EAST AFRICA - Uganda - Tanzania - Rwanda

Some Final Remarks

2011-05-08T00:55:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Africa was filled with all kinds of adventures and countless stories. It was filled with challenges and accomplishments, not to mention lots of laughs. Allison and I truly appreciate this past three months and know that the lessons we have learned have only just begun to surface. We will miss our Africa crew and wish you all the very best in your future endeavors.

May your journeys be blessed...

Adam and Allison

ZANZIBAR!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-05-04T00:52:00.000-07:00

We have spent our last week in Africa in paradise, or otherwise called Zanzibar. We strolled through the streets which smelled of different spices like clove and cinnamon, indulged in the delicious Swahili dishes, and achieved our open water SCUBA certification. We had four days filled with classes. The first day we sat in a class room where we watched PADI informational videos, so we would know what to do underwater. Then we took a test which we all passed. The second day we spent learning skills in the pool. Bridget and Emily also watched the Royal wedding while scuba diving in the pool. The next two days we spent diving in the Indian Ocean, where we saw a variety of wild life. We found nemo, a few lion fish, unfortunately jelly fish, an eel, a sea turtle, an octopus and much more. After our fourth dive we were given our official card so we can now keep diving and exploring underwater!

We spent our final day in Zanzibar enjoying the Stone town. Which for many of us included going to the spa, going on a last minute shopping spree and having our final cups of Zanzibar spice tea. We were sad to leave the island, but excited to move on to the very last destination of our journey, Dar es Salaam. After a quick ferry ride, we arrived in Dar still having our sea legs. We spent the afternoon exploring the city and going to the markets. Later that night, we had a scrumptious, Thai/Indian/Chinese dinner. A dinner that was more like a feast. There was a random movie playing and since we've been deprived from television for so long we were glued to the wacky story line. Our last meal together was full of laughter. Tonight we fly out and we are all sad to leave, yet excited to see everyone back at home.
See you soon!,
Bridget&Emily

Travel Travel and more Travel!

2011-04-27T05:34:00.000-07:00

Almost everyday for the last week we have spent traveling. We made our way back through Uganda and a have returned to Tanzania by land, water, and air. From our week of pure traveling we have plenty of funny stories to share with you when we return home.

After Sipi Falls we made our way down to Kampala where we spent the night. The following morning we hoped on a nicely overcrowded bus to cross the border back to Tanzania. There were not enough seats for the number of people, so other passengers ended up sitting on luggage in the aisle way. We had to crawl on our hands and knees over the luggage to reach our seats. After about ten hours we safely went through custom (which were not very difficult) and reached our destination, Bukoba, Tanzania.We spent the day in Bukoba, eating chipatis, lounging, and playing twister on the beach of lake Victoria.

We waddled down the beach with all of our gear during twilight. We had a vey mini trek to reach the port.We dodged mud puddles, walked on rocks, and jumped over streams to get there. In the moment of our confusion where to go next, a line started to form, which we hustled into. People were shoving and what not trying to get in. We made it through the fence gates with our pink hole punched tickets and found a new line for third-class. When we got to the top of the ramp the captain yelled to us and brought us to the first class deck. They moved us from what most likely would be a crowded room to open air. He told us that he moved us because of safety and didn't want people to get their belongings stolen.. We soon made our beds on the benches and dozed in and out of cautiousness, while two people stayed upon guard (thank you Lil, and Saxon!)....

Mwanza Bonzanza

Her name
Victoria
Floating royalty
on fortunately calm waters
Soon to embark
We lounge in privileged seclusion
surrounded by
Banana Basins
And curious on lookers
Who've become suspicious
After a brief chat with a crew member
Weary blurred eyeballs
itchy from ubiquitous dust
in our exclusive bubble
the horn blasts
again
to announce nothing
in particular
our movement as suttle
as the ripples beneath us
Lil head bangs to an i-pod
while a woman arranges bananas
looking concerned about
her mental state
The time has finally come
The horn blasts genuinely
and we glide through darkness

in Africa's eyeball.

-Adam Haigler

At 2:30 in the morning Saxon woke all of us up informing us that it was raining. We tucked ourselves a little farther inside our sleeping bags as we were misted by the rain. Soon the mist turned into a down pour. We all still groggy got up and grabbed our gear. We searched for cover like Alaskan crab fisherman trying to find their pots in the side ways rain. The captain soon came back up and saved us. He took us down to the eating quarters, where we laid our stuff and selves out to dry. One by one people started to doze back off as a group of us were entranced by the T.V. showing WWE wrestling. We could not figure out why we found it so entertaining, along with why so many Americans actually watched it. Some of us even reminisced about our middle school years and how we used to watch it. At six we re awoke and watched the sunrise over the now peaceful waters of Lake Victoria.

We got off the boat and proceeded to find our hotel in Mwanza, where we took naps. For the rest of the day we walked around and enjoyed the city. The next day we took a plane to Moshi. Where we started Free travel. We split into two groups and went our separate ways. Jill, Bridget, Saxon and the Adams made there way to Pangani where they enjoyed bathing in the sun on the coast. They Also went to Zanzibar a day early and on the boat ride over were met by dolphins swimming along with the boat.

Lil, Emily, and Allison stayed behind in Moshi. On Saturday we had the opportunity to go back a visit our friends a the UAACC. We were able to go swimming with the kids and a luxurious lodge. The children themselves do not know how to swim so we mostly just watched them dunk themselves and flail around in the kiddie pool. After a few hours we left and returned to the center. There, we were able to enjoy another one of their fabulous meals and watch Harry Potter 2 with the kids. Our time soon came to an end, as we headed back to Moshi. We hopped on to a coaster bus. Which this time instead of packed with luggage, like our earlier adventure, it was packed with people.We squeezed our way on to the bus a left. soon Lil realized she was holding only one of the two bathing suits she was just holding. We passed her a small light to see if she could find it. 'Do you see it?' Allison asked. Lil and Emily looked down, looked back up, and started to laugh. All the saw were two women's kitakos. Lil,soon found her missing swim suite on the driver's lap. After about thirty minutes we made it back to a seat and were rewarded with the amazing view of the Tanzanian night sky.

The following day we got dressed up in our newly sewn African inspired outfits and went to Easter service. We enjoyed listening to the songs of praise which the children led. We spent the rest of our free travel hanging out in Moshi and Dar es Salaam. We have all now arrived in Zanzibar which has beautiful white sand beaches with aqua blue water to accompany it. Tomorrow we start Scuba and are all very excited.

Love,

THE STORY SO FAR...

2011-04-20T03:09:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, our heroes began their journy in Tanzania as nine

companions. Since then we have traveled many miles, lost a comrade and

experienced many strange and alien things. Now they have returned to

Tanzania, the birthplace of this adventure, ready to take the country

by storm.

RECENTLY...

Boom! Boom! Boom! The bass in JJ's car vibrated within our chests. JJ,
a happy Ugandan Jew, bobbed his head as he tapped the break pedal
making the whole car bounce in time with the music. JJ, a minor
celebrity in his community, is the founder of the interfaith coffee
cooperative Peace Kawomera coffee cooperative. A remarkable feat,
especially in this country, Uganda, where your religious practices
often determine your lifestyle and/or community.

For the next 6 days we stayed in JJ's house, the 8 of us bringing the

total number of people living there up to 35. Along with his own

biological children JJ houses many adopted children and extended

family.

During our stay we were privy to the inner workings of the coffee
industry. We picked, husked, washed and dried our own coffee beans,
all by hand, as well as learning the in's and out's of fair trade. In
the afternoons many of us went swimming, while Adam D. and Saxon
stayed behind and played guitar, the favorite jam being 'Carry on my
Wayward Son.'

Being a Jewish household, they observe the Sabbath which starts at

sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday. The 8 of us

attended the synagogue with them on Friday evening. On the way to

temple we packed 14 people into JJ's 5-seater Toyota, bumped the tunes

and rolled through town, JJ shouting greetings to almost everyone we

passed. Once in the synagoge, the men were lent yamicas, then we all
attempted to follow the service which took place in Hebrew and
Lugandan. The electricity was down, so we held the service outside.

One of JJ's sons, led the service for the first time. On the way home

we packed an astounding 17 people into JJ's car.

After singing thank you and goodbye to JJ's family with our own

rendition of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight,' accompanied, of course, by
Adam and Saxon on guitar, we took a taxi to Sipi Falls, a beautiful
waterfall in eastern Uganda. The majority of us took a hike, led by
our guide, Alex, to visit each of the four drops of the waterfall. It
was gorgeous. We were at about 4000m elevation and the views of the
Ugandan countryside were widespread and beautiful. Behind one of the

drops there was a manmade cave, at another there was a swimming hole,

but the highest drop was where we spent most of our time. It was a
drop of about 90 meters, the water cascading down into a little pool
at the bottom hidden by rocks. When the water hit the rocks the spray
formed a small rainbow.

The following week is one of travel. It involves us taking a ferry

across Lake Victoria, flying to Moshi and taking a bus to Tanga, an

old fishing village turned city on the Tanzanian coast.

We hope everything is well at home. We'll see you all in two weeks!

TO BE CONTINUED...

Saxon, Lilianna

Power to the Africa Crew

2011-04-12T04:58:00.000-07:00

We went to Beads for Life and received a warm welcome. We then had a meeting and learned about the organization and how it was run. After we were shown how the beads were made and the process that they undergo. The organizations purpose is to give an opportunity to the poorest women in Uganda and help them start a bead business in order to support their children. Dinner was a great experience that night. We dined at a local Ethiopian restaurant, sharing three huge platters of food between all nine of us. It was also our night to wish Sarah goodbye, because she was going her own way the next morning. Miss u girl!
The following day we left the hostel at six in the morning, took a long bus ride to Jinja in order to raft the Nile River!When we arrived we were handed our gear and given a quick class on rafting saftey. After our training was complete we set off down the river to face a series of nine rapids. This expearience can onle be described as amazing, awesome and a total adrenalin rush. in the end we felt very proud of what we had just accomplished. How many people can say they rafted the Nile River with class 5 rapids?! In the end we enjoyed a BBQ lunch/dinner and took a long drive back to the hostel. The hostle was gorgous looking over the Nile. We all slept very well in one tiny room and then in the morning we made our way to Soft Power Education. We got a tour of the main location, then settled in to a sister school and then given instructions on what we would be doing for the next 5 days. Our mornings were spent painting the interior and exterior of a classroom block. The entire painting process took 4 days to complete. In order to let off some steam, one day during break the two Adams challenged each other to a jousting match, with the use of paint covered rollers. The match ended with both boys adorned with paint splotches and everyone watching in hysterics! Our afternoons were booked with Swahili classes, that were taught by Roy who was an awesome language teacher. He also gave us some unofficial lessons on East African culture. On Monday, Emily had the privilege of visiting Soft Power Health, which was an amazing experience. She was taken along to a number of interviews about malaria prevention, and even did some of the interviews herself. In the evenings, we played soccer, Frisbee and chatted with the local kids. After playtime we sat down to a scrumptious dinner prepared by our cook Monica, who was a total sweetheart. On out last night at Soft Power, we aided our cook in the slaughtering of a rooster. Our leader Adam did the actual slaughtering and Jill helped to defeather the body. The meal was delicious and very much appreciated.
Our next stop is in Mbale to stay at a coffee plantation and learn about Fair Trade Coffee!
Peace out boy scout!
Lilianna and Jill.

YES and Lake Nkuruba

2011-04-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

After free travel came to an end, we arrived at Youth Encouragement Services (YES). It was a quiet and beautiful hostel with purple morning glories growing abundantly along the fence. We were all more than happy to find that showers, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen were in good condition and easily available. We were even spoiled with access to a volley ball net and a ping pong table, where some very heated games took place in the late evenings. Our group was also given the very fun yet challenging task of self catering. Our meals consisted of tasty food such as stir-fry, spaghetti, beans and rice, tuna pasta salad and chapatis with guacamole for dinner. Cooking in the kitchen was a great bonding experience for our group. We worked over the counters with tears in our eyes from the slicing of onions, while we cracked jokes and dipped spoons into the pots to taste our wonderful creations. On the second day at the hostel, we were given a bit of free time. This time was used to give Saxon's hair a trim, which then turned from a trim into a spontaneous Mohawk. Mad props given to Lil, Sarah and Adam D for maneuvering the scissors and electric razor with a steady hand, which turned out to look like a professional job in the end.

       Our days were spent volunteering at the Mana Rescue Home, which is an orphanage dedicated to the care of HIV positive children. There were about thirty kids at the rescue home and their ages ranged from four years old to seventeen. It was truly an eye opening experience for our group to have the opportunity to volunteer there. The kids were real sweethearts and even though their energy was low they were very interactive and enjoyed our company. The orphanage was well organized. A significant portion of their food is grown right there on the grounds. The fresh and nutritious food has a huge impact on the health of the children and their immune systems. We were also fortunate enough to eat lunch with the children for a few days, which proved to be delicious. In addition to a healthy diet, the children's medical care and medication is supplied by the Ugandan Government, which is extremely helpful to those who are HIV positive.

   While we were there, our major project consisted of repainting a dining hall and kitchen. We painted for a number of days and were supplied with bananas as snacks and a CD player, so we could paint to the beat of the music. We also spent a couple of days playing with the children. Our leader Adam played a game of football (soccer) with the boys in the yard. Allison kept the kids entertained with a game of Frisbee. Emily assisted and observed the nurse practitioner when the children came in for their monthly checkups. Adam D and Saxon talked, hung out and got to know the older boys at the orphanage. Jill pained the girls finger and toenails a cheerful bright pink. Sarah, Lil and Bridget kept the kids laughing and running about by setting loose a huge bag full of super bouncy balls, bottles of bubbles, and toy cars. We left those days feeling exhausted yet playful ourselves.

   We then concluded our stay at YES by going out for a wonderful and scrumptious dinner. The food was amazing and served home style. The conversation we herd between a few Europeans was equally enriching and gave us all insight on the opinions some people have about the way volunteering should be run.

   We spent the following morning in town picking up supplies for our stay at lake Nkuruba. Despite a torrential downpour, Sarah and Lil were able to obtain all the food we would need for self catering during our camping trip. We later loaded all of our bags and groceries into a small bus and headed for the camp site. The sight was located atop a lush hill surrounded by monkey infested trees and overlooking the small but none the less magnificent Lake Nkuruba. After moving into our tents we were shown the modest kitchen, complete with an nonfunctional oven and wood fire stoves, where we would be preparing meals. Preparing meals proved to be more challenging than we had hoped, as successfully building a fire could take over half an hour. However, all of our meals turned out to be very delicious.

   We spent the next four days lazing around the camp site, sleeping in and going for occasional swims in the lake. On Sunday we loaded up the bus once again and after briefly meeting Carol, the founder of the Yes Orphanage, we began the long journey to Kampala.

Peace out and we send our love,
Jill and Adam

Free Travel

2011-03-24T06:04:00.000-07:00

SIDE NOTE: We have just posted pictures to our earlier blog posts, so scroll down and check out what we have been up to!

We are now half way through and started off our free travel Uganda going on a canoe trek for 2 days in Lake Bunyoni. We set off mid morning and canoed over to one of the many islands in the lake to begin our trek. A few minutes in, we learned about different plants that are around the area. Owen, our guide told us about the story behind the shy flower. If you like someone but are too shy to tell them, you can just give them that flower to show them how you feel. After that endearing story we went to the local church and listened to the amazing songs of praise from the congregation. When we finished clapping along to the song we headed out to the local bar to get undercover from the rain. Miha (the founder of Edirisa) joined us on our trek and told us how they make local beer in the area. They allow the fruit to ferment, and then later on mash it to a pulp using their feet, which they don't clean prior to stomping.

We then continued on our way up the island receiving an occasional chuckle from the local children whom found it amusing to see nine mzungus (white people) decked out in ponchos and rain gear when they themselves were wearing their everyday attire. . Due to the rainy conditions the ground was still very muddy, so slipping and sliding was a common occurrence. In the end we arrived at our destination safe and sound.

We arrived at a beautiful community center /developing backpacker’s hostel, complete with a killer view of the surrounding lake. This sanctuary was called African Explorers and the man who ran it (Yonic) was truly a gift from the heavens. We got settled and took shelter from the rain under a banana thatched hut. Our spirits were lifted even more when we were given a bottle of soda and settled down to hear Yonic's story of how African Explorers was founded. His speech and his story were from the heart, filled with truth and incredibly thought provoking. We all walked away from that place changed in some way. By this time it was around 4 in the afternoon, so we dropped by a local home where our rumbling tummies were fed a hardy African lunch. Lunch consisted of cooked plantains, sweet potatoes, goat meat and a delicious soup. After the tasty food had been consumed, we were taught to make crafts by the mother of the house. We attempted and tried to keep out patience with the complicated art of bracelet weaving, and had a go at it for a good 45 minutes until the mother assisted and ended out struggle by giving us all bracelets that she had pre-made. Our trekking group thanked the mother for the delicious meal and for the craft class then we preceded back down the island, slipping and sliding the whole way. Once we got down safely, we paddled our canoes to Tom’s Island. Tom is an amazing man with a trademark voice deep enough to do voice over’s for TV commercials back in the U.S.We had now been with Tom for awhile since he was our night guard man at one of the Edirisa locations. When we arrived we got settled into our tents and had a nice meal around the campfire. The rest of night was spent listening to traditional songs, being taught traditional dances, which in turn we had to teach a dance from the U.S. Adam H and Emily taught them, along with some of the group members the electric slide while Allison supplied us with the instrumentals. The rest of the night was spent being told local stories that our guide attempted to translate for us.

The next morning we were awaken by the crested cranes, which Jill says "sounds like child dying in pain", needless to say we were all very pleasant in the morning. After breakfast Tom briefly showed us around his island and then we soon continued on our way for a day of island hopping. We visited four different islands that day, two of which had involvement with the people who were affected by leprosy. We had a quick snack at the island where the doctor who treated them lived, and then before heading over to the island where the lepers lived we stopped for a quick swim. Of course right when we jumped into the refreshing water, the sun decided to go away, so we left for the leper island. It was very interesting to hear the stories of the lepers whom just a few years earlier lived there. The buildings that once housed them have now been turned into a boarding school for children. It was quite an educational experience.

on our way back in the canoes it began to rain once again and the wind started to blow (keep in mine that we still had our wet bathing suits on). So on order to warm ourselves up we engaged ourselves in a canoe race. After ferociously paddling team Emily, Jill, Miha, and his fiver year old daughter ended up wining the race. We were all rewarded for a hard day of work with the most delicious dinner we have had yet in Africa. When we finished, we contently returned to the home.

