Afri-dog.

I wrote a very detailed post about how I got my puppy... Unfortunately it never posted. But when I can get a charger for my computer (mine got destroyed) I will try to recreate the experience again. Until then enjoy some adorable pictures....

His name is Sipi... For I got him at Sipi Falls in Mbale (about a 15 hour bus trip from my house). 

The lady I bought Sipi from
First family photo
At the hostel... With his grumpy face on
Twins!

I hiked four hours with this guy in my arms.
Sipi Falls

The Slumber Games

For a change my schedule has been filled with work. I spent nearly the last four weeks in Kampala prepping for the upcoming National Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) where I am one of the Co-Directors this year… more on that later. The week before I left I had not seen my cat and figured he was roaming around the village munching on avocados . I’ve been gone for almost a month and have been home for about 5 days meow with no sign of him. Bummer. He was a cool cat but I can get by just fine without him… or that’s what I thought until the sun went down that first night.

 I was exhausted from traveling only 100 km that took nearly 7 hours due to an unfortunate event on the way home. A dump truck decided to back up into my moving bus and tear a few metal panels off the side. It looked like a T-Rex got ahold of my bus. Packages in the storage containers were sliced open and all passengers were forced to wait an hour and a half until we could continue. The plus side is that the tires were fine so we were still able to drive… we were just a bit less aerodynamic. I get back to site and its eerily quiet. Not a child in site. I sit down on my stoop and take in the stars when all of a sudden I hear running. 20 seconds later I am surrounded by children and held hostage by their grip. It felt so good to feel so missed and finally be in my own home! I unlock the padlock and open the door... BOOM my house is a disaster! I swore there was another earthquake and my house was ground zero.

(PAUSE: I just ran out of A-1 sauce for my omelet. bummer)

Only one way to fix this before I pass out from exhaustion… MUSIC! So I had an impromptu dance party with the kids while I cleaned like a banshee for the next few hours.

My house is clean… I am clean… time for bed. FINALLY! I am so excited to sleep in my own bed again with my green force field of a mosquito net protecting me.

1:00 am …. Silence.

2:15am…. Silence.

2:48am… Silence.

3:05am…  SQUEEK! SQUEEK! Munch nibble munch munch…

Ugh. Not again!

For those of you who haven’t been reading my blog from the beginning, when I first arrived at my new site back in July 2012 this is how I lived for MONTHS until I got a cat. Not happy. I would wake up and ‘meow’ a couple of times until the mice would scamper away and bug someone else. These suckers can be LOUD! Don’t ever believe anyone when they use the expression ‘quiet as a mouse’ because it’s a lie. They may be clever and but these mice/ rat-beasts know how to party. Maybe it’s a special Uganda breed… party time till the rooster starts crowing at dawn.

Back to 3:05am:

I get out of bed with my nearly-dead flashlight in one hand and my machete in the other. I’m playing ‘hot lava’ and jumping from chair to chair to avoid any contact with the squeekers.  I’m not quite sure what I was thinking at this point but I didn’t find anything so I stepped back onto the floor and headed around the corner to my bed when the little bumper car runs into my foot and runs away! I once had a mole run into my boot when I worked in Oregon and thought it was hilarious… but this?! No. My feet are vulnerable and unprotected! Plus rodents should be able to see, at least the mole had a pretty good excuse! Mouse 1. Meish 0.

In the morning I thought the events of last night were too ridiculous that I didn't want to tell anyone because I thought it was a dream… until I was disturbed from my sleep once again at 3:00am. Ugh. This time I am extra cautious. I hear where the little guy is hiding and I try and startle him by banging on my table with the end of the broomstick. No response. Okay… where did he go? I let my guard down for 8 seconds and the thing flies out from the shelf and bumps into my foot yet again! Once… okay I’m over it… Twice… I’m a little annoyed by the lack of space he is giving my bare feet. This time I chase after him with my flashlight and find him huddled in a corner. I hesitate with the broom in my hand. ZOOM. He flies past me and heads for the wires that lead up to the ceiling. He’s about shoulder height and I go to swing my broom but I hesitate again because I’m fascinated by the way he is climbing. Dumb. Mouse 2. Meish 0.

