I made it back in on Friday afternoon. I have tried to get a lot of sleep since then but for some reason I can't stay up past 9. I woke up super early this morning so hopefully I can get a nap in and get back on track!
I have updated more photos on Facebook here are the links...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2262102&id=23214890&l=e4e09861c5
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=38757615&l=de914c1cc1&id=23214890
I really appreciate everyone's support for this fantastic trip! It means so much to me to have so many people standing behind me as I get closer in achieving my goals in life.
Those last five days we did many things. Visited more schools (these were secondary schools). We toured three different churches, heard the story of the Martyrs which a lot of Ugandans actually don't believe in or so we were told. We saw where most of the Martyrs were killed. We went to the markets many more times. We went out on our own in the town (big step for us!). And lastly we said our goodbye's to TKL, In Movement, Makerere students and professors, and the staff at the guest house. The people I met there will never be forgotten and will continue to impact my decisions I make for the rest of my life.
Also on the way home my mom was one of the flight attendants from Brussels to Atlanta. It was great to see her and she even brought me a sand which! I was lucky I got to go hang out with her on the plane because there was just no way I would fall asleep because it was daylight outside.
Thanks to everyone for following my blog and reading about my adventures.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
5 days left in Uganda!
So I left you all short with a little summaries ending on the 8th. The rest of the day went well we went to the market which was incredible some of the things that were made. I bargained with the locals and made a few transactions. Bargaining was pretty entertaining but it was necessary to remember that 1,000 shillings is equivalent to only about fifty cents. After about 2 hours at the art market we went back to Makerere to meet a few students from the University and share different experiences. They also gave us a tour of their campus. I was with Freddy and Joann along with Lauren and Stephanie W. The students were in the Anthropology department or what they call faculties here. Their main professor Dr. K (we can’t pronounce his last name so I wont even try to spell it) is friends with our professors Dr. Peters and Dr. Uekeje. Everyone is so nice here. I have forgotten to mention Dr. K’s laugh in earlier entries…but it sounds identical to Rafiki’s off of The Lion King. He is such a jolly man! Speaking with the students was a little frustrating because even though we were speaking the same language there was still a major language barrier. They seem to talk very fast to me. After sharing different information about our universities we went on a tour with them around campus. It was a lot bigger than it seemed. We came back and shared a dinner with all thirteen of us! I was not feeling too well at this point, my sinuses were really acting up. I went to bed pretty early also to get ready for our journey to Murchinson Falls the next morning.
On the 9th (Wednesday), we were making a stop at “The Surgery” which is the hospital that most Americans go to and is recommended by many people. Margarita had to get her knee checked out again because of the rafting spill. I decided I felt crappy enough to join in the experience. Sure enough I had a sinus infection and sure enough they tried to give me penicillin. But instead I opted out and got erythomicin. The six hour drive to Murchinson was not a great experience for me. I was on medicine and had a head and body ache. This is not the best thing when driving in Uganda. The roads are extremely bumpy and I felt horrible the entire way up to The Red Chili which is where we were staying. When we got there we saw wart hogs all over the property and I thought they were mean but theses just wanted food from the trash bins. I just was a mess and thought about sleeping but I needed to eat something so I could take another pill so I could get better. I ended up with Vegetable Sitr Fry because I was not too hungry. It was pretty good a little bland but it was pretty much camping food. After eating we got settled in our rooms. Lauren and I slept in a tent and the rest got little huts I was fine with that thought I thought it was a fun little experience. I didn’t take many pictures because it really didn’t cross my mind until the next day. As I was getting ready for bed settling in and folding my sheets down and about to take my Malaria meds I noticed that my sinus meds were missing so I had to go on a wild goose chase to hunt those down luckily in the end I found them took my pills and Lauren, Stephanie H, and Margarita came up from the camp fire they took the lantern that was outside our tent and at the time I didn’t understand why but later Lauren told me it was because hippos roam the camp sites at night or so they were told. I was a little skeptical but went to bed. At about 1:00 am I had to go to the bathroom-keep in mind no lights no close bathrooms, possible hippos, wart hogs, etc. So I had to wake Lauren up and ask what we should do and she walked with me with out any contacts in so she couldn’t see a thing. We made it to the bathroom and back just fine! I was pretty scared though. Not 20 minutes later we hear these noises that sound like crunching almost like a walking on gravel noise. Lauren tries to see if I am awake but I am laying so still because I don’t want to move just in case it is the hippos…then we hear a huff noise. Sure enough was hippos walking outside of our tent all night. It definitely was an interesting experience. And not an hour later we heard people in the kitchen making the to go breakfasts for the safaris. So we didn’t get much sleep thanks to my bladder, the hippos, and breakfast baggers.