At six o'clock the next morning we headed off for a day of travel to reachdidn't have our reservations. We were all ok with that though since it turned out the Exotic hotel was a "flop house" or otherwise known as a place for people who would like to be with their mistresses would go. We ended up in a nice hotel and spent our first day in the town tying up loose ends, such as doing our laundry which all of us desperately needed to do. The next day we went to Semuliki National Park. The long, cramped, bumpy ride was well worth it. The park borders Uganda and Republic of Congo and can only be described as beautiful and breathtaking. We walked around for about three hours listening to the sounds of the rainforest. We also visited two different hot springs, one that was 106 degrees Celsius and the other 103. At the female hot springs our guide Elly, boiled some eggs for us in the water. The eggs proved to be piping hot, yet very tasty. It was a wonderful hike and great way to spend out last day of free travel.

love,
Emily and Jill

Edirisa: Week 2

2011-03-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

Hello Again! We just finished up our second week working with Edirisa in another village. Our group, (Adam, Bridget, Jill, & Saxon) stayed at the Teach Inn where we worked around the school on local projects. Jill & Bridget assisted in classrooms like mathematics, geometry, and general sciences. Adam and Saxon finished hoeing a garden that will soon be planted with vegetables to feed the volunteers, and together we all finished a compost bin that the whole school will be using by the end of the month.We went into a nearby village for our last two days and helped them repair a classroom with plaster and cement. During the break time we played sports with the children and even captured and released a family of mice that we found living in a classroom. For our last night at the Teach Inn, we celebrated with members of the local community and school board with a pig roast and a delicious feast full of music and laughter. Today we begin our free travel, beginning with a canoe treck along the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi. We will update you soon upon furthering our free travel adventures!

Untill then-Bridget & Adam

Team Gorilla Part II

2011-03-18T22:54:00.000-07:00

Team Gorilla went on a lovely bumpy ride to Lake Bunyoni. We got settled in and as a group sat down and planned what we would be doing during our stay. Sarah and Emily taught math, body parts, and songs in the nursery. Lilianna taught an art class, and Adam taught an amazing environmental studies class. We had plans to teach a swimming class, however, during our stay it rained most of the time so we ended up talking, laughing, reading and playing games inside. We also found time to build another successful compost pile with the help of the other volunteers.

During our time at Edirisa, we undertook a beard challenge to be able to shave Adam's beard however we so desired. After completing, four different tasks, for example: showering him with compliment for a day, we ended up shaving half his beard off, a style which he sported for 24 hours.

Lilianna, Emily, Sarah, Adam

Quick Update

2011-03-14T02:11:00.000-07:00

Heyo from the other half of the group. We spent the week on the beautiful Lake Bunyoni, where we dug a garden, dug out a space for a compost bin, and assisted in after school activities. Jill and Adam ran a P.E. course, Bridget oversaw an art class, Saxon did dance and became godfather to a chicken.

In our free time we swam, went canoeing, took a hike, and watched football at a neighboring resort. So, yeah. Until next time.

Jill, Saxon

Team Gorilla

2011-03-13T03:51:00.000-07:00

We have now left Rwanda and have started our adventure in Uganda. Before we left though we were able to visit the Kigali Memorial Center where we learned about the genocide that occurred in Rwanda. The tour began by going through multiple gardens which very artistically helped convey the different emotions, actions and people affected by the genocide. Once we finished our time pondering through the gardens we entered the museum. The museum is split into three parts; the first part is about colonization of Rwanda, second about the actual genocide and third, genocides that have occurred in other countries along with how the genocide affected children. By the end of our time at the memorial we felt an array of emotions as we reflected upon what we had just learned.

Later that night we were in higher spirits as we got dressed up (well, as much as we could) and had a delectable meal at Hotel de Mille Collines. That hotel is where the story for the movie Hotel Rwanda is based off of. Having dinner there was a great way to spend our last night in the city while celebrating our month-aversary.

The next day we headed out for Uganda. We are now in the middle of our time volunteering with Edirisa. The group has split into two groups. We spent our first week fixing a path and making a compost bin for the community at The Teach Inn. There we enjoyed making friends with the locals, giving ourselves facials with the clay from the clay pits, having intense twister games, going on excursions to the market to buy our food for the week (yes, we cooked ourselves) and enjoyed delicious rolexes. For those who have not been introduced to this type of Rolex it contains a chapati (something in between a crepe and a pancake) an omelet, and another chapati rolled together. They are a great on the go type of food. Now we are having a day off and tomorrow we will be heading off to Edirisa's other location Lake Bunyoni which we here is gorgeous!

Sincerely,

Team Gorilla (Sarah, Emily, Lil, and Adam H.)

Hi from Rwanda

2011-03-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

Jambo from the beautiful Kigali, Rwanda. We arrived here Saturday evening after a much longer than anticipated plane ride from the Kilimanjaro International airport. We spent the previous week at the United African Alliance community center. Upon arriving we were greeted warmly by Pete (The Panther) O'Neil, and his twenty-one adopted children. We then settled into our comfortable sleeping quarters. It is safe to say that everyone was enthused to have warm running water, clean clothes and electricity once again.

We started our first full day with a one hour yoga class at seven-thirty in the morning. After a delicious breakfast we split up into groups of two and sat in on English classes. All of the teachers at the UAACC were volunteers, and the ages of students ranged from fourteen to forty. Many of the student traveled long distances to attended free schooling at the community center. The advanced English class students were virtually fluent in English and were very easy to converse with. On the contrary, students in the beginners class needed a lot of assistance from there teacher to translate. All students were eager to hear about American culture, politics and language. Later in the afternoons Carpe Diem students attended computer classes to teach students of all ages the basics of computers. Everyone seemed interested in making facebook and e-mail accounts. The concepts were difficult at times to explain unless the students were English speaking.

Following our first day of teaching we attended a dance class in the early morning. A group of ten locals met us out on the basketball court to teach us a dance from a local tribe. Though learning the dance was difficult enough, we also had to sing at the same time. This proved to be quite a challenge but, after a couple hours of practice we were feeling confident in our ability to perform the dance during the UAACC talent show that afternoon. Our performance of the dance went well, as did our rendition of the Cha Cha Slide; the American dance we all decided would be the easiest to perform without any practice. The talent show went on for several hours and included dances and skits performed by locals, a fashion show and musical performances both by UAACC and Carpe Diem Students.

The rest of the week was spent in relaxation; learning how to make batik paintings in the art room, collaborating with local artists in the music studio, and interacting with students at the community center. During some evenings we were able to casually chat with Pete about the life he was forced to leave behind in America and his new life in Tanzania. Many evenings we would watch both educational and slightly more irrelevant DVDs from Pete's extensive collection.

Thanks to Emily who verified both flights to Rwanda as well transportation from the airport to our hotel we arrived safely in Kigali on Friday Evening. Though finding a hotel was a bit of a struggle we were able to fit everyone in to two generously sized rooms at the Kigali Hotel, with help from Lilianna. We spent our weekend exploring the city and attempting to emerge ourselves in the culture. After almost a month in Tanzania we found our Swahili to be no use here as the predominant languages are French and Rwanda. There appears to be a strong french and English Influence and the city is much more developed than the previous towns we visited. We are all very much looking forward to our visit to the Rwanda Genocide Museum on Sunday before we travel to Uganda the following day.

We will keep you updated on more events soon!

Love,

Adam & Sarah

A Brief Summary of Events So Far

2011-02-27T01:57:00.001-08:00

Mambo from the United African Alliance Community Center! We arrived here yesterday afternoon fresh (although somewhat smelly) off our three day Safari to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara National Park. We witnessed the laziness of lions, the zen of elephants, the staggering numbers of the zebra and wildebeest herds, as well as many of other creatures of the Serengeti such as: a leopard, a cheetah, a family of hyenas, birds dancing on the backs of hippos, a black rhino, giraffes, impalas, antelopes, buffalo, elands, blue monkeys, vervets, mongoose, diks diks, warthogs, bush backs, water bucks, jackals, white flamingos, ostriches, and many other species of bird including the largest flying bird in the world.

Upon our departure from the Ngorongoro Crater, we paused to snap a picture of a mama and baby baboon. Before we could close the windows on our jeep, the cute momma, with the baby in her arms, quickly transformed into a vicious momma, and proceeded to jump onto the roof of our jeep. Emily fell out of the car, Jill screamed and leapt out the window, Bridget searched frantically for something to hit it with before joining Emily and Jill in their escape, leaving Allison to face the baboon alone. Hearing the screams of terror, our driver quickly came to the rescue screaming and waving his arms. The baboon fled, only to return moments later with reinforcements. Giving new meaning to the phrase “guerilla warfare,” they baboons quickly entered the jeep next to ours, stole a box of crackers and quickly made off with their prize. We learned a valuable lesson that day: cute and fuzzy doesn’t always mean cuddly.

For the ten days proceeding the Safari, we lived in a traditional boma in the Maasai village of Esilalei. A boma is a large circular fence constructed from acacia trees, which possess large thorns, to protect the dwellings and livestock within from lions and hyenas. The dwellings are built from mud, manure, and tree limbs, with a thatched roof of grass. There are two separate structures, one for men and one for women, as well as a guest house constructed only of sticks, giving it a more open feel and allowing the breeze to cool it during the heat of the day; the latter acted as our dining hall. In the center of the three houses is a smaller boma. This is where the cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys ad chickens are kept during the night. We stayed within the boma in tents provided for us by Maasai Wanderings, and ate delicious food prepared for us by our chef Jackson.

While living with the Maasai we worked on three service projects: painting a road sign for the school, filling in a concrete foundation for the school’s kitchen, and constructing a water tank and gutter system for the kitchen that will catch precipitation during the rainy season. The projects took about five days to complete, and were greatly appreciated by the village and those working in the school. Some mornings we played with the students who were very eager to meet us, and found everything about us and our culture to be utterly fascinating. We loved spending time with them and teaching them American games such as Duck-Duck-Goose and ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.’

A typical day in the Maasai village consisted of a morning spent on the service project, and a lazy afternoon spent writing in our journals, doing laundry, and interacting with our ever friendly local hosts. In the evenings before dinner, we often helped bring the cows home under spectacular sunsets. We also visited a weekly Maasai market where Saxon bought a pair of traditional Maasai sandals made from recycled tires. We went on a walking Safari led by two Maasai, on which we saw elephants, giraffes, lions and wildebeests, saw a lamb being born, and slaughtered and ate a goat Maasai style. The celebration of the goat was a much needed thank you to the Maasai tribe for allowing us to stay with them. We saw how they skin and butcher livestock for meals, traditionally consisting of milk, blood, and meat. While the goat was being butchered, Allison performed an eye ball dissection, which was really fun and interesting to see.

As mentioned earlier, we are currently residing at the UAACC, a community center created by an exiled black panther named Pete. During our stay we will help teach English, art, sewing, music and computer classes to anyone who wants to learn, as well as to the twenty-two children who live here full time. After the UAACC, we’re heading to Rwanda for a few days to visit the site of the Rwandan Genocide and further our knowledge of the events of 1994.

Stay tuned for future posts!

Salama! (Peace)
Saxon, Bridget

Jambo from L'Oasis!

2011-02-12T02:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went on an eventful scavenger throughout Arusha! We did awesome and hit almost all the goals, speaking in our newly learned Swahili along the way. We have been spending time doing orientation and learning about each other. The hostel is beautiful here and has modern amenities that we have been gratefully taking advantage of :) Bridget, Saxon, Lil, Emily

Mambo! from Arusha, Tanzania

2011-02-12T01:38:00.001-08:00

From Adam, Jill & Sarah!!!

We are in the middle of our scavenger hunt in Arusha right now. We made it here alive! Yay! We just begun learning Kiswahli today and are eager to speak it. We love and miss everybody! We will blog more when we actually figure out how to use it properly. Wish us luck- We are trying to win this scavenger hunt!!

Safe & Sound (& Sleeping!) in Arusha

2011-02-09T15:50:00.000-08:00

We've just received word that the group was picked up without a hitch and are now settled into the hostel they'll call home for a few days' worth of orientation, cultural briefings, language basics, and general group bonding as they begin their thorough journey of East Africa.

When they awake, you'll begin hearing from them themselves--so stay tuned! From here on out, this is Team Africa's blog!

-HQ out.

Amsterdam and Beyond!

2011-02-09T03:12:00.000-08:00

It's official. Team Africa is complete, all are accounted for in Amsterdam and they are embarking on an adventure of a lifetime as a complete unit. Next stop? TANZANIA. The next blog you read should be from the group themselves. So come back to this site often and follow the adventures from the eyes and ears of Carpe Diem Africa Spring 2011!

Signing out for now...

Carpe Diem Headquarters

Spring in East Africa

2011-02-01T18:47:00.000-08:00

Hello Team Africa!

We hope all of your preparations are going well for our upcoming adventure and that this introductory blog entry finds you all well. This blog will be a very useful way to tell the story of our trip to your friends and loved ones, so please pass this address on to them or tell them how to find it through the Carpe Diem website's blog link.

Allison and I are currently in Portland managing the various logistical details for our rapidly approaching departure. We have spent the winter break visiting friends and family in North Carolina and Vancouver, Canada - staying mobile to honor our inner nomads. Making phone calls and perusing the "student files" has revealed to us that we will be traveling with an incredibly interesting group of students and we can't wait to explore this fascinating region with you all.

For those of you who haven't spoken with us over the phone yet, expect that fateful call within the next couple of days. We are so excited to meet you all and look forward to a spectacular semester.

Happy packing!

Adam and Allison

...The End of Our East Africa Journey...

2010-12-14T08:29:00.000-08:00

These past three and a half months have been an incredible journey for all of us. It was a journey where each of us became best friends through all the challenges, scary moments, exciting times and pee in our pants laugh out loud moments :)We enjoyed every experience across East Africa and have all come out of this experience in our own way, transformed from trying new things, challenging ourselves, taking up group leadership roles, going to new places, volunteering, forming relationships with the local people, and pushing our comfort zones.

Here are some of everyone's experiences, highlights and most memorable moments from the trip:

Chris enjoyed working with the kids at Edirisa where he made connections with the teachers at Lake Bunyonyi and loved the experience of living with the Maasai. At Esilalei Village with the Maasai, Chris tried out the traditional dress in Maasai blankets and played soccer. Chris also challenged himself with trying a healthier eating habit and had a lot of fun getting a lot of soccer jerseys.

Taylor formed lots of little friendships from all the kids at the school in Lubani to all the small Maasai warrior children in Tanzania. With some last hugs and many exchanged goodbyes at the airport, Taylor set off to Morocco on another adventure.

Becca enjoyed living in Esilalei with the Maasai where she fell in love with a little baby named Baracka, a pudgy cheeked, ambitious little girl who takes after cow herding from her mother.

Izzy brought a lot of laughs on the trip. A big highlight of his was encountering a little boy named Mzee Delta that made nothing but "baaa" sounds like a goat. Throughout the trip, he created more Mzee Deltas in the places we traveled to at the Maasai and at the UAACC.

Karen took a big leap in exploring art and education at Y.E.S., Edirisa and the UAACC. She created fun art projects from making candles with beeswax to sweet potato stamps and paint. One of her biggest highlights from the trip was hiking Mt. Sabinyo and creating art with the children at Lake Bunyonyi.

Alexa's best experiences were at Lubani, spending time at J.J.'s house and Peace Kawomera Coffee Co, volunteering with Edirisa, living with the Maasai and scuba diving in Zanzibar.

Vicky pushed her comfort zone to greater heights. Some of the best times were rafting on the Nile, working at Edirisa, the Sipi Falls Hike, Halloween at Lake Bunyonyi, dinner at the Mille Collin Hotel in Rwanda, going on runs across the savanna, safari, mountain biking, living with the Maasai, swimming in the Indian Ocean and dancing in Zanzibar.

Will's highlights of the trip were hiking to the summits of Mt. Sabinyo and living with the Maasai. Will also grew from being one of the quiet ones in the beginning to the most sassy.

Charlotte- "My most memorable moments are looking back at the things we accomplished: painting at Lubani, conquering Mt. Sabinyo, scuba diving in the sparkling Indian Ocean, and many more".

Jessie pushed her comfort zone numerous times and brought a lot of support to activities when she was captain during free travel in Uganda. Jessie enjoyed swimming in Lake Bunyonyi, jamming with Mama Charlotte at the United African Alliance Community Center, climbing Sipi Falls, dancing with the Maasai, and loved swimming in the Indian Ocean with dolphins!

Zoe brought a lot of musical fun to the group playing guitar and singing during jam sessions. Her highlights of the trip was every moment hanging out with the group laughing and just growing and changing together.

Cliff gave a lot of encouragement and support to the group on all the challenging hikes and climbs. His best memories are with the people we've met on the journey: Salim, Padi, Carol Adams, Mzee Delta, and Emsea. Cliff also enjoyed the picture pals project with Roses family when we were with Y.E.S. in Uganda and flagging down transportation with the help from a young boy with a machete and an old man on a bicycle back in Fort Portal, Uganda.

Much love and many, many smiles as we return to the states for the winter holidays and go onto our next adventures accross the globe. CARPE DIEM!

More from Zanzibar!

2010-12-05T06:02:00.000-08:00

Hello again!
We are taking advantage of the close-by Internet cafes to squeeze in a few more blogs before the semester ends...

Today, the divers completed the underwater portion of the scuba certification process, while others did cultural things around the amazing island of Zanzibar. I (Zoe) was part of the diving group, while Vicki did the Spice tour and checked out some museums, so we'll each have good input to the blog.

The diving was amazing, we lugged our diving bags onto the boat and once again headed out into the impossibly clear ocean. Once we arrived, we got in the water, and finished up some of the required skills needed for the certification. These include mask clearing, emergency swimming ascent, finding the regulator if it falls out of your mouth, and using your buddy's air source if you run out. And a whole lot more. We were split into pairs, each pair went with an instructor. The groups of three split and even though we weren't far apart, there's so much to see that we all saw different things. For example, Taylor and I were lucky enough to see a sea turtle and a ray! Everything about both dives today was amazing. After a lunch break on the boat, we set out for yet another dive, the fourth one of the required four to be certified as an "open water diver." When we surfaced, we all got high fives and congratulations. It was all very exciting. So now I'll let Vicki take over, so she can tell you about the other awesome stuff that is happening on Zanzibar!

OKey dokey peoples! Yesterday, Taylor, Izzy, Becca, Chris and I went to the Palace Museum after their scuba dive and it was pretty cool. The Palace Museum is like a "kingdom by the sea" with views of the ocean outside of the royal bedrooms, balconies and windows. One of the most fascinating things we learned was about Princess Sayyida Salme of Zanzibar and the many different cultural ties she had.

Today, Karen, Becca and I went on the Zanzibar Island Spice Tour and we got to see, taste, smell and take back some of the spices and fruits. On the first stop of the tour we saw Persian baths and then drove out to the spice farm where we walked around smelling and tasting nutmeg, cardamon, starfruit, Jack-fruit, cloves, cinnamon...