By the third night I’m exhausted. The rooster, who wasn’t here four weeks ago, woke me up at 6:00am then the kids came yelling shortly after at 7:00am to ask if we were going to watch Spider-Man today. I just need some solid sleep so I can dream about anything but mice. 3:00am arrives and I’m still sleeping. Yessss. 3:15am strikes the clock and I’m woken up by a can falling off the shelf. Great. I bang on the wall and I can hear a mouse climb back to the ceiling… glad that worked. 4:30am I wake up to the noise of something else falling off my shelves. With my flashlight and broom (mind you this is a village broom and consists of twigs tied together) in hand I head for the noise. Standing on my couch I hear a slight shuffle on the shelves in front of me. I quietly slide to the ground and step closer to the noise. This time I am ready for whatever comes at me. Batter up. Now before you say anything I want to let you know I spent a whole 20 minutes deciding which object in my house would help me get rid of this mouse more efficiently and here is what I came up with and why I decided to go with the broom…

Shovel (too ‘Grave Digger’)

Olive Oil Bottle (too classy and not enough reach)

Poison (too unclean and horrible)

Trapping it under a pot (too risky)

Shoe (too lame)

Village Broom (good weight and long reach)

Well I never actually got to use any of those but not for the reason you may be thinking. If you haven’t gotten the hint already I killed Micky Mouse in my house. That wasn’t supposed to be a rhyme by the way, sometimes things like this just happen. I heard the noise.  I KNEW where it was coming from. The problem was when I cleared the shelf there was nothing left. At this point you could only hear a faint vibration like he was shaking. I could hardly hear the noise. I would put my face near one shelf and listen… hear it faintly… then move down a shelf and hear it a little bit clearer. The shelf it was coming from was now completely empty… weird. Before giving up again I got the bright idea to look behind the bookshelf. There he was… looking like a rock climber wedged about half way up the back side of the shelf. We stared at each other for at least a minute. I was admiring his big ears, beady eyes, and little pink nose when he was probably plotting how he could bump into my foot again even though I was standing on a chair. If I could share one… two pieces of advice from my adventures last night it would be: Don’t look something you are about to kill in the eyes and always remember to be creative. My broom wasn’t going to work and I was tired. By this point in the night I just wanted to get back in bed and cuddle with my blankets. It was 5:45am and my mind and body were about to go back to sleep without my permission. I remember pacing back and forth while having an internal conversation with myself; ‘you have to do it.’ ‘Just do it and get it over with.’ ‘It’s heavy enough.’ ‘No. You can’t keep him as a pet.’ ‘I know he’s cute but there are still plenty more living in your ceiling.’ ‘Just push it already.’

It was a quick death. I stood in front of the shelf and put my shoulder into it... double tap for good luck. I killed a mouse with a 6x4ft bookshelf. That’s correct. 6:00am strikes and the rooster starts crowing so I can’t even enjoy the silence that I worked so hard for. Who the heck does that?! If this was a new version of the movie ‘Zombiland’ I think this qualifies for at least an honorable mention for kill of the week.

Sometimes the things I do in the Peace Corps still surprise me. Now I will ALWAYS have a story to tell about the time when I killed a mouse with a bookshelf. Only in Uganda.

Mouse: 2 Meish: win by default

(This is my life)

Why my bus trip took so long

First Class

Just missed the tire!

The cat who made me 'kind of' accept cats

What have I been up to? Here you go...

July. The 7^th month out of 12 which means we have passed the halfway mark of 2013! Crazy right?! So far it has been a crazy adventure for me. Today I am celebrating the ‘birthday’ of good old America with some fellow volunteers. We spent the afternoon making onion rings, potato salad, and cheese burgers… not too shabby. No fireworks though but… with the new laws in Michigan I’m sure people are enjoying that. It’s weird for me to say this has been my second 4^th of July celebration in Uganda. Just over a year ago I left my homestay family and finished language training… time flies. Only one more 4^th of July in country to go?! Possible.

I started the year off by watching the sun rise over the Indian Ocean while enjoying the island of Zanzibar with my brother and fellow Peace Corps Volunteers. Not long after arriving back in Uganda I finally had a chance to celebrate my birthday in Africa. Wait. Hold on… a January birthday in Africa?! My thought process goes straight to ‘no snow or freezing temperatures!’ This means I can FINALLY eat outside on my birthday and actually enjoy it! Oh the little things in life. Naturally that’s what I did… for two bites until it started raining at least. But I can check that off my list of things I always wanted to do! That weekend I went to a fellow volunteer’s site near Queen Elizabeth National Park for some great company, scenery, and (of course) an adventure. Check. I arrived at Jim’s site and am warmly greeted by the children from House of Love (orphanage). Jim is a fellow volunteer in my group who also arrived just over a year ago in Uganda. He is an INCREDIBLE photographer and anyone can easily get lost in his ice-blue eyes. He enjoys micro brews, being extremely chill, and as you can tell by what I just said…is a pretty cool dude. Sorry ladies, he’s taken. Let us continue shall we? Jim’s birthday present to me was that I could take two of the girls from House of Love and pick seeds in the forest for crafts. Big trees, uneven terrain, leaping monkeys, strange birdcalls… I was in my element. Thanks Jim! Best birthday present EVER! After a few hours of romping in the forest we collect a few more Peace Corps volunteers and went on a nature hike to explore the elephant problem. Many of the elephants are destroying crops on the edge of the park so there is a group of individuals working on developing new methods to keep the elephants away from the crops. Some of these methods include making loud and obnoxious noises at night, digging a trench, putting thorn bushes along the trench, and bees. By connecting a series of hives together with a ‘trip wire’ when the elephants disturb the bees, the bees get angry and chase the elephants away (we hope). They are still working on this issue but in time they will find a good solution. Later in the evening we headed over to a friend’s for some brick fire pizza and fun times.

