June 10, 2011
So yesterday Bryan and I made an excellent trip to Ginga, pronounced like ginger so it can be assumed that it is full of white albino people, but no it’s like opposite of that. This place is where a majority of volunteers go if they come to Uganda. There were many more white people walking the streets and there are tons of markets there to buy pretty awesome things unique to Africa. We stopped at a place called The Keep which provided some decent internet access and food that reminded me of America. I had a smoothie called The Island and it was fantastic.
Ginga is a cool place hustlin and bustlin with many people on the grind pretty much like anywhere else here in Uganda. It can be considered and escape away from Iganga when you want a little taste of home. The reason we were there was to search for soccer cleats for the Musana soccer team. Turns out they were pricy and so were team jerseys so we decided to wait for Hareal who could probably get us better deals on everything.
Now today both of us went to the farm to do some bean pickin. It was an experience to see some actual mud huts near the backbone of Uganda. There are roughly 15 acres of farm land that Musana owns. Today Bryan and I got to pick beans for the children’s food. It was basically like pulling weeds across a large stretch of land. We did a lot of work but at the same time we didn’t because there were many more beans to pick when we left. The usual work ends around noon because it gets too hot then everyone picks back up when it cools off around 5 or 6. I had a good time, well as good of a time you can have bending over for a couple hours pulling little weed like things out of the ground. I almost made it to the end of the little stretch of land but ended up cutting the living crap out of my pointer finger on a vine while pulling it up. Never really been cut that deep with that much dirt on my hand. It was interesting the way the blood solidified so fast. I expected a lot more blood to come out. The thing about here is you can’t really clean or treat any wound until you get back to a more civilized place. It worked out cus upon arriving home we all got to take cold showers which have never felt so good.
I am learning more and more the harsh way of life here in Uganda. The thing is that picking beans is the easy work out at the farm. Apparently it gets much harder. You truly get to see the crazy way of life in this part of the world. It is certainly a humbling experience that makes you ever so thankful for being born into a family and country that is much better off than most here.
I have also been thinking that life here compared to life in America is all relative. Natives here don’t know any different. They are born here, raised here, and rarely get to leave here to experience any other kind of life. So to them, everything is fine because this is just the way it is. You deal with minimum electricity, water that you have to pump from a well and carry back to your home, and an average salary of 2 to 6 thousand shillings a day. Life is difficult here but I guess to everyone around here, it’s just the way it is.
To top the night off a bunch of us went to “Desire” which is a club here in Iganga. What an experience. I got in free with my college I.D. somehow, but then had to buy a beer anyway so it was 100% free. It seemed like a similar club to what we have in America with loud music and tons of people. There were only a few white people there at the start but by the time I left I was the only white person in there so that was different. I feel like I fit in ok with my “American” dance moves. Over all I had a pretty excellent time. Still not sure if I will be going back anytime soon.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
June 8, 2011
June 8, 2011
So it was another eventful day. Bryan and I took some of the new kids that were recently brought to live in Musana to the clinic so they could be tested for HIV and a couple needed X-rays. Everyone thankfully checked out well with all negative results for HIV and no one had any broken limbs. It was a trek to the clinic but well worth it.
That is another thing about Iganga, you pretty much walk everywhere. If Bryan didn’t have the hook ups with the Boda Boda I would be exhausted by noon. Not complaining, but I will certainly be used to walking in flip flops by the end of the trip.
After the kids returned from the trip to the clinic we pretty much hung out for awhile then Bryan drove me to the Sol Cafe. It is a cafe that Musana owns and operates to bring in revenue for the children. It is a cool place with some wicked food. I ordered coconut chicken curry with naan bread, which was super dank! When we get homesick we can go to the cafe and catch up with the world by watching the tv which has a bunch of channels.
Guess this is all for now, I really gotta post these journals I know its been too long, internet is just a hard thing to come by sometimes. Til tomorrow....or when I can upload everything.....peace
So it was another eventful day. Bryan and I took some of the new kids that were recently brought to live in Musana to the clinic so they could be tested for HIV and a couple needed X-rays. Everyone thankfully checked out well with all negative results for HIV and no one had any broken limbs. It was a trek to the clinic but well worth it.