We also received some hand-made bracelets, rings and necklaces from the local guys who also came on the tour- one of which proposed to Karen with a coconut leaf ring. LOL. We were also given lunch which was absolutely delicious- rice cooked with cloves, coconut sauce, spinach and chapati. After that, the last part of the tour was time spent swimming in crystal clear beach waters!

We will continue to update you all with the events of our last few days together! we can start by saying that tomorrow we leave the beautiful island of Zanzibar and we head back to Dar Es Salaam, where we will spend the rest of the time (all of a day and a half) before we say our goodbyes to Africa!

Much love from Zanzibar!

Zoe and Vicki! <3

SCUBA! SCUBA! SCUBA!

2010-12-03T23:36:00.000-08:00

We've finally completed our certification classes for open water scuba diving! Yay!

Here's how the journey started:

On Thursday morning, we all went to the One Ocean Dive Centre and got signed up! It was a long, long, long day filling out a ton of forms, watching videos, reading and taking tests. The whole process took about 9 hours...yup, getting open water scuba certification is a loooong process! :)

For Charlotte who already had scuba certification, she got to go on her own dive adventure while the rest of us had class. Charlotte went with a couple of scuba guides to do a wreck dive! Under the glimmering blue waters, she saw sting rays, a ton of tropical fish (and a few rare ones), sunken ships and porcelain plates scattered all across the ocean floor. Charlotte also got a bit sun-burnt from this experience but it was "amazing!"

That night, after completing the classroom part of scuba certification, many of us got henna art drawn on our skin and had dinner at the seafood night market. The sight of lobster, king fish, crab, shrimp, prawns, clams, octopus, squid, shark, tuna, and a bunch of other tempting delicacies from the sea grilled right in front of us smelled and looked absolutely delicious. IT tasted soo good and we also had some cats purr at us annoyingly to get a bite of our meal. Lol.

The next morning, we took a 10min float and a 200m swim test, tried on scuba equipment and hit the pool to test them out! It was quite an experience getting used to breathing under water and using giant flippers. We were taught some basic skills and signals (since we can't communicate verbally under water) and some of us stayed under water practicing with the dive master for over half an hour.

Charlotte also got to go on another dive, and Karen also went on a dive on the northen part of Zanzibar Island. Yay!

AND TODAY.....with our official open water scuba diving certificates, almost all of us will dive into the crystal blue waters of the Indian Ocean and explore life under the sea discovering the different ship wrecks, coral reefs and marine animals! We are all very excited and it is going to be one unforgettable adventure! Yay!

Stay tuned to hear more soon about our first scuba dive in the ocean!

Free Travel-Moshi and Tanga!

2010-12-01T05:09:00.000-08:00

Hello!!
We just had an amazing and exciting past few days of free travel. We started our free travel journey on Thanksgiving at the United African Alliance Community Center. The group ended up deciding to split up into two groups, a group of five and a group of seven. We all traveled from Arusha to Moshi together and stayed the night at a backpackers hostel in Moshi. The next morning, the group of five left for Tanga (Karen, Izzy, Becca, Charlotte, and Will) , where they explored caves and ruins. They got to go to the beach, and tried to go dancing, but the club was closed. The two of us (Vicki and Zoe) were in the larger group with Cliff, Taylor, Chris, Alexa and Jessie, so we don't know much more detail on that, because we stayed in Moshi to explore the city. Vicki, Jess, Alexa, and Cliff went on a hike to Ndoro Waterfalls, where Alexa and Cliff jumped off the waterfall, and Cliff gracefully slipped and hit the water face first. It was classic. The group also got to see and hold a horned chameleon, which the waterfall guide was scared of-he was hiding behind Vicki!

That same day, Chris and Zoe stayed in Moshi to do a little more exploring, and Taylor even got to go to Arusha and see family that was there! That night, the seven of us decided to go dancing. Before we type this, we had to take a break for laughing. At the dance club, we ran into the most enthusiastic middle-aged Indian men. They had a few interesting signature moves, and one of them danced with a 1.5 liter water bottle on his head for a good 15 minutes. Classic. It was definitely one unforgettable night.

The next morning, before our departure from Kilimanjaro Backpackers, we got to see the actual mountain from the third floor of our hostel. It was beautiful! It was a good start to a long day of traveling. We caught the Dar Express bus-a luxurious coach from Moshi to Dar Es Salam, complete with air conditioning and complementary sodas and movies-for a nine hour ride to Dar! It was actually very enjoyable and comfortable! Vicki, with the role of "Cribs" (our accommodation leader), found us an amazing campsite at Makadi beach. We stayed in bandas that were raised from the sandy beach on stilts. It was like a Corona commercial! A beautiful beach with aqua blue water complete with hammocks! The next day, when most of the seven of us went back into Dar to explore, the Tanga group arrived at the campsite! The whole group went into the Indian Ocean for a reunion swim-the first time in the Indian Ocean for a lot of us! Anyways, we enjoyed two more nights at the campsite with the group, and this morning, we caught a ferry to Zanzibar! Tomorrow we start our Scuba class, so Vicki and I will do our best to keep you updated with how that goes!!! We are enjoying our last week together, and will see you all very soon! Much love!

Zoe and Vicki!!

Did pancreas just explode on my leg

2010-11-25T00:24:00.000-08:00

Hello! Happy Thanksgiving!

We are still in Arusha, but no longer with the Maasai anymore. We have been staying with Black Panther, Pete O'Neil for the past 3 days. For everybody who doesn't know who Pete O'Neil is, he started the Black Panther Kansas City chapter. After being exiled from the United States, he and his wife Charlotte moved to Tanzania and started the United African Alliance Community Center. We have been catching up on some much needed rest and relaxation.

For all of you who are wondering what the title to this blog means, well...it's a tribute to our goat. Six days ago, we had the opportunity to sacrifice a goat that we had bought previously in the market. After a long day of swahili class and numerous hours of playing soccer with the Maasai, it was "goat time." One of the customs to the Maasai culture is to sacrifice a goat and drink the blood.

The first step is to smother the goat so he can't breathe. Cliff volunteered to do this. After the goat died, you get a knife and stab the heart so the blood coagulates into the goats ribs. After skinning the goat, it was time to cut him/her open. Once the goat was cut open, it was time to take out the organs. It first started with the kidney. The kidney was offered to many of us to eat raw. Only a few of us had the stomach to eat it. Next, the intestines were taken out and put on the fire. Once they were smoked, the Maasai passed around the intestines for anybody who wanted to try. They were full of fat and I recommend not eating them! Next, we took out the liver and threw that on the fire to cook. While waiting for the liver to cook, it was time for the blood. I've never seen anybody drink blood of an animal before, but watching the Maasai drink the blood, it was like watching a savage eat/drink. They put the blood and a few other chunks into a large cup for us to try. Taylor, Cliff, Karen, Alexa, Zoe, Jess, Will, Izzy, Becca, Charlotte, and myself all drank it. Sadly, some of us even went back for seconds. It had a little barbecue taste to it, so it was a shock to me how good it was. After all the meat had been cut off the goat, they put it on sticks and let the fire barbecue it. Once it was done, it was chow time. I've never had goat before, but hey, there's a first time for everything.

One our final day with the Maasai, some people went to church while others went to herd cattle. After making our way back into Arusha, we decided to stay out a hostel called Backpackers. Everybody was happy because there were HOT showers which we had all missed. After a long night of rest, we were set to go to the UAACC. Godwin, drove us there and after telling us goodbye, it was home sweet home.

We've been watching documentaries on Pete O'Neil, participating in art classes, hanging out with kids, and even playing pool for hours. Well, it's Thanksgiving and we're all cooking different things tonight. So until next time...HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

-Chris (HI MOM)

Walk to "Lake Manyara"

2010-11-18T02:08:00.000-08:00

Hello again!

Yesterday was an intense one. We set out at 8:15 am for a walking safari to Lake Manyara. We can see the lake from our boma, and a bunch of us were excited to finally walk out to it. We were led out by one of the leaders of our boma, "Emseea" (I'm not sure how to spell it...)

He showed us different plants and natural medicines, including one that had a root that could cure back pain... and gonorrhea. Another was a tree that gave you the munchies, in the event that you had killed a cow and didn't want to waste it. There was also an apple that cures stomach flu, and a whistling acacia... that whistles. =D Nearly 5 minutes into the walk however, we saw a heard of giraffes and several empala. It was beathtaking.

After a hot, but enjoyable 3 hours, we stopped at a baubab tree to rest. Rather than rest, Karen and Cliff immediately started climbing it. Becca, Will, Chris, Alexa, Charlotte and Vicki followed once they were told it was safe. After that, we headed out to the lake that looked somewhat closer.

The trees and bushes vanished, and we were surrounded by nothingness. The occaisional gazelle ran by, or a giant heard of cattle, but there was nothing around us. After another 2 hours, we stopped in a giant mud puddle and looked around. Emseea looked at us and said "This is the lake."

Yes. Lake Manyara is dry and we've been looking at a mirage for 5 days. It was frustrating, but funny. I'd never thought mirages could be so convincing.

We trudged on through the desert for another couple hours, and finally made it into town to get picked up and driven back to the boma. The rest of the night was relaxing after we scarfed down a speghetti dinner.

Today, we'll be having another truly Maasai experience. We bought a goat in the market earlier, and later, Emseea and some of the other local guys will show us how the Maasai kill a goat. We'll be drinking the blood traditionally and then having a barbeque. I'm sure there'll be a detailed update on this in a few days!

That's about it!
-Jess

Maasai =D

2010-11-16T06:42:00.000-08:00

We've finally begun our 10 days with a Maasai tribe in Esilalei, Tanzania!

I'm sorry it's been awhile since the last blog, but things have been pretty rustic lately. After leaving Kigali, we landed in Arusha, Tanzania full of excitement. Especially me and Becca, who were jumping out of our plane seats when we saw the familiar airport.

We stayed one night at an incredible hotel, complete with a swimming pool and some pretty epic bandas. All the luxury was followed by Terengire National Park. Only 10 minutes into our first safari, and we saw a cheetah! One of the most difficult animals to see and there it was. Just hangin' out under a tree. It was a jaw-dropping experience. We continued through and got up close and personal with giraffes, dik-diks, antelope, elephants, water buffalo, and squinted to see the lions. At the end of the day, we went to our first night in the safari tents, and prepared for the next day.

Ngoronogoro crater was gorgeous. The lake was low and the grasses were a classic African-yellow in the dry season. The zebras and wilderbeasts ran by us, and we saw THREE MORE CHEETAHS! Several people commented on the fact that in Uganda, a natural healer had predicted luck for our group. ... Maybe that was it!

After our animal filled days of awesome, we went to Esilalei, a small village inhabited mainly by Maasai. Our small troop of safari cars drove off the paved roads, and dropped us in the middle of nowhere with a cook and tents. It was one of the most surreal things I've experienced. Three mud huts surround our tents, and a few small bomas (clusters of mud huts) are near by. But otherwise, the desert-esque savanah surrounds us on all sides.

The Maasai have welcomed us with open arms. Our first day, we participated in a local dance (men seprated from women). Izzy and Chris decked themselves our in traditional Maasai blankets, and Alexa and Zoe became "Maasai Mammas" (as said by some of the local men) shortly after.

There isn't a lot of volunteer work to be done, but we're soaking up aas much culture as possible. Cliff hearded cattle with the men. Karen, Alexa, Zoe, Becca, Taylor, Vicki, and I learned traditional beaded and interviewed a few of the people. Charlotte, Izzy, Will and Chris went to a local church service and visted a few of the nearby homes.

The afternoons are scorching hot and it's hard to do anything but lie down, but people have been adapting. An intense sandstorm alomst hit yesterday, but crisis was averted.

Anyway! We'd best be getting back to the boma for dinner.
More soon!
-Jess

Genocide, Culture, and Quotes

2010-11-07T01:21:00.000-07:00

It's been an intense couple of days.

On Friday, we all took our time to see the Kigali Genocide Memorial. The museum was really interesting to say the least. It walks you through the history of Rwanda in relation to the 1994 genocide. There was so much information is was nearly impossible to process it all in one sitting. Even today, a people are going back for round two.

Yesterday, we all took a two hour drive to Butare in one of the most hilarious matatu's yet. It was decorated in the rasta colors, with quotes like "One Love" and "Together as One" on the ceiling. Music was blasted the entire day, complete with a light strip in the back at night.

The plan was to go to the National Museum, but we ended up going an hour further to the Murambi Memorial and genocide site. It was a moving experience for all of us. After a brief summation of the events in 1994, the guide took us to a series of small buildings, each with 5 or 6 rooms. In each room, there were tables covered with preserved bodies of the victims that were buried in mass graves at the site. Just seeing the sheer amount of the bodies, and knowing they were barely a fraction of the total number of victims, was intense in itself.

After that experience, we drove back to Butare and the National Museum. Our spirits were lifted considerably with a jaw-dropping cultural dance performance. For me at least, it was the highlight of the day. After the dancing and drumming, we toured the museum. Many of us had no idea how complex and intricate Rwandan society was and is.

Some Quotes So Far!
Izzy- "You are all my puppets!"
"Look Tiger. I could be those 30 women."

Will- "You know what, Alexa? I can't wait to get my arm bitten off by a shark and then smack you with my other limb."

Jess- "She projectile drooled."
"Here you go, dumbass. That's how normal people poop."

Alexa- "We're just being Africa'd out."

Becca- "The petite!"
"I just want to squeeze you right now!"

Zoe- "Shit, Peter!"

That's all for now! Tomorrow morning at 6am, we'll be off to Arusha, Tanzania!
-Jess

Goodbye Uganda, Hello Rwanda!

2010-11-05T05:33:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Rwanda yesterday (some of us by foot!) and drove into Kigali. Of course, it wasn't a completely hassle-free experience. Chris was stopped at the Rwandan entrance. The man pointed at his signature in his passport, and the one on the form and said that the difference in the tilt of the "C" was suspicious. That, piled on top of the fact that Chris has cut his hair since his pass photo, and that he now has a beard, made the guard hold him back for awhile. Cliff stepped up though with the question, "Haven't you ever shaved before?" After some other forms of ID, Chris was allowed in.

Will got us a supremely awesome hotel-complete with western toilets in each room. After putting our things down and setting a time for supper, we all went our seperate ways to explore the city. Frankly, the difference between Kigali and the places we've been in Uganda is incredible. There are paved roads, a mall, several bookstores, a coffee shop, banks several stories high...

This morning, a few of us went to have coffee before we went to see the Genocide Memorial of Kigali. The Memorial was really moving. We learned the history of Rwanda, what led to the genocide, and the after-effects that the country is dealing with today. The final rooms displayed skulls, bones, clothes, and photos of the victims.

Until Monday, when we fly to Tanzania, we'll all be splitting up to explore Kigali, and visit several different sites and memorials.

More updates soon!
-Jess

2010-10-31T01:09:00.000-07:00

Free Travel-Edirisa

2010-10-29T02:56:00.000-07:00

Hello from an internet cafe in Kabale!

We've been doing so much, I have a lot to cover-

Free travel was definitely a learning experience for all of us. Figuring out transportation was a bit of a challenge, but we ended up taking a public bus from Lake Nkuruba to Mbarara. The day was a stretch on our comfort zones but we all stuck together and worked things out. We also learned the crucial difference between "now" (anytime in the next 6 hours), and "now now" (actually now) while waiting for our bus. We also had time to buy juice and a Rolex (egg wrapped in chapati). It's recently been discovered that Rolexes only exist in Uganda, not in Rwanda or TZ, so we've been trying to cram them in before we leave. Our first stop was to Lake Mburo National Park where we went on a game drive and a boat tour. We were all really excited to see hippos (especially Jessie when she saw one "breech"). Next we headed to Mgahinga National Park by way of matatu (private taxi). Alexa, Taylor, Will, Chris, Charlotte, Cliff, & Karen climbed Mt. Sabinyo while Zoe, Izzy, Jessie and I went Golden Monkey tracking and Vicky went caving. From what I heard, climbing the volcano was extremely difficult but also incredible. It was an all day climb that involved ladders, rain, and lightning, so needless to say we were all very impressed! There are only 500 golden monkeys left in the world so it was amazing that we got to see some of them. It's awesome that Vicky did what she wanted to do and went caving. After Mgahinga we took another matatu to Kabale to start volunteering with Edirisa. We all slept in one dormitory and it was cute because we haven't done that since painting at Lubani. There were also hot showers which was much appreciated. The founder, Miha, gave us a presentation on what Edirisa's all about. Here's the link to the website if anyone's interested in learning more: http://www.edirisa.org/. We stayed 1 night at "The Home", and then moved out to "The Heart" on Lake Bunyoni. Unfortunately uploading pictures is not working, but here's a google image pic: http://images.travelpod.com/users/nat_yeo/africa-2005.1164927900.lake_bunyoni.bmp. Our first day on the job we split up into 2 groups, one went across the lake to a school, and the other worked with the school next to The Heart. In the morning we played with the kids in the Nursery (entirely run by Edirisa), and in the afternoon we sat in on some Primary School classes (government run, but enriched by Edirisa). The next day we went to SNEC (Special Needs Education Center) to work on some projects with the kids. We split into groups again and half of us worked with the mainstream school and half worked with the kids with special needs. Alexa, Zoe, Taylor, Charlotte, and Vicky made texture collages with the kids at SNEC, and picked up a bit of sign language. Chris, Izzy, Will, Jessie, and I taught a lesson plan on habitats to Primary 6. Yesterday we went to Nyakasiru Primary School and taught the habitat lesson to P4, P5, and P6. We also played Duck Duck Goose and Red Light Green Light with the P1 students (so cute). Today's our day off so we're just kind of chillin in Kabale, going to the post office, buying food, etc. Tomorrow we're canoeing around Lake Bunyoni which should be amazing! That's about it for now I think, thanks for reading.

-Becca

2010-10-26T23:53:00.000-07:00

Hello!

We're stopped in Kabale to pick up some fruit at the market and some cookies at the bakery while en route to Edirisa's Special Needs Education Center (SNEC). I'm sort of short on time but here's some stuff everyone had to say:

Chris- I got to teach 2 classes in primary school. I taught science in P3 and social studies in P4. I love the entire Edirisa program and what it has to offer. I've been eating a lot healthier and have not had bacon in a month.

Izzy- The lake is beautiful and Miha and Edirisa make me optimistic about Uganda's future.

Zoe-Halfway through the trip and I already feel like I have changed so much. I can't wait for the amazing experiences of the second half.

Jessie-Kids from the school attacked my back yelling "mkoko! mkoko!" (chicken! chicken!), trying to scratch off my tattoo.

Alexa- The Edirisa program is absolutely amazing. I hope I get to come back here someday because they truly are making a difference. I also got to play with the babies in the nursery and help out. Playing and being with them just made my day. They are so cute!

