Week 1 Uganda 2016

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Saturday May 21:



"Canadian countdown ehhhhh!"

"One"...

"Two"...

"Three"...



Within our first twenty four hours in Entebbe it was established by a young, yet rather wise man (yes that is me for those of you who have yet to learn my dry sense of humour), that we should have an efficient means of keeping track of one another. For the remainder of the trip I will be officially known as the number three or satu in Lugandan. That is when I am not otherwise being referred to as "Group Dad". Yes unfortunately this may have some truth to it however I still retain that "Group Dad" is one step up from the otherwise less endearing designation of "Senile Grandpa". What I have yet to determine is whether my persona is a product of strong leadership skills or simply having a breadth of random yet otherwise useless information in addition to the odd knee slapping and terribly droll joke. Either way I am secretly enthused to take on the designation.



Upon arrival in Uganda, we were welcomed by brothers Frank and Silas who have acted as our hosts and intermediaries in planning tourist activities and attaining local cell phones among other things. My number in Uganda in case of emergency is [phone]. In addition to being incredibly friendly and easy-going (Ugandans on the whole seem to be quite a welcoming bunch with a unique sense of humour), Frank and Silas stressed the importance of family values not only within Ugandan culture but also within our group of twelve health science students from the U of S. Let me introduce a few of them here:



As previously mentioned we have Ian, a vet med student and the only other male on the trip, who earned himself the nickname of "Senile Grandpa" not only because he is the elder of the group at twenty nine years old (for those of you approaching the unspeakable thirty, I would like to say your life is nearly half over; for those of you thirty and beyond, well...), but also due to his tendency to wander off at any given moment - hence the need for the "Canadian Countdown" roll call.



Then we have Tenielle, our group granny, who along with Ian, gave everyone a bit of a scare when she decided to wander along with him at one point on a walk. Oh and also was the added fact that she wore a fanny pack the day we went to the Entebbe Wildlife Sanctuary and got quite the few snickers from the local security guards for her choice in fashion statement (more on Entebbe Wildlife Sanctuary below).



Among others include Sarah, our group mom, who has been the most knowledgeable and organized on all things Uganda from the start; Carrie, the crazy, hip Aunt who is up for doing anything except perhaps letting herself get old; and Brittany, the babe of the group who may seem small and innocent at first but with her quick tongue and apparent knack for such extreme sports as spear fishing may turn into group teenager before we know it. Ahh they grow up so quick don't they... (Okay maybe I am more of a group dad than I like to admit).



Other members whose secondary identity has yet to be determined by the group include Jill, Montana, Joline, Richelle, Dayna, and Brooklyn. All great people and I look forward to getting to know everyone in much more depth over the coming days and weeks.



Okay now that you have scrolled through the introductions as I am sure many of you have, let me give you a brief synopsis of the past forty eight hours as well as what is to come in the next forty eight. First off, Africa is hot! If I thought Australia was hot, Africa is sticky hot! Despite this, people are extremely kind and welcoming; the land is incredibly lush and green, at least where we are on the shores of Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa and globally second only in size to Lake Superior; and the diversity of flora and fauna would make even David Attenborough giggle with excitement. We have spent the first two days exploring the Entebbe botanical gardens and wildlife sanctuary which has given us just a taste of what is to come on our week long safari at the end of our internship. Today we plan on venturing out to the local market before cooling off in a nearby hotel pool that none of us budget-confined interns could afford to actually stay in. In reality, things are very reasonably priced here although we are all struggling with the exponentially large currency conversions (I believe 3,300 Ugandan shillings is approximately $1.00 US which buys a decent loaf of bread or approximately three litres of bottled water). Sunday we will make the seven hour journey by bus to Mbarara town, where we will settle in to the university and be introduced to the local interns from MUST (Mbarara Univeristy of Science and Technology) before beginning orientation on Monday.



On the whole, things are going very well and I'm excited and grateful to be a part of this tremendous experience. I'm looking forward to many things in the upcoming days including getting to know all these incredible people, further exploring the local culture, and of course learning and helping out as much as I can through our internship and research.



Stay tuned!

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