing the river”. It definitely lived up to our expectations; our luxury permanent safari tent was literally on the edge of the bank over looking the Nile. We had an incredible view of the Nile! For the first time in days we had our own ensuite bathroom. Even the bathroom had a view of the Nile! It was incredible to fall asleep listening to the mighty Nile. We awoke to a thick wall of fog over the river so we couldn’t see the Nile at all. It was awesome to watch the fog slowly break and reveal the beautiful river.
After living on “local food” for the last four months, which while it is healthier than my typical American diet tends to be a bit bland. It was such a treat to eat such great food on this trip. The Black Lantern at the Nile Porch was no exception, we had two amazing meals in the restaurant that overlooked the Nile. I’m looking forward to returning to this hotel someday.
Sunday May 31-Leave Jinja for Lake Mburo
Our driver (who is a friend of Tinka’s) picked us up from the Nile Porch in Jinja and was with us the rest of the trip. We drove back though Kampala than west to Lake Mburo, it took about six hours to make the trip. Along the way we stopped to take pictures at the equator! There was a lovely café there as well where we had lunch.
My main reason for wanting visiting Lake Mburo is that it is the closest park with zebras. I couldn’t go on an African safari and not see zebras! When we arrived in the afternoon we did a game drive where we saw my first zebra, lots of impala, buffalo and warthogs.
The entire time we were on our game drive we didn’t see any other visitors. I knew that this was not one of the busier parks but I didn’t expect it to be empty! We were suppose to stay in a safari tent but since that part of the park was completely isolated, we opted to stay in a cottage at another lodge. The cottage was very cute and had its own bathroom though no electricity or running water! We were awoken at about 2am by the sound of something outside our window. It sounded like a warthog or larger animal grazing but every time I looked outside I couldn’t see anything. That kept us awake for awhile for fear it was going to start grazing on the cottage which wasn’t really very study. Just when we were relaxed enough to go back to sleep, we heard lots of scurrying in the ceiling, which was probably just a rat or lizard but was unsettling. I got to sleep about 4am and I think Sharon was up the rest of the night!
Monday June 1- Arrive at Queen Elizabeth
We awoke at 6am so that we’d have time for breakfast before our game drive and the four hour to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The game drive was great as I got to see lots of zebras !! We got fantastic pictures of them. I don’t know whey they fascinate so much though I did grow up in horse country in northern Virginia and never saw a stripped horse!
We arrived at Queen Elizabeth National Park a little after 1pm which gave us some to check in to our lodge for the evening and have lunch before our 3pm boat ride on the Kazinga Channel. We splurged for this and stayed at the luxury Mweya Safari Lodge. According to my guidebook and everyone I know this is one of the most beautifully situated lodges in Uganda. Some have described it as a Sheraton in the bush. After staying there I totally agree and it was worth every penny! As soon as we arrived we were greeted by a butler with hot washcloths and fresh glasses of passion fruit juice. The entire lodge offers amazing views of the bank of the Kazinga channel. We could see elephants and buffalo grazing as we were eating our lunch. The food in lodge was fantastic, as good as any four star restaurant back in the states! We both had salads for lunch which is a real treat for me as we can’t eat raw veggies in Bigodi.
After lunch we went on the boat ride which was wonderful and unlike our last boat ride, we didn’t get caught in a storm this time. It was about two hours long and we saw tons of elephants, buffalos, waterbucks, water birds, and hippos. In comparison to the other two parks that we visited this week, we saw more of everything here at Queen. Instead of seeing a family of three elephants we’d see a heard of more than twenty! Instead of a handful of buffalo, there would be twenty-five or more on the bank of the channel. We passed a small island that was full of at least six different species of water birds!