Vicky- These past few days have been so awesome! I loved our "free travel" to Lake Mburo and Mt. Mgahinga National Park. I can't wait for the rest of the activities we will be having with Edirisa. Yay!

Will-Visiting all of the national parks (and climbing Mt. Sabinyo) was absolutely stunning and really helped give me a new perspective on the diversity of Uganda's landscape. Also, I am really excited to be working at Edirisa, they seem to be making a big difference in the community.

Taylor-Having a great time...learning a lot, seeing and smelling a lot. The landscape is pretty breathtaking. Will never look at lightning the same. Lake Bunyoni is really peaceful. Feeling very lucky. Love to everyone at home in the states, you're all in my thoughts. I have never eaten so many bananas in all my life. And also.. Trick or Treat! Smell my feet.

Charlotte- Uganda offered a wide array of experiences and opportunities that we took full advantage of. As we pass the halfway point, we are excited for what lies ahead. Love you Mom and Dad!

Karen- Never in my life has the responsibility to fulfill opportunity meant so much to me. I firmly believe if you want something bad enough, you can make it happen; however, it is so difficult to accomplish with the lack of loyal, honest and compassionate community. Africa is beautiful and needs love just like the rest of our globe.

Cliff- "As you start on your way to Ithaca, then pray that the journey is long..." Time is flying by, as usual. Even as the adventure takes on a life of its own, the next adventure is already beginning to take shape. Sleeping under mosquito nets reminds me of the bed-tent I had as a child, and learning every day means that I sleep soundly at night.

Hopefully we'll be able to get another blog out on Friday to tell you all about free travel and what's been going on so far at Edirisa. Asante sana for reading!

-Becca

2010-10-24T00:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since the last blog! We have been doing so much in these past 10 days that we have hardly had time to get into a town with internet.

So since the last blog by Izzy we have completed a major part of our semester; the R&R weekend ! Our R&R weekend took place at one of the beautiful Crater Lakes called Lake Nkuruba where we got our first taste of wildlife. Every morning we woke up to a plethora of monkeys playing at the lodge. It was fun sitting back and watching wrestle, groom each other, and occasionally take the banana peels from our hands. Many of the students also enjoyed swimming in the small lake during the free time we had.

As a group, we focused on personal growth and reflected on the great things that we had accomplished. Everyday, we attempted to meditate and we even had the incredible opportunity to visit a nearby lodge that offered yoga class. Everyone participated in at least one class at this incredible spot. The class was on the top of an isolated ridge overlooking rolling hills, lakes, and small villages on all sides. Overall, the teacher Claire received rave reviews from all us as we stretched ourselves to the limit.

The other highlight of the trip was the composition of our I AM poems. Each student filled in this particular format to create a beautiful poem about themselves. I highly recommend that you request to read them when your child, friend, or family member returns home.

Many of the group members had been relocated into tents. The four girls that remained in the banda awoke to a great surprise. Zoe, Becca, Vikky, and Jesse were under attack by fire ants! They ran out of the hut screaming and shouting except for Jesse who remained standing on her bed in fear of stepping onto the ground that had turned an ominous shade of black with the thousands of fire ants that were swarming the banda. She was rescued immediately. It did not take long for the girls to look back and laugh at it although they would have preferred not to endure the painful bites.

From there we were off to our first stop for Free Travel that Jesse and Becca worked very hard to coordinate for us. I am sorry to say though that you will have to wait just a bit longer for that completely summary.
Charlotte

Fort Portal

2010-10-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday we arrived in Fort Portal after 13 hours of traveling.

We have been staying at a hostel run by Youth Encouragement Services. YES was founded 15 years ago by Carol Adams, an American. Her organization now takes care of over 300 kids who came from elderly-led families, child-led families, or orphanhood.

Throughout the week we have been working at the Manna Rescue Home where 30 kids with HIV (28 have AIDS) live.

We spent most of our time assisting them with maintenance projects (fixing ceiling tiles, putting up mosquito nets, painting signs, concreteing goal posts, and tearing up cement). In the aftrenoon, however, and especially the last few days, we have focused more energy toward playing with the kids. We started arriving and leaving later in the day, and Karen organized a candle-making activity for all of us.

As elsewhere, we worked alongside very interesting people who were very willing to tell us about themselves and Uganda. On Saturday we visited the house of one of Carol's office workers, Rose. Her mother adopted all 27 of her grandchildren after 12 of her 13 sons and daughters died. Together with Rose and a daughter in-law, the grandmother cares for all her residents in the "House of Kids." When we arrived, teh kids gathered int he backyard to give us a proper greeting. They sang and danced as one sat on a jerry can and beat on a bucket. A popular song among them is a sadly cheerful tune about family members' dying from AIDS.

On Monday our foreman, Paddy, was willing to talk with us about his life in Uganda. Though only ~36, Paddy has been involved in the Ugandan turmoil since he was 10. While in primary school, Obote's government burned his town. Paddy fled and joined the guerillas where he served under Musseveni throughout the Civil War and Musseveni's early years. After recounting his early years, Paddy fielded our diverse questions on resources, foreign policy, and politics.

With our free time this week, some of us visited teh chimps, botanical gardens, a local market, and the tombs of the Kingdom of Toro.

Since we have been staying at a hostel, many of us have opted to cook for ourselves. Our meals have been jsut bread, salty peas, mac and cheese, egglplant with tomato and cheese, and lots of eggs. On Friday night, we had a very special pizza dinner before acquainting ourselves with East African culture by watching the "Lion King." (On Monday we wathced "Hotel Rwanda" while we had the opportunity).

In just over an hour we will had tour to Lake Nkuruba for some R+R after oru very busy week.

2010-10-04T01:56:00.000-07:00

The crew just left JJ's and is getting ready to spend a night in Mbale before heading off on a 9 hour bus ride to Fort Portal tomorrow. To recap, after leaving Jinja last week, we caught a ride into Mbale where we celebrated Zoe's 18th birthday! We had a nice dinner at an Indian restaurant and enjoyed an East African supermarket cake. The next morning we met up with JJ and his family. JJ founded the Mirembe Kawomera fair trade Coffee Cooperative so we got to learn a lot about the process behind the growing and marketing of coffee. The Coop has greatly improved the quality of life for participating farmers by allowing them to earn up to 5 times as much as they would otherwise earn selling locally or through non-fair trade organizations. The other cool part about Mirembe Kawomera is that it's an interfaith organization, peacefully uniting Jews, Christians, and Muslims in an area high with religious tension.

We got to participate in and witness the first Jewish Shabbat of the year at the local synogogue with JJ's friends and family. The service was beautiful with many amazing songs and afterwards, there was a really interesting discussion which provided a space for everyone to question and talk about the service and the faith.

We went on some really cool hikes while we were there - one of which was to the rock cave where JJ used to secretly practice his religion before Uganda became more religiously tolerant. The other was to Sipi Falls, about an hour out of Mbale. The hike took about 4 hours and provided us with amazing close up views of 3 different waterfalls... it was pretty unreal. Overall, it was an amazing week. JJ's family really took us in and showed us some incredible hospitality for which we are very grateful. We look forward to traveling on to Fort Portal and doing some work at the Yes Uganda orphanage later this week. Thanks to all who showed us a lovely time in Mbale.

- Will and Taylor

The Next Chapter

2010-09-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Jinja! Weve just returned after spending a week volunteering at the Lubani Primary School with NGO, Soft Power Education. Everyone is pretty spent and ready to relax after a week of intense painting. The week started with a visit to a local art festival in Kampala, where Izzy bought a cool pair of sandals for the good Mzungu price of 28K. Afterward we went white water rafting in the Nile River down class 5 rapids! A few people were pretty nervous beforehand but everyone conquered their fears and enjoyed the adrenaline rush and beautiful scenery. Zoe got a pretty BA bloody nose while Becca was burnt to a crisp by the hot sun... her skin is nicely recovering.

Afterward, we caught a bus to the school and got acquainted with Soft Power Education. SPE is an organization that focuses on improving education in Uganda, both via hands on teaching and improvement of local school facilities. They have worked on over 500 classrooms.
Accommodations included a sea of foam mattresses and a jungle of mosquito nets.. Things got pretty cozy in the shared classroom we inhabited. Day 3, Vickys bag arrived!

During the mornings and early afternoons we worked on priming and painting the four classroom school building and the late afternoon was spent learning Kiswahili with our awesome teacher, Roy. The language was really interesting but we will become much more prevalent when we get to Tanzania, where English is not as widely spoken. The whole time we painted, we were watched by kids who seemed particularly entertained by Chris and his sweet dance moves. It was really cool being able to interact with and get to know all of them. We miss them already, as well as Monicah, who cooked us amazing meals everyday, and Swaibu, who was an excellent foreman for the project and a good friend to have around. Meals included lots of starches and fruit.. One night we had chicken, which Charlotte so bravely butchered for us... and we ended up getting a good anatomy lesson out of the experience.

Weve been having a lot of fun playing games like Sniper, to which Alexa fell victim to first, and pushing our comfort zones, as Jess did with the squatty potty... Cliff and Karen also entertained us with some amazing pteridactyl impersonations. Tomorrow we will head off to work at the coffee plantation! Stay tuned...

Love Will and Taylor

And the real journey begins

2010-09-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

So today was the last day of a successful orientation! After 4 long days of scavenging, bonding, and team building the adventures begin! For now were going to back track to the scavenger hunt and tell you guys a little bit about Kampala. We were sent out in groups with a list into the city, with each group having there own special tasks. The city of Kampala is absolute madness. There are no traffic lights, no stop signs, barley any sidewalks, and no crosswalks. Just walking was a task, because you have to cross at your own risk. The city is FULL of people. We had to squeeze our way through every crowd. A couple of kids almost got pick pocketed, but luckily nothing was taken. Some of the things we had to find were prices of bus tickets, the currency exchange, and the post office. OH, the post office, which took everyone forever to find, but luckily in the end we all made it. We (Zoe and Alexa) won the scavenger hunt and won very interesting prizes. So cheers to that! That’s just one of the crazy and exciting days that we’ve had together as a group. And by the way have we told you guys yet that this group is AWESOME? Everyone is getting along so well and we’re all having a great time. Some of us have hit some speed bumps along the way. Vicki’s bag was lost in the airport or somewhere along the way that contained all of her stuff for three months and she has been amazing. Rebecca got sick for a day or two and now she is back in action and ready to go. She didn’t complain once. Taylor missed her flight to Amsterdam and had to meet the group a day late. She had to join after everyone knew each other, but we all accepted her with open arms. Despite the speed bumps the group has also been having the greatest time with each other. Jess is amazing at drawing and uses the best adjectives to describe things such as “spectacular” or “precious.” Izzy sings Taylor Swift songs and keeps everyone laughing and entertained when he is awake. Chris has the best accent and eats so much bacon it’s just astonishing. He had bacon for breakfast lunch and dinner, no joke. Will is hilarious and is the sweetest. Charlotte has the cutest laugh and it’s very contagious, the whole room cant help but start laughing. Everyone contributes something positive and makes the group that much better. We couldn’t have asked for better people to spend three months with. Tomorrow we’re going white water rafting on the Nile! We are all super stoked yet a little nervous, but it proves we’re ready to dive into adventure and excitement that the semester will bring. We miss you and love you all! We’ll be keeping you updated!

-Zoe and Alexa

Habari!

2010-09-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow parents and friends! After 2 long days of traveling we have finally arrived at the Kampala backpackers hostel. In the morning we got together, had orientation and were sent out in the city for a scavenger hunt! We have been scavenging all day and have learned some words of the local language. They seem to enjoy trying to watch us speak and we laugh with them. I (Alexa) got white person and thank you confused while trying to say thank you, so they got a good laugh out of that. It’s scorching hot but we are all happy to be here! Well we need to go and we will keep you updated.

Love you all! – Zoe and Alexa

East coast meets West coast in Amsterdam!

2010-09-16T01:01:00.000-07:00

HQ is pleased to announce that the Africa group has re-grouped! The group is together, well, for the most part. Due to a missed flight out of Portland, Taylor will join the rest in Entebbe in just 24 hours. Stay posted as the next blog entry will come directly from the Africa Fall 2010 group! Safari njema everyone!

Godzilla Attacks Portland; Students Flee to East Africa

2010-09-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

Karibu - Zoe, Taylor, Rebecca, Charlotte, Will, Izzy, Alexa, Chris, Victoria, and Jessica!

Welcome! This is the blog through which you'll be sharing your adventures with friends and family from across the globe. It will be a place to post photos, tell stories and store memories as a group. And it will become a place where your loved ones will come to find out where in the heck your adventurous spirit has taken you since you saw them last.

Each of you will take turns documenting our shared experiences and posting these journal entries for the world to see. Blogger will be one of the roles that each member of our traveling family will rotate through as we journey in East Africa. These roles will help each of you build the skills to become independent travelers in the developing world. At the same time, sharing responsibility will help our group build a tight-knit community that will quickly come to resemble a family.

We're looking forward to an educational journey with you, full of adventure, smells, toil, sights and laughs. In the meantime, we're anxious to discuss the details of our first in-person meeting in Portland or Amsterdam, so keep your eyes out for the 503 area code on your cell phone. Hopefully you've already had a chance to pore through the itinerary, pick up a phrasebook, and read up on the history and culture of East Africa. For now, enjoy your last week in the States: Eat the foods you love, hug your families and pets, and pick up those last minute travel-essentials. Next stop, Uganda.

Salama,
Karen and Cliff

The End

2009-12-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

What do goodbyes look like for people who have supported each other through changes, losses, wins, beginnings and firsts? For us it was backbreaking hugs, watering eyes, last words of adoration, and then at the end just a small wave and a, "Bye!" As if we were hanging up the phone or moving forward in the grocer line.

Let me rewind, Dan went scuba diving. Dan learned how to swim three days before he passed his scuba test with the group. Dan did it for himself. I remember looking out at the sea and seeing six bodies floating face down in the water, don't be alarmed, it was Dan and his friends learning together how to float.

Devon and I are lying in a bed on thanksgiving night. The lights are off and we don't need to talk to feel comfortable. Devon is bravely fighting her sickness. The mosquito net is draped over the fourposter, we can hear the clatter of the street and a mother screaming, "Mohamed!" over and over. We just lie there. Then the group shuffles into our room and places on the bed a thanksgiving feast wrapped in aluminum foil and watch for my response in every bite. Even though I secretly see a spider crawl over my dessert, the turkey is cold, and my potatoes are over buttered. I squish the spider before anyone could see and it is the best Thanksgiving dinner I've ever had.

Ian grew his wings. The hardest goodbye was to the one we were leaving behind. With his pack on his back he headed off to find somewhere to stay alone until his flight to somewhere in Africa to do something good, who knows, we were losing him to this continent! It was like leaving a soldier to fight the battle alone. But indeed I do not think he felt that way, he was ready to fly.

Zach wondered through the bending cobblestone streets of stone town beneath the slim rectangle sky, just discovering. When he realized he was lost he asked a local for directions. He returned to us sweaty and desperate for cab money.

Kaan saw a sea turtle and a victim of the sea.

Kirsten found herself.

Kathryn bargained for local wares up until the last day for her loved ones, getting free carved gifts from Obama, and the best scarf deals from the two brothers. And while she described to me the people she was buying for, I would hear a boy behind us yell how she had broken his heart by not saying hello.

Britt and Zik will go on to inspire another group, or just more people.

Love.

I'll order it from ZANZIBAR

2009-11-25T05:48:00.000-08:00

Perfectly white sand, crystal clear water, tropical warm breezes, and fresh delicious coconuts. Not exactly the Thanksgiving we imagined but it'll do. Karibu Zanzibar! Yesterday we arrived in Stonetown after spending 4 days,3 nights at the rasta relaxing Dhow Beach Village on Jambiani beach. We spent those 4 days playing beach vollyball, getting our tans on and in pure amazment of the mile long stretch of only knee deep translucent water. All of us waded out, walking on and on until we realized we weren't getting any close to the waves we saw crashing in the distance. Floating in the 5 feet of heavenly ocean we couldnt believe how fortunate we were to experience this rare taste of living. Monday morning we relished in the fact that while others were studying for midterm exams we gratefuly basked and lounged in our ocean classroom. With a bittersweet heart we awoke Tuesday morning at 5am to leave our paradise but to experience another life style...SWIMMING WITH DOLPHINS! Now when I write swimming with dolphins, I don't want to give the wrong impression, so let me clarify. We were not swimming in a pool, the dolphins were not trained, and the price wasn't more than 10 dollars. We took a small boat 30 minutes away from shore decked in full Snorkel gear and on our guides command we recklessly threw our bodies overboard. We were surrounded, a pod of dolphins freely swam amoungst us. Once their beautiful bodies had outswam our artificial fins it was back in the boat to catch up with them. Swimming with dolphins was unforgettable. Moving on to the present. Today is our first full day in Stonetown, Zanzibar. All of us have just completed and passed(for all you worried parents) the written test portion of our Scuba Diving test! Tomorrow we hit the pool to see how the swimming goes and to test our gear.
The days are passing like seconds now and as exciting as the upcoming holidays are we are all going to miss the big ol' family we've become.
OH before I go, to really increase the jealously TONIGHT we are eating at a local traditional cuisine and seafood outdoor buffet market. Just try and soak that all in. Fresh fish, lobster, crabs, prawns cooked in front of your eyes to perfection and some typical Zanzibar chakula (food)to dabble in.

7 days till we depart our East African home.
Peace and love
dev

oneal, beach, homestay

2009-11-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

Hello to all,
We finished part of a week with homestays, which did not end on the best note ever but we got through it as a group and have moved on from it. After that we headed back to pete oneals, which is starting to become more of a second home than anything else. Pete oneals hospitality towards us is something we all greatly appreciate. While we were with pete oneal we were able to meet another group of traveling studens. It was fun comparing stories and talking about our different programs. The food their was aboslutely delicous and we were treated like kings and queens. Saying our goodbyes was hard for everyone but keeping in mind that we were heading for the beach made it much easier.
Dar south beaches were spectacular. A friend of Zack's came and visited and everyone seemed to enjoy his company. White sand for miles and hole in the wall restraunt with cheap prices. We also managed to go back into dar for one night and see mama Charollette from the Oneal's perform. Most of us enjoyed it but it ran a little to late for us so we went back in need of sleep.
Overall we have been having a blast for the last home stretch of trip hope all is well at home.
ian

Goat blood and lions!

2009-11-05T04:35:00.000-08:00

Where to begin? Some in the group said that the past couple weeks changed their lives. Some said it was the best week of their lives. Now I must endeavor to describe the group experience.

The safari: Led by our beloved Godwin and Riche we poked our heads out of two Toyota Land Rovers and drove through The Terengerri National Park and Ngoroagora Crater. Thousand year old Boabob Trees shaded endless wildlife. Giant elephants walked lightly under their multi ton weight, flapped their ears, and passed closely by the car in single file. A pride of lions snuggled the afternoon away, the male with a full royal mane, and baby cubs tumbling and playing with their parents. Giraffes, giant, and adorably awkward would trot nearby incredibly gracefully for all their lankiness. Zebras, wildebeast, cheetas, hyenas, impala, hippos, and more!