When we woke up on the 10th we basically rolled out of bed and into the van before the sun was up and went on the safari. By the time we got to the ferry that took the vans and people over the sun was just coming up. We crossed the Nile River at a much different and dirtier point than we were previously at in Jinja. We crossed the river and met our guide, Dennis, and we were off. We saw all kinds of animals and they were amazing in the wild. We saw Water Buck, Heart of Jackson, Ugandan Cobb, Wart Hogs, hippos, lions, antelope, Giraffes, even a porcupine and those are nocturnal! We also saw many different species of birds. And that was just the land tour. When it came to the water tour which was after lunch we saw a whole family of elephants come down to the water for a drink and cooling. We saw many more hippos, even a few crocs, and more birds. I took some great photos which I hope to upload soon! We finally made it to the falls which were amazing it is crazy to see something like that when it isn’t man made.
Our plans got a little messed up and we decided to drive down to Minsinda which is the halfway point to Kampala which I was happy for. The six hour drive was a little intense. On the way to Minsinda we saw the top of the falls and got completely attacked by Tetzi flies which drove many tribes out of the area-including us! We also were originally planning on making it to Gulu which was very North Uganda however that would have been possibly another 6 hours from Murchinson.
The 11th is today and is a very significant day. The World Cup started yesterday!! I can tell that all of the country is getting excited or so it seems because whenever there is a television playing a commercial about it everyone seems to start humming or singing along with it. We are driving back now and I am pre typing this on a laptop for easy upload and there is the most beautiful rainbow that has followed us the whole way. I am mentioning it because it finally has touched down on both sides no just a partial rainbow it looks almost like something you would see in a children’s book. We are staying at Makerere for the rest of the trip now.
One the drive home I have just been thinking about the experience and how wonderful it has been. I am now grateful for so many simple things that I never thought I might be. I am so glad I do not have to sleep under a mosquito net every night, I am thankful I can drink from a tap, take a warm shower, being able to walk on a sidewalk, have shoes on my feet, and so much more. I have seen many disturbing things this trip which I will not share with you all but just known that there really are so many things to be grateful for. One of the main problems is that Ugandans are thankful for so many things and some people don’t get that. Remember this give a man a fish and he’ll starve. Teach a man to fish and their will always be food on the table. We must teach those who don’t have things. Giving them to them wont help, it will only hurt and unfortunately this is what is happening in a lot of places around the world.
On a lighter note...my sinus infection is much better I should be done taking my meds in 3 days and hopefully it will be gone! Missing everyone back home!
Yesterday (11th) a few of us actually got to go to a near by stadium where the games were being broadcasted on big screens. We missed the opener but went for the second game! We went with one of our taxi drivers Twaha and his wife Sarah. Once we got there I was sure happy they went with us. It was an experience
Today we got to play with the Adapted League again. It was nice to see the team because they just make me so happy! They got their jerseys and they smiles were as big as possible. We also went to the equator and I got my picture in both the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern. We also had a fantastic chicken wrap with carrots, peppers, tomatoes, and guacamole however Lauren and I are pretty sure there was not chicken in ours. The road there however were a little rough-they were doing construction work so as Lauren said "they are building roads" but other than that the two hour drive was not too bad.
We have a full schedule next week! Tomorrow we are playing in a tournament well mini tournament at the International School and then going to another Barbecue at The Dudley's. I am really excited-Harriet prepares amazing food! Monday I think we are trying to do some school visits with Willis who runs the A-League and from there is when it gets a little to crazy to remember.
It is hard for me to remember what I do today none the less what we are planning to do. There is a saying here, TIA (this is Africa), because sometimes 8:00 turns to 9:00 or plans change in ten minutes. I have learned to just go with the flow it is so much easier!
More pictures uploaded! Check them out! I miss everyone!
On the 9th (Wednesday), we were making a stop at “The Surgery” which is the hospital that most Americans go to and is recommended by many people. Margarita had to get her knee checked out again because of the rafting spill. I decided I felt crappy enough to join in the experience. Sure enough I had a sinus infection and sure enough they tried to give me penicillin. But instead I opted out and got erythomicin. The six hour drive to Murchinson was not a great experience for me. I was on medicine and had a head and body ache. This is not the best thing when driving in Uganda. The roads are extremely bumpy and I felt horrible the entire way up to The Red Chili which is where we were staying. When we got there we saw wart hogs all over the property and I thought they were mean but theses just wanted food from the trash bins. I just was a mess and thought about sleeping but I needed to eat something so I could take another pill so I could get better. I ended up with Vegetable Sitr Fry because I was not too hungry. It was pretty good a little bland but it was pretty much camping food. After eating we got settled in our rooms. Lauren and I slept in a tent and the rest got little huts I was fine with that thought I thought it was a fun little experience. I didn’t take many pictures because it really didn’t cross my mind until the next day. As I was getting ready for bed settling in and folding my sheets down and about to take my Malaria meds I noticed that my sinus meds were missing so I had to go on a wild goose chase to hunt those down luckily in the end I found them took my pills and Lauren, Stephanie H, and Margarita came up from the camp fire they took the lantern that was outside our tent and at the time I didn’t understand why but later Lauren told me it was because hippos roam the camp sites at night or so they were told. I was a little skeptical but went to bed. At about 1:00 am I had to go to the bathroom-keep in mind no lights no close bathrooms, possible hippos, wart hogs, etc. So I had to wake Lauren up and ask what we should do and she walked with me with out any contacts in so she couldn’t see a thing. We made it to the bathroom and back just fine! I was pretty scared though. Not 20 minutes later we hear these noises that sound like crunching almost like a walking on gravel noise. Lauren tries to see if I am awake but I am laying so still because I don’t want to move just in case it is the hippos…then we hear a huff noise. Sure enough was hippos walking outside of our tent all night. It definitely was an interesting experience. And not an hour later we heard people in the kitchen making the to go breakfasts for the safaris. So we didn’t get much sleep thanks to my bladder, the hippos, and breakfast baggers.