 When we got back to Jims we walked around the rim of a crater so that we could watch a fire blazing in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The stars above our heads and glow of the fire were the only sources of light we had to guide us around the crater’s rim. We found a log to sit against and just took it all in. I’m pretty sure it was controlled but you never know. When we finally moseyed back to Jims where I set up camp on the floor. I brought out the tent and doubled it as my mosquito net. Check. I always wanted to go camping on my birthday and eat outside. I think I somehow accomplished both.

Homemade Pizza crust pro. Boom.

Brick pizza oven made with lava rocks!

My epic birthday weekend wasn’t over just yet. The next morning Aaron and I took Jims advice and went to go look at the twin crater lakes. The plan was to find the viewpoint… check it out… and head somewhere for food. Oops… I mean we found the ‘viewpoint’ but as soon as we saw the crater lakes we couldn’t just look at them. We had to explore! Standing at the top of a hill looking down a walking path where you hope just goes around the crater but you will never actually know for sure unless you check it out. Tempting, eh?  With our hydration bottles in hand and cliff bars in our pockets we were pretty unprepared for what was to come. The adventure started off calm with nobody else around but the birds and the bees. We were walking along the ridge between the two crater lakes… eventually we took a split… started going around a second crater lake to get to the top of the first one…. Walk up and down… this way and that… and eventually hit a village on the other side of the crater about 4 miles into our journey. We picked up a little tour guide about 8 years old and all of his little pals on the way. He led us along a cliff that you couldn’t see the edge of because the grass was so tall then down the side of this said cliff. Most of the kids stayed near the top and once we got a certain distance away our little guide went back up. Then the kids started walking along the edge at the top and started pelting rocks at us. Aaron and I booked it and started running along the narrow trail we were on while the kids followed on the cliff above. We escaped with our nearly empty water bottles and still had quite a hike to go. We take a short break and I go to check the time on my phone… ummm… crap. Somewhere in all the madness I managed to lose my phone AND… this loss still hurts me... my Leatherman. Ouch. Good news is I somehow survived 6 months without it. After our what seems like an 8 mile adventure, we head to a resort for some lunch and R&R. My phone was discovered the next day and I had to pay 20,000 shillings to get it back. My Leatherman on the other hand was never recovered and I hope it’s living a useful and respected life.

The Twin lakes.

Walking along elephant paths with my bird book

Crater lakes

Quick Birthday safari... okay! Thanks for the present Clair!

why... hello there

Salt plots in the water

February is a blur. I started an after school fitness program for the community and students. This usually involved me blasting music and dancing while all the kids follow what I do. Somedays would be more organized than other with Zumba and Yoga but for the most part I just wanted to keep the kids moving and being physically active for more than 30 minutes. Once in a while I even got an adult from the community to join. I also started showing the students Planet Earth videos and explaining related content (Ex: earths rotation, how mountains form, what some of the key words meant) . Mainly because I wante to watch the films but I also really enjoy teaching the kids how things work with our planet.

Yoga cool down!

Then comes March… where shall I even begin...? Let me think on that one.

Moo.

Happy Birthday America. I will admit I miss you at times… and hopefully will see you someday soon.

365 Days Down!

One year ago today my flight landed in Uganda. It was late and I was exhausted. To be honest it was a bit terrifying and overwhelming but I was also extremely excited that I was finally living such a big adventurous life. This is a short short summary of my Peace Corps life over the past year…

In one year I…

…Moved to a country in Africa (Uganda more specifically)

…Met some A-mazing individuals

…Lived with a host family

…Tried to learn a new language

…Immersed myself into an unfamiliar culture

…Milked a cow

…Got tricked into watching a chicken being murdered (for dinner)

…Swore in as a Peace Corps Volunteer

…Moved into my own ‘house’

…Painted my house whatever color I wanted

…Got a cat

…Got stitches

…Traveled to Tanzania with my brother

…Spent Christmas on a tropical island

…Swam with dolphins

…Snorkeled through a coral reef

…Cooked on charcoal for 3 months

…Heard my voice on the radio (I was interviewed for my school)

…Got my house broken into

…Went on a safari (a few actually)

…Avoided getting a serious illness

…Got my phone stolen

…Caught sight of some incredible birds

…Discovered my like for teaching

...Pet a rhino

…Instructed a fitness class

…Was a camp counselor
...Got jammed in a car with 13 adults

…Became a pro at using a pit latrine

…Rafted on the Nile River

…Ate a grasshopper
...Got lost in a traditional canoe on a lake full of islands

…Started new relationships

…Head-butted a baby goat

…Adapted living without running water or electricity

…Integrated into a community

…Started reading Harry Potter

…Felt like I was making a difference in someone’s life.

The good, the bad, and the in-between. I have had so many experiences in just one year’s time… what experiences will another year hold for me??

Time to find out!

 

S/SW Camp BUILD and GLOW staff

Going for a hike during language training

watching a cow eat a sac of potatoes...

enjojo

I'm such a pro at cooking on coal

How I decorate the back of my house

Homestay family (Tata wange, Gloria, Me, Mama wange, Vicky)

Why yes, That is a rhinoceros.

Nile Rafting. Done.

Back to Zanzibar...

The camps I attended the past two weeks have been incredible… and exhausting. Felt sick for a few days in the North but after a lot of rest and getting my feet back in the Southwest where I belong… I felt better. Recovery time for camp is slow but my energy will return with time. The students are still on break till next Monday so I have some time to relax and enjoy the quiet till then.

One year ago today I left Michigan to attend staging for my Peace Corps service in Philadelphia. I remember loading my luggage into the car that morning, hugging my parents goodbye, and getting on an airplane by myself. When I arrived at the hotel I was already making a great impression by showing up just as things were starting. I had my first Chipotle experience on my last day in the states for the next 27 months, remember my first roommate in my PC experience (Kat), and will never forget how I felt when they ‘couldn’t find’ my passport. Just think about leaping off of a very tall building with a bungee cord attached to you and your eyes are closed. You have no idea what the other end of the cord is anchored to or if there is even a safety net below. Even if you were wearing protective gear it’s doubtful that it would help in the event something happens. This is Peace Corps. You have no idea what you are getting yourself into until you jump and figure it all out through the experience.

(I would have used ‘it’s like jumping out of a plane’ but I think I already exhausted that one)

Now back to Zanzibar….

****December 26th****

After harassing dolphins and getting stung by micro jelly fish, we hired a private vehicle and headed to Paje town. Paje was the ‘spring break’ destination for beach-goers (from my understanding). Although I’ve never gone on a beach spring break trip before in the states this is a bit what I always imagined it would be like except with more people. There were young adults touring from all over the world with a few parents and their children scattered about. Sunburns and booze here and there… with tons of beach in-between! Even with my constant application of sunscreen and living 8 month on the equator I started peeling the second day. Lame. Nice mental photo. 

*Side note: The last place my brother and I stayed was nice… but the beach was non-existent and replaced with sharp rocks and a 10 foot drop. If I mentioned sand in my last post at the lodge I hope I didn’t make it sound like a beach because that would be an overstatement. It was always either under water or hanging over the water due to a small cliff. Pictures I promised from last post:

The view from the room

the 'beach'

WARNING: This is not my plate... I would not waste my precious stomach space on a samosa or banana.

The staircase I would always attempt not to fall down

Full of crabs under the cliff!

no words could describe the beauty. 

My brother and I arrived at Demani lodge around noon when everyone else was already on the beach. We changed into our suits and headed down the beach to find a familiar face…. in the wrong direction.  We started walking one way where the ‘nicer’ more excluded resorts were then headed in the opposite direction for a few more miles. On the way we saw kite boarders, local sailboats, and even a few guys throwing a Frisbee which I happily joined in on for a few minutes. I was a bit bummed because I gave the only Frisbee I brought on the trip to a few kids on the main land of Tanzania but… I found one temporarily at least! We continued walking for a good 2 hours and after being extremely burnt and feeling like I should be in an episode of ‘Survivor.’ We stopped at a beach resort for a Pina Coladas and a plate full of flavorful food (which I was not used to). With our bellies full we headed back to Demani lodge to find the PCVs we were looking for the past few hours. Go figure.