The Boma: Small mud huts surrounded by a fence of bristles, (To keep out the lions of course) was our home for nine days. The Massai are goat, sheep and cow herders, every Massai man carries with him a long stick for this purpose and every Massai wears plaid cloths and elaborate jewelry. Because their livestock is their lives, they have reduced their diet to blood, milk and meat. Even water is an unnecessary luxury.

Of course they allowed us to taste their food and almost all of us took a nice sip of warm chunky goat blood after watching them slaughter and skin the animal. Personally at the second slaughtering I was privileged enough to help skin the animal and so my job was to hold the testes. To juxtapose this experience right after this I was asked into their home to hold their three day old baby. Yes,a baby was born while we were there in the very boma we were in, and the mother and baby will be forced to stay inside for three months while the husband sleeps outside.

For all the travelers like ourselves coming through, the Massai still live incredibly traditionally. Last year their school was built and occasionally they buy seeds for vegetables at the market, but they seem to prefer their ways. The days are spent in freedom, they eat when they want, work when they want, and relax when they want. They marry as many women as they want and it is impossible to tell whose child belongs to whom because of the unconditional love shared in the community.

The simplicity of their lifestyle, it's proven endurance of hundreds of years, and the visible happiness in the people could not be missed by anyone. I think we will all go home thankful for our luxuries and jealous of the beautiful MAssai people.

Thanks for reading about our adventures!

Lizzie

Zach

2009-10-22T03:46:00.001-07:00

Hey, just got to Mwanza from Kigali and I'm loving it here. The views are fantastic but the internet is sloooow.

Safari...HERE WE COME!

2009-10-22T03:46:00.000-07:00

Habari,

After an 8 hour, bumpy, dirty, and significantly awkward bus ride from Benako, we have finally reached Tanzania's second largest city - Mwanza! It is absolutely gorgeous; we are surrounded by beautiful views of Lake Victoria and are preparing/stocking up for the next 3 weeks of exciting activities! We leave for our Safari in just a few days; everyone is EXTREMELY excited! Stay tuned for updates on all the wild animals and adventures that are yet to come... :)
Kwa Heri,

-Kirst

Scavenging

2009-10-22T03:10:00.000-07:00

Ian and I (Kathryn) are traipsing around the beautiful city of Mwanza, and enjoying every boiling-hot second of it! We are practicing our Kiswahili with the locals, purchasing congas (sp?), mailing post-cards (expect one in the mail family!) and being led around by yet another Moses. Our hunt for lunch is about to draw us back into the heat!

-Ian and Kathryn

Still in a hotel we can't afford.

2009-10-22T01:23:00.000-07:00

Walking around the city today has proved easier then my initial attempt in Kampala. Love the city of Mwanza and love Tanzania from what I've seen of it. Can't wait for the Safari and the Masai visit.

Sincerely,
Kaan (With Lizzie next to me)

In a hotel we can't afford.

2009-10-22T01:17:00.000-07:00

Dearest beloved readers,

We are breaking a few social rules and asked a few favors of the locals for our endeavor. For instance we are using a residents only computer in a very cosmo hotel, and asked the kind receptionist if we could use her celly.

Otherwise we love it here, it's a little hot but it's absolutely beautiful. Huge rocks and a lake-side own enraptured us all at the first docking.

xoxo

Lizzie (with Kaan by my side)

Team Bangi (pt 2) DAN &DEV

2009-10-22T00:39:00.000-07:00

Today we were spit in teams of two(Guy and Gal) to explore Mwanza,Tanzania.Devon and I are at an internet cafe which is extremely slow,but no worries(acuta matata)we've having lots of fun exploring.

P.S We're Half way done with our trip!crazy huh!
Anyway Toodles

Simply Dan

team bangi (pt. 1)

2009-10-22T00:25:00.000-07:00

A haiku written in detication to my current situation:

my back is sweaty
this internet is too slow
drip... drip... down my back.

paz & amor
dev

(p.s. lovin' Tanzania, epitome of all that's beautiful in East Africa)

Goodbye Uganda, Hello Rwanda

2009-10-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

Woooh!

It’s been quite an amazing disasters couple of days. As it being our first time planning free travel we’ve learned many valuable lessons. The most important being:

1-It’s not as easy as it sounds

2-Because of number 1 the earlier you plan the better.

3-Little to nothing (more of the latter) works out as planned despite how hard you’ve worked, so roll, roll, and keep on rolling with the punches.

The Matatu that was supposed to pick us up at 3:45 am (in order to get us casually across the boarder) didn’t show up until 6:30am, forcing us to accept that we were not crossing into Rwanda that day. To our advantage (this was another blessing in disguise) we ended up staying in the beautiful small city of Kabale, just 30 minutes outside the Rwandan boarder.

Once in Kabale we stayed at this epic hostel Edirisa, which means window in the local language. The hostel is a CBO whose main goal is to emphasize community development. There we met the man who created this CBO, headed and funded the hostel. He suggested we take an extra day to explore our gorgeous surroundings. We took his advice and the postponed the Rwanda trip for another day to see Lake Bunyonyi. Lake Bunyonyi is truly a treasure in Uganda. We canoed across the beautiful lake and spent the day cooking, working, and discovering more about the local women’s traditions and life style. It was AMAZING! Our day concluded with making various crafts out of papyrus grass and as always getting our groove on to some local beats! There was no better way to spend our accidental extra-extra last day in Uganda!

From there we finally had ourselves organized and headed off to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, which is where we are now. Kigali has been intense and shocking in many ways. The modern fast pace of this city took us all by surprise. It’s almost like being back in the US (or Canada for Kirst) with the double-foam-grande-mocha frappuccino and Mercedes that are parked on every street. Nonetheless we all smiles and soooooooo stoked for our Tanzanian Safari adventure. Everyone sends there love.

Miss you mom and dad and gamma and shmay.

dev dev dev

Spirtual Week

2009-10-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

So after we spent a wonderful week working with Youth Encourage Services it was time to say our goodbyes. Jacob(volunteer) luckily volunteered to drive us to our next destination Lake Nkaruba which is only45 minutes away from Fort Portal.When we arrived the first thing everyone notice were the beautiful black and white colobus monkeys and the less attractive vervet monkeys.In the days to follow we practiced yoga daily with our very own Britt Base.The yoga was much need after a week of little to no activate.From their Zik led us through various activites like TOE 2 TOE which is a game were we stand toe to toe with a partner while Zik would shell out questions that we answered like (what does spirtuality mean to you) and so on.In the evening we went on slients hikes and looked for bush babies (needless to say bush babies are Awsome). We also met with two lovely Irish women Margret and farrah who spoke to us about spirtuality,Loving yourself, and other soul searching topics after we practiced meditation(Loved it).Marget and Farrah also acompanied us to visit the Sikh (which is a relgion that origined in India).After a joyest visit with the seek we head back to hostel to have more indepth conversations about spritual week.Spritual Week was wonder experience everyone began to open up more anbout their selfs with was great. Now were Head off to see the chimps.

That is all for Carpe Diem's First ever Spirtual week

Dan

CHIMPANZEEEEES

2009-10-18T05:24:00.000-07:00

Hello from Rwanda! We are currently living the luxurious albeit expensive life in Kigali, but you'll have to wait for a future blog post to hear more about that. I am here to catch you all up on what we've been doing on the first half of our free travel (the beginning of this past week). After our rejuvenating retreat at Lake Nkuruba, we did a 180-degree turn away from relaxation and headed north to Budongo Forest Reserve, which is part of Murchinson Falls National Park in search of the elusive CHIMPANZEES!
Our adventure started with an exhilarating matatu drive (if you can classify a slightly terrifying ten-hours packed like sardines in matatu, at extreme speeds over bumpy roads as exhilarating).We had a few bumps in the road (literally) on our way there, but nevertheless pulled through and made it to our desired destination. We were all thrilled to be able to stretch our legs and go chimp trekking/tracking! We were incredibly lucky in this activity, not only because we saw chimps up close, but because in the few days before we arrived the chimps had been in hiding and none of the guides were able to find them! It just so happened that the day we showed up they decided to climb down from their nests and soak up a bit of sunshine. We had to stay at a distance of 30 ft away, and were not allowed to wear yellow or red clothing for fear that they might attack (the yellow and red simulate a flash of a camera which aggravates them). Fortunately, we had nothing but a safe and incredibly satisfying experience.
While the tracking took up the entire morning, we were still free for the afternoon and so decided to head to Murchison Falls to make our day complete. On our way there we saw baboons scampering on the sides of the roads and some buffalo in a watering hole, but they were nothing compared to the sight that awaited us. I think everyone in our group can agree that Murchinson Falls has been the most beautiful waterfall that we've seen in Africa, if not ever. It is a humongous roaring, rapid of a waterfall and we arrived at a perfect time: just as the sun was slowly sinking down and so formed perfect rainbows across the falls. We had a grand time soaking in the sight and the spray from the falls and taking photos.
The following day we headed back to Lake Nkuruba, to let our bums recover from the abuse they received during our matatu ride. We spent the day relaxing, doing laundry, journaling and finalizing more details for free travel. That evening the staff of the campsite performed a little farewell ceremony for us, which was genuinely heartfelt and entertaining. We all headed to bed fairly early that evening as we had to be up at 3:45 the next morning to start the next segment of our free travel!
--Kathryn

Fort Portal - YES Hostel

2009-10-01T23:23:00.000-07:00

So as the trip reaches its 3 week mark we are in Fort Portal, Uganda volunteering our time to an NGO. This NGO, Youth Encouragement Services, works with children who are HIV / AIDS positive or have lost all family to the disease. Talking to Carrol (the founder of the organization) truly showed us what situations this children were in before they were helped. Some of the kids were living with a mother who could not care for them because she was so sick from the late stages of the disease, and others were living alone because the disease had already taken their parents. What YES does is it finds these kids who are so misfortuned and brings them into an orphanage.

The one home that we visit and work with is the Manna Rescue Home. Here there are around 20-30 kids who are all HIV positive. At the rescue home they recieve proper nutrition in the form of 3 meals a day, a bed, a playground, the medicine they need to fight the disease, and most importantly the love that these children deserve. It was incredible to play with these children as the littlest interaction could make the smile go from ear to ear. While coloring with the kids our inner children came out as we took the paper and made paper airplanes. Minutes later the kids were outside throwing the planes all over the yard. From coloring, to airplanes, to soccer, to just talking with the kids you can tell that your efforts were most definitely paying off.

Yesterday we also did our fair share of manual labor at the YES farm. This farm was put in place to guarantee that the children always have food. The foundation is also building a house on the property for a farmer to stay there 24/7. If there was not someone there to protect the crop the neighbors would "accidentally" farm into their yard. So yesterday was dedicated to helping around the farm. Britt, Zach, Dan, and Kirsten took the dirty end of all the work when it came to hoeing, weeding, and de-grassing a large area for the farm. Ian, Devon, Kathryn, Lizzie, and I did the more busy work when we had to move bricks and aggregate and move them to another location using shovels and 2 wheelbarrows. And our Super Man Zik took the more skilled end of the labor and plastered and smoothed the inside walls of the house. We all played a big part in moving the farm along.

Since we've been in Fort Portal we've had a few un-welcomed guests. A few thousand to be exact. Last night while some were cleaning dishes and others were inside just have a relaxed evening a whole nest of winged termites came out. Apparently they only come out twice a year and it is only for the purpose of mating. Thankfully the termites did not bite. When Devon, a member of the cleaning crew at the time, turned around in the kitchen looking for her co-leader Britt she had stated that Britt was, "Lost in a tornado of wings". When all was said and done and the termites had done their bussiness all that was left in the morning were wings.

We also had our first Ugandan earthquakes and we didnt even know it. While some were talking about it in the morning others, me being one of them, had no idea it had even happened. I am definitely upset I missed them as I have never felt one before. Zik described it two ways. One being "It was like a train was running through nearby" and the other being "It was almost as elephants were running". But family and friends need not worry as even me in my light sleeping habits did not awake from my beautiful malaria pill affected dreams.

Hope everyone is keeping away from Swine back home. And all other sicknesses as well.

We Love You All,
Kaan Yarar

Mmmirembe

2009-09-27T05:51:00.000-07:00

So we're back in Jinja for the night after spending an AMAZING week working with the Mirembe (meaning peace) Kawomera Coffee Co-op in a small village just outside of Mbale. Mirembe in unique in the way that in combines the three major faiths, Islam, Judaism and Christianity, to promote a message of peace between faiths and throughout the world. We lived with the founder of the Co Op, JJ Keki, and his family. Which includes 25 children, 15 of whom he adopted. We spent the morning enjoying Mama's great breakfast before heading out to pick coffee berries, plant trees and learn of growing coffee, how the Co-Op benefits the community and fair trade. In the after noon JJ's sons, usually Joseph A and Joseph B would take us around the area and show us some of the sights, including a cave which the Jewish people in the area used as a synagogue during the reign of Idi Amin, who only allowed Islam and Christianity to exist while he ruled as well as a rain drenched soccer match and lots and lots of card games.. We spent our last day in the areas on a beautiful hike through sipi falls. It was tough but we all made it to the top and enjoyed pb&j at the base of amazing waterfalls with gorgeous views of the area. For our last night the family, most of who are musicians and/or dancers, to an AMAZING and moving farewell which included most of the family that stills lives in the house, singing, dancing and playing drums and guitar. It was a touching moment and a beautiful end to and an incredible week.
Tonight we're off to a concert in Jinja and then tomorrow we're headed to Fort Portal to work with the YES orphanage. We're all having a brilliant time.
- Zach.

Mzungu

2009-09-21T00:24:00.000-07:00

Hey, this is Zach.

Alright so the last few days in Africa have been long, tiring and paintfilled but none the less a blast. We just finished up painting the classrooms with Soft Power in Bubugo and are now chilling at the NRE hostel just outside of Jinja. Working at Bubugo was challenging but incredibly rewarding and fun. In the mornings we split up into two crews. The first (Britt, Kaan, Lizzy, Kathryn, and myself) took our Kiswahili classes from Roy while the second crew (Zik, Dan, Ian, Kirsten and Devon) started the painting then we filp flopped around tea time. We usually finished up working around six while Peter, our ugandan chef, made us delicious Ugandan meals. As the sun started to go down we spent our time teaching the kids how to throw frisbees, American Footballs and some new tunes while getting schooled in games of soccer and falling in love with some of the local kids. It was a great and rewarding week and it was sad to leave the Village but it's exciting to move on to the next stage of our adventure. We spent yesterday finishing up last minute touch ups on the school and then drove back to the NRE hostel to relax and finally SHOWER, which improved group moral greatly. Then we went into Jinja for a few hours to look for cloths, snacks and get money from ATMs. Then, after night fall, we went our and had a pre-celebration from Britts birthday. We went out to this great restraunt just a short walk from the hostel. We had incredible food and conversations. Then after our bellies were full we went out dancing to work it off. It was a great night and a great way to celebrate finishing the school and Britt's big day. Next we're off to a coffee Co-Op in Mbale. We're all having an amazing time.
-Zach

FUN FUN FUN in East Africa!

2009-09-17T02:02:00.000-07:00

Hello!...Kirsten here:
I can't believe we have been in East Africa for less than a week; we have done so many exciting things and our jamii is bonding better than ever! On Sunday, we had our first day of adventure; a scavenger hut into Kampala. To our surprise, Britt and Zik sent us off into the busy city ALONE! But with some helpful advice and tips from our worldly-experienced leaders, we managed to get there and back in one piece. The scavenger hunt enabled us to learn some history and mingle with the locals, which helped us get over the culture shock. We also experienced our first taste of local food while in the city, which consisted mainly of rice and a meat/vegetable sauce; it was delicious! Following our long day in Kampala we went to N'Dere; a traditional African show of dance and music. It was breath-taking! The highlight ofthe show for me was when the entire audience (over 100 people) were invited on stage to dance and sing - Zach, Dan and Britt started a 'cha-cha' line that EVERYONE joined! It was fantastic :) On Monday morning, we left the Backpackers Inn at 6:30am and headed to Jinja for Class 5 white water rafting on the Nile river. We were split into 2 groups - the boys in one raft, girls in another - and there was a safety raft and rescue kayakers just in case we fell out of our rafts (which was bound to happen on Class 5 rapids!) After 2-3 hours of rafting, there was a beautiful, calm stretch of the river where we had lunch - fresh pineapple and tea biscuits - and jumped off the rafts for a swim in the Nile. For e, the experience was almost surreal; I couldn't healp but imagine all my friends at home - busy at school writing papers and stressing over tests, whilst we laid in the African sun eating pineapple and swam down the Nile. After lunch we continued the last part of our rafting experience then headed back to a hostel in Jinja for a relaxing night, ending with a video of our white water rafting journey! On Tuesday morning, we met up with volunteers from Soft Power Education and took a walking tour of some of the projects they are currently working on. One of whihc was a preschool. We were welcomed to the preschool by tons of running, smiling children who were so friendly and beautiful. We stayed at the preschool for aout half an hour - playing games and taking pictures with the children before visiting the Soft Power Education education centre then leaving for our 6 day project in Bubugo. We arrived in Bubugo at 11am. We are staying at a school while we paint 2 of the classrooms and the outside of the building. Yesterda was our first day of work and our first day of Kiswahili lessons! We started the day at 9am and split into 2 gours - one did painting first, one did Kiswahili classes first. After lunch we all continued with painting and managed to finish the first base coat of the building. Today the group is continuing the work while Britt and I do some chores in the city of Jinja. We are all so excited to see the finished project and to learn tons of Kiswahili for Tanzania.
Talk to you soon!
-Kirsten

Soft Power Education

2009-09-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
We just wanted to let you know that we arrived to work with Soft Power Education, the first school we're working with. Tonight we'll be settling in, getting ready to start our Swahili classes in the morning and paint one of the new buildings for the school. We had an incredible day rafting the White Nile yesterday. We'll let the students fill you in on the details in a few days.
Have an incredible day (we will be)!

Scavenger Hunt

2009-09-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

Today we went into Kampala with a few partners to look for a few things that Britt and Zik thought would give us a good feel of the city. It was awesome and truly eye opening. I look forward to cool adventures such as this in the future.
-Kaan

9.13.09

2009-09-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

Mambo!
All of us just returned from the most amazing dance experience! For 3 hours we watched and participated in traditional Ugandan dance and song! We ate a traditional Ugandan meal which watching men and women swirl in colors and dance to the beat of drums! It was such an incredible way to end our stay here in Kampala! We are so grateful for today and can't wait to continue the trip with our next adventure (White water rafting!!!)
peace and love
Devon

IN THA CITAYYY

2009-09-13T03:01:00.000-07:00

Right now my scavenger hunt team and I are sitting in an internet cafe, sweating, full of rice and maybe unfriendly chicken. Everyone here has been very helpful and smiling towards our strange questions and requests. "What is that fruit called?" - "One killogram."
We've been running and dodging flying motorcycles, while trying to keep our feet dry. We were surprised by the bustling locals in collared shirts and clean pants and skirts. We've gotta go, can't wait to get back out there!

