A very thankful Thanksgiving...

Let’s see, where to begin…HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone at home! I have so much to be thankful for this year: all of the love and support from my family and friends…the value of that is immeasurable and very much appreciated. There are so many people in different parts of the world that are constantly with me and without all of them, I wouldn’t be able to continue this crazy journey that I am on. So to all of you out there that love me unconditionally, in my best and my worst moments, when I am laughing and when I am crying, when I am triumphing and when I am struggling…to all of you, I thank you always from the bottom of my heart and please never forget that.

And now for an update on life back in Uganda…we have extended our stay in the current rooms until the end of the year to give us some more time to find something better. And to be honest, we won’t be that upset if we end up just staying there long term. But we know we can get a house or self contained flat for less money, so that is why we will continue the search in December. However, the escari (security guard) is wonderful, which is always nice and the other folks in the complex are nice as well. I did forget to mention that on top of the flying grasshoppers (it’s the season for them so everyone is frying them up if they don’t die in our rooms first!), the cockroach and mouse…we also had a bat in our bathroom one morning! I think Jami accidentally slammed the door on its wing, or maybe it was already injured, but either way the poor thing couldn’t fly but still freaked us out. And I really had to pee! So, we got Alama, our downstairs neighbor and new friend from the rafting company to get it out for us. When he threw it over the fence, it couldn’t even fly away…it just dropped to the ground. :(

I also keep forgetting to mention that we are located directly across the street from the main club in town. It’s kind of funny because we literally have a one minute walk home at the end of the night…and also funny because if we want we can just go up onto our roof terrace (yep, forgot to mention that too!) and dance to the music up there for free. But of course you don’t get the club atmosphere…although it’s much cooler with the breeze. We also have a lake view which is gorgeous even though we have to look over some slum areas before our eyes go up to the lake. So, all in all, life in Jinja is good.

The school festival was a success in my book. We started only 15 minutes late and ended 15 minutes early. I was shocked! I spent the day running around like a crazy woman trying to keep everything going and make sure that lunch would be on time and quizzes were running according to schedule and taking schools off the football field if they were running late, etc. It was exhausting for sure…but I think the children enjoyed the day and I know the winning school was very excited about the ATV rides they won!

It hasn’t rained in almost two weeks now, which is fine with me, but I know the farmers need the rain. No rain equals LOTS of dust so it’s impossible to go from town to the village and back without being caked in dust. At the end of the day you think you’ve gotten some color on your skin until you shower and it all washes away! I definitely do have a good base tan now…but the other day I took a nice long, warm shower at my friend’s house in Kampala and as I washed my hair the soap and water all turned brown. I just laughed to myself. With brown hair and tan skin, it’s hard to know how dusty you are until you shower and it all comes off! Sometimes I just have to sleep with some socks on because my feet are so dirty from the day and I don’t want to get the bed too dirty. I still take most of my baths in the river and shave my legs there as well. It’s just nice and raw and natural and different. And since my shower only has cold water, why not kill two birds with one stone and get a swim in the river and a bath all at the same time?!?!

I finally got my first kayaking lesson from Koa last Sunday. We spent 2 hours on the water with Jami…she had never even been in a kayak and picked up the rolling technique much faster than I did which made me even more frustrated that I couldn’t seem to get the hip flick. Koa just kept yelling, “Marci…the HIPS, the HIIIPPPSSS!” How is a girl supposed to flick herself back up from under the water when she sees this gentle, normally smiley young man yelling “H-I-P-S” at her?!?!? He didn’t think I was taking it seriously, but I was and I am and I am really determined to learn how to roll before the end of the year. And now what you’ve all been waiting for…I did it. I finally went rafting this past Saturday and had a really nice day! The weather has been gorgeous so it was a perfect day to be on the water. The rapids were just as fantastic as I remember and this time…I did NOT fall out of the boat at the waterfall, although I did have a front row seat as we went over the falls. Half of us fell out on three rapids and we completely flipped on another two…so I did a lot of swimming! And the funny thing is that none of my friends came to my rescue this time. I guess since it was my 8th trip, they figure they should go for the first timers who might be a bit more anxious than me.

After the BBQ and a bit of partying at the campsite, a bunch of us ended up heading to town to go to the Reggae Concert. We ended up dancing beside the stage for a few hours and in the middle of it all, one of the performers looked at me and my Canadian friend and asked us to come on stage. Since Tamara was there with her boyfriend, I ended up agreeing to go up alone. As I climbed the steep stairs to the stage all I could think was “do NOT trip up these stairs!” When I approached the singer he asked where I am from and I said, a bit shyly, “America.” But then, I pulled the microphone back over and said, almost like a robot, “O-BA-MA” and the crowd cheered. And as many of you know, once I’m up there I love being on stage, so I decided to do a little hip flick dance (I knew I could flick them!) on stage in a circle to which the crowd cheered again; and then finally, I danced with the performer and we went as low as we could go…and again the crowd cheered. So all in all, it was a fun moment and I managed not to trip or embarrass myself!

As I finish writing this entry, I am back in my original Ugandan hometown of Lyantonde…and of course it was another adventure trying to get here yesterday. My bus got pulled over 3 times and the third time was the same group of traffic cops who apparently had told the driver at the last stop that he would have to go to court in the next town. So they literally took him away in their traffic cop car and left us (a full bus) sitting on the side of the road with the engine running for an hour! Once he finally got back to the bus we were off again only to blow a tire 20 minutes from my stop. I couldn’t believe it, I was not going to wait another hour. Finally after being bothered by numerous motorcycle taxis asking for way too much money, I ended up on another bus that had 20 people too many on board so I just stood squished in the aisle until I could get out in Lyantonde. It wasn’t the entrance I had hoped for…but as I approached the vocational school where I taught English in the spring, I heard my students practicing their songs about HIV/AIDS and I swear it’s one of the most beautiful sounds you’d ever hear. When I walked up to them they all stopped singing and started to cheer…and immediately my spirits were lifted. I love being back in Lyantonde. It will always feel like home. But the river is constantly calling me back…

An update from the last week...

Nothing too exciting to report yet...

If you haven't noticed, I don’t get to the internet very often and when I do, the connection is mediocre. But today I am attempting to upload two blogs and will try better to get one up once a week from now on. I had to leave the first internet spot because the fact that the damn space bar didn't work was driving me INSANE!

