lions and tigers and bears...oh SAFARI!?!

Okay, so clearly there aren't tigers and bears in Africa, and the chances of seeing a lion in the wild is pretty impossible (unless you're a lion hunter, I guess), but there are gazells, warthogs, buffalo, crocodiles, elephants, hippos, and giraffes!

A few of us went on Safari, at Murchinson Falls, as a last hurrah before leaving Uganda. The trip, overall, was amazing, but I'll let the pictures do the talking.

rafting on the nile

A few weekends ago, some of my Eastern classmates and I met up to go whitewater rafting on the Nile.

Hold on, REWIND. The night before I left there was an owl in my room! Random? I think so.

Where was I? Ah, yes, whitewater rafting on the Nile. Yep, you heard me, the Nile. If you haven’t seen pictures of the Nile from the source in Jinja, you probably have an image of a peaceful, tranquil river that baby Moses was left on. Let me tell you - THE NILE IS NOT TRANQUIL! The Nile in Jinja is monstrous – its waters rage wildly and strike fear even in the most courageous and bravest of souls. Ok, maybe I exaggerate…but then again, maybe not.

We started our 5 minute “how-to-raft” tutorial by floating around in the water to make sure our life vests were functioning properly. We then practiced our forward paddle (“pathetic,” our guide called it) and our backward paddle. We were told how important it was to hold on to the paddles (always keeping a hand on the end to prevent it from knocking someone out), how to crouch down in the raft, how to keep your feet up in the water to avoid the rocks, and how to hold on for dear life when necessary (and believe me, it was necessary).

As we approached the first rapid, our guide told us to forget everything we had learned. So much for paying attention! Anyway, more likely than not, we were told, the raft was going to flip. When it did, the chances of getting caught in a rapid or getting trapped under the overturned raft were even higher. Since there was no way of preparing us for anything, he gave us the only advice he could: stay calm.

Needless to say, many of us did not stay calm.

I suppose some of the casualties on our trip were similar to those experienced by others who have rafted the Nile: giant bruises appearing out of nowhere, a wedding ring lost here, a pair of shorts lost there (unknowingly, of course). But, it was only after we had a little accident that I understood why the guide stressed over and over again: HOLD ON TO YOUR PADDLE. I wish he was kidding when he told us that people have been seriously injured from the paddle (and you’d think the rapids would cause the most damage!) So unfortunately, our fellow comrade, Julie, was injured. Got a gash so big on her face (and a black eye that ensued the day after) she needed to get it super-glued at The Surgery in Kampala. Thanks for taking one for the team, Julie. =)

Was it worth every dollar? HECK YEAH IT WAS! Would I do it again? IN A HEARTBEAT!

More than anything, it was great to be able to spend time with friends, especially being thousands of miles from home. Thank you Julie, Deke, Diane, Emily and Jon (and Azizi friends) for a great weekend adventure!

don't mess with an african bee

So when we moved into our new house, we discovered that there were 4 massive African bee hives located at each of the four corners of our roof. The landlord told us that he would send the fumigators at the end of the week. Well, 3 months later, the fumigators came. About two weeks ago they came and sprayed the hives, and we were finally able to sleep without worrying about the bees…

…or so we thought…

The next day, the bees returned, in full force, with an army of bees that were about double the amount of bees that we had originally. Upon finding their home missing, they left…

…or so we thought…

A few days later, when the rain had cleared up and the weather was a once again warm, I woke up to the sound of buzzing. My first thought, of course, went to the bees. So, I gingerly walked to my balcony, and what did I see? A swarm of bees – about quadruple the double amount of bees that were there last. Now, mind you, these are AFRICAN BEES. They are known to KILL creatures (including a 3 goats not too far from where I live, a few days after we moved in). So, our guard, being the best guard there is, notified the landlord that the bees were back.

