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Ok…so, I know I’ve been gone for a while…sorry! I tried to post an entry a few weeks ago, but my internet connection was giving me trouble and then I was off traveling til today. Here’s the low down on what you’ve missed:
May 3-7: in Kampala relaxing, buying new camera, clubbing at Ange Noir (the most infamous nightclub in Uganda), meeting new friends. I had so much fun dancing at the club from 2-5 am that at one point when I was going down really low busting my moves I felt a pop in the side of my knee which bothered me for a week or two and still hurts every once and a while! Also, on the way to the car that night I actually fell into a MAN hole! I mean, this country is full of potholes and crappy roads…but this was an actual hole in the road right beside the car that I had no chance in seeing in the dark. I stepped right into it with my left leg (or was it my right?) and hit my knee on the inside of the road. My friends were worried I hurt myself, but I just laughed as they retrieved my shoe…only in Africa!
May 3-7: in Kampala relaxing, buying new camera, clubbing at Ange Noir (the most infamous nightclub in Uganda), meeting new friends. I had so much fun dancing at the club from 2-5 am that at one point when I was going down really low busting my moves I felt a pop in the side of my knee which bothered me for a week or two and still hurts every once and a while! Also, on the way to the car that night I actually fell into a MAN hole! I mean, this country is full of potholes and crappy roads…but this was an actual hole in the road right beside the car that I had no chance in seeing in the dark. I stepped right into it with my left leg (or was it my right?) and hit my knee on the inside of the road. My friends were worried I hurt myself, but I just laughed as they retrieved my shoe…only in Africa!
May 7-9: Murchison Falls National Park; a gorgeous park full of giraffes, water buffalo, warthogs, birds, elephants, baboons, etc. We did a driving game safari one morning, then a boat ride to the falls that afternoon and a walk to the top of the falls the next morning. This is where the entire Nile River has to find its way through a small space. The power is amazing. The falls are gorgeous with a rainbow up top and crocodiles and hippos downstream below.
May 9-11: back to Kampala for two nights; Akon concert, too much partying with new friends and then back to Ange Noir with Wycliffe and Vincent again…but this time I was too tired to be such a crazy dancer and no man holes!
May 11-19: JINJA, my favorite place in Uganda (other than my little town)…the town at the source of the Nile. I went rafting twice (I couldn’t help myself!), relaxed by the river, had
a bad case of food poisoning that we thought might be malaria (my skin was super hot but I was freezing, my back and head hurt, everything hurt except my stomach actually!) so had to go to the clinic to get that sorted out; must have created the record for most sober nights at the notoriously party central campsite (I only got drunk my last night…you should all be proud!); met some more great people (Ugandan raft/kayak guides and Western volunteers/students/workers) who kept me company; did my best to ignore all the drama that the boys like to create…which I find interesting since at home boys stay as far away from drama as they can!
May 9-11: back to Kampala for two nights; Akon concert, too much partying with new friends and then back to Ange Noir with Wycliffe and Vincent again…but this time I was too tired to be such a crazy dancer and no man holes!
May 11-19: JINJA, my favorite place in Uganda (other than my little town)…the town at the source of the Nile. I went rafting twice (I couldn’t help myself!), relaxed by the river, had
a bad case of food poisoning that we thought might be malaria (my skin was super hot but I was freezing, my back and head hurt, everything hurt except my stomach actually!) so had to go to the clinic to get that sorted out; must have created the record for most sober nights at the notoriously party central campsite (I only got drunk my last night…you should all be proud!); met some more great people (Ugandan raft/kayak guides and Western volunteers/students/workers) who kept me company; did my best to ignore all the drama that the boys like to create…which I find interesting since at home boys stay as far away from drama as they can!