MISS YOU ALL, Lizzie, Kathryn and Ian.

2009-09-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

Great first day in Africa. Spent most of the day safe and sound in the hostel. We got a chance to play pool, some card games and enjoy an African rain shower. Also we saw two monkeys who live outside the hostel! Can't wait to get into Kampala.
- Zach

Yesterday our plans to visit kampala were delayed because of unexpected rain fall. The rain here in Uganda is an intense. Kaan and myself were the first of our group to take a magical picture in the rain(not the smartess idea,but well worth it) will post soon. Anyway my team members are great I enjoy spenting time with all of them.Most of our day yesterday was spent bonding with each other and practicing team building excrises. Today is a big day for us we finally get a chance to explore the city(kampala) wish us luck. P.S Uganda is extremely beautiful,and so rich with culture and Life.
-Dan(Dantastic)Smith

Wow, what a great start to the trip! Yesterday the group relaxed in the Backpackers Inn having group discussions, playing games and setting goals for the trip; it was a lovely way to get over the jet lag of nearly 2 full days of traveling. I've made some great friends so far; there is no doubt this group of students and leaders will become a wonderful Jamii (family in Swahili), I am very excited for the days and months to come! Today we start our adventures into Kampala for a scavenger hunt and traveling through the city, can't wait!!!!
-Kirsten

Apologies

2009-09-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks,

Our AWESOME group of students did, in fact, update the blog today. Unfortunately, however, they didn't realize they needed to click "publish post" in order to allow you to be able to read what they wrote. Since they didn't know how to ensure the blog was published, you have yet to hear from them personally. Sorry about that.

Rest assured that we are all still safe and sound in Kampala, that the group is bonding well, and that we're all still in high spirits.

Britt and I are very impressed by the way they were all 100% engaged in today's team building meetings and exercises. We really do feel like we've been blessed with a fantastic group of young adults.

They're pretty wiped out from jet lag and the day's activities, so they're all in bed already. But I've told them what steps they need to take to ensure the blog is published tomorrow. So please take solace in the fact that you WILL hear from your loved one tomorrow. Just a little more patience please. =)

We hope you are happy, healthy and loving life. I think I can safely say, despite the fatigue, that we all are.

Peace,
Zik & Britt

Safe and Sound in Kampala!

2009-09-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

The students will all be updating the blog tomorrow, but Britt and I just wanted to take a quick minute to let everyone know we've arrived safe and sound, and without incident, to our Backpackers hostel here in Kampala.

We are all in high spirits to be a part of such a great group, and psyched to have gotten the adventure underway.

We're also pretty tired after so many hours of traveling. So we're having dinner and hitting the sack.

Thanks to everyone who has made this possible for us!

More Tomorrow,
Zik & Britt

Leave none behind!

2009-09-11T07:04:00.000-07:00

A middle-of-the-night text message has assured us that the whole team is now together and the Lizzie/Devon contingent successfully met up with the rest of the group. They are now en route to Entebbe to begin their adventure.

....And They're OFF!

2009-09-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

It's official: 8/10 of the group is about to board their flight to Amsterdam, and they'll meet up with Devon and Lizzie there. What a great, grounded, crew--if folks were nervous they hid it well!

Next time you hear from them they'll be in Kampala, Uganda.

Until then, this is Carpe HQ signing off....

-Nannette

Habari!

2009-09-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Habari!

Welcome to our East Africa blog. This blog will be our way to share our adventure over the next few months with everyone back home - please pass on this link to everyone you want to keep updated. After this first entry, we pass it over to you, and at least once a week a different student will get to upload an entry (and hopefully some fabulous photos as well!)

We arrived in Portland a few days ago. After a few phenomenal days camping out with the Carpe Diem leadership team below Mount Hood, we're in the office putting the last details in place. Now that we're getting ready to leave, looking over our final itineraries, and dreaming up some fun details, we're getting even more excited for our trip and to finally meeting all of you in person!

We have an incredible semester ahead of us. Our itinerary is spectacular and we have a kick butt team of students: all of the right ingredients to dive into every experience,
and be challenged, inspired, and, together, have the adventure of a life time. Get ready!

Enjoy your last week at home and be in touch if you have any questions.

Tutaonana baadaye (we'll see you soon)!

Britt and Zik

Kwa Heri East Africa

2009-05-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

The last three weeks of our program included a bit of adventure and a lot of relaxation. After we departed TAYODEA three members climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro while the rest of the group headed out to Zanzibar to swim with dolphins and enjoy the white sands and crayon blue water.

Climbing Kili was amazing for everyone – and we are so proud to report that all group members summated the 19336 feet peak, and though I hear it was quite rainy and cold, it sounded amazing.

I myself spent my time lounging on the beach and had one totally amazing day swimming with dolphins in the Indian Ocean (turns out those animals are QUITE large). Since I have gotten home everyone has asked me if I tried to touch the dolphins, and to be honest, I kind of got scared every time they came with-in touching distance. So, the answer is “no,” I didn’t touch them. But it was awesome.

A little later on in the week the group reconvened on the beach for some hang out days. We had a very chill time, but it rained all day every day – so there wasn’t a lot of tanning time, much to the dismay of the group. However, we were able to finish some final card tournaments that had been carrying on for the majority of the semester!

Our final days were spent in Stonetown learning how to SCUBA Dive and exploring the back streets of an ancient and beautiful old city. Almost everyone in the group completed their scuba and enjoyed it. I got to see a 7 ft. barracuda on my final dive! Totally cool! Our final night on the island consisted of a beautiful sunset sail on a traditional Zanzibari dhow – complete with a musical trio to serenade us out onto the serene waters.

Now that I am at home sitting in front of my iMac with my cell phone close by – it is hard to remember that just 10 days ago I was listening to “call to prayer” while eating tandoori chicken on the streets of Dar. Our trip was amazing – and so impossible to represent in a short cyber blog. But, we hope that you have enjoyed reading about our adventures. We certainly have enjoyed being them…. Peace.

Swine Flu - Update from Carpe Diem HQ

2009-04-28T08:59:00.001-07:00

The following is a post recently made to our FAQ page that we wanted to include to all of you who might be reading this blog.

Swine flu has recently been confirmed throughout Mexico and parts of the US. A few other countries have also reported possible infections. While we're in touch with the CDC and monitoring all of the international news we can put our hands on, we also feel we are uniquely placed to handle the situation given that all of our field staff are trained in Wilderness Medicine; two of our office staff are currently Emergency Room nurses; and the other is a Wilderness EMT. We also have contact with a variety of local doctors (including a few with advanced training in international and tropical medicines) that should needs require we can reach out to.

Our spring & fall 2009 programs will continue to run as scheduled although we plan on requiring flu shots for our fall programs as they have been proven (with Avian Flu for instance) to much reduce any severity of infection. We may also choose to outfit our medical kits with extra supplies such as extra hand sanitizer and the like.

Swine Flu is an offshoot of the 1918-19 flu: just as every flu since then has been. In that strain of flu as well as most that have followed including Swine, Pneumonia has been the actual concern and the one we're most on guard for. The good news is that once recognized there are very good treatments for Pneumonia and we are very familiar with good doctors in the areas our students travel. Of course we plan on continuing to take the proactive approach and deal with any medical potentialities quickly and professionally. Since that initial pandemic in 1918, the subsequent strains have historically been more and more benign. The Swine Flu is presenting thankfully as a low-mortality flu (currently, in the US as an example, there have been 50 suspected cases and only one took an overnight in the hospital before being discharged in good health). So, while this particular flu strain is stronger than the typical seasonal flu, we are hopeful that it will continue to be as easily treatable as it has been.

What a day-a, TAYODEA.

2009-04-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh....how to describe our last two weeks...?
Well, to start off, the leader of the organization introduced the conference as a scam (Not too promising). The first few days were pretty shaky. Our room had cracked walls and maybe a few ghosts and Carrye's bed was eternally wet, but it gradually started to become more comfortable. The town we were in is called Mlalo and is located in the mountains and dinosaurs live there. We (Emily and Lizzy) swear. We saw them.
We were supposed to do some tree planting, but it involved two trees and a couple plants. On the plus side, we got taken to a lot of schools and got a chance to really interact with kids. We had a discussion about corruption with some of the upper level students.
The best part of the summit was being able to help out in the kitchen with Mama Elisa and Dada Pia. Mama was a temporary grandmother to everyone and made fun of me (Emily) for farting in the kitchen all the time. We had three really awesome cultural nights. Kim, Carrye, Sally, Rosy, and Marshall did American night and made potatoes and eggs and banana bread. Miriam and the two of us cooked for Korean night with a Korean volunteer named Sasa. She taught us how to make two types of Korean pancakes and cold vegetable tea stuff and a spongey egg thingamabob quiche-y magiger. Vegans have sadness.
Mlalo was so amazingly beautiful and we all took a lot of epic walks. Some people went to pride rock and some climbed to the cross.
On Easter, the bells started going off at 4 in the morning and then suddenly a marching band started playing right outside our room and, seeing as I (Emily) wasn't going to be going to sleep anytime soon, I ran outside and followed some kids down the path to the cemetery. A huge crowd gathered around a cross and was listening to the preacher as she passionately preached about Easter. It was awesome. A bunch of us dressed up and went to church later that day.
Custard apples exist in the mountains and they are delicious. Like creamy mangoes with a bunch of seeds. Pear peeling is the greatest thing in the world. Sugar may or may not belong on pasta. We are addicted to rice. Donuts taste better when you sneak them. Ugali is fine with us. It means we can eat with our fingers.
Love you all!
Emily and Lizzy (Bob)

Pete O'niel's Crib

2009-04-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

Jambo! Miriam here.
Well first of all, it was nicer than I can express to escape into what felt like the lap of luxury for a few days. We had hot showers (usually) Home-style cooking, and real beds! It might as well have been on a completely different planet from the maasai village.

Pete O'niel is an exiled black panther from Kansas City. He is quite a character. He was very prominent in the movement, but when was charged for weapons trafficing, he fled the country. If he were ever to return, he would go straight to "shaw sahnk's redemption." After a somewhat strenuous and very exciting journey, Pete and his Wife Charlotte arrived (for good) in Tanzania. There they have formed the United African Alliance Community Center. It is quite an operation. The UAACC provides classes in a wide range of subjects for the local community such as art, computers, english and even yago, as well as clean water for everyone. They recently opened a childrens home for local orphans. These children are given wonderful care at the UAACC. They are also adorable!

While we were there we also got to make a day trip into Arusha. This gave us an internet opportunity, as well as a chance to get a good meal including burgers and milkshakes! We are now in Moshi, where we will spend one night before heading off to the Youth Conferance in Lushoto. No one knows what lies ahead!
We miss you all, and can't wait to update you about our next great adnventures.
Kwa Heri!

maasai tribe

2009-03-30T00:57:00.000-07:00

The last week has been a trip. The Maasai live very differnet from us. Their weilth is determined by their herds. They have cows, sheep and goats, and everyday they walk their herd miles and miles to find water. Their diet doesnt require water, but because their animals need it, that is how they spend their day, walking. All they eat traditionally is meat, blood and milk. They live in bomas which are poop huts surrounded by a fence of thorny branches. The women spend their days making a necklace or two. Life is very slow here, and for a lot of us, that was one of the hardest parts. It was almost unbearably hot from 7:30 in the morning until 6:30 at night. We would wake up, eat some breakfast and then walk to the worksite to help with our most recent volunteer project which was helping to build a latrene for the school. Work was also a slow process, there was a lot of sitting around and back tracking on the work we had already done, inefficient isn't a strong enough word, but it's the first that comes to mind. After working, we would have our swahili lesson, taught by Aleta, and then we would return to the boma for lunch which was when the flies were at they're peak. This was probably the most uncomfortable part of the day. After lunch we posted up under a tree and counted down the hours until sundown when we could eat dinner. After sunset there were no more flies and it was completly peaceful. There were some amazing sunsets and the stars were brighter than I have ever seen them. On the last night, we had the honor of watching the slaughtering of a goat. It was really cool observe this part of this culture, it is something that is so foreign to me. Marshall ate the pancreas and some of the girls drank goats blood, including myself, and it was on of the most putrid things I've ever tasted but i'm really happy that i did it. In the past week I have learned more than I ever could from a tetxtbook, not only about the life of the Maasai, but also about my own culture and the many things that I take for granted.

SAFARI!

2009-03-22T02:25:00.000-07:00

hey sally here!

we just finished our african safari. it was definetly a dream of all of ours and it was so awesome. our safari was guided by Maasai Wanderings, a safari group that also works with the maasai tribe (but that comes later.) we had 2 awesome guides and safari trucks that had pop-off roofs so we could stand up and check out the animals.

we saw everything! elephants, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, antelope, impala, tons of monkeys, cheetahs, lions, warthogs, the list goes on and on. i was surprised by how close the animals got, we literally had to stop to wait or we would run over zebras. at one point, the car i was in got in a standoff with an elephant. they cant see very well but their hearing is super sensitive. so a bunch of elephatns were crossing in front of us and a big mama turns towards us and is literally starign at our car. keep in mind elephants are huge. so shes all protective of the herd and starts flapping her ears to hear us, since she cant see, and to make herself as big as possible to intimidate us. (it worked) we all stoood compleetely silent and luckily she didnt hear us or she might have stampeded our truck! so she just turned aroudn and walked away with the rest of the herd PHEWWWW

we also saw a skeleton of an antelope that a leopard caught and dragged up into a huge treee to eat. the guide said it was about a month ago, and the bones were still hanging there! it was crazy. we also saw a stand-off between a cheetah and a warthog, it was awesome, and im pretty sure the warthog won....

each night, we camped at a campsite and had our meals cooked for us as part of the safari package. each day, we went on safari for most of the day- the first day we went to Tarangerie (sp?) national park, and the other 2 days were spent in the Ngorongoro Crater. One of the days we woke up super early adn got into the Crater early in the AM to see different animals and were hoping to see a hunt, since they usually hunt at night/in the morning, but werent so lucky. but it was still really cool seeing the sunrise over the crater so totally worth it.

maasai wanderings dropped us off out in the maasai village that we're spending the next week. we turned off the main road and drove about 3 miles out into the middle of the desert where we found a Boma, or a big circle of thorns outlining the home of the Maasai family we're staying with. The thorns are to keep the animals out, since the desert is directly between the Tarangerie park and the Crater, so animals migrate right through the village. today was our first full day with them and we ahd the day free, so a bunch of us came into town. to give you an idea of where we're staying for the next week i will describe our getting-to-town process. First, we walked 3 miles to the main road. We then watied 20 minutes for a taxi, which was packed with maasai people, 5 goats and a sheep. we then got dropped off at the market, and 3 of us were to come further into town to use internet. we started walking for another 20 minutes or so with our guide and ended up hitchiking the rest of the way into town. all in all it took 2 and a half hours from our Boma.

T.I.A. (This is Africa!)

We miss you all and love you but we're having the times of our lives! <3

rwanda adventure!!!

2009-03-14T03:30:00.000-07:00

hey hey hey Kim here.
so after an amazing week at carols, we procceeded to go on our 2 day adventure to Rwanda. After about 10 hours ish of driving we finally made it to kibale the capital of rwanda.. accomodations were very luxurious to our standards..a hotel, with a queen sized bed, a nice balcony and even a TV!!
The first night, all of us ladies took a taxi to a resturaunt called gorrilla something...it was a pizaria ...so bomb. We were the only people there and the music was rather hilarous, very old school, it really just got better and better with each song. The next day we went to the Kibale Memorial Center to learn more about, and pay our respects to all of the innocent men, woman, and children who lost their lives in the Tutsi genocide which wiped out 1/3 of the nations population almost 15 years ago. The memorial consisted of beautiful rose gardens which symoized all of the differnt types of people who lost their lives durig the genocide, a garden for the children, for the woman, a garden of protection, and a fountain that in the middle had a tourch, that is lit on occasion, symbolizing death, water, symbolizing life, and four elephant statues which symolized that no one will ever forget, becuase elephants are the animals known never to forget. then there were the mass graves which have 250,000 bodies in them..it was almost hard to wrap your head aroud such a number.
Then there was the inside of the memorial which consisted of various photos, vidios and articles educating us all on the events of the genocide. The most disturbing thing to me about the entire thing was how people were killed, and who was killed. Woman were raped, often by men who had HIV, people were tortured, thrown in latrines, and even the children were not spared, they too faced death by a machete or beating...it was truley heartbreaking and eye opening. There was another part of the memorial which breifly educated us on some of the other genocides that have occured in the passt, that was also extremely hard.
It was so interersting to be in the place where such a thing occured though, much more intense, becuase almost everyone over the age of 15 played some role in the genocide. you would see a person with a scar on their face, and wonder, were you tutsi, or hutu? The day needless to say was a hard one to swallow, but really all in all made one realize how truley fortunate we all are.

On a lighter note, we got to ride on the back of bicycles, which had little seats on them, it was way fun! And now we are in Tanzania working with a medical clinic, which allows people who have little money to get medical assistaance.. sorting through containers full of medical supplies and organizing them. The place we are staying is super nice, our bedrooms even haev a bathroom with a sitdown toliet in them!! yoo!! and a shower!! Our nights here are spent playing spades, and newly poker, betting with match sticks. We are all having a grreat time, and next is our safari!!!!!!

peace!!!

2009-03-14T03:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Mwanza(rock city), Tanzania: Where it is socially exceptable to spit your food on the ground

We got quite the fill of kids during our week in Fort Portal. Our afternoons were spent at the rescue home with the kids: Playing basketball & soccer, Swinging on swings, and many many arts&crafts. The kids were precious, all clinging on to their new found friends.
Our evenings were spent back at the hostel, surrounderd by 47 9-10 year olds from kampala. lets just say it was never a dull moment around the hostel with them. They also made great alarm clocks, running and screaming down the hallway every morning at the crack of dawn.
Thursday morning the group went to Sts. Peter and Paul Primary School (where many of the kids go). It was nice being able to see the school, but a bit awkward as we were paraded through each classroom.

After our week in Fort Portal, we loaded up and headed to Rwanda for the weekend...

Fort Portal!

