So here I am, four hours away from Kampala in town called Mbale. It is the second largest city in Uganda. And don’t be fooled. There is a major gap in between them. Where I live is a very short walking distance from the main market (this is much better than having to catch a taxi every time you want to go into town). In town, there are lines of markets with fresh produce and grocery stores with some canned goods that I have been well-acquainted with; things such as Zesta (jam from a can), Blue Band (as close to butter as one can get in Africa), Nido (powdered milk that isn’t so bad; really), teas, coffees and even drinking chocolate (or more affectionately known as hot coco). I think the biggest and most visible difference between the two cities is that Mbale has a much more mountainous landscape.
Being in Kampala, I have learned much Luganda, but here in Mbale, Lugisu is spoken. Starting from scratch is a bit frustrating but exciting nonetheless.
Every morning there is a devotional with the entire staff at the Mbale office. Songs are sung, verses are read, devotionals are shared, and prayer requests are taken. What better way to start off your day than to begin it with the word of God. A week in and I have had so much fun as the staff here is unbelievably friendly.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Nile.
So, besides flying to Africa, this is definitely up there on my list of the craziest thing I have ever done. We left our house at around 6 am for Jinja. When we got there, we were fixed with a helmet, a life jacket, a paddle and a banana for good luck! Before we even started down the rapid river, we took a few kilometers of practicing instances of a boat flip, if someone fell off and how to swim down a rapid if we did get thrown off. Throughout the day, there was plenty of lathering-up with screen, but the raging Nile would just wash it off and the equator sun was relentless. Between the each set of rapids were 5 kilometer stretches of paddling where many of us jumped in the Nile for leisurely swims. We went a total of 31 kilometers, or 19 miles! On some of the rapids we had a choice of going either Mild or Wild. Our group took the Wild side every time. We had a great guide and a great group: we never unintentionally flipped. After the first 2 hours, we stopped at Lunch Island. And I bet you can guess why! We were all very hungry from the intense excitement. Oh, and lunch was extravagant. There was plenty of amazingly good food; sandwiches, little pineapple boats and papayas, potato salad...if you can imagine, it was like Heaven on Earth at that point.
On the very last leg there is a class 6, which we all had to get out of our boat and walk around. Class 6 means it is impossible: certain injury or death. After situating ourselves back in, the last rapid of the day had three choices: a leisurely rapid (where one might get wet), 50/50 (a 50% chance of flipping the raft), or the BAD PLACE (everyone who goes down this one is guaranteed to flip). And guess which one we did? That's right....the BAD PLACE. When I saw what we were going through, I nearly wimped out, haha. It was great. Our leader, Clarky, instructed us that if we feel like we are falling out (which is inevitable) we should just let go; it would be VERY dangerous to hold on. Being attached to that massive raft on those ripping waves has torn arms out of their sockets before. He also mentioned that we will be under the water for quite some time and we should not worry if we don't pop out of the water right away. Going down was like a roller coaster. We all stayed on for a second or two and our raft tipped sideways, spilling everyone out. I was quick to abandon the raft and my paddle as I didn't want to hold on for too long. While under water, it felt like I was in a washing machine. I felt bodies and paddles and the raft swirling all around me. I am not going to lie, I thought I was gonna die. I remembered though that we would be under for a while and continued to hold my breath even though it felt like I couldn't. And after what seemed like a lifetime, I popped right up, half way down the rapid. I was picked up by a safety boat and waited for the rest of our crew to be rescued. Our boat was still stuck in the curling wave of the rapid like it was dancing all alone. After the BAD PLACE my heart was beating faster than ever and there was a permanent smile on my face the rest of the night.
Instead of paying too much for food there, we packed sausage and potatoes for dinner and used the site's barbecue. We spent the night in a nice hostile and this morning some of our group even went bungee jumping, right over the Nile! I, of course, didn't have the balls to do that. But other than being in complete and utter pain from the sun burn, I was completely satisfied with our adventure the day before. Plus, what better place to get sunburned! I don't regret a second of it and I wish everyone I knew could have been there enjoying the experience with me.
On the very last leg there is a class 6, which we all had to get out of our boat and walk around. Class 6 means it is impossible: certain injury or death. After situating ourselves back in, the last rapid of the day had three choices: a leisurely rapid (where one might get wet), 50/50 (a 50% chance of flipping the raft), or the BAD PLACE (everyone who goes down this one is guaranteed to flip). And guess which one we did? That's right....the BAD PLACE. When I saw what we were going through, I nearly wimped out, haha. It was great. Our leader, Clarky, instructed us that if we feel like we are falling out (which is inevitable) we should just let go; it would be VERY dangerous to hold on. Being attached to that massive raft on those ripping waves has torn arms out of their sockets before. He also mentioned that we will be under the water for quite some time and we should not worry if we don't pop out of the water right away. Going down was like a roller coaster. We all stayed on for a second or two and our raft tipped sideways, spilling everyone out. I was quick to abandon the raft and my paddle as I didn't want to hold on for too long. While under water, it felt like I was in a washing machine. I felt bodies and paddles and the raft swirling all around me. I am not going to lie, I thought I was gonna die. I remembered though that we would be under for a while and continued to hold my breath even though it felt like I couldn't. And after what seemed like a lifetime, I popped right up, half way down the rapid. I was picked up by a safety boat and waited for the rest of our crew to be rescued. Our boat was still stuck in the curling wave of the rapid like it was dancing all alone. After the BAD PLACE my heart was beating faster than ever and there was a permanent smile on my face the rest of the night.
Instead of paying too much for food there, we packed sausage and potatoes for dinner and used the site's barbecue. We spent the night in a nice hostile and this morning some of our group even went bungee jumping, right over the Nile! I, of course, didn't have the balls to do that. But other than being in complete and utter pain from the sun burn, I was completely satisfied with our adventure the day before. Plus, what better place to get sunburned! I don't regret a second of it and I wish everyone I knew could have been there enjoying the experience with me.
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