When we woke up on the 10th we basically rolled out of bed and into the van before the sun was up and went on the safari. By the time we got to the ferry that took the vans and people over the sun was just coming up. We crossed the Nile River at a much different and dirtier point than we were previously at in Jinja. We crossed the river and met our guide, Dennis, and we were off. We saw all kinds of animals and they were amazing in the wild. We saw Water Buck, Heart of Jackson, Ugandan Cobb, Wart Hogs, hippos, lions, antelope, Giraffes, even a porcupine and those are nocturnal! We also saw many different species of birds. And that was just the land tour. When it came to the water tour which was after lunch we saw a whole family of elephants come down to the water for a drink and cooling. We saw many more hippos, even a few crocs, and more birds. I took some great photos which I hope to upload soon! We finally made it to the falls which were amazing it is crazy to see something like that when it isn’t man made.
Our plans got a little messed up and we decided to drive down to Minsinda which is the halfway point to Kampala which I was happy for. The six hour drive was a little intense. On the way to Minsinda we saw the top of the falls and got completely attacked by Tetzi flies which drove many tribes out of the area-including us! We also were originally planning on making it to Gulu which was very North Uganda however that would have been possibly another 6 hours from Murchinson.
The 11th is today and is a very significant day. The World Cup started yesterday!! I can tell that all of the country is getting excited or so it seems because whenever there is a television playing a commercial about it everyone seems to start humming or singing along with it. We are driving back now and I am pre typing this on a laptop for easy upload and there is the most beautiful rainbow that has followed us the whole way. I am mentioning it because it finally has touched down on both sides no just a partial rainbow it looks almost like something you would see in a children’s book. We are staying at Makerere for the rest of the trip now.
One the drive home I have just been thinking about the experience and how wonderful it has been. I am now grateful for so many simple things that I never thought I might be. I am so glad I do not have to sleep under a mosquito net every night, I am thankful I can drink from a tap, take a warm shower, being able to walk on a sidewalk, have shoes on my feet, and so much more. I have seen many disturbing things this trip which I will not share with you all but just known that there really are so many things to be grateful for. One of the main problems is that Ugandans are thankful for so many things and some people don’t get that. Remember this give a man a fish and he’ll starve. Teach a man to fish and their will always be food on the table. We must teach those who don’t have things. Giving them to them wont help, it will only hurt and unfortunately this is what is happening in a lot of places around the world.
On a lighter note...my sinus infection is much better I should be done taking my meds in 3 days and hopefully it will be gone! Missing everyone back home!
Yesterday (11th) a few of us actually got to go to a near by stadium where the games were being broadcasted on big screens. We missed the opener but went for the second game! We went with one of our taxi drivers Twaha and his wife Sarah. Once we got there I was sure happy they went with us. It was an experience
Today we got to play with the Adapted League again. It was nice to see the team because they just make me so happy! They got their jerseys and they smiles were as big as possible. We also went to the equator and I got my picture in both the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern. We also had a fantastic chicken wrap with carrots, peppers, tomatoes, and guacamole however Lauren and I are pretty sure there was not chicken in ours. The road there however were a little rough-they were doing construction work so as Lauren said "they are building roads" but other than that the two hour drive was not too bad.
We have a full schedule next week! Tomorrow we are playing in a tournament well mini tournament at the International School and then going to another Barbecue at The Dudley's. I am really excited-Harriet prepares amazing food! Monday I think we are trying to do some school visits with Willis who runs the A-League and from there is when it gets a little to crazy to remember.
It is hard for me to remember what I do today none the less what we are planning to do. There is a saying here, TIA (this is Africa), because sometimes 8:00 turns to 9:00 or plans change in ten minutes. I have learned to just go with the flow it is so much easier!
More pictures uploaded! Check them out! I miss everyone!
Monday, June 7, 2010
6/4-6/8
This might get a little confusing because I have not updated in a while so I am going to date each day in this entry!
6/4
I did laundry and lets just say that is an expirience! Handwashing, in sink with soap and no fabric softner. Not too mention then hanging to dry which takes about 3 days indoors because I didnt really have a place to hang them outside.