2009-03-03T00:36:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful, and enlightening experience through JJ and his family. After hearing his influential words about three very mixed religions coming together and working together, we are ready for our next leg of the journey! We have learned that the African men can be very persistent, and traveling in an almost entire female group we get quite the laughs! With Muhammad hitting on Rose, and JB proposing to Emily. It was a nice trip to Sipi Falls, with JJ's oldest son Macabee, it felt like we were one group! The falls were beautiful, and we splashed and laughed, while looking onto the lush green landscape. Now we are staying a hostel in Fort Portal while going to Manna's Rescue Home. The children are very sweet. Carry made cool crowns, Rose made some sweet bling, and Lizzy made stupendous mustaches. We have the rest of the week to spend with these amazing kids!
gooooodddbbyyyeee

Coffee makes me crazy, but I have to make an exception here..

2009-02-23T05:14:00.000-08:00

Hello all! Emily here. We are now in Mbale, Uganda and are staying at an inter-faith coffee co-op called Mirembe Kawomera. We've been learning about how the coffee is grown and harvested and have gotten to take part in the entire process- picking the berries, pruning the trees, shelling the berries, etc. The farm is totally organic and the coffee is shade grown with many other plants, such as banana trees and vanilla. Yesterday we were taken to a town meeting and the townspeople gave all of us new names. Mine is Namaganda. Holla!
Last week at the school was amazing. We spent the mornings building the foundation for a new schoolhouse, and it was extremely difficult. We did a lot of shoveling, rock moving, and brick building. I think we are going to be in good shape by the time we get home. If not, we will at least have a lot of blisters and sunburns. We slept on cots in one of the classrooms at night and had a really amazing cook named Peter.
Adapting to life in Africa has been pretty difficult but really interesting. We are all learning the science of squatting over a hole and bathing with a bucket of water (though most of us have simply chosen not to bathe...)At the school, we had to walk about a half mile up big hills just to get water.
Despite some homesickness, all of us have been doing really well. The group is amazing and I think we all bring something awesome to the table. We have a lot to learn and a long way to go, but we are totally ready.

Queens of the Nile!

2009-02-15T08:05:00.000-08:00

Today we went whitewater rafting on the Nile and let's just start by saying it was INTENSE. Jinja is famous for the grade 5 rapids pretty much all the way down the strip of river we rafted. The 7 of us girls were in one boat and Marshall went in another boat full of guys. We are VERY proud to say that the girls boat flipped only one time! We went down 2 waterfalls, including one with about a 15 foot drop, and everytime we made it through a rapid without flipping or losing someone from our boat, we would all look back and realize what we just did and freak out. it was awesome. at times we each got pretty terrified but we rocked it. it was totally worth it in the end- such an awesome experience and definetly a bonding trip.

tonight we are all tired, sore, but more than anything SUNBURNT! we are lobsters after a day on the water even with the 45 spf sunblock we all continuously reapplied. i guess us mzungu's cant deal with the hot equator sun!

tomorrow morning we head to the school we are working on with soft power. we'll be working on constructing a new classroom, laying the foundation and bricks, and sleeping on the floor of an existing classroom. in the afternoons, we'll start learning swahili- we're all really excited. there's no internet at the school (or showers) so we'll be out of touch for the week.

2009-02-13T02:31:00.000-08:00

OLYOTYA!

Greetings from Kampala!
Uganda is da bomb-- since everyone else explained today's scavenger hunt, we'll fill you in a little about what life's been like the past couple days.
Our hostel is sweet, one of the rooms is open-air with bunkbeds and moaquito nets. last night was our first african rainstorm, that was an experience. lets just say no one was kidding when they said it rains hard in Africa! it was awesome watching and hearing the rain in the middle of the night from our beds.
Ok so new experience with the bathroom situation, yesterday rosie and I (kim) payed 200 shillings (like 10 cents) to go to the bathroom and we walk in and really truley thought we where in the guys bathroom because all there was, was a toliet that was in the ground..then we realized that no it was indeed the ladies bathroom and so we just did it like you would in the woods, and squated..we all decided that we are going to have very nice thigh muscles after this trip :)
some of the other girls mentioned that everyone yells mzungu at us. people also stop us all the time to say hi and touch us and propose to us. but we also get a lot of "OBAMA!" which is kinda cool because everyone here is really happy that obama is our president now. and so are we!
As beautiful and amazing this city is, a little bit of sadness comes along with it..often we will see people on street corners who dont have limbs, have some serious physical deformations. Aleta told us that these people had polio, and that that is the outcome of the disease. It is very crazy to us beacuse it is not something we ever had to worry about at home growing up. Also there is not alot of help and support for these individuals.
Being here in this completley different culture opens our minds to the different types of beauties, as well as hardships the people here encounter on a daily basis..it truley makes us greatful for what we all had growing up, and have now.

welll were going to catch the mutatu back to the hostel.
Talk to ya'll soon!
PEACEPEACEYO
Sally, Kim & Carrye

Kampala Scanvager Hunt!

2009-02-13T00:11:00.000-08:00

Whats up?! Its Miriam and Emily and we are posting from Kool city internet cafe in Kampala, Uganda. Besides checking this off our list, we want to shout out to the carpe diem office as well as friends and family for all their help and support.

Kampala is nuts- in a good way. People are all over the place selling things, calling us mzungos, helping me (Emily) when I almost face plant over cinder blocks...We're pretty in love with the group so far and are super excited to get to know everyone better. There is a lot of fruit here...I'm in love. And Miriam rules. Holla. Love love love.

Emily's amazing, we all kind of want to be her...

peace out everyone! talk to you all soon.

Scavenger Hunt

2009-02-13T00:07:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Uganda two days ago..we think. It has been very warm and quite the cultural shock. The streets are bustling with thousands of people, jammed pack in cars and vendors lining the streets. Yesterday we got our first taste of Kampala, gathering our barrings. We are staying at Kampala's Backpackers, where the natives are much more patient with the many white guests. We have been able to enjoy the wildlife such as HUGE BIRDS nesting in equally large nests, and monkeys swinging about in trees. Now we are trying to accomplish our list of activities managing on our own for the first time. Now we are off to haggle ourselves some fruit at the marketplace!
Rosie and Lizzy

The Eagle Has Landed.....

2009-02-11T07:15:00.001-08:00

The Africa group has landed in Uganda, safe & sound!

The internet in the internet cafe where they are staying is down....again....(one of the many challenges of traveling in the developing world); but our leaders managed to borrow someone else's laptop connection long enough to touch base with HQ.

As I write this, they have been in Kampala approximately 10 hours, and no doubt hitting the wall of jetlag. They will begin their orientation in full swing after some well-needed rest.

More from the Africa group itself when the internet is again available to them-

-Nannette & Amy

All Accounted For

2009-02-10T12:24:00.000-08:00

After an exasperating time not locating the final four Africa groupmates in Heathrow (until 15 minutes prior to boarding), it is with a collective and deep sigh of relief I can announce the completion of the group. All 7 students and both leaders (albeit with a few years shaved from their lives, no doubt) are boarding their fight to Entebbe as I type this. Whew!

You'll next hear from them [personally] from Uganda, so check back in about 24-36 hours.

From Portland, this is Carpe HQ signing off and passing the baton onto the Africa group!

The Spring "09 Adventure Begins!

2009-02-09T17:47:00.000-08:00

It's official: the SFO contingent of the Africa team is all together, accounted for, and ready to board their flight to London in about an hour! They'll meet the rest of their group in Heathrow tomorrow morning our time back here-so stay tuned!

For now, this is Nannette at Carpe HQ wishing all a good night...

Wrapping it Up...Kigamboni to Stone Town

2008-12-01T02:18:00.000-08:00

So we originally were going to "Paradise" this run-down little two-bit joint complete with brownish water, tents and millipedes. We did that for a night and decided that free-travel or no, lazy time on the beach or no, sometimes it's better to be proactive. Thus, Camille, Jessie, Aura, David and some other investigatory types walked a total of 50 yards to the left and found what we were looking for. This was how camping on the beach was meant to be. We deserted our "paradise" campsite and shifted oh so slightly and settled down to this awesome pad of thick canvas tents with mattresses, porches and cheap comfy tables with lights, scads of lounge chairs, a smattering of hammocks and great views. So Kigamboni went by with a lazy sort of sense of time, napping through the day, reading, taking walks and deciding what to eat were the major events of the day. For the boys (and the honorary boy: Aura) things such as soccer and crabbing took place to shake things up a bit. Along similar lines, sometimes adventure found those who weren't looking for it. I (Rachel) had a very very memorable experience with a certain bastardly and recalcitrant sea urchin we named Freddie. So sit down for a bit...because the story goes like this: While I was out swimming that day a dip after my late breakfast I got past the break and found a clearing of smooth sand imbetween the large rocks and chose to amble about there. Unfortunately it was occupied by this guy who'd chosen the spot for the same reason. He greeted me asked if I was alone or with a group...said I was with a big group and then this happend.
"Ah, big group. Okay okay. You are friend?"
"Am I your friend?"
"No"
"Do I have friends? Yes I have lots of friends."
"No, are you..." he struggled to find the word..."friendly?"
"No, I'm not friendly" very wary since being proferred by two guys in Arusha about staying in their hotels for free and one giving me the handshake for wanted sex.
"So me and you you think ni ku penda?" Which I knew penda was like or love as a noun but as a verb was sex. So I thought this smooth stretch of sand wasn't worth it and struggling to swim back and find another place (it was lowtide and the current was strong) I was jostled by the water and my foot and a large black spikey sea urchin came in contact. So just from grazing it I promptly received around fifteen barbs around the nail on my right big toe and two barbs on my right heel. I curiously lifted my toe out of the water not quite what to make sure of the black spikes coming out of my body. I slowly made my way up to the tent. (We're really close we hear the waves as we sleep) and caught the attention of my fellow mates and they asked how I was I said I needed tweasers and showed them. I put my foot up and Camille started attempting to take them out. They would crumble at every attempt we made to carefully pull them out. A nurse came by to offer her help. She took a needle and dug through my toe after pouring 96% alcohol on the barbs and tried to pry them out. After a while we decided to try the local cure...a mix of papaya milk and salt and lemon which took the sting out of the poison and supposedly made the skin soft and easy to dig the barbs out of. I grasped Camilles hand on my left and Matt's hand on my right. Some people had to step in and change hands because I hurt their hands too much from squeezing so tight. Pretty much you put the milk salt lemon mixture on it with alcohol inbetween (the salt and lemon HURT) and let it seep in. After 30 minutes a guy in a white shirt took his acacia thorns and dug around the base of the barb trying and squeezing it out with his thumbs. The acacia thorn was as sharp as a knife and really hurt my poisoned highly innervated toe. I'm not that ashamed to say that I hyperventilated from the pain. I was actually really successful at keeping my foot still but at one point digging out a barb near the base of my toenail and strained in the back of my plastic chair so much to try and escape the pain that the chair's thin plastic back broke in half. We got a new chair and began again. I was stung at around 11:30 and didn't have permission to leave until 2:30 so it was this three hour long ordeal. Finally a red shirted guy said that it's too fragile, we've gotten on tiny pieces a tenth of the size of a grain of rice out; and he suggested to create a hole at the top of each barb (when it happened to him) nicked the top poured alcohol and disinfectant to kill the barbs and then put antibiotic cream on and keep in wrapped so that's what we did, wrapped it up drew a happy face on the bandage and named him George. Kevin thought that I should get a sea urchin tattoo on my toe in the future to commemorize the event. Early on people would ask to tell stories and sing songs and asked what my favorite band was...so it was that I sobbingly led a rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody with everyone and bantered with David quipping Monty Python lines. But it's fine now and that tattoo idea is very appealing. It's been fine since then, left alone in it's bandage with some cleaning we moved on up to Zanzibar for more rest and relaxation by the beach. Kendwa Rocks is this sprawling resort with affordable prices for the dorm (if not quite the food) and the waters were kind and beautiful and gentle which I for one appreciated. Everybody spent there 4 days/ 5 nights lounging in the sun and waiting for their next meal. We went on a spice tour which consisted of walking around and smelling plants trying to guess what they were. We ate fresh fruit, drank tea, and wore hats made out of banana leaves. Then we got a tour of stone town where we saw the slave market, the anglican church, and a very old fort. Then we moved into the clove hotel, our last residence as a group. We started our scuba certification courses. Rachel, Kevin, Camille, Aura, Matt, Kate, Lihi, and Clairen took the open water course. And Curry, David, Jessie, and Andrea took their advanced open water course. While Zik did his own thing. The advanced divers went on 5 dives: Peak Performance Buoyancy(learning to be graceful underwater), Navigation (finding your way around underwater), a deep dive(self-explanatory), a wreck dive, and a night dive. Open water people learned basic skills and focused on breathing, swimming, and just not freaking out. The days went by very fast and now we are 2 days from coming home. Last night we went out to dinner and had our last meeting about re-entry and reverse culture shock. Everybody has mixed feelings about going home and is sad to leave behind the family that we've created here in East Africa. Tonight is our last night and Zik and Curry have set up a "surprise" for us. I think we're all in a state of suspended disbelief; it's incredible to think that we won't see each other next week. David can't relate his larium dreams, Matt won't be urging us on to play soccer, Kevin and Camille won't be bantering, and the warm African sun will disappear and be replaced with the throes of winter (Clairen especially will be facing this horrible switch...Alaska being Alaska and all that). It's odd to think about, but I think we all hope to keep in touch, time and distance notwithstanding. And even if the practicalities of day to day life suck us all into our individual routines we're pretty confidant (Jessie and Rachel) that we'll all look back on our funky, crazy blend of a family and it's comforting to realize that no one can take away the experiences and memories we've already shared. Love you all and we're looking forward to seeing you soon and telling the rest of the stories that don't fit on the blog.
Jessie and Rachel

Yoshi

2008-11-15T03:32:00.000-08:00

So we arrived in Moshi last Friday, which was pretty exciting. We took a bus and it was only like an hour from Arusha, which was pretty nice. We got a spectacular view of Mt. Kilimanjaro on the way. We settled into Kilimanjaro Backpackers Hotel, which has ceiling fans that the man room thoroughly enjoyed (Don't ask why). David also celebrated our arrival by shaving his "facial hair." Everyone was very excited. The next day (Aura's 19th birthday!) we took a trip over to Amani Children's Home, where we were going to be volunteering for the next week. We met Joe... we're not exactly sure what his job is, but something along the lines of volunteer coordinator/supervisor/communications director.. well anyways he showed us around and introduced us to the staff and the many children. He also informed us that we would be playing a "friendly" football (soccer) game against the Amani children (mzungu vs mwafrica) on monday. For Aura's birthday celebration, the event planners (Kate and Lihi) planned a dinner to indotalian (an indian and italian restaurant combined!). The food was delicious and Aura looked oh so pretty with her birthday crown and earings. After dinner we surprised her with a chocolate cake, which did not last too long, as andrea, aka the chocolate queen, was strategically sitting next to her.
Sunday was a free day to walk around town and experience firsthand the ferocity of the street sellers. Their relentless effort combined with our desperate need led to a massive economic boost for the moshi community (especially omar and the bag ladies). We also had to accomplish a quick scavenger hunt where we learned all about Moshi. We learned that Mt. Kilimanjaro is 5,895 meters tall, being the tallest mountain in Africa, and the only place where there is snow all year long in Africa. We also learned that apparently Moshi is a city not a dinosaur. We were astonished, but we quickly recovered and enjoyed the day.
Monday was the big game, which we lost spectacularly 10-8. Despite the loss, the game was tons of fun and we were all thoroughly exhausted even though the children were unfazed.
Tuesday-Friday were spent at Amani in either the morning or afternoon playing with kids, teaching english, cooking, and helping in the art room with Libby, Joe's wife. Each day we were there we got to have one meal with them (lunch or dinner) using only our hands, and it wasn't even easy finger food, it was like rice and beans! It was an experience though...
We got to bond with the children daily, practice our swahili, and experience their limitless energy. Saturday (today!) we were given another free day to get ready for free travel. We were all sad to say goodbye to the kids (we're pretty sure Kate kept one) but felt our time was greatly appreciated. It was pretty stressful planning for free travel, but everything looks great now. We have chosen to go to Kigamboni first, which is on the coast of Tanzania and a part of Dar Es Salaam. We are taking an 8 hour fun filled, action packed, exotic adventure on a bus at 7 in the morning tomorrow, but we will still be able to experience the beach when we get there. We will be camping on the beach and enjoying the ocean. The girls have decided to finally shave for this big event, hence the purchase of the chainsaw. The leg hair will be greatly missed, but also saved and mailed home. Expect a large package! (Clear some room in your garage).
On friday we are leaving Kigamboni and swimming to zanzibar, we all bought shark repellant with a discount considering the large purchase. We will arrive in Stone Town but we have chosen to stay in the north in Kendwa, which is said to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Zanzibar. (it's also very manly). We hope to all survive and have lots of fun. When free travel is over we will be heading back down to Stone town for SCUBA DIVING!
Moshi was great, we bought most of the town.
Matt and Lihi signing out! Kwaherini!

last day bangata/pete o'neal

2008-11-05T23:48:00.000-08:00

soo before we start talking about UAACC(united African alliance community centre), the place we are staying at right now we have a couple of things to add to Camilles and Auras last post,regarding last night and day at Bangata.
we could start describing the last 48 hours at the village as pretty "eventful". We wake up the morning of the 4th, with Curry and Zik having to tell just a minor incident that took place the night before..Apparently, at around 12pm at night, Zik found himself cooking some chilly(which by the way was amazing) when suddenly, he hears two huge bangs at the door and 4 huge black men storm into their house armed with full sized machetes and hammers. Zik, caught with a cooking knife and a mop in hand, Curry still deep asleep, safe and sound in her room(there are too many details, we cant really write about) to make the story short, Zik successfully pulled one of the machetes out of the aggressors hand and scared them off, unfortunately, men made off with his ipod, speakers and phone whilst throwing stones at Zik as they left (just to make sure he wasn't gonna hunt them down). no harm done, everyones safe and sound and this just added a little of excitement to our home stays experience..the episode definitely left no room for doubt that we are in very competent hands..
Next morning, after having heard the story, we prepared our good bye meal for our host families. Rice got over cooked and looked like Ugali(a white paste made out of corn), but it still tasted deeeelicous! we had chapati,tomatoes with olive oil and salt, salads, beans and Ziks hot chilly which had gone through too much by the time it was served..lunch was a great success, Matt and Andrea even delivered two short thank you speeches in Kiswahili form which the parents all had a good laugh out of, but still appreciated it very much!
At the moment, as said above, we are staying a the UAACC, the UAACC is a program run by Pete Oneal. Pete was the founder of the Kansas City chapter of the Black Panthers. He led the movement against prejudice and policed the police, but not only that he was a large part of the community by teaching kids and helping the community. He has now extended what he was doing in Kansas City to Arusha, Tanzania. The reason why Pete has come to Africa was because he was brought up on flimsy charges of carrying a shotgun across state lines and faced up to 3 years and prison and instead of being brought up on false charges that would keep him from helping and protecting his community, so he went to Africa with his wife when he was 30 and his wife was 19 and they have been here ever since. Now he runs the UAACC and provides clean water for the surrounding area and classes for the local children. There is also a orphanage were he provides school and housing for young kids without the means to go to school or even have a proper home. he also runs a hostel for kids like us and it is one of his primary sources of income. He is an amazing man that does nothing but try to help us for example on last Thursday we were invited by Mzee (which is a sign of respect in Swahili and means, "old man") Pete to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Now when we got to UAACC we were not expecting anything special alot of the usual, rice and beans and such, but just lots of it, but to our amazement and jubilation there was a REAL turkey and stuffing and gravy and mashed potatoes and everything it was truly amazing and so good and apparently he prepared everything himself, and it was delicious.

