Some Final Remarks

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!!!!!!!!!!!

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!

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...

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

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

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

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