That is another thing about Iganga, you pretty much walk everywhere. If Bryan didn’t have the hook ups with the Boda Boda I would be exhausted by noon. Not complaining, but I will certainly be used to walking in flip flops by the end of the trip.
After the kids returned from the trip to the clinic we pretty much hung out for awhile then Bryan drove me to the Sol Cafe. It is a cafe that Musana owns and operates to bring in revenue for the children. It is a cool place with some wicked food. I ordered coconut chicken curry with naan bread, which was super dank! When we get homesick we can go to the cafe and catch up with the world by watching the tv which has a bunch of channels.
Guess this is all for now, I really gotta post these journals I know its been too long, internet is just a hard thing to come by sometimes. Til tomorrow....or when I can upload everything.....peace
June 7, 2011
I arrived in Entebbe after another long and grueling plane flight. Just some advice for those traveling that far, sit in an isle seat if possible, and always order the beef, never the chicken! I made that mistake while heading to London on the first flight. I learned some Lusoga from a native guy from Kampala who sat next to me the whole way. Oliotia which means hello and Bulungi which means im fine. Apparently greetings are very important here so knowing how to greet someone in their language can help you. There hasn’t been much jet lag, I was just tired I think because after two days of travel and seeing London I only slept for 4 hours or so. Once I found Bryan and headed through Uganda to Iganga I perked back up.
This country is completely different from America. It doesn’t even feel like I am on the same planet as before. Literally everything you do here is different. From taking a shower and going to the bathroom to eating and cooking and sleeping and even buying things. Apparently it is extremely rude to walk and eat at the same time. So after buying my first Rolex yesterday (a form of burrito looking thing with egg and other things inside) I had to stand still with Bryan while we ate our delicious afternoon snack which only cost 1000 Uganda shillings which equals about 50 cents.
Traveling anywhere here seems like a good way to die. If the roads are not busy it is ok to walk down them, especially less traveled dirt roads. Most paved roads are always bustling with Boda Bodas, which are their versions of street motorcycle, and cars driving all sorts of crazy. I have never seen such lax driving rules anywhere else, and I thought Mexico was crazy.
Once I arrived at Musana where all the kids were I was immediately greeted by tons of little singing children. Once they were all done singing to me they bum rushed me and clung to me like little pieces of ceran wrap. Seriously I didn’t have a hand or even arm space to do anything. Walking through all of them to the little church took awhile. I felt like a celebrity with a possie of poperatzie or whatever fallowing me. That is how it is here though, eerywhere you go every little kid calls you Mazoongoo which means white person or ghost or foreigner, depending on where you are at and then comes up to you and fist bumps you a million times.
There is so much more to being here but ill try to explain more in the next post. A page is long enough I think.
Til next time - peace out
This country is completely different from America. It doesn’t even feel like I am on the same planet as before. Literally everything you do here is different. From taking a shower and going to the bathroom to eating and cooking and sleeping and even buying things. Apparently it is extremely rude to walk and eat at the same time. So after buying my first Rolex yesterday (a form of burrito looking thing with egg and other things inside) I had to stand still with Bryan while we ate our delicious afternoon snack which only cost 1000 Uganda shillings which equals about 50 cents.
Traveling anywhere here seems like a good way to die. If the roads are not busy it is ok to walk down them, especially less traveled dirt roads. Most paved roads are always bustling with Boda Bodas, which are their versions of street motorcycle, and cars driving all sorts of crazy. I have never seen such lax driving rules anywhere else, and I thought Mexico was crazy.
Once I arrived at Musana where all the kids were I was immediately greeted by tons of little singing children. Once they were all done singing to me they bum rushed me and clung to me like little pieces of ceran wrap. Seriously I didn’t have a hand or even arm space to do anything. Walking through all of them to the little church took awhile. I felt like a celebrity with a possie of poperatzie or whatever fallowing me. That is how it is here though, eerywhere you go every little kid calls you Mazoongoo which means white person or ghost or foreigner, depending on where you are at and then comes up to you and fist bumps you a million times.