Things are going well. Preparations for the school festival are in full swing and since it’s the Friday after Thanksgiving, I’ll spend my Thursday night getting everything ready and all day Friday running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to ensure all goes according to our plans as much as possible! I have thought about making some stuffing and mashed potatoes and just buying some of that delicious pork I mentioned in my first entry and having a few friends get together…I’m just not sure when. Maybe Sunday the 23rd. Not exactly a Thanksgiving Dinner…but as much as I’m trying to attempt considering I don’t have a real stove and no oven at all. I haven’t actually cooked at all yet…but I do have a bit better of a stove this time around: two real burners, we just need to fill up the gas can.

As for the rest of our living situation…it’s still alright. The rooms are quite large and comfortable and we love the adjoining factor. It just seems like we’re back in school or something. The only downfalls are: the first week we were here we were chasing flying grasshoppers out of our rooms and this last week we saw had to get one big cockroach out and do our best to keep the mouse that keeps coming in out. Hmmm. And the last downfall is that we were supposed to have the toilet and shower just for ourselves, although they are outside on the balcony and unlocked. We realized this week that other people are using our shower items and toilet paper…and since we thought we were paying to have those things to ourselves, it’s a bit frustrating. Oh, and when it rains really really hard (although after last night's 12 hours of rain, this didn't happen), the ceiling in my room leaks and i get a 3 foot wide puddle in my room.

Finally, it took 2 weeks and lots of threats, but we FINALLY got our money back from the awful guesthouse from my first night. The man just kept laughing at us and telling us that Ugandans are poor and once you give them money, you won’t get it back. He didn’t seem to understand that that isn’t how you run a business…and he kept referring to himself as a businessman and would then speak to the other Ugandans in the room in Lusoga talking about Muzungus this and that. They all agreed with us and told him in English that he wasn't treating us properly and he just laughed. And I very sternly said that this has nothing to do with black and white...this is people to people and you are NOT treating us correctly. This is NOT how you run a business. Ridiculous. He also kept telling me to relax and sit down and said I am a stubborn muzungu (white person). I said that if me being frustrated because you’re treating us unfairly and essentially stealing our money is stubborn…then yes, I’m stubborn! It was extremely frustrating and annoying…but we don’t have to deal with him anymore because he FINALLY paid (although he does owe us 8.000 Ush so we are going to stop over for 4 beers later this week i think). We also have to constantly fight for fair prices on the motor bike taxis and the restaurants in the village. Because they don't post any menus/prices when they see muzungus they charge double what they charge Ugandans. It's very frustrating as we are not tourists, we are living here and volunteering and it's exhausting trying to explain to people that we know the real cost and you are cheating us. But we do not put up with it and we pay what we know our Ugandan friends pay and we leave them standing their with their mouths open and hands out for more money. No...no more money for you, you've already overcharged us the first 2 weeks so technically YOU owe US money! Ugh.

And that’s all I have for now. Despite the possible tone about, things have been going well and I am happy. I STILL haven’t gone rafting or kayaking…but again, I think tomorrow might be my lucky day for one of the above. Let’s cross our fingers that Koa doesn’t have to work so that he can spend an hour or so teaching me how to keep my balance and roll in the kayak. I can’t even believe that it’s November because I’m living in a semi-tropical climate (although it does rain a couple times a week)…and slowly and surely I’m getting some color again. I can't believe it's Thanksgiving week and Christmas is next month...so hard to absorb when it's hot and humid and I'm so far away from all the people I'd love to be with at this time of year.

Don't bother asking me what I am doing with my life...because I have yet to figure it out. I constantly question myself and hope that I am making the right decisions...but find comfort in the fact that nothing is ever forever unless you want it to be. And even then, it doesn't always last. I also find comfort in knowing I have so many people at home who love me no matter what and accept me for who I am and who I am trying to be. Without all of those people...I would be lost. Believe me, I miss you and the comforts of home so much more than you could ever know...

I miss all my friends and family dearly and am definitely craving little Miss Maeve and Sir Luke soooo much!!!

My number: 011 256 779 471 278

My address: Marci Varley, C/O Soft Power Education, P.O. Box 1493, Jinja, Uganda

The first week or so back...

Wow, I can’t believe I’m writing a blog from Uganda again. It always amazes me how life just takes you on different journeys and you really are just along for the ride. Sure it takes effort and patience and the interest to follow some of the paths in front of us, but in the end…we really are just on a roller coaster ride in life. And one that we never want the train to pull up to the end stop because we never really do want the ride to be over, do we?

So…I had the most ridiculously crazy, hectic, frustrating, annoying, confusing, crazy (have I said that yet?) first week ever. Sure, I visited Jinja on a handful of occassions during my last trip…I think I came to town 5 times so I could go down the river 7 times. And no, I haven’t rafted yet…but I’ve thought about it loads and it won’t be long! (But I digress.) This town is soooo much different from Lyantonde, where I lived this past spring. There is so much more going on here, a lot more life to the city and more options of what to do in my free time and with whom. It is just an entirely new experience because it is nothing like my life here before. And although it has taken a week to get to the point where I can say this, it is true…things are great!

After 8 hours traveling to London, 10 hours sitting in Heathrow airport (dinner with Chris and Jake was awesome, I was soooo glad to see them again this year even if we were stuck at the airport! Unfortunately when I went through security they unpacked my entire big backpack…stuffed with so much random stuff…just because they wanted to get my toy handcuffs out. I couldn’t believe it! I explained to the girl who couldn’t have been older than 24 and was definitely laughing inside about the whole thing, that she was ruining my halloween costume…couldn’t she see the police shirt right there and what good would that be without the hand cuffs??? And they’re a toy…you can release out of them without a key. Ugh. But I had no time to really fuss because my gate was closing and I had to run to catch the plane. Whatever.) ANYWAYS…then another 8 hour flight to Entebbe, followed by a 2 hour taxi ride to Jinja and the next thing I knew I was having the most amazing pork lunch with a handful of my friends.