When we returned to the lodge from our boat ride, we went to the spa and had massages! Oh what a treat and they were only $20 per person! I consider a real shower a luxury these days so this was blissful. Afterwards, we had pre-dinner cocktails in the bar that reminded me so much of the Grove Park Inn with its large fireplace and stone accents. Instead of a view of the mountains, we had an amazing view of the channel. The drinks had great names like hippos delight! Dinner was phenomenal, I had fried corn fritters to start and Sharon had the most amazing spinach/mushroom soup I’ve ever had. For the main course, I had chicken cordon blu that was out of this world and Sharon had pork that was also amazing. We both had the chocolate cake for desert-who’s going to say no to chocolate cake!
Tuesday June 2-Queen Elizabeth day 2 and drive to Bigodi
On the one day on this trip where I could sleep in, at about 5:30am I was awoken by the sound of elephants. Sharon questions how I knew it was an elephant and not another African animal but since a large heard was gathered on the other side of the channel; I say it was likely that it was an elephant! Whatever it was, it was very cool. Since I was already up, I went outside on the veranda to catch up on my journaling. While I was there, I witnessed the most amazing sunrise over the channel. It was absolutely breathtaking! It seemed like we could see for miles in ether direction.
We had an incredible breakfast buffet complete with fresh passion fruit juice and nutella for my pancakes! I’ll admit having banana’s, bread, and tea day in and day out for breakfast gets a bit old so this was a real treat! I didn’t want to leave this incredible hotel any earlier than we had too, so we didn’t check out till after 10:30am. This is definitely a place that I want to come back to some day.
We did our last game drive as we departed Queen Elizabeth. On our way out of the park we saw elephants, antelope, warthogs, and lots of birds! We stopped at another equator marker, a salt lake, and a sign post saying DRC is 27 km to take pictures. The stop at the salt lake was a little dramatic as I fell, reinjured my left leg and broke my camera! I think I was more upset about my camera than my leg as the camera was a bon voyage gift from my NC friends. Our driver loaned me his camera for as long as I need it and Sharon took the camera back to the states where it will be fixed!
It was about a 4 hour drive back to Fort Portal and than it’s only 45 minutes to Bigodi my home away from home. As we got closer to Fort Portal, the landscape gradually changed from the tall grasses and scraggly trees of the savannah that we saw at Queen Elizabeth to the lush green foliage and mountains that signal that I’m getting closer to home. I can truly say after traveling a good portion of this amazing country that my favorite area is the one where I live. I am blessed to live on the outskirts of a lush tropical forest and at the foot of the Ruwenzori Mountains!
In Fort Portal, we stopped at the post office where I had three packages waiting for me! One had been mailed on April 8th, so I was thrilled that it had arrived safely. I have been so blessed on this entire journey to be supported by such amazing friends and family. If you have mailed a package, please don’t lose hope –I’m sure it’s on it’s way but the mail can be very slow here.
This evening, we stayed in the tree house in Kibale National Park just a few miles from where I live. The tree house is deep in the forest (it’s a little less than a mile trek to get to it) and has a great view of a swamp that is often frequented by elephants. While we didn’t see any elephants, it was very cool to wake up to the sounds of the forest.
Wednesday June 3- Chimp Trekking
In the morning, we set off on our 3 three hour trek though Kibale National Park to see the famed chimpanzees. I had gone chimp trekking in February and after four hours of very difficult trekking though the forest we had failed to find the chimps. Luckily, this time was different. Within just about 30 minutes, we found over 30 chimps eating high up in a fig tree. It was amazing to watch them eat and play high up in the trees. After watching for over an hour, we followed a few as they came down to the ground and was able to watch one male chimp while standing only about five feet away. It was fantastic!
Afterwards, we took a boda-boda (my favorite means of transport) back to Bigodi and had lunch at home. In the afternoon, Sharon decided she wanted to get her hair braided. We sat outside Betty’s hair shop and attracted half the women in the village as they watched the muzuga get her hair braided! The women were having a workshop on making paper beads so as Sharon was getting her hair done I got to learn how to make beautiful beads out of paper.
