Blogs from Africa - page 2725

Quick update! I landed in Cairo at 3PM local time. Smooth flights from Dulles to Vienna and from Vienna to Cairo! I am very impressed with Cairo. Really cleaner than I expected and the buidlings around the city are incredible. I guess it is much more modern than I expected! Ate dinner at the hotel - interesting item on the menu Fried Lamb Brains. I passed on that one. Security at the hotel is tight. They X-ray your suitcases like at the airport before they ever enter the hotel and you have to pass through security check point and metal detector (like at the airport) before you can enter the lobby, Sleeping room is okay. After 24 + hours w/out a bed I can't be too picky!!! Tomorrow I have business meetings at 11 AM ... read more

On Sunday, a group of us went down to the weekly market at Green Point, about a mile away from where we are staying. The weather was pretty gorgeous in the morning, if a little cold, and the walk was pleasant. The market is a conglomeration of artisans and vendors who sell a lot of little african trinkets, like salad tossers (odd, I'm aware), elongated ebony figurines, radios made out of coke cans and bottle tops, and beadwork. Most of the items there are actually made in Namibia, Botswana, and the Ivory Coast, and the vendors jack up the prices to no end. I have serious dilemmas about bargaining for these items. The people selling them are living in abject poverty, and the prices they originally sell for are not actually expensive. Granted, the quality ... read more

So I realize that this may be a little late in the works as compared to a traditional blog but I will do my best to fill in the major issues covered over the last month as best I can. I plan to give a current description of what we are going through on the research project accompanied with a synopsis of different portions of the class that took place for the last four weeks. The group of about 22 students was on the move constantly with very little time to digest the information we were encountering. I plan to begin that digestion now by describing what we went through and reflecting on its significance. Now: To give you some perspective I am currently staying in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa just outside of Kruger ... read more

We woke up very refreshed around 10am, got ready for a day in the city getting our Sudanese visas, exchanging money and purchasing supplies for the journey to Adjumani, Uganda and Kajo Keji, Sudan. It took most of the day to accomplish this because of the heavy traffic, slow pace of life and minor setbacks. We cruised back to Susan’s place for an evening of fun with children. We played with them for hours and it was joyous see smiles on their faces. I was super tired so I turned in early.... read more

Just a quick note: I did send already an update including the 16th of June from Iringa (Tanzania), but it was just a quick one while at the internet cafee. The connections are usually very slow. I usually write our blog updates whenever I have electricity at a campsite and upload it including some pictures I have made smaller on my laptop the next time I have access to the internet. So don’t be surprised if the date of sending is later than the blog itself. All in all we are fine and healthy and full of good spirit. Thanks all our friends worldwide (!) to send us all your good wishes. Please excuse when we do not answer individually, as Internet Cafees in Africa are at yesterdays speed and it would take hours to ... read more