During the day we visited a "special integrated school" called Hill Prepatory School. This school has a ratio of able bodied students to disabled (mainly mental but some physical). We took a tour of what they do and asked questions about how they could get their enrollment up. We also got to eat an authentic Ugandan school lunch which consisted of beans, sweet potatoe, and a substance called maze which was almost like a mashed corn. (not as good as mashed potatoes with butter and cream) but it was pretty good.
But back to the school itself they beleive that intergrading the students will allow everyone to learn at their own pace because of class sizes being so small I think it definitly gives them an opportunity for this! We joined a classroom of younger students where at the end of the day they are allowed to do their homework and we sang songs with them until it was time to go. Songs like the hokey pokey and stuff like that. It amazed me how many they knew!
At about four we left and went to Garden City Mall to have a little food and window shop. The food was much more Americanized there so Lauren and I shared a pizza. The one thing I have been craving so bad is macaroni and cheese.
We returned back to the guest house and showered then learned a game called scum. I am going to have to teach mom and everyone because it was pretty fun! Then off to bed.
6/5
Today it was wonderful for me! We worked the the Adaptive League like I was telling everyone about and some of these kids were just amazing. One of the little boys Wilson, had no feet yet he was dribbling away. Let's just say a lot of things I never thought could be done until I saw these kids play with such passion! I even got to play with the team I coached-look for a tagged picture on Facebook of me and my team from Lauren!
After that we rushed over to the International School where we were going to meet 8 of the kids league kids who are going to the World Cup. They were great players and they work great together! I was so inspired by where they are going and what they get to do (they get to play in a mini- 6v6 tournament in South Africa against many other countries.
6/6
Today I was not feeling very well at all the pollution seems to have taken over my lungs and doesnt want to get out of them but we woke up a little later t han normal and headed to the Colline House which is a beautiful hotel for a nice lunch and then we went to a performance at the Ndere Centre this was great! I have some manzing videos I will have to upload of the performers.
6/7
We visited the source of the Nile and the Nile river. Lauren and I went rafting on a mini ride for about 2 hours then we hung out in the "bungalo" until the rest got back. I am not going to lie, I might have taken a nap on one of the most comfortable couches ever! Some of the students got a little injured but ended up just fine thank goodness! Everyone had a wonderful time!
6/8
Today! We are going to the market for a little and then going to eating dinner with a few students from the University we are at (Makerere).
I will update again as soon as possible!
The days to come
Sorry I am trying to be quick because a lot of people need to use the internet-Catching up on 5 days isn't that easy! The 9-12 I will be in Northern Uganda at Gulu and Murchinson Falls so no more updates til Monday probably!
6/4
I did laundry and lets just say that is an expirience! Handwashing, in sink with soap and no fabric softner. Not too mention then hanging to dry which takes about 3 days indoors because I didnt really have a place to hang them outside.
During the day we visited a "special integrated school" called Hill Prepatory School. This school has a ratio of able bodied students to disabled (mainly mental but some physical). We took a tour of what they do and asked questions about how they could get their enrollment up. We also got to eat an authentic Ugandan school lunch which consisted of beans, sweet potatoe, and a substance called maze which was almost like a mashed corn. (not as good as mashed potatoes with butter and cream) but it was pretty good.
But back to the school itself they beleive that intergrading the students will allow everyone to learn at their own pace because of class sizes being so small I think it definitly gives them an opportunity for this! We joined a classroom of younger students where at the end of the day they are allowed to do their homework and we sang songs with them until it was time to go. Songs like the hokey pokey and stuff like that. It amazed me how many they knew!
At about four we left and went to Garden City Mall to have a little food and window shop. The food was much more Americanized there so Lauren and I shared a pizza. The one thing I have been craving so bad is macaroni and cheese.
We returned back to the guest house and showered then learned a game called scum. I am going to have to teach mom and everyone because it was pretty fun! Then off to bed.
6/5
Today it was wonderful for me! We worked the the Adaptive League like I was telling everyone about and some of these kids were just amazing. One of the little boys Wilson, had no feet yet he was dribbling away. Let's just say a lot of things I never thought could be done until I saw these kids play with such passion! I even got to play with the team I coached-look for a tagged picture on Facebook of me and my team from Lauren!
After that we rushed over to the International School where we were going to meet 8 of the kids league kids who are going to the World Cup. They were great players and they work great together! I was so inspired by where they are going and what they get to do (they get to play in a mini- 6v6 tournament in South Africa against many other countries.
6/6
Today I was not feeling very well at all the pollution seems to have taken over my lungs and doesnt want to get out of them but we woke up a little later t han normal and headed to the Colline House which is a beautiful hotel for a nice lunch and then we went to a performance at the Ndere Centre this was great! I have some manzing videos I will have to upload of the performers.
6/7
We visited the source of the Nile and the Nile river. Lauren and I went rafting on a mini ride for about 2 hours then we hung out in the "bungalo" until the rest got back. I am not going to lie, I might have taken a nap on one of the most comfortable couches ever! Some of the students got a little injured but ended up just fine thank goodness! Everyone had a wonderful time!