Thursday June 4-Bigodi
The original plan had been to leave Bigodi this afternoon and stay in Fort Portal for the evening. However, we were having such a great time in Bigodi and at Tinka’s that we decided to stay another night. In the morning, we went on a guided walk of the Bigodi wetland (this was my eighth visit to the wetland). We had a great walk and saw so many of the animals that live in the wetland, including five different primates, the great blue turraco, and other wonderful birds! We were able to see four different species of monkeys playing in the trees! The only bad part was nearing the end of our walk I was stung by a wasp! I hadn’t been stung in over 25 years. Our guide wanted to put kerosene on the sting which is a local remedy however I refused as I had a first aid kit back at my house with western medicine.
Sharon got to experience a traditional Ugandan meal at lunch. There were three other American’s at the house for what I call “tourist” lunch. Tinka gives a presentation on traditional Ugandan customs and afterwards everyone feats on a traditional meal. We had spinach/carrots, fried cassava, mattoke, groundnut sauce, posha, rice, beef stuff, sesame sauce, and pineapple for dessert-yum!
After lunch, we walked to Bigodi primary school and visited the p4 class which is taught by my friend Alex. Due to the kids break and my safari, I hadn’t seen most of them in well over a month so it was great to get back in the classroom. We talked to the kids about our trip and quizzed them about animals found in each park. Afterwards, they sang traditional songs and preformed dances. As usual it was very touching. I love those kids!
In the evening, we walked around the village and met some of my friends. We visited Irene who operates the local restaurant near my house. Irene is always great for getting the local gossip though sometime she tells me gossip about my self! Our next stop was to see Helen who is Irene’s mom, she who founded and runs the Bigodi peanut butter project. Over ten years ago Helen started buying groundnuts ( peanuts) from the local women and making peanut butter. The project now supports over 40 families in the area! Helen went to NC in 2000 and even named her last born after my boss at the NC Zoo! Our last stop was to visit Alex in his store in the trading center. Alex has been a member of UNITE for years and got to visit NC on one of our teacher exchange programs. He currently teaches p4 at Bigodi primary. After school, he comes to the trading center where he operates his store for a few hours every afternoon. Every time, I come in Alex insist on giving an avocado or a bunch of banana’s because as he said everyone in NC treated him so well!
Friday Jun 5- Trip to the airport
It’s hard to believe this amazing trip is coming to an end. We left Tinka’s at 7am and drove the 6 hours to Entebbe airport. After having lunch at the airport and saying goodbye, our driver and I headed back to Bigodi.
This was an absolutely amazing vacation!
Saturday May 30- Jinja
After spending an amazing day rafting the Nile, we spent the evening at a fantastic lodge called the Nile Porch. The Nile Porch over looks the Nile as it approaches the falls. According to my guide book “the tents are spacious yet cozy, with inner mosquito netting and verandas facing the river”. It definitely lived up to our expectations; our luxury permanent safari tent was literally on the edge of the bank over looking the Nile. We had an incredible view of the Nile! For the first time in days we had our own ensuite bathroom. Even the bathroom had a view of the Nile! It was incredible to fall asleep listening to the mighty Nile. We awoke to a thick wall of fog over the river so we couldn’t see the Nile at all. It was awesome to watch the fog slowly break and reveal the beautiful river.
After living on “local food” for the last four months, which while it is healthier than my typical American diet tends to be a bit bland. It was such a treat to eat such great food on this trip. The Black Lantern at the Nile Porch was no exception, we had two amazing meals in the restaurant that overlooked the Nile. I’m looking forward to returning to this hotel someday.
Sunday May 31-Leave Jinja for Lake Mburo
Our driver (who is a friend of Tinka’s) picked us up from the Nile Porch in Jinja and was with us the rest of the trip. We drove back though Kampala than west to Lake Mburo, it took about six hours to make the trip. Along the way we stopped to take pictures at the equator! There was a lovely café there as well where we had lunch.
My main reason for wanting visiting Lake Mburo is that it is the closest park with zebras. I couldn’t go on an African safari and not see zebras! When we arrived in the afternoon we did a game drive where we saw my first zebra, lots of impala, buffalo and warthogs.
