15th week in Uganda

Wow, it's difficult to believe that I have been here 15 weeks. So many amazing adventures!

1. Mama of Katatito - If I ever decide to become a lounge singer and need a stage name, I think I'll use Mama Katatito. The family has taken to calling this since I am a mamma to my pup Katatito. Leon has stopped calling me Jamilyn and just says of Katatito when he wants my attention!

2. Its not easy being green- As my boss has reminded me Kibale National Park and rain forest like it around the world act as the earth's lungs. Kibale is also the habitat for the endangered chimpanzees. The actions of people living around the park have implications that affect us all around the world. While conservation effects have been underway here for years due to survival and lack of information there are still harmful practices that take place. For example many people still venture into the park to get their firewood which of course leads to deforestation. That's why UNITE and many other projects are working in this area.

However, there are also lots of ways in which I think Ugandan's are greener than your average American. Where I live in western rural Uganda there are very few cars. People walk or ride there bikes everywhere! If they need to go some distance they will car pool, take a taxi, or ride in a bus. It is not uncommon to see seven people crammed in a midsize car. While it is economics that prevents people from having automobiles there is an environmental benefit. Imagine if we had good public transportation even in rural areas.

Plastic bags are heavily discouraged and shop keepers even charge you for them! If grocery stores did that in America than maybe we would start brining our own bags to the store and stop filling the landfills with trash. Ugandan's are also experts at reusing everything! Tinka even has a pair of shoes made from used car tires.

3. Looking forward to school starting again- School starts May 25th and I can't wait! I have missed working directly with the teachers and the students. Most of this month has been spent working on upcoming trainings, reports, and budgets. I will miss all of the kids who have been home this month. We have had ten of Tinka's children here over break! Next week will be down to five kids, Betty and Tinka, and I - in America that would be consider a house full.

4. Upcoming trainings- I do have three trainings next week that I am looking forward too. We will be sending almost 1000 students on field trips to three area sites in the upcoming months. Next week I will be training their staff on working with school groups effectively. This is where my 8 years of museum experience, my MA in museum ed, and my years at 4-H youth development will all come in handy!

The three sites are: the Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Development, Toro Botanical Gardens in Fort Portal, and Kibale National Park.

5. Random acts of Kindness- I stayed at my favorite guest house in Fort Portal last week for two days to take advantage of the electricity. While I was there I met a Dutch family who were on Safari. They fell in love with Katatito, as most people do when they meet him. The daughter had evidently rescued a puppy in Greece a few years ago and transported him back to Holland so they were convinced that I should bring Katatito to America. They even gave me 50 Euros (about $65) to start the bring Katatito to America fund. I tried to them that my goal is to fine him a good family here as we already have 3 dogs, 2 cats, 1 hamster, and 2 humans in my small house - we don’t need another dog. However, it was a very sweet gesture!

6. New friends- One of the best parts of this adventure has been meeting people from all over the world. At the guest house I met a lovely American family with two children who had been living in Uganda for over two years! They are running a secondary school on the other side of Renwzori Mountains. They will be here for at least three more years. The children seem to love Uganda and had a great time telling me about all of the animals they have seen here. Ironically while living in America they were members of the NC Zoo!

While sitting on the patio of a restaurant in Fort Portal, I met a Dutch man named Rob. He is traveling around the world for an entire year! He left Holland in March and has been to Kenya, Tanzania, and of course Uganda so far on his trip! He is headed to Rwanda next and latter in the year will make his way to South America. I admit I'm a bit jealous but I have learned with this trip anything is possible. Life is all about choices.


7. This week’s animal count- I have been so busy that I haven't taken my favorite tour of the Bigodi wetland in over a month! Rob coming to Bigodi gave me an excuse to go on the tour for the sixth time - it's different each time. We made the mistake of going in the afternoon when it was very, very hot so the walk seemed much longer than three miles. Thankfully even in the heat we had great luck seeing the animals, we saw three different monkeys, the great Blue Toraco which is my favorite bird here, and many beautiful butterflies.