And, probably most importantly…I spent several mornings (except when sick) at an amazing orphanage for children under 6 called Welcome Home. I’d always spend about 30 minutes in the baby room…there are about 7 under the age of 1 that you can just hold, feed and love and feel close to you. From 10:00-12:30 I’d be with the older children and we would just play or I’d sing to them and they’d ask for more songs; or they’d ask me to read from their children’s bible; or we’d swing or dance or whatever. Then lunch time was always my favorite because you start with the 25 or so 1-3 year olds in chairs on the floor, each adult trying to feed 2 or 3 babies. Some crying, some not interested in the food, some happy as can be. Then take them to their room to be washed, changed and put to bed. Then we’d serve the 25 or so 3-6 year olds and most would manage on their own, some would get distracted or want to just play, so you just help them along and then they get washed and put to bed. They’d all call me “Mami” and pull me in different directions and shoot me smiles and laughs and my heart just DANCED when I was there. The absolute best part of my day, drama free, just peace and beauty and life. It’s so easy to love those children…and I accidentall
y fell in love with two of them
. I mean I adore and love and see so many of the faces floating around my thoughts…but Veronica and Joel were my special little ones that I will carry with me always. Veronica has an infectiously gorgeous, innocent, pure smile that she’d flash at me anytime I looked her way. And little, sweet, shy Joel. I loved seeing the smile on his face after I’d give him some kisses…his little lips would just slowly turn up and you could see his happiness. He’s 14 months old but still in the baby room because he’s soooo small (probably smaller than my nephew when he was born!). Although now at Welcome Home he has enough food to get strong and grow, that wasn’t the case before and the malnutrition he is still recovering from keeps him with the little ones. He’s just too fragile to head to the group of aggressive, excited, playful toddlers. But soon enough I know he’ll be running around with all of them! I’m going to have to try to get back to see them…
y fell in love with two of them
. I mean I adore and love and see so many of the faces floating around my thoughts…but Veronica and Joel were my special little ones that I will carry with me always. Veronica has an infectiously gorgeous, innocent, pure smile that she’d flash at me anytime I looked her way. And little, sweet, shy Joel. I loved seeing the smile on his face after I’d give him some kisses…his little lips would just slowly turn up and you could see his happiness. He’s 14 months old but still in the baby room because he’s soooo small (probably smaller than my nephew when he was born!). Although now at Welcome Home he has enough food to get strong and grow, that wasn’t the case before and the malnutrition he is still recovering from keeps him with the little ones. He’s just too fragile to head to the group of aggressive, excited, playful toddlers. But soon enough I know he’ll be running around with all of them! I’m going to have to try to get back to see them… 
May 19-25: trip to Kenya. Started with a bus ride from HELL, 12 hours of crappy roads…4 of which were so bad that I was literally flying out of my seat and just exhausted from trying to brace myself from all the falls back down. I met up with a friend from DC, Valerie (a taste of home!), in Nairobi; had one day there which I just spent running some errands, then we flew to the coast to enjoy the beach. Well, we were hoping to enjoy the beach…but the beach boys made that difficult because you just
can’t relax when they’re walking with you everywhere you go! I only got to lay on the beautiful white, soft sand once. We did take a few of the boys up on their offer to sail out on one of their handmade boats to the reef to snorkel and that was great! But Friday it poured all day and then Saturday was nice from about 11 am on, but we had to head to the airport at 4. So…it wasn’t all that we had hoped for, but it was an interesting experience in a gorgeous location!
May 25: night bus back to Uganda…not as bad as before, maybe this driver didn’t accelerate as much through the potholes as the other guy! But we were passing by Jinja and it was a gorgeous day and I just couldn’t NOT stop…so I got off and spent Sunday relaxing with a few friends at the campsite by the river. It was VERY tempting to stay…but I can’t keep feeding the addiction, so I stayed strong and got on the 5:30 shuttle to Kampala. We were 20 km from town and hit a major (traffic) jam because of flooding in the road from the rain on Saturday. We were forced to turn around and interestingly enough, I almost ended up back in Jinja anyways! Jinja. But we took a “diversion” road and our 2 hour trip turned into 5. Ugh. I was sick of buses!
May 26: I felt like that was the world’s way of saying I should have stayed in Jinja but after a short night's rest, I got on yet ANOTHER bus…this time heading home to Lyantonde. The trip sometimes takes 5 hours, but today it was only 3. So I got into town just in time for my favorite food, Luombo (groundnut soup with roasted meat), matooke and yummy rice; I headed straight there and then home. The peace and quiet here is so welcome after 3 weeks of non-stop moving around and chaos. It’s such a simple truck stop of a town with little to do…but sometimes that is JUST what we need! At least until the river calls me back again…
May 26: I felt like that was the world’s way of saying I should have stayed in Jinja but after a short night's rest, I got on yet ANOTHER bus…this time heading home to Lyantonde. The trip sometimes takes 5 hours, but today it was only 3. So I got into town just in time for my favorite food, Luombo (groundnut soup with roasted meat), matooke and yummy rice; I headed straight there and then home. The peace and quiet here is so welcome after 3 weeks of non-stop moving around and chaos. It’s such a simple truck stop of a town with little to do…but sometimes that is JUST what we need! At least until the river calls me back again…
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