The entire time we were on our game drive we didn’t see any other visitors. I knew that this was not one of the busier parks but I didn’t expect it to be empty! We were suppose to stay in a safari tent but since that part of the park was completely isolated, we opted to stay in a cottage at another lodge. The cottage was very cute and had its own bathroom though no electricity or running water! We were awoken at about 2am by the sound of something outside our window. It sounded like a warthog or larger animal grazing but every time I looked outside I couldn’t see anything. That kept us awake for awhile for fear it was going to start grazing on the cottage which wasn’t really very study. Just when we were relaxed enough to go back to sleep, we heard lots of scurrying in the ceiling, which was probably just a rat or lizard but was unsettling. I got to sleep about 4am and I think Sharon was up the rest of the night!
Monday June 1- Arrive at Queen Elizabeth
We awoke at 6am so that we’d have time for breakfast before our game drive and the four hour to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The game drive was great as I got to see lots of zebras !! We got fantastic pictures of them. I don’t know whey they fascinate so much though I did grow up in horse country in northern Virginia and never saw a stripped horse!
We arrived at Queen Elizabeth National Park a little after 1pm which gave us some to check in to our lodge for the evening and have lunch before our 3pm boat ride on the Kazinga Channel. We splurged for this and stayed at the luxury Mweya Safari Lodge. According to my guidebook and everyone I know this is one of the most beautifully situated lodges in Uganda. Some have described it as a Sheraton in the bush. After staying there I totally agree and it was worth every penny! As soon as we arrived we were greeted by a butler with hot washcloths and fresh glasses of passion fruit juice. The entire lodge offers amazing views of the bank of the Kazinga channel. We could see elephants and buffalo grazing as we were eating our lunch. The food in lodge was fantastic, as good as any four star restaurant back in the states! We both had salads for lunch which is a real treat for me as we can’t eat raw veggies in Bigodi.
After lunch we went on the boat ride which was wonderful and unlike our last boat ride, we didn’t get caught in a storm this time. It was about two hours long and we saw tons of elephants, buffalos, waterbucks, water birds, and hippos. In comparison to the other two parks that we visited this week, we saw more of everything here at Queen. Instead of seeing a family of three elephants we’d see a heard of more than twenty! Instead of a handful of buffalo, there would be twenty-five or more on the bank of the channel. We passed a small island that was full of at least six different species of water birds!
When we returned to the lodge from our boat ride, we went to the spa and had massages! Oh what a treat and they were only $20 per person! I consider a real shower a luxury these days so this was blissful. Afterwards, we had pre-dinner cocktails in the bar that reminded me so much of the Grove Park Inn with its large fireplace and stone accents. Instead of a view of the mountains, we had an amazing view of the channel. The drinks had great names like hippos delight! Dinner was phenomenal, I had fried corn fritters to start and Sharon had the most amazing spinach/mushroom soup I’ve ever had. For the main course, I had chicken cordon blu that was out of this world and Sharon had pork that was also amazing. We both had the chocolate cake for desert-who’s going to say no to chocolate cake!
Tuesday June 2-Queen Elizabeth day 2 and drive to Bigodi
On the one day on this trip where I could sleep in, at about 5:30am I was awoken by the sound of elephants. Sharon questions how I knew it was an elephant and not another African animal but since a large heard was gathered on the other side of the channel; I say it was likely that it was an elephant! Whatever it was, it was very cool. Since I was already up, I went outside on the veranda to catch up on my journaling. While I was there, I witnessed the most amazing sunrise over the channel. It was absolutely breathtaking! It seemed like we could see for miles in ether direction.
We had an incredible breakfast buffet complete with fresh passion fruit juice and nutella for my pancakes! I’ll admit having banana’s, bread, and tea day in and day out for breakfast gets a bit old so this was a real treat! I didn’t want to leave this incredible hotel any earlier than we had too, so we didn’t check out till after 10:30am. This is definitely a place that I want to come back to some day.