6/8
Today! We are going to the market for a little and then going to eating dinner with a few students from the University we are at (Makerere).
I will update again as soon as possible!
The days to come
Sorry I am trying to be quick because a lot of people need to use the internet-Catching up on 5 days isn't that easy! The 9-12 I will be in Northern Uganda at Gulu and Murchinson Falls so no more updates til Monday probably!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Pictures!
I put pictures up on Facebook! Here is the link to view them!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2258807&id=23214890&l=b27f533339
So today is Martyrs day and the original plans were to go and see the festivities but after talking to a local woman we were advised otherwise.
Instead we went and visited Lake Victoria which is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named after the United Kingdom's Queen Victoria, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to see the lake. With a surface area of 68,800 square kilometres (26,600 sq mi), Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake, and the largest tropical lake in the world, and is Earth's second largest freshwater lake - Only North America's Lake Superior is larger. In terms of volume, it is the world’s eighth largest continental lake, containing 2,750 cubic kilometres (2.2 billion acre-feet) of water. (Thanks Wikipedia!)
After seeing Lake Victoria we went to a beautiful Lodge called Cassia Lodge which is known for the best view in Kampala. And boy were they right!! had a fantastic lunch, carbonara, which was different than my Aunt Sarah's not as good but it was just a little too different to start getting picky! And I finally decided to try a coke. Turn out it doesn't taste too different from coke in the US (lucky for me).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2258807&id=23214890&l=b27f533339
So today is Martyrs day and the original plans were to go and see the festivities but after talking to a local woman we were advised otherwise.
Instead we went and visited Lake Victoria which is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named after the United Kingdom's Queen Victoria, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to see the lake. With a surface area of 68,800 square kilometres (26,600 sq mi), Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake, and the largest tropical lake in the world, and is Earth's second largest freshwater lake - Only North America's Lake Superior is larger. In terms of volume, it is the world’s eighth largest continental lake, containing 2,750 cubic kilometres (2.2 billion acre-feet) of water. (Thanks Wikipedia!)
After seeing Lake Victoria we went to a beautiful Lodge called Cassia Lodge which is known for the best view in Kampala. And boy were they right!! had a fantastic lunch, carbonara, which was different than my Aunt Sarah's not as good but it was just a little too different to start getting picky! And I finally decided to try a coke. Turn out it doesn't taste too different from coke in the US (lucky for me).
But let me tell you a little bit about Martyrs day so you can understand why we didn't go...The Uganda Martyrs were Ugandan Christians who were murdered for their faith. And Martyrs day is celebrated by a two week pilgrimage from my understanding some of these people have been traveling from all over Africa. Grace, from In Movement, who we visited yesterday told us it would be a very bad idea for us because of the crowds and not to mention that we probably wouldn't get out of there for quite some time!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Otya nno
So Jambo is Swahili but many people in Uganda speak Lugandan instead. Otya nno is how you say hello in Lugandan! Don't ask me how to pronounce it the language is still very difficult to me. Luckily almost everyone speaks English as well.
The past two days have been wonderful. Yesterday we woke up to go to a museum of Ugandan History where we got to play instruments, see local animals (stuffed of course), see traditional hairstyles and dressings, as well as look in some different types of tribal homes. All very fascinating! We also found Mzungu shirts everywhere which I thought was hilarious (by the way I misspelled it yesterday it is Mzungu not Muzungu). Right before we were done with the tribal homes, which were outside, it started raining. I will tell you what the rain in Africa does not play around. This was a downpour to the extreme! SO, of course we got soaked! On the drive back the roads were already flooding I almost had a heart attack when we crossed over a median to the other side of the road to stay out of the water our driver was crazy but we stayed dry. When we finally made it through the river (once a street) to Makerere University Guest House to take naps/eat lunch. I personally just took a nap, I was a little overwhelmed by the cultural differences and thought that it would be a good idea to rest.
After the weather cleared up we went up to The Acorn School which is also the headquarters of KKL (Kampala Kids League) is located, to watch students of The Acorn School participate in a mini scrimmage soccer (pronounced socca here). They were adorable I am trying to get some photos uploaded shortly it might not be until tomorrow, so be patient!
Unfortunately the game time was over and we were off to our next excursion! We were going to a concert by the performers of Percussion Discussion. This was traditional music from all parts of Uganda and there were about ten people along with three female dancers. They were fabulous but of course I was afraid when I saw them because I assumed they would try and get us up there and dance. Oh, I was right. It ended up so much fun though. I couldn't believe the energy they were putting out into the crowd.
The show ended about 10pm and it was time for us to make our journey back home luckily the floods were long gone.
Today we woke up about 8:30 to go to KKL and speak with Willis ( he runs the A-League and KKL which is an adaptive program for kids with disabilities). I found out Lauren (the other Sport Mgmt Major) and I will be coaching this Saturday! I am so excited to help out it is very similar to the TopSoccer program I have helped with at RYSA in the past however unfortunately they are in dire need of volunteers to keep all of the kids active and having fun. We did a little exercise basically Willis wanted to see how we would help them but me in particular it seemed. I did my best but in my mock match I had two players with mental disabilities, two who were visually impaired, one who was hearing impaired, and two with out any disabilities. This was hard for me because in order to keep everyone under control I had to make sure everyone had a buddy but there were not enough people to do so.