Sunday night, once again, the fumigators came. This time, they came with a much more potent solution to wipe out the bees. So incredibly potent, that upon contact with the spray, the bees fell out of the hive in clumps – kind of like the consistency of chocolate fondue, just less appetizing. I kid you not…it was pretty insane. We went outside to assess the damage after the fumigator was finished spraying, and there were probably close to 5,000 bees that were dead on the ground (not including those dead on the balcony). Well, at least that’s the number that we’ve guessed. I suppose you are more than welcome to come to an estimate yourself. =) So here it is, a picture or two to entertain you for the day:

Oh yes, and, little did I know, during the whole fumigating process a bee had made its way into my bed and died. I, however, did NOT see this bee, and, inadvertently rolled over on it as I sat on my bed, Did you know stingers are still incredible painful even though the bee itself is dead? Well, I had to pull the stinger (still attached to the bee) out of my leg. Needless to say, my leg is swollen pretty badly and it hurts to put any kind of pressure on it. So, again, a picture to entertain you! Please disregard the scars from my mosquito bites and the cat scratches. I know it’s not very lady-like or “pretty” but I’ve been in Africa for the past 6 months. What do you expect?!?!?

Thanksgiving in Africa

Thanksgiving in Africa just isn't quite the same.

Coming from the East Coast, I'm so accustomed to the changing of seasons to remind me of the time of year. Leaves changing color, the temperature dropping, shorter days - you know, all of that good stuff. But here, the weather has just been constant (despite the fact that we're supposed to be in "dry season" - it still rains twice a day!). On top of that, there aren't any holiday decorations, no talk of celebrations...there just isn't any hype! Even China had Santa Clauses and snowflakes everywhere! I have to admit I miss that. A lot. Didn't think I really would.

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, while everyone still has the day off to celebrate the holiday, I'm here at work, trying to remind myself that Thanksgiving really did happen, even though the fullness of my belly reminds me that I, yet again, gorged myself during Thanksgiving meal. I think I miss the day after Thanksgiving even more than Thanksgiving day itself. Friends and family still gathered together, Black Friday shopping (for some), eating leftovers and sleeping all day without guilt are some of my fondest memories of Thanksgiving. But, alas, I celebrated Thanksgiving in Africa this year. I can't say it was better than being at home, but it was still pretty awesome.

Although I had to work a half day (its pretty good, considering all things), it wasn't too bad. We spent the morning checking hats (surprise, surprise), and then I went home and took a mid-afternoon nap, since watching my roommates and fellow interns cook was going to be a very exhausting experience. Needless to say, their dishes came out amazingly. We then traveled by boda in the light rain to join the others for our Thanksgiving meal.

Whoever said cooking and eating in Africa would be a challenge was wrong. Our Thanksgiving meal consisted of: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin/squash, sweet potatoes with brown sugar topping, caramelized carrots, macaroni and cheese, corn bread and stuffing. Dessert consisted of kettle corn popcorn, apple pie, pumpkin bread, and crepes with banana & chocolate syrup. Not too bad for Africa, huh?

nighttime adventures

look what we found crawling on Laura's wall a few nights ago. pretty cool, huh?

and then, we found this one today.
the location is going to remain hidden, but you are welcome to guess =)

snakes on a plane...

or just in your backyard =)

So yesterday morning I went outside to talk to our day guard, Samuel. He told me that a snake had shed its skin and left it in our yard. I, of course, had to go and investigate. If you ask me, it's pretty cool, considering I've only seen stuff like this behind glass walls at zoos, museums and whatnot.

like a good Acholi woman

Yesterday I was walking home and saw one of our ladies, Betty, getting ready to strap her baby onto her back to go home. I was joking around with her and told her that one day she should teach me how to carry babies like an Acholi woman. She laughed, and the "one day" turned into "today."

As you can imagine, I was completely shocked that Betty was so willing to drop everything (literally - baby included) to teach me. So, after about 5 seconds of instruction, I lifted her son up under his arms like she showed me, swung him over my back, and then tied the sheet properly to keep him secure. It was great.

My response? Who needs baby strollers when you can carry a baby like a good Acholi woman?

Sipi Falls

some pictures I just got from Carlie from Sipi Falls that I wanted to put up. It's over a month late but better late than never, right?

creature alert!

a recap of some living creatures i've encountered in the two and a half months i've been in Gulu: