Here are a few final stories to wrap up the trip…I said wrap up the trip, I didn’t say finish the blog. I’ll continue to blog about Uganda, about my travels, about social responsibility, about whatever is on my mind and heart, you may or may not agree with what I’ll talk about, I don’t care. In fact I kinda like it when people don’t agree with me, intelligent debate is thrilling to me. But back to Uganda….
Sunday afternoon came upon us too quickly, the hotel staff was sad to see us go, Jerry and Candis were sad, William the Internet Café guy was sad, we were sad, while it seemed like we had been in Gulu forever, our trip seemed too short all of a sudden. Our trusty driver Jack, had driven up from Kampala that morning to pick us up and whisk us back to the city.
That morning a few of us were sitting on the front veranda, when these 3 little girls walked past Hotel Roma. I had met them before, as they live down the street on the corner, that Beth insisted on cleaning up not once but twice. You see in towns and cities of many third world countries, garbage pick up isn’t on the priority list, hell I don’t even know if it’s on a list. But this corner, really got on Beth’s nerves, so Christmas morning, she went down there and started her own “Beautifying Gulu” project. These three girls who were walking past us lived in a house on that corner and they had been roped into the project the first day Beth cleaned up and then again on the second day. Now I’m not knocking Beth I think what she did was admirable, but I’m also afraid it was futile (that corner is right across the street from a bar- which generates a bit of trash), you do have to start somewhere, and that corner is where Beth decided to start. Anyway, this damn story isn’t even about the trash pick up…get to the point Gulley. So on the second day of Beth’s clean up, she and I were headed to Home of Love to hang the swings, finger paint, etc. I went down to see if Beth was ready to go, these three little girls were helping Beth clean up. The littlest girl (she is probably 4 and I now know her name is Nile) drops the box she is holding, runs over and hugs my knees, totally spontaneous, first time I’ve ever met her. I of course was like “oh my god- I want to take you home with me” then bent down and gave her the biggest hug. Fast Forward to our last day in Gulu, these same three little girls are walking to church on the other side of the road. I get up and walk into the road to call them over and say hello…Nile comes blazing across the street (look for cars what?- I almost had a heart attack as she was running across the street), I bend down and she gives me the biggest hug. My heart totally, completely, utterly MELTED. I picked her up and we chatted for a bit and took a couple of photos, which I then printed and took to her mom. Here’s one of the photos, couldn’t you just eat her up!?! So sweet.
After our final lunch of you guessed it Rice and Beans, we packed up the van and were getting ready to leave for Kampala. I’m sitting up front with Jack and I realize he is talking to someone at his window telling them “no”. I then see it is this boy who actually had approached Beth and I not once but twice…while we were walking through Gulu in past weeks. There is a fine line between helping and enabling, the first two times Beth and I encountered him we ignored and continued to walk on. When I realize who it is, I holler to one of the guys who is riding back with us to Kampala to dig a granola bar and some cookies out of a box we have in the back. I hand them to Jack who hands them to the boy, I then proceed to watch him devour the granola bar and then start on the cookies. I am ashamed that this was the first time we had fed him, he has crossed my mind regularly since last Sunday.
Our trip back to Kampala was almost uneventful, until we got a flat tire about an hour outside of the city. We pulled over to the side of the road, luckily Jack is a pro, but we also had Lou in the van who is another driver for the Adonai house. While they expertly changed the tire, I snapped photos of all the children who lived right along where we stopped, it was so fun watching them watch us.
Monday morning comes and Jack picks me up so I can be dropped off at the meeting spot, to hop on the Rafting outfitters bus to get to the source of the Nile in Jinja. I was excited and nervous. I’m in a boat with 3 Americans, 2 Germans and a Canuck guide. Two of the Americans are National Guard guys, so of course they are like go extreme, woohoo and I’m thinking in my head “oh lord, how many times am I going out of the boat?” We go barefoot, because if you go in with your shoes on, you’re probably coming out with them off. My little princess feet are not cut out for long walks barefoot, but I lived. As soon as we get in the boat there is a small class 2, our guide wanted to see what we were made of, so he intentionally flipped us. I got stuck under the boat, which is okay because there are air pockets, but when you’re cruising down the Nile and you’re stuck under a boat it’s kind of hard not to panic. We all got back in and continued down the Nile. We then came upon Bujagali Falls, which is a Class 5, next thing I know the front of the boat is coming towards the back of the boat and we all get dumped in. When you flip you’re supposed to hold onto the rope of the boat, but that is sometimes easier said than done…I ended up cruising down the river on my own for a little bit. The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, we didn’t see any crocs or hippos, which apparently don’t hang out too much in that part of the Nile, thankfully. We did receive the tip that if you do encounter a hippo when in the water, to swim down to the bottom of the river and hold onto some weeds, apparently hippos can’t see under water…just a little tip for you if you’re ever in the unfortunate situation of being in the water with a hippo at the same time. The safety kayakers did say they saw a cobra in the water, we never saw it though…a few times when we went swimming in the water, it took a bunch of nerve not to freak out at the thought of what was swimming around in the river.