We did our last game drive as we departed Queen Elizabeth. On our way out of the park we saw elephants, antelope, warthogs, and lots of birds! We stopped at another equator marker, a salt lake, and a sign post saying DRC is 27 km to take pictures. The stop at the salt lake was a little dramatic as I fell, reinjured my left leg and broke my camera! I think I was more upset about my camera than my leg as the camera was a bon voyage gift from my NC friends. Our driver loaned me his camera for as long as I need it and Sharon took the camera back to the states where it will be fixed!
It was about a 4 hour drive back to Fort Portal and than it’s only 45 minutes to Bigodi my home away from home. As we got closer to Fort Portal, the landscape gradually changed from the tall grasses and scraggly trees of the savannah that we saw at Queen Elizabeth to the lush green foliage and mountains that signal that I’m getting closer to home. I can truly say after traveling a good portion of this amazing country that my favorite area is the one where I live. I am blessed to live on the outskirts of a lush tropical forest and at the foot of the Ruwenzori Mountains!
In Fort Portal, we stopped at the post office where I had three packages waiting for me! One had been mailed on April 8th, so I was thrilled that it had arrived safely. I have been so blessed on this entire journey to be supported by such amazing friends and family. If you have mailed a package, please don’t lose hope –I’m sure it’s on it’s way but the mail can be very slow here.
This evening, we stayed in the tree house in Kibale National Park just a few miles from where I live. The tree house is deep in the forest (it’s a little less than a mile trek to get to it) and has a great view of a swamp that is often frequented by elephants. While we didn’t see any elephants, it was very cool to wake up to the sounds of the forest.
Wednesday June 3- Chimp Trekking
In the morning, we set off on our 3 three hour trek though Kibale National Park to see the famed chimpanzees. I had gone chimp trekking in February and after four hours of very difficult trekking though the forest we had failed to find the chimps. Luckily, this time was different. Within just about 30 minutes, we found over 30 chimps eating high up in a fig tree. It was amazing to watch them eat and play high up in the trees. After watching for over an hour, we followed a few as they came down to the ground and was able to watch one male chimp while standing only about five feet away. It was fantastic!
Afterwards, we took a boda-boda (my favorite means of transport) back to Bigodi and had lunch at home. In the afternoon, Sharon decided she wanted to get her hair braided. We sat outside Betty’s hair shop and attracted half the women in the village as they watched the muzuga get her hair braided! The women were having a workshop on making paper beads so as Sharon was getting her hair done I got to learn how to make beautiful beads out of paper.
Thursday June 4-Bigodi
The original plan had been to leave Bigodi this afternoon and stay in Fort Portal for the evening. However, we were having such a great time in Bigodi and at Tinka’s that we decided to stay another night. In the morning, we went on a guided walk of the Bigodi wetland (this was my eighth visit to the wetland). We had a great walk and saw so many of the animals that live in the wetland, including five different primates, the great blue turraco, and other wonderful birds! We were able to see four different species of monkeys playing in the trees! The only bad part was nearing the end of our walk I was stung by a wasp! I hadn’t been stung in over 25 years. Our guide wanted to put kerosene on the sting which is a local remedy however I refused as I had a first aid kit back at my house with western medicine.
Sharon got to experience a traditional Ugandan meal at lunch. There were three other American’s at the house for what I call “tourist” lunch. Tinka gives a presentation on traditional Ugandan customs and afterwards everyone feats on a traditional meal. We had spinach/carrots, fried cassava, mattoke, groundnut sauce, posha, rice, beef stuff, sesame sauce, and pineapple for dessert-yum!
After lunch, we walked to Bigodi primary school and visited the p4 class which is taught by my friend Alex. Due to the kids break and my safari, I hadn’t seen most of them in well over a month so it was great to get back in the classroom. We talked to the kids about our trip and quizzed them about animals found in each park. Afterwards, they sang traditional songs and preformed dances. As usual it was very touching. I love those kids!