That night we ended up taking it easy and stayed at Demani lodge (or should I say most of us). We took over the music and stayed up for a few hours catching up with one another. After one drink and a few good conversations I headed to my dorm style room that I was sharing with 2 other PCVs and my brother. I could tell I was on a tropical island because no my floor was  a giant sandpit and I thought I’d wake up with gritty particles of sand everywhere in my bed but to my surprise it was relatively clean. In the morning the housekeeping staff came in and dressed our beds so they would continue to remain sand free!  Each morning we got a ‘free’ breakfast consisting of an egg done in whatever style, fresh juice, and fruit. Yum.  

December 27^th through the 2^nd of January all blurs together. Most days were spent on the beach relaxing in the sun, eating great food, and enjoying the company of other PCVs. Most nights were filled with casual conversations, good drinks, and (of course) the beach.  We attended a Full Moon party on the beach consisting of expensive drinks and loud music that nobody was feeling… especially after a few of the Uganda PCVs got robbed at machete point (quite scary but theft is very common in Zanzibar so if you ever plan on going be smart, be careful, and stay in a group.) The next day 6 of us boarded a taxi and head over to Stone Town on the Western side of the island. We found an awesome local tour guide and walked through the fish market, everything market, explored an old bath house, discovered a delicious homemade yogurt shop, visited the old island fort, wondered around the back alleys of town like a pro, and lastly ended up at the seafood street food market (that’s a mouthful). You could find any seafood available from the local area skewered on a stick and ready to be grilled. I’d explain in better detail but I have a confession to make… I don’t like seafood. I tried some but I don’t really like it so I couldn’t even begin to tell you what they had. Although seafood is not my ‘thing’ I did taste a few of the items and heavily enjoy eating dafu, fresh coconut split open and ready to drink, and wish I could have just been a squirrel to store some for a rainy day in Uganda. The texture of the coconut meat was almost like a jello and strange at first but fantastic!

The next day (I believe) a large group of us planned an all-day snorkeling trip consisting of a stop to 3 different reef areas and a seafood lunch (octopus, squid, shrimp, lobster, and fries). I remember the first stop we landed on a small island and the crew pitched a tent for shade and started splitting fruit. Most people didn’t venture far from shore but I wanted to find the ‘good spot’ so I swam to the other side of the island with Aaron. After about 15 minutes of swimming Aaron wanted to head back to the group because we weren’t having any ‘luck’ finding the reef. He takes off and I keep on coasting along… by myself… in an ocean full of strange creatures I will never understand. Not even 2 minutes later… JACKPOT! I find a big reef filled with plenty of cool and bright colored looking coral and fish. The best part? I had it all to myself! Don’t get me wrong… I love to share but this?! Incredible! The water was so blue it looked like someone put food coloring in it. For those of you who need more of a visual the color reminded me of a blue raspberry kool-aid jammer. Remember those? And Dunkaroos? Oh such precious childhood taste bud memories. Sometimes I feel my taste buds weep when I think of Dunkaroos…. but I guess that’s normal because I find my taste buds do that about a lot of things now a days while I’m living in Uganda…

Back to reality now….

On New Years eve I went all out on my last meal of 2012 and got… drumroll…. street food with Aaron! Haha. I need to laugh at myself for that one. I’m cheap and I may as well act like a local and be cool to finish off the year. I also found it… symbolic somehow (wrong word? Oh well). By the time we finished our ‘meal’ we were ready to head to the New Years beach party! Unfortunately it was dark and with the previous night’s theft we felt a tad uneasy. Luckily we found some Masaai warriors and paid them to escort us to the beach party. Yea… we really did that and it was AWESOME! I felt pretty important for those next 20 minutes. Once again it was full of loud music and expensive drinks… good thing I am a cheap PCV and bought my drinks before attending the party for ¼ of the price. At midnight, which I’m pretty sure we had more than one countdown, they lit the beach on fire and it spelled out ‘WELCOME 2013.’ I’m pretty sure Mike loved that because he has an obsession with fire. At around 3ish the tide starts creeping in and everyone is dispersing. A few of us stay around so we can travel back together. While we were waiting on the beach I start walking towards a small group of PCVs near the water and all of a sudden one of the takes off onto shore and starts yelling about her wallet. I notice nobody else is following here so I run after her down a dark alley next to the lodge… I remember her yelling oh so politely ‘Excuse me sir but I believe you have my wallet’… ‘Excuse me sir….’ Over and over and over and over again as we run after this guy. Finally we reach an opening and we stop at the edge. I try telling her it’s unsafe to continue and I’m sorry that her wallet was stolen. So we start walking back and she trips on something. She bends down to pick something up and it’s her wallet! Surprisingly nothing was missing! We figured the thief either felt really sorry that he stole from such a polite person or he saw the Ugandan shillings and realized it wasn’t worth anything. After we get back none of the other PCVs really noticed us missing so we tell the story and head back to the lodge. Most of the other PCVs head to bed but I stay up with Kristina, Aaron, and other people from our lodge.