There is so much more to being here but ill try to explain more in the next post. A page is long enough I think.
Til next time - peace out
June 7, 2011
I arrived in Entebbe after another long and grueling plane flight. Just some advice for those traveling that far, sit in an isle seat if possible, and always order the beef, never the chicken! I made that mistake while heading to London on the first flight. I learned some Lusoga from a native guy from Kampala who sat next to me the whole way. Oliotia which means hello and Bulungi which means im fine. Apparently greetings are very important here so knowing how to greet someone in their language can help you. There hasn’t been much jet lag, I was just tired I think because after two days of travel and seeing London I only slept for 4 hours or so. Once I found Bryan and headed through Uganda to Iganga I perked back up.
This country is completely different from America. It doesn’t even feel like I am on the same planet as before. Literally everything you do here is different. From taking a shower and going to the bathroom to eating and cooking and sleeping and even buying things. Apparently it is extremely rude to walk and eat at the same time. So after buying my first Rolex yesterday (a form of burrito looking thing with egg and other things inside) I had to stand still with Bryan while we ate our delicious afternoon snack which only cost 1000 Uganda shillings which equals about 50 cents.
Traveling anywhere here seems like a good way to die. If the roads are not busy it is ok to walk down them, especially less traveled dirt roads. Most paved roads are always bustling with Boda Bodas, which are their versions of street motorcycle, and cars driving all sorts of crazy. I have never seen such lax driving rules anywhere else, and I thought Mexico was crazy.
Once I arrived at Musana where all the kids were I was immediately greeted by tons of little singing children. Once they were all done singing to me they bum rushed me and clung to me like little pieces of ceran wrap. Seriously I didn’t have a hand or even arm space to do anything. Walking through all of them to the little church took awhile. I felt like a celebrity with a possie of poperatzie or whatever fallowing me. That is how it is here though, eerywhere you go every little kid calls you Mazoongoo which means white person or ghost or foreigner, depending on where you are at and then comes up to you and fist bumps you a million times.
There is so much more to being here but ill try to explain more in the next post. A page is long enough I think.
Til next time - peace out
This country is completely different from America. It doesn’t even feel like I am on the same planet as before. Literally everything you do here is different. From taking a shower and going to the bathroom to eating and cooking and sleeping and even buying things. Apparently it is extremely rude to walk and eat at the same time. So after buying my first Rolex yesterday (a form of burrito looking thing with egg and other things inside) I had to stand still with Bryan while we ate our delicious afternoon snack which only cost 1000 Uganda shillings which equals about 50 cents.
Traveling anywhere here seems like a good way to die. If the roads are not busy it is ok to walk down them, especially less traveled dirt roads. Most paved roads are always bustling with Boda Bodas, which are their versions of street motorcycle, and cars driving all sorts of crazy. I have never seen such lax driving rules anywhere else, and I thought Mexico was crazy.
Once I arrived at Musana where all the kids were I was immediately greeted by tons of little singing children. Once they were all done singing to me they bum rushed me and clung to me like little pieces of ceran wrap. Seriously I didn’t have a hand or even arm space to do anything. Walking through all of them to the little church took awhile. I felt like a celebrity with a possie of poperatzie or whatever fallowing me. That is how it is here though, eerywhere you go every little kid calls you Mazoongoo which means white person or ghost or foreigner, depending on where you are at and then comes up to you and fist bumps you a million times.
There is so much more to being here but ill try to explain more in the next post. A page is long enough I think.
Til next time - peace out
June 6, 2011
Today was London....what a crazy awesome city! The “Underground” as they call it is the subway that runs underneath what seemed to be most of the city. First arriving in Heathrow I got to know the place pretty well, walking around the huge place and discovering many different types of people from all over the world. I think English people really love cologne and alcohol because there were only a few stores that actually had useful things that I needed. Everything else was cologne, alcohol, and next came the restaurants and expensive clothes and sunglasses stores. Pretty sure I still smell good just from walking around so much cologne, despite the fact that I haven’t bathed in over a day.
