Blogs from Uganda, Africa - page 134

It’s been about two weeks since I’ve last had access to a computer and it feels pretty good to be back behind a keyboard! I’m currently sitting on a balcony facing the Nile River in Jinja, Uganda. The city is found on the northern tip of Lake Victoria, has a population of close to 3 million and boasts to be “the Source of the Nile”. There are Nile crocodiles along the river banks and fishermen in modest, wooden boats gliding along peacefully. While we arrived in Jinja yesterday, the bulk of my time these past couple of weeks had been practicing field research techniques in Kibale National Forest, a mid-elevation rainforest situated East of the Rwenzori Mountains and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kibale is an “island forest” as it’s surrounded by converting land and ... read more

CAUTION: riddled with spelling errors, i think...i'm a terrible speller and this thing doesn't let you spell check! So today we were given a partner and a subject to learn about in our an field study exercise called a drop-off. I was partnered with Kati and very intelligent, talkative girl from Ohio who goes to school at Sarah Lawarence. Our subject was Religion. We thought this task might be a difficult one because we were unsure of how open Ugandan's would be on this subject. So we headed out from our hotel and decided to walk towards a huge Mosque that I had seen on my very first morning out. I had asked one of our directors about this Mosque and she told me that it had just been built and was yet to be opened. ... read more

So I did end up doing the full day white water rafting, it was AMAZING!!!!! It's been four days and i'm STILL sore!! But it's awesome, a pain that i worked for :o) I have bruises all over my knees and shins, a nasty burn on my shoulders, and just about every muscle in my body hurts, not to mention i think I managed to sprain my ankle and thumb - wheeeee! Seriously though, it was so cool. I would do it again in a heartbeat! (now that i'm somewhat recovered of course) There are no pictures of the actual rafting, for the obvious reason that I couldn't take my camera onto the rapids. Even if i'd had a waterproof camera - it would have gotten lost for sure! I only fell out of the raft ... read more

Hello. Just a thought I do a quick entery as I have some time left after uploading those pics. Had a fantastic day on Sunday at Bujagali Falls. We met up with the volunteers on the Health Education Programme and just spent the day day chilling by falls. Had a picnic packed up for us and drank plenty of beers - making the most of that fact that they were actually chilled for a change! It was so nice after being cooped up on the farm for a week, everyone is finding it pretty intense! This week has been even more intense, not sure how were going to cope for another 3 and 1/2 weeks!! The style of teaching is so different here in Uganda. Its perfectly ok to laugh at us 'muzungo' (anyone white) whether ... read more

"Weelaba" (pronounced way-la-bah) means farewell or good-bye in Lugandan...I wish I had inquired about the word(s) for "until next time..." because I know this is not "good-bye" and I will return again. The sun rose this morning painting the sky in beautiful hues of pink and orange. I, unfortunately, was too busy running around the house trying to collect the last of my belongings to sit and enjoy the sunrise...bummer! I was able to get a good picture of it just before we pulled away from the house to head for the airport. Lake Victoria was particularly beautiful this morning as the sun's rays, though partially hidden by clouds, danced on the water's surface...this too will leave a indelible impression in my mind. I am looking forward to the day when I return to this place...looking ... read more