By 6am we are all exhausted but figured we would stay up and watch the first sunrise of the new year rise over the ocean so we headed down to the beach and waited. In those moments when the sun of the new year was rising up over the horizon I felt… at peace. We sat in silence and just drank in the beauty of the moment until the temptation became too great and people started swimming. I was too exhausted and ill prepared for swimming/ proper footwear and what what and am so glad I did not get in because one guy ended up cutting his hand and left to get stitches because of a sharp rock. I’m glad I thought things through and decided to go to bed before all of that even happened. By the time I went to bed, breakfast was moments away from being served but I decided to eat in my dreams instead. That day was reserved for lounging and enjoying the last full day of sunshine and white sandy beaches. I was going to take it all in. After 3 hours of sleep I was up and moving again with a slow but steady pace. I wanted the last day to just keep going on and on and on…. I felt like I would just wake up and be right back in Uganda. Well after a rocky Faerie ride, Subway sandwich in Dar Es Salaam, and two plane rides later… I was back.

Once we reached Uganda after 2 delayed flights we spent the night in a hostel and the next morning boarded a 9 hour bus to my home district of Rukungiri. For my brothers last few days in Uganda I got to show him my house! He was my first real visitor and I was so excited to share my house with someone from my family. I taught him how to hand-wash laundry, let him experience bucket bathing, and showed him how I generally live on a day to day basis. I will never forget when he told me I was doing ‘very well for myself’ and that he was impressed and proud of me. This was all coming from my oldest brother who I have always look up to and want to out-compete (at nobody knows what) and impress. I think I have finally succeeded. J

The whole trip was incredible! It felt good to take a break from Uganda and add another visa to my passport since I have never had many opportunities to travel outside of my home country before joining the Peace Corps. Tanzania was a BLAST and most of the reasoning behind that was the great company that I had the pleasure to be around throughout my trip. I’m so glad I got to share my brother’s first experience of African and hope he has many more because it has so much to offer.

Although I was glad to get out of Uganda for a week or two… I was also very relieved to come back to the familiarity of Uganda. Around this point it started feeling more like a home to me and I was very comfortable with my lifestyle and living situation.

Sometimes I may complain or point out things I dislike… but I could do the same thing about America and probably will when I return next year.

Now that I FINALLY was able to sit down and finish my post about something that happened over 5 months ago… I have a huge task ahead of me to update you on my life in Uganda since then. I would kick myself in the butt if I could but I already know I can’t do it successfully so I won’t even try.  I won’t lie… time has flown by and at times I can close my eyes and still picture the vivid memories of Tanzania and Zanzibar that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. It is a great feeling… the first country I needed a visa for to travel in and not work or live in. I may be a newborn when it comes to traveling still but… look out world! This chick has some big dreams and distant destination to explore! Bring. It. On.

Dafu!

I think my brother beat me every time... but I had dafu!

beach bums

On the stage... somewhere in Stone Town

seafood

fish/ meat market

**celebrating my one year mark in country this weekend!!**

Camp GLOW! Camp BUILD!

WARNING: This will be super short but awesome as always...

I have a pretty good excuse for not posting since I attended the Northern camps in Gulu last week (where I got sick) and now I am in the Southwest (Bushenyi) this week for the camps. More on that in another post…

 

Camp BUILD (Boys of Uganda In Leadership and Development)

Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World)

Both camps are packed with break dancing campers/ counselors and is completely awesome and inspiring. Yay gender equality!!!!

Click the link to follow how the week is going: http://www.facebook.com/CampGlowBuildUganda?fref=ts

If I find a link for the northern camps I will also post that.

That is all for now! 

Peace. 

Don't Worry... I'm Still HERE!!!

I apologize for being lazy about my blog … sometimes I just can’t sit still long enough to write a good post or I'm just not in to mood.  Especially when my battery doesn't last long on my computer and I have other more ‘official’ things to do like design T-shirts or watch Glee. Now that I have my office at school (heck yes) I should be more motivated to write posts more frequently. Why? Because I will be in my office with my big desk and all!  I’ve been promised this office since the first time I visited my site during training…. 8 months later and it’s finally MINE! I’m just picturing myself in a nice swivel office chair with my cat folded in my arms and laughing about a random thought in my head that wouldn't be funny to anyone else… just giving you an image of how I will be rocking my office.

