Out and about in Uganda

I know it has been a very long time since a post, but that is for good reason. This is definitely a journey and I am being pushed and challenged in ways I never really took the time to prepare myself for. Not a bad thing, but well you know. Anyway, there has not been much at all going on with work, which has been driving me insane, so I decided I would make the most of being in Uganda and do some traveling around the country. For the past few weeks each weekend I have gone to a new spot to explore and see what this place has to offer.

A while back I got to go to Gulu up in the north. I was going to help out at a Women’s Day event held by a volunteer, but I was also getting the chance to see Jen (one of my new bffs here) and “muzungu haven.” Gulu is in an area that was completely affected by LRA (Lords Resistance Army) when they came in to Uganda. All those stories about child soldiers, most came from this area. Therefore, there are countless NGOs and tons of white people from all over the world working to re-boost the morale and livelihood in this area; they are doing a fine job. So besides a great event, I also got to experience some comforts from the West I was missing: a yoga class at a studio, a swimming pool (these are actually all over the country), a delicious veggie burger ordered on take-out, and an amazing coffee shop! Oh yea and Indian food and Ethiopian food in the same weekend; I was in heaven. However, even though I love this region of Uganda, the bus ride from where I live to Gulu is 12 hours…and bus rides are not like Greyhounds at home. They are extremely bumpy and crammed full to the brim. The ride was gorgeous and I was able to see a ton of the land, but I don’t know if I will make the trip a habit.

Another weekend some friends and I went to a place near Mbale called Sipi Falls. It’s this stunning area of waterfalls that come off of Mt. Elgon and the views are just breathtaking. We took a three hour tour and got to stand underneath the freezing cold water dropping from up top. Our guide, Tom, was super cool and we became friends by the end of it. We also spent the night in a cabin that is owned by the tour company, Crow’s Nest, which was actually started in partnership with a pcv years back. Despite getting into an interesting situation that night (it would not be pc without those stories) it was a great trip.

More recently a bunch of us got together for the long Easter weekend and went to a beach off Lake Victoria. The hotel was great, it actually felt like a vacation. Now don’t get me wrong, it was no 5-star resort, but it was definitely an escape. We ate fried fish and chips, drank, had a bonfire, had another one of those interesting situations (you will have to ask me about this one personally haha), and got to take a boat out on the lake. Did I mention we were in sight of Kenya, so cool! It was so great to just relax with people I really care about and have nowhere else to be. I may or may not have gotten shistosomiasis, a waterborne disease in Africa, but it was totally worth it. Haha don’t get worried, it’s not a big deal and everyone gets it at least once.

This past weekend I was invited to a Murder Mystery dinner party by a volunteer who has been here for a while. It was soooo much fun! I was playing a rich southern musician. It was just really nice to have a night like that in Uganda, going all out with the cooking and finding costumes in the local open market. I think my whole costume cost a couple dollars. It was also cool to hang out with volunteers that have been through this slump that I am definitely in and made it out alive. They had some solid advice for me and I think I have a more concrete vision of what I want and need. The next day I took a short trip to the famous Jinja. This is where the Nile River starts and you can go white water rafting if you so choose. I did not do that this weekend, but I did walk around town admiring the street art and crafts and going to some mind-blowing places for coffee and lunch. They really were not anything great, but in the setting of Uganda I felt transported somewhere else. While I was sitting down to my iced latte (I have not changed) and gentleman sat down at my table. We began to make conversation, he was very interested in my role as a volunteer in his country and I was very interested in his family story he told me. He has been an electrical engineer for 25 years, traveled a bit, and has a good sized family. One of his sons had a scholarship to study in the Ukraine, but he has not heard from him in months. He assumes he dropped out, that’s what his other children tell him, but he is having too much fun traveling. It was just very fun to hear him talk and great to have unexpected company.

Well, April is world Malaria month so luckily I have a few projects to run at school. I still have the travel bug so my next eye is on the Southwest...the land of milk and honey in this country. Hopefully Rwanda and some cool mountains are in the picture for me in the next month or so! Oh and I am going on a safari in May!! Who knows, maybe school will actually pick up. I am trying my absolute hardest to remain positive and listen to my heart during this very tough acclamation period, but keep sending the love. Here is to effort!