the last trek

after an unintentional 17 hours of driving (suppose to be only 8) we arrived in bwindi national park safely. exhausted after only 3 hours sleep and worn out from a seemingly endless car ride, lacey and i trekked to a family of gorillas. thankfully the gorillas had moved right to the edge of the forest so the trek was only 1 hour to reach the apes. we spent 1 hour observing the gorillas: 1 silverback, 4 babies/youth, and 12 adults. i was struck by their mannerisms because they seem very similar to humans. we got within 5 feet of an adult that just sat their watching us, calm as can be. it is amazing how comfortable they were with our presence. much of the 1 hour we had with them we spent sitting alongside them as they ate, relaxed, and played. i wish i would have taken a picture of the similar way the people on our trek were sitting and how the ape positioned themselves because it was almost identical.

the following day we took a village walk. we visited a banana brewery where we tasted the three stages of production: juice, wine, and gin. i wasn't too impressed with the juice or wine but the gin was quality. i ended up buying a water bottle size amount from the brewer's wife which cost me 5,000 shillings (approximately $3). next we visited a traditional healer who shared herbal treatment techniques with us. finally we visited the pigmy (sp?) tribe and they performed traditional dances for us. i felt uncomfortable during their performance because they became the "attraction" and i the "tourist". i would have rather sat down and spoke with them as individuals about the social challenges associated with moving from life in the forest to an entirely new lifestyle. despite my discomfort toward the end, the village walk was fun and educational overall.

on the last leg our a final travels in uganda we drove through ishasha (sp?), the southern part of queen elizabeth park. we drove this way hoping to see the tree climbing lions (1 of the 2 populations in all of africa) but were not successful :(

my time traveling uganda has officially come to end. i remain in masaka town to finish last minute work responsibilities for now, and soon i will be heading home. it's been 9.5 weeks and i can hardly believe it. i have gotten quite comfortable here in africa. coming home will be yet another experience to add to learning i've gained on this trip.

The last few days

My time in Uganda is coming to an end. I have mix feelings about leaving. Part of me is excited to begin a new life in Vancouver with this enriching experience under my belt and another part of me feels that I have only just begun. It has taken me at least a month to get use to being here and to begin to understand how things work in Uganda. In order to work in a country that is foreign to mine, I needed time to take in the experience and observe what was happening. I did remain at TASO but I started to go part time. After a month of being there I was still struggling with being engaged in the activites and did not really feel I was much help to anyone. I did learn a lot about TASO and the amazing work they are doing dealing with HIV/AIDS issues and challenges here in Uganda. The other practicum I started was at a school working with youth. That was an amazing opportunity for me. I was very involved with the students and very blown away at how amazing the kids of Uganda are. When I got there the students had started a social work club. They wanted to learn about social work and wanted me to help with projects. I was so happy to be in a placement where I felt wanted and needed. I did my best to teach the students everything I new about what it is to be a social worker. The five girls and I went to give workshops in some of the classrooms to recruit new members for the social work club. Five girls started the club then five boys joined and now there are 65 members. When I got there the club was going to a disability group that meets at a community center. A women named Mary started this group in her community to help families with disabled members feel supported in the community. Many children in Uganda with disabilities do not get to go to school and do not have the same access to supports as other children do. The social work club members go to the disability group once a week to teach them some school subjects, share music and games. It is a wonderful project and I hope it continues and expands. Since being at the school I have been asked by so many children for help with school fees. School fees are such a big obstacle for so many children here. The children want to be in school so badly because education gives them hope for a life with less poverty. My experience with working with these girls has been one of love and respect. I admire their strength and endurance to work hard and succeed. I have decided to help one girl with school fees. I only wish I could help more.

I have also had the opportunity to do some amazing travels while I have been here. I have seen many amazing animals, met amazing people and enjoyed Uganda's music, smiles and culture. I have even gotten use to the food. Uganda's food is not my favorite cuisine but I am at the point now where I can enjoy matoke (a popular Uganda dish of steamed plantains). I will miss Uganda and feel blessed to have gotten to spend some time here. I only hope that someday Africa will be relieved of the oppressive poverty that make so many peoples lives hard.

dream come true

our final destination was murchison falls where i fulfilled my life-long dream of seeing giraffes in their natural habitat. i could go on about our experience there but realize i've already written up a storm. so i will keep this entry short. this trips highlights included:

- blue-balled baboons (seriously they were bright turquoise!)
- herds of elephants & nearly being charged by the alpha male(largest elephant i've ever seen!)
- getting withing 10ft and the huge gentle giants (giraffes) & a beautiful sunset among over thirty giraffes
- eating all our meals with our hands on the floor african style
- seeing the mighty nile push through the narrow passage at murchison falls (most powerful river flow in all of africa!)
- and having a hippo the size of our van grazing outside my screen door our first night there!

we didn't see any lions this time round but the trip was unbelievable regardless. & once again words cannot describe what we saw or did, nor can my pictures capture the beauty that was before me. the wildlife is something every person must see for themselves.

murchison = dream come true!

well, thanks for listening to me re-live my experience through the blog. till next time,

- rachel -

getting a name

our second trip last week began with a stop in jinja. along the way our driver had us over for a yummy lunch at his home in kampala where he proudly showed us photos of his family, his son's report cards, and other family treasures. once in jinja we stayed in a quite resort-like hotel located right across from the nile river. outside the hotel, groups of children of all ages howled with laughter as they played barefoot soccer (or football as they call it here) and welcomed us with smiles and hollers of "muzungu"!!! "muzungu" is a term used to identify foreigners or more commonly, caucasian people.

jinja marks the source of the nile river and is home to 10 mighty white water rapids. we spent the entire next day rafting the nile; taking on 5 grade 5, 3 grade 4, and 2 grade 3 ridiculously powerful rapids. thankfully the day was divided into two sections of rapid riding because between paddling and the smoking hot sun we needed a break. the rapids are spread out along 32kms of river with long stretches of calm (but still with strong current) river to enjoy swimming in. as you approach the rapids you first hear them roaring, then you see splashing, and as you paddle up you see the insane volume of water squeezing through narrow gorges and dropping in elevation, creating natures thrilling rollercoaster ride! the 6ft high waves, 2 meter elevation drop, 6m wide gorge, and 3 meter waterfall drop were among the grade 5 rapids we conquered that day. the rapids are named things like "big brother" and "the bad place"... but even these names cannot describe the thrill and adventure we had that day. at the end of the trip we paddled 1/2 mile upstream (as if we hadn't gotten enough exercise already) to our final landing place. we were greeted with complimentary sodas, 'nile special' beer and a skewer & chapati bbq.

one of the staff at the final landing point was wearing a "canada eh?" shirt which i complimented as we walked up from the river. as he handed me refreshing bottle of water he asked me my ugandan name. i told him i did not yet have one (which i had started to feel sad about since i'd been in uganda for almost 8 weeks already), and within minutes he'd chosen one for me :)! i'm officially part of the "caterpillar clan" and go by the name "nabweteme". i think this clan is very appropriate for me considering i frequently draw cartoon caterpillars, love their slow and fuzzy nature, and recently took care of a caterpillar-attacked child (the one's hear have spikes and shoot them at you when frightened).

final thought, jinja = an adventure to remember!

- rachel -

sad but beautiful

we spent some time travelling around east africa last week. we visited rwanda and some very beautiful places in uganda which included jinja and murchison falls. in rwanda we stopped in kigali to visit the genocide memorial and then accidentally drove 1.5 hours beyond the turnoff to our next destination which was lake kivu in kibuye. the genocide memorial was an educational but emotional experience. i was particularly struck by the stories of children who were murdered during the genocide. there was an entire section of the memorial site dedicated to sharing their names, ages, photographs and causes of death. this was by far the most emotionally challenging area for me to read through. photographs of families and individuals whose lives were taken during the genocide were also on display. as well as some tools and weapons used to take lives during the years of the genocide. it is hard to believe the number of lives lost and the hatred that brought people to commit such inhuman crimes. kigali is such a beautiful city and rwanda such a beautiful country... it makes me feel sick to my stomach when i imagine the horror that spread throughout this nation during the years of the genocide.

when we woke up at lake kivu the following day, i was struck by rwanda's natural beauty. i'm so glad we took one day to really enjoy rwanda since the memorial site the day before had left sadness in my heart. lake kivu is located amid rolling hills and green, lush mountains. the lake borders rwanda in the east and the democratic republic of congo in the west and stretches so far across that you almost can't see the other side. we took a boat trip to an island where we enjoyed the 3 s's: sunbathing, swimming and sodas. it was a relaxing day that ended with a magnificent sunset at our hotel located on the river's edge.

overall, rwanda = worth the extra driving

- rachel-

the impossible blog

this blog was written on monday june 1st, a day and a half after the adventure took place. i attempted to upload this entry 3 times that week but due to shotty internet access i had no luck. finally it has worked today and i get to share this story with you. i hope you enjoy it! :)

original blog entry title = "fun" on the coaster

i think it is about time i share something a little more light-hearted..