In Uganda, there are usually only two meals a day so if I don't say anything about lunch it is because there usually is not one! Instead of lunch we went to a market what we thought was a relaxing art market. Turns out the taxi driver misunderstood us and it was not so chill. It was actually really scary almost like something you would have seen on Slumdog Millionare. Except we were all getting marriage proposals and being called names. Not so much our liking! We lasted about ten minutes and I just didn't feel comfortable. Luckily we made it back okay but it was my turn for the "death watch" which is the front seat. This was definitely an experience! But our new driver Vincent was much better than the others.
After the ten minutes of lasting in the market we went to an organization called In Movement. This organization provides multi-dimensional artistic training specifically in dance, theatre, circus arts, music, visual arts, and creative writing. The organization mainly works with orphanages because they are in need of ways to describe themselves in ways other than words because many cannot read. There are an estimated two million orphans in Uganda out of a population of thirty million due to HIV/AIDS. The members of this organization are just doing great things with the children and even us! We were taught a traditional dance called Amagunju which was preformed for the King while he was taking part in things like meetings I believe.
Today was wonderful and it helps me start to realize the differences between cultures.
The past two days have been wonderful. Yesterday we woke up to go to a museum of Ugandan History where we got to play instruments, see local animals (stuffed of course), see traditional hairstyles and dressings, as well as look in some different types of tribal homes. All very fascinating! We also found Mzungu shirts everywhere which I thought was hilarious (by the way I misspelled it yesterday it is Mzungu not Muzungu). Right before we were done with the tribal homes, which were outside, it started raining. I will tell you what the rain in Africa does not play around. This was a downpour to the extreme! SO, of course we got soaked! On the drive back the roads were already flooding I almost had a heart attack when we crossed over a median to the other side of the road to stay out of the water our driver was crazy but we stayed dry. When we finally made it through the river (once a street) to Makerere University Guest House to take naps/eat lunch. I personally just took a nap, I was a little overwhelmed by the cultural differences and thought that it would be a good idea to rest.
After the weather cleared up we went up to The Acorn School which is also the headquarters of KKL (Kampala Kids League) is located, to watch students of The Acorn School participate in a mini scrimmage soccer (pronounced socca here). They were adorable I am trying to get some photos uploaded shortly it might not be until tomorrow, so be patient!
Unfortunately the game time was over and we were off to our next excursion! We were going to a concert by the performers of Percussion Discussion. This was traditional music from all parts of Uganda and there were about ten people along with three female dancers. They were fabulous but of course I was afraid when I saw them because I assumed they would try and get us up there and dance. Oh, I was right. It ended up so much fun though. I couldn't believe the energy they were putting out into the crowd.
The show ended about 10pm and it was time for us to make our journey back home luckily the floods were long gone.
Today we woke up about 8:30 to go to KKL and speak with Willis ( he runs the A-League and KKL which is an adaptive program for kids with disabilities). I found out Lauren (the other Sport Mgmt Major) and I will be coaching this Saturday! I am so excited to help out it is very similar to the TopSoccer program I have helped with at RYSA in the past however unfortunately they are in dire need of volunteers to keep all of the kids active and having fun. We did a little exercise basically Willis wanted to see how we would help them but me in particular it seemed. I did my best but in my mock match I had two players with mental disabilities, two who were visually impaired, one who was hearing impaired, and two with out any disabilities. This was hard for me because in order to keep everyone under control I had to make sure everyone had a buddy but there were not enough people to do so.
In Uganda, there are usually only two meals a day so if I don't say anything about lunch it is because there usually is not one! Instead of lunch we went to a market what we thought was a relaxing art market. Turns out the taxi driver misunderstood us and it was not so chill. It was actually really scary almost like something you would have seen on Slumdog Millionare. Except we were all getting marriage proposals and being called names. Not so much our liking! We lasted about ten minutes and I just didn't feel comfortable. Luckily we made it back okay but it was my turn for the "death watch" which is the front seat. This was definitely an experience! But our new driver Vincent was much better than the others.
After the ten minutes of lasting in the market we went to an organization called In Movement. This organization provides multi-dimensional artistic training specifically in dance, theatre, circus arts, music, visual arts, and creative writing. The organization mainly works with orphanages because they are in need of ways to describe themselves in ways other than words because many cannot read. There are an estimated two million orphans in Uganda out of a population of thirty million due to HIV/AIDS. The members of this organization are just doing great things with the children and even us! We were taught a traditional dance called Amagunju which was preformed for the King while he was taking part in things like meetings I believe.
Today was wonderful and it helps me start to realize the differences between cultures.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Jambo!