I’m so glad I rafted the Nile that day, Uganda is building a dam that is set to open September 2010 and all of the rapids I ran will pretty much be gone after it opens.
Tuesday was my final day in Uganda. At the beginning of the trip it felt like I was going to be there forever, but by the last day it was hard for me to believe it was all over. The first thing we did that morning was head to Greater Life Orphanage, where we were greeted by screaming and clapping children before we ever reached the gate. I swear people in third world countries have a secret way of communicating a person’s impending arrival. These kids didn’t know we were coming, yet they were standing at the front gate bounding around way before they could even see our van coming up to the gate. As soon as I got out of the car I had many small hands anxiously looking to grab on to mine, so I gave a finger to each kid that was near me to hold on to. Sweet Sleep took a mission team to Greater Life this past summer, so Jen and Stuart wanted to drop in to see how the beds, nets, blankets were holding up and how the kids were sleeping. While they were researching, I was playing “head, shoulders, knees and toes”, along with snapping lots of photos of the kids.
At one point Jen says to me this is where Tasha and Bernie live…here’s the backstory this summer the photographer that was traveling with Sweet Sleep took this great picture of these two little kids, wearing dresses holding hands. My sister Katie and I decided to give them names, Tasha and Bernie. So I of course start scouring the crowd for the rockstars Tasha and Bernie….I see this wee one wearing a super holey shirt, with no pants on and his little wee wee hanging out…I go uh Jen I think this is Bernie and Bernie’s a boy. I was sooo excited to meet him, hug him and play with him…I seriously want to take “Ernie” (as Katie now calls him…since Bernie doesn’t work out so much anymore) home with me. Tasha as we call her wasn’t at the orphanage that day, so I only got to meet one of the famous duo. But it was a great way to end my trip to Uganda.
Ernie formerly known as Bernie
The afternoon took us to lunch and then I hit the market by myself, while Jen, Stuart and Josephine went to a meeting. I bought a great piece of artwork (Yes Mom- I bought it for myself but you can have it) and met the artist. He took me to the framer’s shop, which was done the street, around a corner into a bit of a shoddy back alley. I of course get off on adventures like this, but it was pretty uneventful. Ashraf the artist assisted in helping me get a boda boda and I was off on the streets of Kampala on my way to meet up with the rest of the gang. I realize bodas are dangerous and in the US I’d never get on one with out a helmet, but there’s something about being on a motorbike in insane traffic, dodging and weaving that makes me feel so alive!!
That night we headed to dinner with Josephine, her husband Jonathon, their children and Jack. Jack and I were sitting next to each other and I asked him what he was going to order and he said the tilapia (which was 16,000 shillings or $8US). He then said “oh is there pork on the menu?” I said yes there are pork chops so I show him what page they were on and he says “oh no I can’t” and I said “why”. He points to the price 20,000 shillings or $10US. I said “ah who cares Stuart is paying”. I finally convinced him I would eat some and he should order the pork chops if he wanted them. This 5 minute dialogue has stuck with me over the past week. What a different world we live in, to consider not ordering a dish because it’s $2.00 more than another. Unlike America, many people in this world eat out of a necessity to live. It’s not an event like most of us make it, here in the states.
It was sad to say goodbye to Josephine and her family, plus Stuart and Jen at the Adonai House. Jack and I got stuck in a jam on the way to the airport, it was a little nerve racking, but I was leaving it up to the universe if I didn’t make my flight, but I did. After giving Jack a big hug and a promise to come back to Uganda, I was on my way back to the States. While waiting at the gate, I started chatting up with this guy sitting next to me, I was telling him how I had spent the past few weeks in Gulu. He had grown up in Kampala but lived in Belgium, he was highly impressed I had been to the North. He said “Gulu is like the end of the earth to me I’ve never been there. You don’t go there”. He then thanked me for the time I had spent in the North. I was humbled by his appreciation.
My trip to Uganda was amazing and I loved every minute. Even when it was hot and we didn’t have electricity and I was eating rice and bean for the third time in two days. Some people have said to me “wow what a trip of a lifetime” or “that was a once in a lifetime trip”. And to some it may have been once in a lifetime, but for me it’s just the beginning….
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