Jami, the English girl I met in the spring who I am living with, had already been here for 5 weeks looking for a place for us. Upon my arrival, we moved into a guesthouse that seemed okay enough…something temporary until we find our own place…but it didn’t turn out to be so great. Only one of the two rooms we had paid for was prepared for us, so Jami stayed somewhere else that first night. At 4:30 in the morning I was woken up by someone pounding on my door telling me to “please come.” Clearly, I did not. There was no way I was leaving my room at that hour to whatever might be outside. Apparently several of the guests were travelling together and leaving early in the morning and for whatever reason thought I was part of their group maybe? Who knows…but that just really irked me. Then when Jami arrived in the morning to change for work she found that her room (that had all of her stuff in it when she left) had been slept in by someone else and her things had been moved. So, at 8 in the morning my very first day back and still jet lagged I found some clothes to put on and we stumbled out of that place with all of our stuff not sure where we would go to sleep that night…just knowing that we would NOT be staying at that guesthouse again. We are still trying to get our money back. Hopefully, tomorrow is the day.

The next four nights were spent moving from place to place, staying with different friends. Jami and I were grumpy and frustrated and exhausted. The process of finding a place here is just ridiculous. Basically, we have talked with all of our local friends, who then all “have a guy” or know “the man” and then we spend hours waiting or driving around trying to get into places to check them out. My first two days were spent on the back of a boda with my friend Charlie for hours at a time just trying to find a place. We went to 7 places one day and only actually got to see three. Oh…and everyone wants to be paid for having found a place for you to look at. Even if they show you something that isn’t even close to what you are looking for. I finally told Charlie to tell all these different men that if they show us something that doesn’t have what we’ve asked for, then we will not pay. We did find an amazing house that would have been great, but after waiting an entire day for the “key man” to let us in, we tried for three days to meet with “the man” (the owner) to finalize a deal and a week later still haven’t met him.

Fortunately, we did find a place that is working really well right now: 2 big bedrooms combined by an adjoining door and then a kitchen, toilet and shower all on the balcony outside for us to use. Not exactly a flat…but we got to unpack last Monday and buy some house items and actually settle for a moment. And our moods/attitudes have greatly improved since moving in…it’s amazing how not having somewhere to call your own can be so unsettling! We have had good days for almost a whole week now and spend our days laughing at things that would have really pissed us off before. It’s all good…hakuna matata!

As for everything else: I am now in charge of a big school festival at the center which is on November 21st. My job is to make sure that everything gets done and prepared before that day and that on the day, everything runs smoothly. But with 230 students and 45 teachers moving through the day in 15 minute intervals…it’s a logistical nightmare! I’ve also started running again, trying to at least, with the help of my friend Greece who comes with me and keeps me going when I get tired 15 minutes into my 20 minute jog (I’m so out of shape!). Then we go down to the river to cool off with a quick swim and I take a bath/wash my hair and head to work. We all celebrated Halloween at the campsite my first Friday here and had too much fun and this past Friday Jami and I had a housewarming party at our place. There were about 15 people dancing and drinking the night away…it was fun!

So…all is well. I am supposed to get a kayaking lesson today or tomorrow from a friend who works with the rafting company. I can’t believe I’ve been here 10 days and haven’t gone rafting yet…it’s a record! And it doesn’t feel like 10 days at all…it feels like 2 months. Anyways…I hope you are all well! I miss you…

FUNDRAISING for RACOBAO and Soft Power

I can still remember the thoughts running through my head during my second day out in the field with RACOBAO in March of the fundraiser I would have in DC when I got back. On August 21, 2008 we raised $1300 at a happy hour event with raffles (Ugandan handicrafts) and silent auction items (generously donated by area businesses). And I've raised another couple hundred dollars on my online fundraising page: www.justgiving.com/marcivarley. With an ultimate goal of $4000 (to be split evenly between RACOBAO and Soft Power), we are off to a good start, but have a ways to go!

On October 18, 2008 I am hosting a fundraising event in Pittsburgh, PA at Camp Deer Creek from 3-7 pm. It is a family oriented picnic with more raffles and silent auction items and lots of hopes for a great turn out and generous donations!

The work that these two organizations do truly changes lives but cannot be done without our donations. $20 buys a school uniform and allows a child to go to school for an entire year! Think about what that means. We all know that education = power. Please help me to empower the children and their families!

If you have any questions about the fundraising events, the online donating page or the volunteering...please don't hesitate to ask!

Heading back to Uganda!

So, in my last post, I was getting ready to spend my last few days in Uganda by the Mighty White Nile River...probably my favorite place in the country. I had a fantastic couple of days that started with a day rafting the rapids with the NRE crew I had become friends with and ended with one of my favorite Ugandan meals...pork and cabbage at a typical Uganda pork joint. In between, I ended up going on the river one last time as I really just couldn't help myself. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for rafting, and most of my friends were going to be working on the river that day. I didn't want to spend my last full day in Jinja by myself...so I signed up for my 7th trip! It was a great day and one that I'll never forget because I actually fell out of the raft at the waterfall (Overtime) and got stuck underneath for what seemed like forever. In the video you can see my struggling to get up, but the water is pushing me down and pushing the safety/rescue kayakers away. I know in those moments I was thinking I might be in a bit of trouble and a few of the guys told me afterwards that they were pretty scared as well! But the Mighty Nile let me go that day to tell the story and I have shown the video on more than one occassion. It's pretty crazy and intense!

The return home was difficult. It is not an easy transition to go from rural Africa to urban America and I was really caught off guard...I just didn't expect to have such a hard time adapting back into American life. It didn't take me long to realize that I wanted to get back to Uganda...I just had to figure out when. And after 3 months of floating around the east coast visiting family, organizing fundraisers and working on projects for RACOBAO...I finally bought my ticket! I will be heading back to Uganda on October 27, 2008 and returning April 22, 2009. Six months this time. Because of my love for the Jinja/Bujagali area around the Nile, I am going to be living there and volunteering with Soft Power Education (www.softpowereducation.com) most of the time; although I will also make trips to Lyantonde to do projects with RACOBAO (www.racobao.org) as well. I am so excited that I am able to go back and work with 2 amazing organizations as well as immerse myself in the culture again and enjoy the simplicity of life there. I can't wait to see what is in store for me!

Be sure to stay tuned as I will be updating this as often as I can while I am away.

Saying goodbye...

A beautiful quote that was sent to me during my time here:

"You are that mystery which you are seeking to know. You are the love you first sought, whether conscious of it or not. Your personal journey, either in this lifetime or another in the future, will bring you to this center within yourself. Traveling alone upon a solo-quest is the perfect catalyst for this grand voyage given to the human being as a birthright. So go find yourself in solitude where the inner landscapes of personality become most audible within a world of possibility.”