ssooooo well be updating as soon as were in Moshi and know what were doing..in a while crocodile.Kwaherini, Andy and Kevin

Safari Adventures

2008-11-01T05:17:00.000-07:00

Hey guys its Camille and Aura and we have some great stuff to tell you about. The Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater were amazing. We started heading to The Serengeti from Mwanza it was a long jeep ride but we got to the front gate and ate lunch. During lunch monkeys came so close to us that we could almost touch them we got loads of pictures and it made everyone ready to see African Wildlife. As we rolled into the Serengeti every ones eyes were peeled ready to see a lion. Wildebeest were there to give us a warm welcome. There were Millions of Wildebeest and Thompson Gazelles and many other animals. When we saw our first lion it was amazing. So we rolled on to our camp site and ate a great meal and went to sleep early because we were eager to see an african sunrise apart from the city. It was well worth waking up at 5:30 in the morning because as the sun was rolling high Giraffs were a hundred yards away walking past our camp hinting that tday was going to be a great day. We started by a great breakfast and packed our daypacks and embarked on our Safari. We saw tons more Wildabeest and then a massive elephants. Then as lunch was creeping near David needed to use the bathroom and walked to a tree getting out of our vehicle and Omar our guide sternly told him to get back to the car because lions were sleeping under the very tree that he was going to pee behind.
Then we finished up at the Seringeti and a long dusty ride took us to the beautiful Ngorogoro crater. We stopped on the way to explore a village of Massai warriors and learned much of their culture. Then we made camp on the summit of one of the many moutains that surrounds the crater. After camp we drove into the crater. Our vehicle's breaks gave way and we almost plumited to our death but yet again Omar and his experiance saved us again. We waited until nightfall and went back to the camp where we found kevin aura and david on their sides sick. so we put them all in the sick tent and thus started the sick tent trek. others to join were camille and andrea, andrea getting the hard end of the stick when she got a temperature of 104.
The last day of the trek we ended up in a beautiful campsite right outside of lake natron. a lake we have now dubbed the endless lake of flamingo shit... where was the water? then tanzanature tours took us to arusha where we stayed two nights at backpackers hotel, exploring the city. aura camille matt jessie and david went to go visit omar and omari's homes, two of the guides. it was a lot of fun and prepared us for the stay in bengata.after our pretty uneventfull stay in arusha we all made our way to our host families in bengata. bengata is a small town outside of arusha that is right below mount meru and is what seems to be the birthplace of dust. kate has proved the persistence of this dust by wearing socks and closed toed shoes and still finding the pesy little buggers in her toes. we cant write from everyones point of view but it seems that the families are kind, welcoming, and fun. i know that i will deffinatly miss my family when i leave. the only downfall to being in homestays is that we miss the group life. although we do see each other at our daily swahili classes we find ourselves missing each other a lot. mama frieda and all of the tomito household have been very kind, making us lunch and allowing us to use their facilities for classes and are spectacular halloween party.
oh yes we had a halloween party. kate was a super hero. jessie a butterfly. david hucklberry finn... we all knew what he really was.... kevin was matt. matt was kevin. camille was a fairy. lihi was an earth child. andrea was a caterpillar. aura was trinity.. orignially she was an italian boy but when she put on matt's sunglasses the resemblance was so bizarre that we all decided she had to be trinity. thanks to camille's moms care package halloween was a blast. also thanks to lihi's majestic bats and jessie's doodling abilities..
our project in bengata was to teach form four children. david and lihi taught english. jessie rachel and clairen are teaching geography. andrea and i did sex ed. matt and kate did math. aura and kevin did history. it was a struggle but there were many good moments like when students screamed "condoms" and when a student took matt to the side and asked him for help. a few of the students had trouble teaching due to constipation issues leading to one particular person having to get it digitally removed.
tommorow we are going to meet pete o'neil a former black panther who is now exiled in tanzania.

Resting up in Kampala..

2008-10-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hello! David and Clairen are here this time, writing about our fun and relaxing weekend in Kampala before heading to Tanzania! We spent our last few days in Uganda tucked away in our now very familiar Backpackers Hostel. It was definitely very nice to have down time to sleep, read, and mentally prepare ourselves for the next leg of our amazing journey. Our days were mostly filled with downtown excursions and long reading sessions on the balcony of the hostel. But evenings..well that is another story. Somehow, Zik and Curry pulled some magic on us and presented us with tickets to an very big Jazz Festival! We all packed into a taxi and headed out at about 7 pm. The event took place at a very nice resort on the other side of the city, so the drive was not exactly short...but eventually we arrived with huge smiles on our faces, ready to rock out to some absolutely africatastic music. The whole evening we sat in a grass field and enjoyed numerous bands. The music wasn't what what we would call "jazz". But it was definitely filled with soul and passion. Between the traditional instruments and rich voice and the star covered sky, the night was most enjoyable. It wasn't until about 1:30 am that we got back to the hostel. The whole ordeal was so much fun and we are so lucky that Zik and Curry have contacts in Kampala who were willing to hook us up with tickets to a great event! Then for the energetic party animals AKA David, Aura, Matt, Jessie, and Camille went to a club downtown and danced till 4:00 am. Everyone had a blast especially David who break danced like Usher. Then we woke up at 10:00 am for more relaxation then headed to another Zik and Curry hookup event A soccer game between Uganda and Benin. The crowd was amazing and Uganda won 2-1. It was a great experience for all of us. Well that it for now. Camille and Aura will update you on Tanzania and the amazing Safari! Goodbye Y'all until next time.

Soft Power Education....

2008-10-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

Hey all. Rachel and Jessie here to tell you all about our SECOND week in Jinja. We worked for a NGO based in Britain called (we told you earlier!) Soft Power Education which concentrates in "beautifying" educational facilities and providing extra curricular activites not often available in the Ugandan public education system. As the debriefer/coordinator, Shaz, that led us through it called it...they're brilliant. We were based in a small Muslim school called Siidiq and we got to do loads and loads of painting. Because the roads were bad during this particularly rainy rainy season...we were set up in one of the classrooms at the school. All of us (nearly) were sleeping shoulder to shoulder on small but respectably comfortable foam mats and had mosquito nets given to us to string across the room in a rather creative fashion. (Kudos Camille). So the living situation was probably the most "basic" we've seen yet but it was pretty cozy and we all got closer...literally. The most challenging part of these new "roughing it" accomodations was the utter and complete total lack of showers. Nothing. Nada. It was good that we were all in it together though...lack of showers and suffering and eventually mastering the pit latrines. Go us! (And by us we mean the girls....it's much more impressive for us). On the flip side...sparse environment aside...we did have the total and lovely luxury of having a personal cook asigned to us to provide three meals a day for our entire group, so that we could concentrate on painting instead of cooking. Which is a good thing...because even if we did try to cook for ourselves it wouldn't come close to coming to the savory culinary masterpieces and Peter (god bless him) unfailingly delivered three times a day. He was an awesome guy all around and we all enjoyed his company (as Peter himself would say...FACT). So our days were usually pretty busy... we had breakfast at 8am and would work til lunch around 1-ish and then we would break up into two groups and learn some basic Swahili. It was really awesome. Roy aka Mwacigwa was an excellent teacher. Knowledgable, good humoured and excited. After the day was done around 6 we would have a couple of hours of downtime in the evening. All in all we managed to get a lot done, considering that the paint required multiple coats and we were all proud to look back upon our work before we left. Good stint. Peace! Jessie and Rachel

First week in Jinja!

2008-10-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone Kate and Lihi here... The past week has been full of adventure, hard work, and mzungus. Early sunday morning we left Kampala and traveled to Jinja by bus. We arrived at Adrift Hostel surprised to see so many mzungus (white people). We were split into two different groups for rafting on the White Nile River. Kate was with Curry, Kevin, Matt, Aura, Jessie, Clairen and a South African guide named Greg. Lihi was with Zik, Andrea, Rachel, David, Camille and a Irish guide Graham. We were all very excited, but also a little nervous. We all went down class 3, 4, 5 rapids, the biggest and craziest one being ''Big Brother'' where most of us got tossed out as the rapid flipped the rafts over. Most of us were pretty frightened with the thrill of almost drowning, but we all made it out happy and safe.
Since then we've been staying at the Adrift Hostel which is literally on the Nile. Every night we get to watch the beautiful sunsets and star gaze.
We've have also been working through Adrift on an Environmental Conservation Project on land that they own but will later sell to the Jinja Community. We've also been seperated into 2 groups; One being Zik, Kate, Andrea, Matt, Jessie and Rachel and the other being Curry, Lihi, Kevin, David, Aura, Clairen and Camille. We switch everyday between two different projects and locations. One has been planting Mysopsis trees, which are quick growing trees that attract many local birds. Although it may not seem like it there is a huge deforestation problem here because many local village people tend to cut down the trees for many different reasons like houses, shops, firewood etc. The other project is building a walkway on an island to a future chimpanzee sanctuary.
We will be changing locations to work with Soft Power education where we will be painting a school and taking Swahili classes. We will be staying on site.

We're all safe and having fun, so parents don't worry.

Miss you and love you all.

Zik's Last Email! (hopefully)

2008-09-30T04:59:00.000-07:00

Zik here one last time, happy to report that Kevin DIDN'T tell me a bold faced lie about having posted to the blog when we were back in Kampala. As it turned out, he saw a "Posted Successfully" message and thought he was done. I didn't actually believed he would have intentionally deceived me anyway, so when several of his teammates vouched for him, the "honesty" part of the meeting was over, and we talked a little about follow through.

As far as laziness and integrity go, I think the team now realizes that it's a wee bit inconsiderate and insensitive to keep their loved ones in the dark. So they've committed to keeping their word and doing a better job at keeping the blog updated on a regular basis.

Since 1) they're getting along so well, 2) I'm confident that they'll keep their word, and 3) this is supposed to be a student directed blog, this should be the last email you receive from me.

I imagine there may be another entry or 2 about rafting the Nile: the agony of being ejected from a raft, sucked under and tumbled (washing machine style, for longer than you think you can hold your breath); and the thrill of actually staying in the raft after plummeting over a waterfall twice the length of the boat. And I'm sure they'll get to details about our tree planting project to help the Ugandan government and Adrift replenish islands which were deforested for firewood and farming here in Jinja. So I'll sign off now, and rush back to the hostel campgrounds in time to make our first Carpe Diem FC soccer practice!

We're all happy, healthy and enjoying each others company, as well as the adventure.

Peace&Blessings,
Zik

Rachel

2008-09-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I get to be the first one to post about our white water rafting day. I loved it. Honest and truly. Zik kept on laughing on me...because I just had this grin plastered to my face for the first three hours. I dunno how they're gonna top this adventure...but it was just gloriously awesome to swim and raft and (foreshadowing here!) get washed away in rapids in the infamous Nile. Yeah yeah yeah. I think I MAY have the adventure of the day freaking out our stoic guide Graham. The others in the boat later reported that he said over and over again..."Oh this is not good, not is not good. Paddle fast! Paddle hard!" Or something like that. But again. It was a crazy good day all around. What with Camille's ankle and Lihi totally overcoming her anticipation about the whole thing and Kevin being pants by the waves...good stories all around. My story is that after we came down this class V rapid...we decided to try and paddle against the churning water to make this fun run called Chop Suey. So there I was in the front left of the boat. And the water is still pretty turbulent from the waterfall we just came down (that's right, waterfall!...told you it was class V) and the water just dipped out and down so my bit of the boat just lunged suddenly and I went back into the water...feet over head. I instinctively mangaged to grap the rope. But the current was pretty strong and I guess I didn't know how much badness I was in or whatever. But I only held on for ten seconds or so before I was carried off. And I was carried off FAR. Quickly streaming far and beyond to the shallow parts and I was actually hitting stones and rocks. So I was kinda nervous then. I refuse to say scared...because I was breathing and keeping my eyes on Graham who shouted "Swim to me girl! Kick hard!" After hearing that I ditched my paddle and just focused on swimming hard. Which, although I was on swimteam at some point in my life, was pretty pathetic with my life vest and current working against me. A rescue kayaker came up to me then and gave me the back of the kayak to grab ahold of. He shouted over the sound of the water "Good girl, you strong. Kick harder! Good girl. Stronger. Kick harder, harder!" He dragged me back to the raft but I was on the front of it and Graham was grabbing my vest and hauling me in shouting "Get the fuck in here!" I got in after a bit and tried to get my seat but he pushed me down and said "stay down! stay down!" it was at that moment that we went over this other rapid. So close call there. I found out later thzt he had told the rest of the raft to back paddle..so they were fighting against going down the rapid until they got me. It wasn't good because a) I was getting in shallow parts b) because I would have gone down a rapid without a raft and c) Graham himself had to be resussitated (spelling?) near that spot. Not quite where I was...but not far either) I was shaky after that. But honestly I don't think anything terrible would have happened. The rescue kayak go to me pretty quickly and Graham's a pro for a reason. We had good runs after that. Lots of paddling but we managed to stay upright during the last rapid called, "The Bad Place"...twice actually. Which was pretty exhilarating. All in all...one of my best memories. :)

Kate

2008-09-27T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! We arived in Kampala about two weeks ago eager to start working on a project. We moved to Fort Portal and worked at a orphanage through YES! organization building a cow pen and a chicken coop. It was so amazing to see how much they appreciated our work. We stayed in quiet Fort Portal for about ten days. I'm pretty sure everyone will agree that we liked Fort Portal better than Kampala. We got back to Kampala yesterday and we are leaving for Jenja in the morning. We will rafting on the Nile tomorrow and staying in Jenja for the next two weeks or so. Everyone is having a great time, we are all really getting along and becoming closer every day! Africa is one on the most beautiful and amazing places I have ever been. The people here are so kind and will do almost anything for you. Sorry we have not been posting very much, it has been pretty hectic trying to get and stay online. We will continue updated as much as possible! Miss you all! Love you!

Jessie

2008-09-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

Got back from Fort Portal working with Youth Encouragement Services. Built a chicken coop. Excited to go rafting. Having a good time.

David

2008-09-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all everyone has basically said everything, I just have a few things to add. Every one's great and this is a wonderful experience, and everyone is safe. Working in Fort Portal was a growing experience and we hope to grow even more!!! I miss you mom and dad and the fam. times up and i got to go. goodbye everyone!!

Matt

2008-09-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
I have no idea what I can say that everyone else hasn't already said. We got back to Kampala yesterday and since that is where we began it kinda felt like coming home. Then I realized we still have a couple more months here. I know I speak for everyone when I say that we're excited for those months. We had a great time building and actually getting to work in Fort Portal but we're ready to head on and do some new things. Nobody has died yet and we're hoping to keep our perfect record going.
Matt
p.s. hey mom! hope home is going well or california wherever you are right now.

Kevin

2008-09-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

hello everyone i am sorry that my last post for some reason did not post. i logged on and clicked publish post and it said successfully posted. i tried to update you on the projects that we were doing and that we were alright. again i am very sorry for the inconvenience. Dear parents i'm sorry you had to hear that we are all lazy irresponsible children from our leaders i don't think it is fair to you and i believe you all did a fine job in bringing up wonderful people. i hope that you can forgive us but we are all doing fine and i think we are all loving this wonderful experience. Hope all is well at home and talk to you all soon.
Kevin

Lihi

2008-09-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since we've posted.. It's hard to get internet here... especially since we didn't have much access in Fort Portal. Well anyways... we're back in Kampala after being in Fort Portal for a while. Fort Portal was beautiful. It was so green and it had the most amazing sky. We stayed at YES hostel (Youth Encouragement Services) hosted by Carol Adams, an American who has lived here for about 13 years helping kids in need have a better life and get an education. It's much more peaceful here in Fort Portal, especially because we are located right in the valley surrounded by nature.
We were assigned 2 different projects here, so they divided us into 2 groups. I was with Aura, Andrea, Jessie, Zik and David. We were assigned to build a chicken coop for a very big family. The family consists of an old grandmother, a blind grandfather, and about 24 children from the ages 1-15 (i think). The grandmother and grandfather have taken in the children of their deceased, alcoholic and homeless children. All 26 of them live in a mudhut about a 4th of the size of a simple house in the states. They all share beds and clothes and pretty much everything else they own.. which is not much. Sometimes they go a couple days without food and weeks or months without meat. Most of the kids have a sort of Protein deficiency, which can make them very sick. You can see they our work was greatly appreciated. ALthough we were unable to complete it Carpe Diem donated over 1000 dollars in our name. It was such an amazing experience to play with the kids and truly see the life of these people in 3rd world countries.

Everyone else worked at the Mana Rescue Home, I don't know much about their project, but I do know they they built a cow shed with the help of "Bruno and the boys". I'm sure they posted their projects in more detail.

This past week consisted of hard work days, but we all had fun and came out with much more cultural experience then we ever thought we would get.

Kate and I got our hair braided by a local woman. It took a few days, but we are having fun with it...

My ring worm is going away... RIP Alfredo. But really, I've been taking antifungal pills, so everything is good.

Well since everyone has been posting I am assuming were still going rafting.... hopefully I'll survive.

Miss you all!

Aura

2008-09-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Everything is great here, we are all having fun.
As everyone else said before we just came back from Fort Portal which was fun and especially much more quiet.
We now have a free day in Kampala before going to Jinja. Hopefully it will be fun as well.

Andrea

2008-09-27T04:26:00.000-07:00

hola a todos..ya estamos de vuelta en Kampala..todo fenomenal! anyways..were doing great so far..last night Kevin and i tried posting something we wrote but apparently something went wrong and it never really got posted! sorry about that.. anyways..we were sayiung that Fort Portal was amazing..part of the group got to work at Roses(one of the girls that worked for Carol Adams)house building a chiken coop and the other half of the group built a cow shed at Mana Rescue Home,which serves as home for children who are HIV positive.It was a great experience and can assure that by now, most of us are either expert cement mixers or cualified carpenters..We are now ready to move on to our next project,conservation project, in Jinja. Hopefully we will go rafting tomorrow since we are all really looking forward to it and have a great time! we will keep you posted as often as possible..
Cheers,
Andrea(aka the spaniard)