In the evening, we walked around the village and met some of my friends. We visited Irene who operates the local restaurant near my house. Irene is always great for getting the local gossip though sometime she tells me gossip about my self! Our next stop was to see Helen who is Irene’s mom, she who founded and runs the Bigodi peanut butter project. Over ten years ago Helen started buying groundnuts ( peanuts) from the local women and making peanut butter. The project now supports over 40 families in the area! Helen went to NC in 2000 and even named her last born after my boss at the NC Zoo! Our last stop was to visit Alex in his store in the trading center. Alex has been a member of UNITE for years and got to visit NC on one of our teacher exchange programs. He currently teaches p4 at Bigodi primary. After school, he comes to the trading center where he operates his store for a few hours every afternoon. Every time, I come in Alex insist on giving an avocado or a bunch of banana’s because as he said everyone in NC treated him so well!
Friday Jun 5- Trip to the airport
It’s hard to believe this amazing trip is coming to an end. We left Tinka’s at 7am and drove the 6 hours to Entebbe airport. After having lunch at the airport and saying goodbye, our driver and I headed back to Bigodi.
This was an absolutely amazing vacation!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Back from Safari- part 1
Wow, what a trip! Sharon and I had an incredible time touring four of Uganda's National parks, rafting on the nile and other grand adventures!
I have posted a few pictures that can be viewed at
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=97753&id=572152211&l=0573b5d2bb. You do not need to have a facebook account to view the pictures.
Wednesday May 27- After spending Tuesday evening at the Red Chili hostel in Kampala eating great food and meeting people from all over the world including Durham NC, we left early Wednesday morning for their "Big Five" trip. I had heard great things about this trip from another American so I was very excited. In the upcoming three days we were going to have an opportunity to view the "Big Five"- leopards, lions, elephants, hippos, and rhinos.
It was about a seven hour drive to Murchison Falls National Park from Kampala. Once we arrived, we took a guided walk around the falls. Having left for Safari with bronchitis, being an asthmatic and walking during the hottest part of the day- I'll admit the walk was challenging to say the least. However, it was so worth it!! There are actually two falls and they are both amazing. It reminded me of my many visits with my father when I was younger to Blackwater falls in West Virgina, expect so much bigger. My dad would have loved this trip.
In the evening we stayed at Red Chilli rest camp in the park. We had a wonderful safari tent with two real beds, luxury camping! The canteen for food and drinks over looked an incredible veiw!
http://www.uwa.or.ug/murchison.html
Thursday May 28- By 6:45am we were loaded in the safari van with our packed breakfast ready for our first game drive. We took a fery to cross the Nile for a 4 hour game drive around the Nile Delta area of the park. This is where the most big game gathers and where there are spectacular views across Lake Albert towards the Blue Mountains of the Congo and northern Uganda.
We saw lion, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, babbons, monkeys, a phython, many types of antelope, hippos, and lots of differnt birds! One babbon even climbed up the back of our van and into top to grab one of the girls breakfast sandwich! It was truly amazing to see all of these incredbile animals in their natural haibatats.
After lunch we departed for a 3 hour afternoon boat launch trip up-stream towards the base of Murchison Falls. We were able to see more hippos, Nile crocodiles, more buffalo, elephants and lots of birds. It was a little nerve wrecking when it started to thunder and lightening while were were on a boat in the Nile!
We spent another night at the rest camp- enjoying the food, great view and company.
Friday May 29- By 8am we left Murchison Falls for the trip back to Kampala. On the way back we stopped off at a Rhino sanctuary where we tracked Rhinos! The trek wasn't long, we did the first 15 mins in the van than the last 15 mins by foot though 5 foot tall grasses. It was amazing to see the rhinos- they were gigantic!
http://www.rhinofund.org/
Saturday May 30- Jinja- At 7:45am we were to leave Red Chilli Hostel in Kampala where we spent Friday night for Jinja where we were to go white water rafting. Being the ever pone acciedent one, while carrying my 40 pound back pack up the hill towards the bus, I fell and twisted my right ankle while skinning my left leg pretty bad. Sharon went and haltled the bus while I got bandged up and back on my feet. Thankfully, I had my first adi kit with us so I was able to take of my leg and my ankle.