Well folks, this is it…I’ve slept my last night in Lyantonde and I’m saying my goodbyes today before heading to Jinja and the Nile River for my last 3 ½ days in Uganda. One colleague says it seems as though I’ve been here just a week or two because time has gone so fast and another says how long it seems since I arrived. The way I feel…right in the middle. I feel as though I have been here for a year, not just 14 weeks; but I also feel that it’s gone too fast and I cannot believe it is time for me to leave! What a journey this has been. From those first lonely and long weeks of adjustment to all my adventures on the Nile River (one more to go this Saturday!) to the amazing moments in the field and the self discovery along the way…it has been eye opening and life changing. I have learned so much about the world through meeting the people you see in my pictures and I have learned so much about myself. And although I have NO IDEA what I will be doing in the next chapter of my life or where that chapter will take me physically and spiritually…I know that I will carry this experience with me always. The faces, the empty eyes, the smiles, the loss…the HOPE! And the happiness, peace and calm that I have found in my soul is something that I will concentrate on keeping there, no matter what comes into my path. I know that it will be hard sometimes; I know sometimes I may stray from that path and get lost for a moment…but I will fight my way back. I won’t let myself get soooo lost ever again! I won’t let myself allow outside influences to dimmer the light in my heart again, at least not so much. I will remember Uganda and its people and this time…and I will remember my new life motto, “no one can get in the way of what I’m feeling!”

We really are the masters of our soul and the captains of our own destiny…it’s up to us.


A few of my last photos from the field…

Norah Catherine...I really love this woman, so sweet and spunky and caring for 3 young children!





Joseph and Clement, 12 and 13 years old, living on their own for 3 years now and the sweet couple who check in on them.


Sunset from my favorite spot in Lyantonde.

Just a few things...

(Lyantonde Town early morning)

First thing…if you’ve been reading this blog, you know how much I truly love this country. The land is gorgeously untouched, natural beauty; the people are very welcoming and happy. But there is one thing that I haven’t mentioned that has just started to bother me in the last week or two…something I have been very patient with but finally, this weekend, I could no longer smile about it because I’m tired of it. I am tired of being discriminated against because of the color of my skin; I am tired of the racism. I am tired of having to bargain and sometimes argue my way to the fair price; the real price. I’m tired of people assuming that because I am white, I am rich. I want to be treated as a human being; as a fellow person on this great big planet. I have never been racist; I have always hated racism and discrimination against any minority. And really, I have always been attracted to people of different backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities and colors because to me, the differences we have are what make the world interesting and exciting. I like the differences because I know immediately that we will be able to learn and grow and become better people because of them. So, after 3 months of dealing with being the extreme minority and always getting “Muzungu” prices…I lost it on Sunday.
I was trying to travel from Kampala to Lyantonde and was just really frustrated after the boda boda (motor bike taxi) driver and bus folks did exactly what I knew they would do: overprice me. I always have to explain that I know how much it costs, I do this all the time; I’m not a tourist just passing through. I am living here. Working here. Volunteering here to help other Ugandans and it would be really nice if I could be treated fairly. The boda driver laughed when he realized I know what I’m doing and said it seems like I’ve been here for a few years, not a few months and agreed to let me pay the fair price. The bus folks, on the other hand, were really rude. I refused to pay what they were asking and put up a fight…I really wasn’t in the mood! After 2 busses stuck to their “Muzungu” price of 15,000 Ush, I was on my way out of the bus park when a woman stopped me and asked if she could help. I explained that I travel this route every week…I know how much it costs; I’m tired of hearing “the petrol prices went up” as an excuse. I will pay 12,000 Ush and no more…and should really just have been paying 10,000 Ush. She was very nice and took me to her bus, told me to remember that Gateway treated her fairly and allowed me to pay the 12,000 Ush. It’s just exhausting.

Another thing (and a much lighter topic!)…when I lived in Germany, I remember asparagus season as quite the phenomenon. I had never seen such a specific food celebrated so widely and passionately…everywhere you look during that season, there is asparagus! They really love their asparagus. Well, last week I realized that it is grasshopper season. For 3 months the strangest thing I’d seen people eating were the cow intestines that are part of the traditional Ugandan breakfast. But now, there are grasshoppers around every corner! People are selling them on the sides of roads already fried in their own oil and in a baggie, coming onto the bus to sell them; my colleagues are eating them at their desk for breakfast and the guy on the boda next to mine is carrying a big bag of them too. They are everywhere! And if you don’t see them dead in a bag waiting to become someone’s snack, you see them hopping around still alive trying to escape an inevitable death...or in the hands of children playing (above with one of my favorite girls in town). Grasshoppers are a delicacy here and now that the “rainy” season is over (it didn’t rain so much), you can’t get down the block without seeing them. It’s crazy!

And the final thing today…I just love the smiles and innocence of children! Yesterday after getting a chapatti making lesson from the cooks at one of the restaurants I frequent, I ended up playing games with a group of about 15 children (some pictured to the left). They always get excited and gather when they see me…always say, “BYE MUZUNGU!” in their little, sweet voices (and I always wonder, why say goodbye before we’ve said hello?). Anyways, yesterday I decided to teach them “duck, duck, goose”. Although, since I don’t know those words in Luganda, I made it “chicken, chicken, goat” or “nkoko, nkoko, mbuzi”. And they loved it! I don’t know when or who decided that I would always be the goat, but they wore me out. It was a really great hour and then I was off to take some pictures of Lyantonde. A very relaxing day. Three and half days left in this town that’s become home before I head to Jinja and the Nile for my last four days in Uganda…will be hard to leave, but will be so easy to hug all my loved ones once I get home!

Some pictures

Delivering clothes to children in the field...

Below, some pictures from Lyantonde Monday morning after "Chicken, Chicken, Goat"...

Two weeks to go and the roller coaster begins...