Back to the story I probably promised a few months ago. Woops…

Zanzibar (December 24^th – January 2^nd)

Where the heck is all the snow?! It’s Christmas eve and I can’t see anything white, wet, and cold sticking to the ground. The breath coming out of my mouth is undetectable and I’m wearing what? Shorts! Where the heck am I?! Oh wait… the equator. Right… about that. Recently I have been getting ghost chills knowing all my life that this time of year I should be cold. The obnoxious Christmas music (call me Grinch if you want) was not filling my spirit with joy... but the weather in Tanzania sure was!

After an epic safari with my brother on the plains of the Serengeti, we were getting ready to leave for the airport to catch a flight to Zanzibar. When we reach the tiny Arusha airport there was a dark storm rolling in and all of the planes were no bigger than an American school bus. At this point I am a tad nervous because I've never been on such a small plane before. As we have security check our bags the officer suspiciously pulls out a tampon and starts asking me what the heck it is…. imagine explaining that one to a male Tanzanian. "Women go through this thing.... its for something you will never experience as a male... don't worry about it."  Once we made it through security we only had to wait a few minutes before being escorted to our plane. At this point it was pouring so they brought us an umbrella to make me feel like a millionaire being taken to my private jet. We reach our plane and they open the cockpit door and ask one of us to get in. Mike is awesome,  paying for most of the trip, and loves planes… so of course I let my big brother have to front seat! (I make it sound like a car but don’t get the wrong impression.) I get to sit right behind the pilot close enough to cause mass chaos in the 18 passenger plane. But why would I want to do that?  The thought only crossed my mind that I could have punched the pilot in the back of the head once… good thing I’m not crazy! 5 minutes of waiting in the plane and everyone is on board so we are clear to take off. It’s still pouring out and all I can think about is when the small plane in any movie crashes…. and we weren’t even off the ground yet… but  I was too busy distracting myself by watching the pools of water collect on the runway as we literally flew past them. I’m not afraid of flying and have jumped out of a plane before but when I went skydiving the one thing that made me most nervous was the small size of the plane. At least I was connected to a parachute last time… this time I only had my ipod and I doubt that would help me glide safely back down to the ground if the plane exploded in midair, so I turned on some jams and zombied out (the verb I use while on long transport rides around Uganda meaning: I’m not paying attention to ANYTHING).

As soon as we were up in the air, the storm clouds disappeared and we were soaring over the brightest rainbow I have ever seen! It was magical to say the least… if only the clouds weren’t covering Mt. Kilimanjaro it would have been even more spectacular. The next hour and a half I tried not to bounce out of my seat with excitement and chose to watch Tanzania pass by far below. The landscape seemed so dead, dry, and boring compared to Uganda until we reached to coast.  Now I’ve never been anywhere tropical but my bedroom back home in the states is filled will palm trees, collections from beaches, and bright colors. By heading to Zanzibar I was living one of my dreams! It felt A-mazing especially after briefly glimpsing the island from above. I was nervous though… I built this idea up in my head and had no idea what it would actually be like until we landed.

When we arrived my cell phone battery was too tired to turn on… wouldn’t matter because my SIM card was no longer working… woops… haven’t even thought of that one. We have NO clue where we are going just the name of the lodge. It also doesn’t help that Mike had his better phone stolen out of his bag on the way to Tanzania. So we start asking around and nobody knows where this ‘Paradise’ lodge place is. Finally we find a private vehicle to take us. Not sure what the price was but thanks Mike! On our way I remember seeing a sign advertising for ‘Half Zoo’… now why would they name it that?! Half price? Half the animals? Half the cages are built? I suppose I will never know. When we reach the lodge in the back of my mind I’m wondering… ‘what the hell kind of place is this?’ First of all there is NOTHING around… second of all the driveway started at someone’s house and I don’t even know if this place is legit yet. The car takes us another 200 ft and BAM! White sand, hammocks,  beach bar, volleyball net, and palm trees everywhere! We get out of the car and are led through all these fun beach bum obstacles, past a flight of wooden stairs heading down to the water, and end up on a gorgeous balcony in front of our room on the second story. I get to wake up to THIS every morning for the next 3 days? I’ll take it! We probably had the nicest room… not even going to lie. Honeymoon suit? Awkward. Once we put our things down the first thing I did was climb down the stairs to touch the Indian Ocean.  Knowing that I was not going to get Shisto (parasites) from the water made it even more magnificent after being cooped up in Uganda for 6 months… not to mention touching the INDIAN OCEAN! I just wanted to splash around all afternoon and have some fun in the sun poking sea cucumbers, holding hermit crabs, and playing with spiky sea urchins. As long as I avoid stepping on a sea urchin I should be good to go. 