We than rode about an hour and a half to Jinja, where we rafted the mighty Nile. Given the excitement of the morning and the beating sun, we opted for the half day trip. Even so we rafted eight rapids, three being class five! It was an incredible experince. The company we went with was fantastic and provided the free shutlle from Kampala, breakfast, fresh pinapplle on the river ( there is nothing like Ugandan pineapple), and a barbeque dinner! My only regret is that we couldn't have our camera's on the river so I couldn't capture the incerdible bird life and people on the banks of the river washing their clothing.
.http://www.raftafrica.com/
http://www.nileporch.com/
I have posted a few pictures that can be viewed at
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=97753&id=572152211&l=0573b5d2bb. You do not need to have a facebook account to view the pictures.
It was about a seven hour drive to Murchison Falls National Park from Kampala. Once we arrived, we took a guided walk around the falls. Having left for Safari with bronchitis, being an asthmatic and walking during the hottest part of the day- I'll admit the walk was challenging to say the least. However, it was so worth it!! There are actually two falls and they are both amazing. It reminded me of my many visits with my father when I was younger to Blackwater falls in West Virgina, expect so much bigger. My dad would have loved this trip.
In the evening we stayed at Red Chilli rest camp in the park. We had a wonderful safari tent with two real beds, luxury camping! The canteen for food and drinks over looked an incredible veiw!
http://www.uwa.or.ug/murchison.html
Thursday May 28- By 6:45am we were loaded in the safari van with our packed breakfast ready for our first game drive. We took a fery to cross the Nile for a 4 hour game drive around the Nile Delta area of the park. This is where the most big game gathers and where there are spectacular views across Lake Albert towards the Blue Mountains of the Congo and northern Uganda.
We saw lion, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, babbons, monkeys, a phython, many types of antelope, hippos, and lots of differnt birds! One babbon even climbed up the back of our van and into top to grab one of the girls breakfast sandwich! It was truly amazing to see all of these incredbile animals in their natural haibatats.
After lunch we departed for a 3 hour afternoon boat launch trip up-stream towards the base of Murchison Falls. We were able to see more hippos, Nile crocodiles, more buffalo, elephants and lots of birds. It was a little nerve wrecking when it started to thunder and lightening while were were on a boat in the Nile!
We spent another night at the rest camp- enjoying the food, great view and company.
Friday May 29- By 8am we left Murchison Falls for the trip back to Kampala. On the way back we stopped off at a Rhino sanctuary where we tracked Rhinos! The trek wasn't long, we did the first 15 mins in the van than the last 15 mins by foot though 5 foot tall grasses. It was amazing to see the rhinos- they were gigantic!
http://www.rhinofund.org/
Saturday May 30- Jinja- At 7:45am we were to leave Red Chilli Hostel in Kampala where we spent Friday night for Jinja where we were to go white water rafting. Being the ever pone acciedent one, while carrying my 40 pound back pack up the hill towards the bus, I fell and twisted my right ankle while skinning my left leg pretty bad. Sharon went and haltled the bus while I got bandged up and back on my feet. Thankfully, I had my first adi kit with us so I was able to take of my leg and my ankle.
We than rode about an hour and a half to Jinja, where we rafted the mighty Nile. Given the excitement of the morning and the beating sun, we opted for the half day trip. Even so we rafted eight rapids, three being class five! It was an incredible experince. The company we went with was fantastic and provided the free shutlle from Kampala, breakfast, fresh pinapplle on the river ( there is nothing like Ugandan pineapple), and a barbeque dinner! My only regret is that we couldn't have our camera's on the river so I couldn't capture the incerdible bird life and people on the banks of the river washing their clothing.
.http://www.raftafrica.com/
http://www.nileporch.com/
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