Enough about the airport. London on the other hand is pretty wicked. There are tons of old goddy buildings that require you to continually look up to see them. There are people everywhere driving on the wrong side of the street in weird looking taxis, double decker buses, and mopeds or motorcycles. The streets are in all sorts of directions and though I eventually figured the place out, I still don’t understand the reason for the awkward layout. The grid systems at home seem to still be the more practical way to set stuff up.
Though this city was awesome to walk around and see all the old buildings blending with the bustle of modern society, I also noticed there was trash pretty much everywhere. Other than that, no complaints. I kind of wanted to hop into one of the cars they drive here and take it for a spin. The other side of the road just seems wreckless, but Im down with that. The historical painting museum thing was pretty sweet, mostly cus it was completely free for everyone to walk in and tour. The paintings were old and all epic queen and king stuff mixed with religion.
Since my phone hasn’t been working at all and I had to pay to use the internet, I haven’t known what time it is all freakin day! Plus they use the 24 hour clock system instead of the 12 hour thing we’ve got goin on in the states. Along with not knowing the time, I got completely lost on the Underground on my way back to the airport. Naturally I thought I was going to be late because the overcast day didn’t help my time sense. It worked out though cus turns out there are other people that get lost on the trains and everyone is pretty helpful....even if their help is wrong, which I feel is the reason I got lost. But hey, its all and adventure and I still made to to my gate in time to write all this and still charge my iPod that has been my saving grace through the long plane ride here, sitting next to a woman who held the barf bag to her face for over half the way. Luckily no vomit. That’d suck.
Anyway it has already been an adventure and the real part hasn’t even started. As one lady taught me to say to absorb the situation at hand......
“Oh Yes!”
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Africa - The Adventure
We all spend time waiting......waiting to get into school, to middle, to high, to college, waiting for that first kiss, waiting to get our license, waiting to turn 21, waiting for that someone to marry, waiting to figure out what this life means and what our "purpose" is.
What happens when we aren't waiting anymore?
This question pops into my mind most likely because I sit here in DIA waiting.....for that plane to lift off and carry me to a far away land few get to set foot in. This adventure to Africa starts with many questions of the unknown. I don't know how many answers I will return with. I know it will open my eyes to something bigger than myself.
There are many people that currently surround me as I sit and wait in front of Gate A37. It's amazing the things we have come up with to get to distant places only pictured in movies and magazines. These planes will be my gateway to a world filled with an immense amount of people. I can only think this life of mine is to live for all those people, whoever they may be. What else are we suppose to do here? Where else are we suppose to go?
Is it not about others?
Here starts an adventure, just waiting to begin...
Monday, January 17, 2011
A Little Light Peeks Through
eyelashes reach for skies traveled by many imaginations
a slight flicker, they glisten as water settles at their tips
green kindly grows from light and deepens near the eye’s edge
a sunflower’s golden yellow bursts around beauty’s black
there isn’t enough time to spend trapped in their gaze
a breeze soon lifts a smile, like a sickness it spreads, only welcomed
for it has already been absorbed by your own needs
fingers dance through hair fallowing music you’ve never heard
hands give way to a past littered with laughter between hardship’s grasp
every sophisticated crease illuminates emotions locked away
warm rays tickle every muscle and you feel the earth’s intentions
the subtle spin slows beneath confident feet excited to walk next to Him
no words are needed, what’s within filters to the surface
a single glance tells the only story you want to hear
dreams hold tight to the only ride you want to take
life begins to replay, pause buttons should have been installed
ears that listen begin to guide better than mouths that tell
soon emerging from beneath every rock, crawling away from the fight
walls that shut out all peeking in fall beneath the fine print
and there aren’t anymore questions
what you’ve always asked has been answered in a slight whisper
every image crumples, unfolding into new thoughts
beauty starts to open up like a gift unwrapping itself
reaching out to hold it back, a simple “thank you” slips out
this sort of thing doesn’t stick around for long
getting to witness takes every last ounce of breathe
and lies it neatly over your mind, a veil of ease, fighting in your corner
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