Jambo is hello in Swahili just so everyone knows. Well it was an interesting try. Our plane was late leaving because of wind in Atlanta causing us to miss our connecting flight in Brussels. Lucky for us we got to spend the day in Brussels! We ate wonderful food and walked around tried wonderful chocolates of course...but nope, no mussels in Brussels. We then flew to Paris (CDG) to pick people up and continue on to Adis Ababa which is in Ethiopia. We tried food there but it was a little too spicy for my liking. We had about 6 hours in Ethiopia where we then continued on to Entebbee (Uganda). When we got out of the plane and walked to the airport it was almost like a heat wave struck you. It is a little humid but not nearly as bad as Georgia. Luckily there is a nice wonderful breeze here. We finally got to where we are staying which is the Makerere University. We are staying at their guest house.
The mosquito nets are interesting to sleep with but I will tell you what they make it a lot easier to sleep. I do not think I have gotten bitten yet and I have been taking my malaria meds so I am not too worried about malaria just the fact of getting bitten. I am not a fan of mosquitoes good news there are ton of lizards right outside (and even some inside) that take care of those guys for us!
I am trying to get on a good time schedule. We woke up early this morning to eat breakfast and head to The Acorn School which is run by our hosts Ann and Trevor. The school is a pre-k school and it is wonderful. No florescent lighting or anything it is all natural lighting. They have lights of course just in case it is cloudy but so far nothing but sunshine. It cools off really well in the evening. We also got to see a little bit of Kampala today (where we are staying) it is wonderful. We were called Muzungus a bunch that translates to white people or almost tourists. Not negatively it is just not many Muzungus.
We are getting a more up to date itinerary which will be good. I hope to update again soon but sometimes internet is hard to get here. There are computers here but you never know how the internet will be!
That's all for now!
The mosquito nets are interesting to sleep with but I will tell you what they make it a lot easier to sleep. I do not think I have gotten bitten yet and I have been taking my malaria meds so I am not too worried about malaria just the fact of getting bitten. I am not a fan of mosquitoes good news there are ton of lizards right outside (and even some inside) that take care of those guys for us!
I am trying to get on a good time schedule. We woke up early this morning to eat breakfast and head to The Acorn School which is run by our hosts Ann and Trevor. The school is a pre-k school and it is wonderful. No florescent lighting or anything it is all natural lighting. They have lights of course just in case it is cloudy but so far nothing but sunshine. It cools off really well in the evening. We also got to see a little bit of Kampala today (where we are staying) it is wonderful. We were called Muzungus a bunch that translates to white people or almost tourists. Not negatively it is just not many Muzungus.
We are getting a more up to date itinerary which will be good. I hope to update again soon but sometimes internet is hard to get here. There are computers here but you never know how the internet will be!
That's all for now!
Friday, May 28, 2010
GONE!!!
I leave today at 5:45! Feel free to give me a call and say goodbye! I again want to thank everyone who has helped me get to where I am today. I will miss everyone however, I can not wait for this exciting new journey!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Going...
4 days to go! I am trying to get everything packed and ready to go to be at the airport at about 3 on Friday.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Count Down to Kampala
24 days to go...seems so far away! I know that it will come sooner than I think.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Itinerary is in!
1 DL 124T 28MAY ATLANTA BRUSSELS 545P 835A ARRV 29MAY
2 SN 465W 29MAY BRUSSELS ENTEBBE 1040A 940P
3 SN 465W 17JUN ENTEBBE BRUSSELS 1050P 555A ARRV 18JUN
4 DL 125T 18JUN BRUSSELS ATLANTA 1030A 225P
So basically I leave the 28th of May and return the 18th of June! We also only have one stop in Brussels both ways!
2 SN 465W 29MAY BRUSSELS ENTEBBE 1040A 940P
3 SN 465W 17JUN ENTEBBE BRUSSELS 1050P 555A ARRV 18JUN
4 DL 125T 18JUN BRUSSELS ATLANTA 1030A 225P
So basically I leave the 28th of May and return the 18th of June! We also only have one stop in Brussels both ways!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Update
Yesterday I just got all of my shots and my pills to get to Uganda, two in each arm and malaria and typhoid pills! Let me just say...my arms are not feeling too great today!
I will update soon with the flight itinerary and everything!
Thanks again for everyone sharing their support!
I will update soon with the flight itinerary and everything!
Thanks again for everyone sharing their support!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Thanks!
I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their contributions!
Dr. Jennifer Beck
Mr. Toby Bramblett
Mr. Frank "Skipper" Burns
Miss April Conway
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Daniel
Miss Kyle Hanofee
Ms. Nancy Harter
Mr. Julian Harwell
Miss Kristen Hicks
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Howe
Miss Erin Howe
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Howe
Ms. Pamela Howe
Mrs. Peggy Howe
Miss Stacey Howe
Mr. Dan Kolbenshlag
Mr. Brent Little
Miss Haley Scudder
Ms. Debbie Tumlin
Dr. Jennifer Beck
Mr. Toby Bramblett
Mr. Frank "Skipper" Burns
Miss April Conway
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Daniel
Miss Kyle Hanofee
Ms. Nancy Harter
Mr. Julian Harwell
Miss Kristen Hicks
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Howe
Miss Erin Howe
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Howe
Ms. Pamela Howe
Mrs. Peggy Howe
Miss Stacey Howe
Mr. Dan Kolbenshlag
Mr. Brent Little
Miss Haley Scudder
Ms. Debbie Tumlin
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Welcome!