(My Favorite Tree)

Just two weeks left here in Uganda and I feel like I just got into the front seat of a roller coaster of emotions: sad to leave Uganda, so excited to see my family and friends back home, and anxious/nervous about what is going to come next because I have no idea! I think that most, if not all, of the people reading this know me well enough to know that I wear my heart of my sleeve. You know how deeply I plunge into life’s experiences and how much I genuinely value the different moments that trickle onto my path. This time in Uganda has been so incredibly wonderful and life changing…and it came at such a crucial moment in my life. At a time when I was feeling completely lost and as though I was no longer living my life, but that it was living me. So I decided to drop everything…quit my job, sell lots of my things, leave my beloved rented house in DC (yard and all!); say goodbye to my family and friends and take an adventure into the unknown. And believe me, as lost and unhappy as I was in my life…making the decision to leave it all behind for this unknown was still really scary. Three months later, I still understand that presence of fear, but am so grateful that I had the courage to face it because as one of my favorite poems says, “I took the [road] less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

I have no idea where I’d be if I had not stopped in my tracks and come to Uganda…but thankfully, that is something I don’t have to wonder about. I am here and I am a better and stronger person because of it. I have taken the opportunity to look inward and grow as an individual. I have weathered hard weeks of adjustment to get to a place emotionally and mentally where I could fully appreciate this experience. I have met beautiful, amazing, strong willed people who I know will never stop fighting for themselves and the people around them. I have read a lot of books; written a lot of words; taken a lot of photographs; practiced a lot of capoeira; gone on many quiet jogs; and just spent a lot of time with myself finding a beautiful peace and calm in my soul. I have been more adventurous and independent than I can ever remember being…being addicted to the Nile River is one of the only addictions I’ll ever try to hold onto…
…I just spent yet another weekend on the shores of the mighty Nile. I am sure by now it sounds like a broken record…but I just couldn’t help myself! It’s so hard for me to put into words the way I feel when I’m floating down that river or tackling its Grade 3-5 rapids. There are moments of peace and calm and moments of pure adrenaline, adventure and excitement; and all the while, you feel lucky to be surrounded by such natural, untouched beauty. It’s hard to be anything but sincerely happy! And this was the only time that I got to go with a few friends. Usually I just make friends with the people on my raft, but some of the girls I met last time I was in town were going one last time before heading home this week…so it was a great excuse for me to go back to see them and enjoy the river together (Team Zappa photo above at end of day). Because Jaime always rafts with Charlie, otherwise known as Prince of the Nile (pictured to the right), we got to raft with him on Saturday and it could not have been a better, more perfect run (definitely a tie with the first time for my favorite trip down the river)! Charlie was awesome! He was more than happy to take us down the hardest lines and we even did one rapid that none of the other boats did which ended up being one of the best of the day…Chop Suey. We had great runs on all of my favorite rapids…no falling out too early, no not flipping when we wanted to flip, not one disappointment…it really was just a perfectly awesome and fun day!

That night we celebrated and partied hard. It was a really fun night and I even ended up at the club at the end of the night dancing up a storm. Sunday I was feeling a bit rough, but ended up spending the day with a few friends lying on the rocks of the river next to one of the rapids…50/50. We swam, climbed a big tree and jumped into the river a few times (something I was really proud of because I was never a good tree climber and it was a pretty high jump…maybe 30 feet), drank some beers, sang some songs, just relaxed. It was such a great afternoon because it was so unexpected and unplanned…it just kind of happened. I also met the cutest little boy when I was getting my chapati omelette (MMMM!), Ibra, who became my buddy. Love him!

I had to say goodbye to the girls on Monday morning. I’m definitely bummed they won’t be there when I go back for my last two days in Uganda; but am just glad we got to spend some time together. It was nice to have some girlfriends again! My trip back to Lyantonde was quite long and a bit frustrating at times, but I made it! I wanted to pick up a bale of clothes in Kampala to bring back with me to deliver to some families in the field but had to go to SIX banks before I found a machine that was both working AND had money in it! UGH. And it was a rainy day, so the dirt streets were just a muddy mess…but I’ve gotten over worrying about having clean feet in this country. I just roll my pants up and do my best to stay balanced; I’m still convinced I’m going to fall on my ass one of these days! Anyways, we finally managed to get the money from the bank and get the bale of clothes to the bus (which will clothe about 100 people). Just picture me riding on the back of a motor bike with a suitcase on my lap weaving through the heaviest traffic you can imagine (African style, re: bikes, motorbikes, people, mini-bus taxis, cars, delivery trucks and more all jammed onto one narrow, crappy, full of potholes, muddy, puddle filled city road). Like I said, it was a long day!

So this week and next we will be delivering clothes and goats to several families thanks to the donations of family and friends. Mom and dad, Aunt Peggy, Uncle Bob and Aunt Donna, Beth, Petrina, Jose Raphael, Frank, Mrs. Cantlin, Jill and Dave…THANK YOU. These 12 people from the states, Australia and Ecuador have contributed a total amount of $2000 US!!! Amazing. Donations from $5 US to $1000 AUS and several in between…I cannot thank you all enough for your generosity. I plan to hand deliver a lot of the clothes and goats so that I can personally meet the families, takes some photos and write their stories. That way you can all know what your donation means to the people who receive something from it. I haven’t had a chance to go into the field for over a month now, so I am really glad that I have the opportunity to see the hope and happiness in their faces again before I leave this organization. So again…thank you!

I'm back from 3 weeks travelling in Uganda and Kenya

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 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!

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 accidentally 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…

Filing My First Police Report...

After another fabulous weekend spent staying about the Nile River and kayaking through the rapids...I had my first negative Ugandan (although it could have happened anywhere) experience on Monday: my Nikon D-40 camera (with 130 pictures from the river, the camp party that night and kampala) was stolen from my bag during the bus ride from Kampala to Lyantonde. I was devastated when I realized it. My heart literally sank. That was the one thing that I did not want to lose…ever. It was my baby. It was the only REAL gift I’d ever given myself (well, besides my travelling adventures). And here in Uganda, it has been my life, my heart. I have captured so many faces and places and animals and sunsets and moments. The pictures were my way of documenting this experience. I’ve absolutely LOVED working on my photography in this gorgeous environment, with all of the amazing people I have met and places I’ve seen. I have almost 1500 pictures already and I had so many plans and hopes for the photos that I was going to take over the next two months. But the world gathered a bunch of random coincidences together yesterday and at the end of a long bus journey, my camera was gone.