lacey and i decided to take ourselves on a short adventure. we chose to take a day trip to kampala this past saturday to do some light shopping. we left the house at approximately 6:30am and headed into town to catch the coaster which was expected to leave at 7:30am. the coaster is a 29 passenger "bus" that drives direct between various cities in uganda. we reached the taxi park (one square block where all the boda-bodas (motorbikes), taxis, mutatus, and coasters congregate) at around 6:55am and were the first passengers aboard the coaster. we had choice seats near the front, right behind the driver and started to get very excited to be embarking on this adventure together. by the time 7:30am came along there were maybe 5 other passengers on board. unlike in canada, buses in uganda wait until they've reached their maximum capacity before taking off. the coaster wasn't full until 8:20am so we finally left for kampala at 8:30am.

once the coaster was full, lacey and i developed a greater appreciation for our seats because we had actual seats! the isle became seats as the coaster fills up. there are these little fold down seats with no cushions and 1/2 a back rest which accommodate the late arrival passengers. i was so thankful we had gotten on early even if we did have to wait for 1.5 hours before leaving because my seat had a cushion and it was a bumpy ride.

lacey had the wonderful opportunity to sit next to a chicken which was seated on top of a women's lap. thankfully it was a quiet little chicken and fell asleep for the first hour of the ride. like the chicken next to lacey, i also fell asleep. it was a relaxing nap until i was woken up by a loud squawk! the chicken, who by this point had woken up was aroused by lacey's snack; she had brought out crackers and this chicken clearly wanted in on the goods. though i didn't see so myself, the chicken settled down but continued to lightly peck lacey's arm for the remainder of the 2.5 hour drive to kampala. perhaps it hoped her shirt tasted like cracker dust?

upon our arrival at the kampala taxi park, we were stuck in a mutatu traffic jam. honestly there were nearly 100 vans bumper to bumper for 2 blocks before the entrance to the park. we tried to stick it out and wait until we were in the park but gave up after 20 minutes of waiting. so we got directions to our next destination and headed on out!

we spent the afternoon in kampala and were back at the coaster by 4:45pm to head back home to masaka. the taxi park was, once again, backed up down the block. our taxi driver couldn't get us to the coaster by car so he hired a young man to walk us there for 1000 shillings (approximately 75 cents). the taxi park in kampala makes the one in masaka look like a vast wasteland. there were mutatus and coasters absolutely everywhere! honestly, there were hundreds of them parked tightly together and were surrounded by just as many people walking on foot. he lead us through the chaos right to the coaster destined for masaka.

we stepped on board and there were only four seats left.. all of which were down the middle of the isle except one right up front with half the leg room as normal seats. unfortunately they all had no cushions and half sized back rests. lacey snagged the front one and I waited for the crummy isle seat right next to the door… an attempt to save myself from being stuck in the middle with no way out!

the ride was better than expected other then the 40 minutes spent driving in the dark. driving in the dark is a scary experience. people keep their high beams on to notify other drivers where they are, but this just temporary blinds others on the road making it even more likely to crash. i thought we were going to crash about 5 times. after the first two close calls I had to look away, it was simply too frightening to look at the oncoming traffic. Fortunately we did not crash, and I live to tell this coaster story. phew!

Dealing with Death

The lovely woman (I will refer to her as "J") who I have been visiting in Ward 2 died this morning. When I arrived early to visit her today, the sweet nursing student who has been interpreting for me got tears in her eyes and broke the news to me. I was not entirely surprised because J has been very ill but it does not make the loss of her life any easier to deal with. I guess there was a part of me that was not expecting it though. Last week I had met with the hospital social worker and we worked together to get J on an IV drip and back on ARV treatment. I guess I thought she was going to get better and be a bit stronger the next time I saw her.

This morning as I stood over her tiny little body that was covered by the colourful sarong she always wore, I couldnt help but feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. I told her I was going to visit her yesterday, and I didnt make it there. I worked until 7pm at Ward 14 and was exhausted.... so I went home and ate dinner, relaxed and went to bed. Instead of visiting her for 15 minutes...

I never thought that through the time that I knew J that I could save her life. I wanted to show her respect and compassion and help her to pass in a comfortable and dignified way. But by not visiting her last night, and by not being able to say goodbye to her, I worry that she thought I forgot about her. I only hope that in her final moments she knew that she was in my heart and that I truly cared for her. I hope that she is now in a peaceful place with people to love her and keep her company. I pray that her spirit is sensing the pain that I feel for her but also the joy, appreciation and honour that I feel for having briefly been involved in her life. She was a strong, brave and beautiful woman. -K