I would like to first thank everyone for visiting my blog about my study abroad in Uganda!
Why Uganda?
Uganda has been called the “Pearl of Africa” however is missing one of the most important things in a child’s life; sports playing fields. Most of the new schools in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, were built without them because the city was trying to focus on academics.
The Kampala Kids League (KKL) was established to help boys and girls (ages 4-14), in Kampala, Uganda to improve their lives through sport. It was founded in 1998 and has since created 840 various teams giving almost 16,000 children the ability to participate in sport. The success of the KKL led to the development of a country wide program called The Kids League Uganda (TKL), founded in 2003. The TKL has an expanded concentration in keeping kids in school in addition to emphasizing the importance of exercise and health in one’s daily life.
Kennesaw State University has created a study abroad program specifically focused to assist the KKL. They have generated a strong relationship with the organization. This gives the participating students the unique opportunity to learn as well as understand the issues and challenges of delivering youth sport services in a developing country.
What will I be doing?
One of the many objectives of the trip is to help the children of Kampala, and surrounding villages, prepare for a great opportunity which they have been granted; attending the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. We will help them shop for clothes, teach them about city life to better their adaptation, and even help them polish up their soccer (or as they call it, football) skills. Along with this, we will also be working with faculty members of the TKL learning how to organize and plan related recreational cities in our own cities.
Why do I want to be a part of this?
When I first heard about this program when I was immediately intrigued. It would give me a chance learn about various branches of my major as well as allowing me to explore a part of the world where I could have only dreamed of visiting. I found it, and still find it, an amazing opportunity to make a significant impact; not only in a developing country but to the lives of children. Growing up, I was very involved in a variety of sports, mainly soccer, and still fondly remember the individuals who were a part of it. This is a chance for me now, to be one of those people.
How can you get involved?
With hope and the assistance of my friends, family, and other potential supporters they may know, I will be in Kampala, Uganda for three weeks in the summer of 2010, just before my last semester at Kennesaw State University. I am trying to raise $4,000 for this undertaking. In advance, I would like to thank everyone for their help to get me there through their thoughts, prayers, financial, and any other support that can be given.
Click here to visit the KKL website!
For more information on the study abroad click here!
How Can You Contribute?
Or if you would rather contribute by mail you can do so at:
Why Uganda?
Uganda has been called the “Pearl of Africa” however is missing one of the most important things in a child’s life; sports playing fields. Most of the new schools in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, were built without them because the city was trying to focus on academics.
The Kampala Kids League (KKL) was established to help boys and girls (ages 4-14), in Kampala, Uganda to improve their lives through sport. It was founded in 1998 and has since created 840 various teams giving almost 16,000 children the ability to participate in sport. The success of the KKL led to the development of a country wide program called The Kids League Uganda (TKL), founded in 2003. The TKL has an expanded concentration in keeping kids in school in addition to emphasizing the importance of exercise and health in one’s daily life.
Kennesaw State University has created a study abroad program specifically focused to assist the KKL. They have generated a strong relationship with the organization. This gives the participating students the unique opportunity to learn as well as understand the issues and challenges of delivering youth sport services in a developing country.
What will I be doing?
One of the many objectives of the trip is to help the children of Kampala, and surrounding villages, prepare for a great opportunity which they have been granted; attending the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. We will help them shop for clothes, teach them about city life to better their adaptation, and even help them polish up their soccer (or as they call it, football) skills. Along with this, we will also be working with faculty members of the TKL learning how to organize and plan related recreational cities in our own cities.
Why do I want to be a part of this?
When I first heard about this program when I was immediately intrigued. It would give me a chance learn about various branches of my major as well as allowing me to explore a part of the world where I could have only dreamed of visiting. I found it, and still find it, an amazing opportunity to make a significant impact; not only in a developing country but to the lives of children. Growing up, I was very involved in a variety of sports, mainly soccer, and still fondly remember the individuals who were a part of it. This is a chance for me now, to be one of those people.
How can you get involved?
With hope and the assistance of my friends, family, and other potential supporters they may know, I will be in Kampala, Uganda for three weeks in the summer of 2010, just before my last semester at Kennesaw State University. I am trying to raise $4,000 for this undertaking. In advance, I would like to thank everyone for their help to get me there through their thoughts, prayers, financial, and any other support that can be given.
Click here to visit the KKL website!
For more information on the study abroad click here!
How Can You Contribute?
Or if you would rather contribute by mail you can do so at:
Nicole Howe
3005 Brian's Way
Conyers, GA 30013
3005 Brian's Way
Conyers, GA 30013
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