(You can skip this next paragraph if you don’t want to hear the story of how it happened)…
It had been a torturous, hot, sweaty hour sitting on the bus before it finally departed the bus park in Uganda’s capital. And then another 30 minutes sitting at a gas station for some kind of maintenance. Then, a cold 3 hours later we were about 20 minutes from Lyantonde when we came to a truck that had hit a pothole the wrong way and was stuck blocking the entire road. Our big passenger bus decided to proceed through the hills and rural side roads to by-pass the accident. Unfortunately, the very steep and unpaved first hill was too much for the weight of our bus so we were asked to get out and walk up the hill. I left my locked, although not completely secure, backpack on the bus since it’d only be a few minutes (it was only about 20 yards to the top from where were) and everyone was getting off empty handed. However, rather than waiting for us at the top of that hill, the bus continued for what ended up being about 2 or 3 kilometers. So when I finally reached the bus 30 minutes later on the main road, I noticed my bag had been moved, but it was still locked and I felt certain no one could get anything out of it. When we started driving away without the two gentlemen that had been seated beside me, I spoke up to the people around me and tried to get the conductor’s attention because I worried we were leaving them behind and maybe they had bags on the bus; they all said not to worry about it. But about 10 minutes later when I realized how strange it was that the 2 men were no longer on the bus, I decided to investigate my bag closer. And that’s when my heart sank. They had been able to open the bag enough to reach in, unzip my camera bag and take out my gorgeous, precious, beloved Nikon. The same man that had slept on my shoulder and breathed on me; the same man for whom I worried we were leaving behind with his things on the bus…had taken the camera that has captured so much of my Uganda. I immediately called to the conductor and started spitting out emotional words expressing how important it was to me and that the men had taken it! Had anyone seen this happen? Why wasn’t anyone watching our bags as we hiked through the hills??? The bus wouldn’t stop of course; they insisted there was nothing we could do now…it was too late. Upon arriving in Lyantonde just minutes later, a crowd of boda boda drivers (motorbike/motorcycle taxis) listened sympathetically to me and the conductor talk. Peter, my regular boda driver (such a sweetheart!), came to the front of the group and asked what happened and when I started to tell the story, the tears came. If we hadn’t come to that random truck in the middle of the road…those men would never have had a moment to even look in my bag. Sometimes the world works for us…sometimes, it works against us; but it’s all part of the universe and we learn from it. I wrote my statement on some random piece of paper that was then filed with thousands of other pieces of paper on a dresser in one of the small round offices of Lyantonde's Police "Station". I don't expect to see my camera again, but there's no harm in trying!

I consciously decided on Monday afternoon that I would only allow myself to be angry and upset about it that day. I don’t know if I was/am inspired by Liz Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love and her time in India (the part I just finished reading on that same bus ride)…but after the initial shock wore off, I knew that I wanted to center all of my energy on positive thoughts after a night’s rest (albeit a night of tossing and turning and a 4 am phone call home because I couldn’t sleep!). Yes, something very important and special to me (and my time here) was wrongfully taken from me, but life will go on. The pictures that I lost with the camera were memories that no one can ever take from me. I don’t have any pictures from my first weekend on the river, but that doesn’t take away from how truly amazing it was! And as I sit here and listen to No One, by Alicia Keys (I love you so much, Meam, for putting that on one of the mixes!)…I smile as I hear words from her love song that remind me exactly why I had to purge my soul of the angry, bitter, upset feelings I initially felt…she’s singing “no one can get in the way of what I’m feeling…” And she is so right! No one can take away the happiness that being in Uganda has given me. No one can take the calmness out of my spirit. No one can steal the peace that I have found in my soul. I won’t let them.


I know I’ve talked a lot about happiness recently; but since I don’t have many field stories to share…this is what is on my mind. This is what I’m constantly thinking and feeling. This is my life right now. I am in one of the world’s poorer countries and I am having truly one of the richest experiences of my life. I’m seeing the world through the eyes of an innocent child discovering everything for the first time. Not fully understanding all around me; not able to communicate well, although doing my best to learn some of the language. Learning the food, the music, the way of life; meeting lots of new people, seeing a lot of new and peculiar things. Each day completely full of curiosity about the world I have found myself in. Just like a baby discovering the world around him or her. It’s amazing to have the opportunity to see the world through such eyes of innocence. It’s beautiful. It’s life changing.

Before I got to Uganda, I was feeling really lost and stressed and overwhelmed. I couldn’t see myself anymore; It was hard for me to feel/find real happiness. And now I’ve found myself and my happiness again and don’t plan to allow anyone to take it away so easily. They may have my camera, but that’s all they can have. I will buy a new, less fancy camera this weekend; but the beauty, peace, calm, love and happiness that I feel daily in my heart and soul…you can’t find that in any corner store!

Kayaking Grade 5 Rapids on the Nile!

So, I really wanted to tell you about last weekend: I went back to the Nile River (and Nile River Explorers!), but this time I faced the Grade 1-5 rapids in a tandem kayak. It was amazing! Pretty hardcore; very fun; and, of course…gorgeous. We rolled in 3 of the rapids, although I was bad at that part and always got a bit disoriented. The first time I stayed under a bit too long and I was actually under the water thinking to myself, “I can’t breathe, I’m kind of drowning” but it never dawned on me to just release my skirt and get out. It was so peaceful; I felt safe; I wasn’t scared at all. When the boat and I surfaced for a second (my tandem guy, Charlie, had already released himself at this point…smart guy that he is!), I was surrounded by safety kayakers screaming, “YOU HAVE TO RELEASE…YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THERE!” It was really cute! When I finally got myself out of the boat and crazy waves and was holding on to the safety kayak (Hassan was assigned to our tandem kayak and saved me three times!) to get back to mine, I couldn’t stop laughing…it was great. Just like last time, I really loved being rescued by the safety kayakers. They are like you’re knight in shining armor riding a white horse, but in this case they are riding a kayak and wearing life vests and helmets! When you see them coming to get you out of the waves and rapids, you can’t help but smile.
The next two times we went under I prematurely released myself (smile) because I was nervous from that first time! Even though we were known as the “swim team” because we rolled and released so many times, I spent the day laughing (Charlie’s laugh is infectious), talking about life in Uganda and different events in our lives and enjoying the beautiful scenery. It was truly another amazing and special day.
Later that night I partied pretty hard, making up for the quiet of my life in Lyantonde I guess! Charlie and Alex (my rafting guide from the first trip) both hung out and several other Ugandans with me and my two new friends from the day, Emily and Alistair, an engaged couple from Tasmania, Australia. We even got the beer funnel/bong out (the pictures were lost with the camera)…which took me straight back to my college years! Sunday I nursed my hangover with 2 chapati omelettes from the Bujagali Chapati guy…mmmm…seriously amazing food and then several hours relaxing at one of the pools in town (with a beer and sprite cocktail of course!). It was another great weekend at the source of the Nile. Something about that area…something about it pulls me back. The happy/fun Ugandan kayakers and rafters; all the adventurous travelers; the Nile River; the scenery; the crazy bar scene at night, the chapati omelettes (!). Something about it is so peaceful, relaxing and fun that I can’t help but end up back there again soon!