Do you remember the Canadians from the safari I talked about? Welp… they were there too!

At first it was awkward explaining Mike is my brother because it seemed like everyone else was a couple but after the first 10 minutes it was fine. Since we arrived on the 24^th that night they had a Christmas eve buffet … candle light dinner on the beach… super romantic. Yuck. Mike and I ended up eating dinner with Katie and Nick (the Canadians). Squid, octopus, grilled tuna, Irish potatoes, rice, beef, goat, vegetable samosas, some sauce, and of course… steamed banana! I tried even the food I didn’t know I would like and avoided the banana… like always. High tide and low tide confused the heck out of me. One minute the water would be crashing against the walls and the next hour it would be a mile out. I’ve lived by lakes all my life and the water level hardly changes.

Christmas day we all ended up swimming, playing beach volleyball, reading, lounging around, sipping fruity drinks, and petting the dogs. Such a lovely and relaxing Christmas but unfortunately it was too hot and sunny to wear my Santa hat.

The next day following Christmas we booked an early morning dolphin swim combined with a snorkeling trip for 15 bucks! The dolphin swim was not what I expected… we got on our boat… suited up in our flippers, snorkel, and mask…. Then headed off the coast for about a mile where a few other boats were waiting. As soon as the dolphins emerged it was like a race… we sped up in front of the dolphins then were told to ‘JUMP!’ At first I was a bit scared and confused. I didn’t mind the depth of the water and am a pretty good swimmer but they just want me to jump off this boat when all these other boats are racing towards us. I did it anyways. You just jump and swim as fast as you can while looking for the dolphins below. If you don’t think about the dolphin harassment aspect of the whole things it is mesmerizing watching the dolphins. You can even hear them if you listen hard enough over the sound of all the motor boats. I almost got jumped on by a crazy tourist but what else would you expect from a boat full or excited tourists who can't swim very well? Next we headed to a reef where my brother got some incredible underwater photos. When we first got in the water I noticed slight static popping noises (similar if you were pouring milk over a bowl of Rice Crispies) and I would occasionally feel a slightly uncomfortable sensation on my legs, arms, or even lip. Weird. Last time I swam in an ocean was when I was a tiny little peanut so I figured this is how it always feels while swimming in salt water. I just ignored it an enjoyed the underwater scenery. Some areas on my body I would feel a prick more than others and in different locations on the reef I would stop hearing the popping when I was underwater. So here is an experiment for you:  pour milk over a bowl full of Rice Crispies, close your eyes, pretend you are under water, and pinch yourself lightly on the arm. Done. That’s how it felt to a lesser degree.  After a while I began to realize that this shouldn’t be the norm because if it was… why would so many people enjoyed swimming in the ocean? Crazies. I went back underwater and tried looking really close in front of me so I probably looked like a fool and may have had to cross my eyes to look that close. Sure enough there were mini jellyfish scattered in the ocean around me. I tried telling everyone else but they thought I was crazy… until 10 minutes later someone else points out the tiny buggers. Honestly I didn’t care… if these zap-a-zaps (just got done reading A Clockwork Orange) were going to kill me I was already in heaven looking at a REAL coral reef instead of pictures. I would have died happy as a clam. After being micro-electrocuted a couple hundred times we got out of the ocean and headed for Crab Island which is not much bigger than a basketball court (probably the worst island to be stranded on since it shrunk to the size of a couch once the tide came in). We ate brunch on the island then journeyed back to shore where we all got extremely burnt during the ride due to the lack of shade on the small boat. Once back from the boat ride my brother and I said our goodbyes to Paradise and headed to the East part of the island to meet up with some Peace Corps volunteers from Uganda for a week….

Our picnic destination

Why yes! I am floating above a coral reef. Thanks for noticing!

This is real life. 

The deeper you dive, the bigger they get!

<><>My camera broke but my brother just sent me a flash drive with ALL of the pictures from the trip so I will get more posted on here once I receive that. Now I'll leave you to catch up on this and post another one soon soon.<><>

I also just wanted to let you know how clean my blue jeans are because I had the opportunity to wash them in a wish-wash machine! Life for me is about to get busy working at 2 camps back to back for the next two weeks but I will have time to post so no worries!