I have DVDs of both the rafting and the kayaking to show when I get home!

Your chance to donate is now!!!

We are currently in a situation at RACOBAO in which we are waiting for some big donations to come through…but they involve a lot of paperwork, a lot of meetings and a lot of waiting…and it will probably be June before the money is available for projects. So, I thought this would be a great time to remind my friends and family that you can help too! I know I mentioned in my mass email when I first arrived that you can donate to RACOBAO by wiring them money. But I also know that wiring money is not something we all do very often and don’t feel comfortable doing. SO, I have come up with a plan that I hope you like: if you can send your donations to my parents in their names, they will put the money in the bank for me and I will directly withdraw it from the bank here. That way, there is no waiting, no paperwork, no bank hassle. My parents deposit your money into the bank in the U.S. and I take that same amount out here in Ugandan shillings. We will send a receipt via fax, mail or hand delivery (me this summer in DC or Pittsburgh) and will let you know what your money helped us to do. Please let us know if you prefer the receipt and mini-report faxed, mailed or hand delivered.

There are so many projects that we are doing and some that are being put on hold…so any amount, from as low as $5 (2 second hand shirts) to as high as you want to donate can be utilized to help someone here. You can specify how you would like your money used or you can let us use it where we need it the most. Here are some examples of what we do with donations:

· School supplies (book bags, pens/pencils, geometry sets, notebooks): $30/student
· School uniform: $30/student
· Secondary school fees: $150/one term for one student
· Vocational center school fees: $200/one term for one student
· A bale of second-hand clothes for children and parents: $350/about 100 people (Smaller donations work too as I can go and pick up just a few pieces!)
· Pregnant Goat (Give me a Goat, Give me a Chance Project): $100
· New House: $1500
· Water Tank: $720
· Kitchen: $735
· Latrine: $735
· House/tank/kitchen/latrine: $3700
· Family Sufficient Kit (bed, mattress, blanket, mosquito net, cup, plate, knife, basin, jerrican [used to fetch water]): $100/one person
· Treated mosquito net: $11
· Blanket: $18
· Bicycle (gives people living with AIDS transportation to get their treatment; is income generating for child headed households because it gives them a way to get goods to/from market to sell; etc): $89
· Set of drums (for theatre/music performance by Drama Club which sings and performs skits all around the community about HIV/AIDS, getting tested, getting treatment and living healthy lives): $235
· Soccer ball or volleyball: $35

In my 6 weeks here, I have seen families before they have a new home (above top) and when their new home is in the middle of construction (above bottom, still in front of old home, but look at the smiles on the dad and older boy, the life in their eyes...I wrote about this widower a few weeks ago; i can't tell you how it warmed my heart to see him laughing and smiling with his baby!!!). I wish you could see how big their smiles were and how much those smiles came from deep down inside just from seeing that house going up; it really gives them such HOPE! The kitchen, the latrine, the water tank, the family sufficient kits…they all provide a much more hygienic and sanitary lifestyle for families who would otherwise not have a chance to have that. I have heard stories about how the goats (one of the most successful projects) have provided a sense of calm just in knowing that they are there and can be sold in an instant if there is an emergency in the family or if the person living with AIDS needs treatment, etc. And goats produce fast, so some families given one or two goats now have 10 or 12! It becomes a sustainable source of income and security for the family. I just met all of the students we sponsor in the secondary schools at a workshop this past Saturday and they are such bright children who without our financial help, would not have a chance to go to school. I work with the children coming to our vocational center and know how grateful they are to have the opportunity to learn a skill that will help provide an income for their families in the future and just to attend school and learn in general (they are begging me for an English exam!!!). I have seen children in the field wearing t-shirts much too big for them, completely filthy with no other shirt available to change into and in many cases, no shorts/skirts to wear either. And I have watched the Drama Club perform in front of almost 100 people and heard how beautifully they sing. Many of the people in the club have HIV/AIDS, some have been affected by the disease in other ways… and all of them are providing an amazing service by educating their neighbors. All of these things, big and small, make such profound differences in the lives of the people we are helping.

Please help us continue our work…no matter what the size of your donation, it won’t compare with what I will see in the people when they receive what is on the other side of that donation: the gratitude, the new hope and the big smiles on their faces and in their eyes are all truly priceless.

Please send donations to:
Bonnie Varley
204 Old Farm Trail
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
**Be sure to write any checks out in her name and to specify how you would like the money used if you have a preference.**

If you’d like to email me (mvarley_03@hotmail.com) and let me know about your donation, I can try to put it into action even before my parents receive the check!

THANK YOU!!! From me, from RACOBAO, from all of the people in the field…THANK YOU!

The Best Day of My Life

April 12, 2008: Truly the best, most happiest (yes, most happiest) day of my entire life. I have no idea how to even begin to tell you about rafting on the Nile this past Saturday. You know how sometimes the world really just comes together in such a perfectly random and unexpected, unplanned way and creates a perfect experience? Well, that was Saturday. I started the day alone on a one hour shuttle ride from Kampala to Jinja (where the source of the Nile is), had breakfast with a room full of strangers and then by chance, got on the smaller of the two trucks loading all of the rafters in the back to take us to where we'd start our day of rafting...all complements of Nile River Explorers, probably the best rafting company in the world! The group in the back of my truck consisted of me and about 9 American college students who were on a program together in Uganda, but had been separated for several weeks and had come together for this little mini reunion. So they were all so excited to see each other, but also joining me in their conversation. And honestly, no offense to American college students (I used to be one!), but this group was SO FAR from being like so many I have met before. They were not obnoxious and immature but fun and adventurous and they adopted me into their group which is part of the reason I had such an amazing day and for which I was so grateful!

We got to the river and split our group into two groups of 5, were joined by 2 other random travelers and only by the luck of the world walked onto a raft with the most amazing raft guide of the day...Alex, although it took us forever to get his real name out of him! His nickname is Muzungu (white person), but we thought he was just kidding around with us until the guys at the bar were calling him that later...and I think it may actually be his last name...but we may never know:)!

We all agreed before we got on the water that we wanted to go HARD. All the way! We didn’t want to take any short cuts or easy routes, we wanted to go through the hardest waves and rapids. So we let Alex know (I think he was more than happy to oblige) and our quick 30 minute training started. I was SOOOOO nervous, he actually laughed at me because I looked so scared…but it was AMAZING. On the first rapid, a grade 4 or 5, when he yelled, “back paddle, back paddle” we all paddled like we had never paddled before…I mean, I thought this was SERIOUS. A matter of emergency. After we were back in the boat recovering from our first flip, Alex laughed as he told us that we had made ourselves flip over because of that back paddling! We loved him for that.

And so the day went. It was amazing. TRULY. I’m so excited thinking about it that I can’t figure out how to write about it. Luckily, I bought the DVD and will be able to show anyone who lets me pop it in for them once I’m home! I plan to go back in a few weeks and will even try to go again in June before I head home. Just everything about that day, from the group that adopted me, to Alex, to the rafting on the Nile freakin’ River, to the periods where we were just floating and swimming and enjoying the day and the gorgeous scenery (the clouds here are gorgeous), to me being the Flying Squirrel on the second to last rapid (something I can’t figure out how to explain in words on paper, but I can try in person or you can see it a few times on the DVD)…it was all part of what was the very best and happiest day of my life. The universe really came together and made that day nothing short of perfect.

On the bus ride back to the Nile River Explorers campsite (where we would enjoy a BBQ, some Nile Special beers and celebrate into the night), we were all on such an adrenaline high, still shocked and amazed by the day we had just experienced…truly intoxicated by life. I know I just wrote about drunk happiness last post, but the intoxication I felt on Saturday afternoon was about a million times as intense as after my jog when I discovered a piece of heaven. It seems that heaven, and whatever that means for each of us, is really all around us and it just keeps getting better if you take the time to open up your soul to its power.

To Alex, my raft group, the safety kayakers, NRE in general and anyone else that was a part of that day…THANK YOU! To all of you that couldn't be there, I probably thought of you at least once and wished you could have been…so you were with me in spirit!

"I'm in heaven...."

I wish I could really describe and explain to all of you reading my blog how amazing this experience is. Although I was surprised by the month long adjustment period and the difficulty I had, that time has made me appreciate being here so much more. Like Taoism and the yin and the yang, which create unity in opposites…in everything in life, you have to have the bad, to appreciate, understand and learn from the good and vice versa. Having survived the loneliness and isolation, I am now able to soak up the beauty of every moment and am extremely grateful that I am here.

Not only are the people I am working with and meeting inspiring and amazing and helping me to open my eyes and gain new perspective on life and the world we live in; but the land here, the environment in which I am living…it is indescribably beautiful. I went on a jog on Friday afternoon to this big stone at the top of one of the hills here; my friend suggested this route after I mentioned to him that running on the road attracted a lot of curious stares. Not only am I a white girl in the middle or rural Africa, but I am wearing shorts and out for an afternoon jog…all things that are not a normal part of daily life here! As I found my way up to the huge stone, I realized I was about to have an unbelievable view: the sun was slowly starting to set and I could see all around me for miles and miles and miles. I could see the endless rolling hills of Uganda and all that they contain; I could see the whole world. I had seriously found a piece of heaven not even ¼ mile from where I’ve been living for 5 weeks. I wanted to shout as loud as possible, I wanted to cry, and I wanted to jump with happiness. I was surrounded by untouched land and it was gorgeous.

Normally, I really do not enjoy running; I just do it because I know it’s good for me and, especially if it’s a nice day, it usually relaxes me. But even when I jog in the park at home, I am counting the minutes til I am done. Here, I feel as though I could jog forever; I never feel tired afterwards; but re-energized and with a new sense of calm. After my jog Friday, I swear I was drunk with happiness. It was the most intoxicating feeling. I just felt so HAPPY and so very grateful. Happy to be here. Grateful that I have the chance to live this experience. Happy and grateful for all that is “Marci’s Uganda”.

A few hours later as I walked to town to meet some friends, I looked up at the sky and marveled at the thousands of stars above. Because there are no street lights, you can really see THOUSANDS of stars and it just made the feeling of drunk happiness that was still dominating my soul stronger. I tried to explain to my friends how I was feeling…I’m not sure how successful I was, but I think the childish grin that was spread from ear to ear on my face may have helped.

I spent Saturday with some of the same friends at Lake Mburo National Park only 30 km from Lyantonde. It was such a treat to see so many zebras, hippos, impalas, eagles, storks, warthogs (okay, that was not a treat) and more all in their natural habitat. It was an awesome day and a perfect extension of the positive energy from the day before. On the nature walk we were lucky to come within 20 yards of 2 grazing hippos (a rarity at that time of day) and then on our boat trip we saw one of the rarest birds in the world. Although the warthogs were uglier than ugly, the zebras looked like they had been painted into the scenery; I never could have imagined that they could be THAT beautiful in person. And on our way out of the park, we saw the national bird of Uganda, the crested crane (above right)…a perfect way to end our adventure.

I remember in my first weeks I felt as though the 3 ½ months I was supposed to be here would not pass fast enough. I was determined to lend a helping hand with RACOBAO, but I looked forward to my return home daily. I missed my family and friends and I longed for the life I had left behind…well parts of it! But now, as I soak up and truly appreciate the culture, the environment, the beauty and the stories, I find myself thinking that time here could never be long enough. For the first time in a very long time, I feel stress-free. All of those moments from the last years of feeling overwhelmed with my work and my life are gone. My spirit has found a sense of calm; my soul is at peace; and I am truly happy and grateful for this moment in my life. If I could reach through this screen to each of you and give you a piece of this love and calm, I would. But in its place, I hope you each try to find your own moment of drunk happiness. If not today or tomorrow, then sometime very soon…just look out for it, because it will find you in the simplest of simplicity and the calmest of calm. My thoughts, energy and love are with you all.