Zik's Last Email! (hopefully)

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

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

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

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

David

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

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

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

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

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

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)

Clairen

This will be my first post on the group blog! Hello everyone! We are all so sorry for not being able to keep the blog updated so far. The internet access in Fort Portal was very sketchy and most of us didnt even get much of a chance to check our personal emails. Thank you Backpackers Hostel in Kampala for having GREAT internet connection! :D

Africa is incredible. I really can't think of any words to describe it! I've only been here two weeks and have grown so much already! I can only imagine what I will be like 2 months from now.

The first week was really hard for me. I had some homesickness issues that were really getting to me. But after a very helpful phone conversation with my dad and tons of support from the leaders and whole group, I have been feeling SO much better. Every person in this group is so wonderful and has been helpful and encouraging to me in every way. I want to send a huge thank you to my family as well who have been sending me the most enlightening emails. I LOVE YOU GUYS!

In Fort Portal I was in the group that built the cow shed at the Mana Rescue Home for children with AIDS/HIV. What an experience! At times it was quite hard physical work. But we were blessed with amazing woman providing us scruptious lunches and loads of adorable children who loved to love and be loved in return. It was quite touching to spend time with these kids. They always had huge smiles spread across their faces and never stopped giggling and playing. How inspirational!

We are now in Kampala resting up before our rafting trip and next service project in Jinja. I am SOOO EXCITED for rafting on the Nile! It's going to be incredible!

To Mom, Dad, Giselle, Grandma Pat, Grandma Maureen, Cameron, and everyone who has been so loving and supportive...I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

God Bless,

Clairen

Camille

Yesterday we left the beautiful fort portal and came back to the still beautiful but grungy kampala. While still in Fort Portal we got to see Eddie ( a friend of currys) graduation gear before him, his girlfriend Nadja, and Curry went off to his graduation. It was his last day at mountain of the moons university! needless to say we were proud. Thankyou so much mom for sending money! Some pretty bad news, ive twisted my ankle and will probably not be able to go river rafting . We still have a day of resting so i am hoping that my ankle will get better but neither the pain, swelling, or bruising is subsiding. DONT WORRY though! I am perfectly okay and what better way to rest an ankle is there then sitting under a eucalyptus tree reading a book while someone from the group takes care of me .

Pierre's birthday is coming ever nearer and i cannot wait to here all about it!?!? Also mom i wanted to say thankyou for reasurring me about dad and you. All we hear about is economy losses, budjet cuts, and Campaign's being stopped. All we can se here is british newscast and they make it sound like a great depression is taking place in America! see what happens when i leave you... Anywho we all have to vote here, because are group leaders are very adamant about that kind of stuff, exactly why i know more about politics and whats going on in hte economy here then i ever do when im back home. The only problem is i dont know who to vote for. i know nothing about either party, but my whole group is voting for Obama. I dont want to feel forced to vote for him (i sort of am) but then again i dont think i have a choice.

I brough some material in Fort Portal and i am going to get something made for me in jinja i am really happy about taht since they make things for you here for about $2.50. Everything here is so cheap but the deceaving extra zeros are very funny. the current exchange rate is about 1600 shillings to 1 dollar. I think that soon i will be just buying clothes as i go since i have almost no clean clothes and hand washing has become my biggest fear. It is sooooo irritating!!!! the things i cannot wait to come back for are at the moment: dishwashers, cheese (we all weirdly enough miss this the most...), and all of youu!!!

I will try to call when we are jinja which should be four days from now!

Bonjour Mamy et Papy!!! Love you all.

Camille

We're safe and sound in Kampala

Dear Parents,

I apologize that your children have kept you in the dark for so long. Curry and I have asked them several times to update the blog, but for some reason they haven't been able to do so yet.

To be fair, long work days (building a cow shed and chicken coop for AIDS orphans), limited internet connections, and frequent power outages made updating the blog from Fort Portal very challenging. However, Curry and I will be having a meeting with them this evening discussing laziness, integrity, and honesty. You see, Kevin informed me this morning that he had, in fact, already updated the blog. So imagine my dismay to log on and find out that they are still negligent! Again, my sincere apologies.

To rectify the situation, I have just spoken with Jessie, asking her to relay a message to the entire group that I want EACH of them to do an individual update before they go to sleep tonight. If they are unable to comply, we may have to forgo the rafting trip on the Nile until they do.

Rest assured that we're all safe and sound, and that everyone is in good spirits. Hopefully you'll hear from each of them very soon regarding the incredible things we've experienced since arriving in Uganda.

Peace&Blessings,
Zik

first post on the scavenger hunt

yoyoyoyoyo this is the first group to post on the blog hope you other groups can keep up on the scavenger hunt hahaha rachel andrea clairen kevin later

From SFO

Courtesy of Lihi's mom, Jacquelini from the SFO airport. Not everyone is in this photo, but man they look great together!

We Have Our Complete Team

Just a quick heads-up: I just got a call from Azikiwe and the entire team of Africa Carpe Diem-ers have been gathered in Amsterdam. It's looking like a solid and well-rounded crew - together at last!

- Ethan

Let the Journey Begin

Well, it's official, they're together and ready! The group leaders just gave me a call and they have their full US-group is there! In about three hours they'll be airborne and embarking on a journey of three-months and a thousand experiences. The group will be met in Amsterdam by the final two students, David and Andrea, and I hope to get another blog posted as soon as I've confirmed their meeting.

In the meantime, I'm sure over the next few months you'll have photos of all kinds, calls of many emotions, and growth in more angles than you could imagine. May this be the beginning of a truly momentous and transformative semester!

Yours in spirit and adventure,
Ethan

Get PSYCHED! Only 4 more days before we take off!

Welcome to the student-run site for Carpe Diem's fall 2008 trip to East Africa!

Curry and I, the fearless Program Leaders, have been busy here in Portland, OR training with the Carpe Diem staff and the 14 leaders in charge of the 7 trips headed to other parts of the globe.

Among other things, we've been camping, completing Wilderness First Aid training, and finalizing details of the trip. We've also perused our group's files and are psyched about the awesome group of students we'll be traveling with this semester. As you can see from the itinerary below, we're in for an awesome ride!

We're looking forward to meeting our students at San Francisco International Airport's KLM desk for international departures at 11:30AM on September 10th!

Students, if there are any missed connections, call the toll free number ASAP: 1-877-285-1808. A Crape Diem staff member will be there to help you out 24/7.

Check this site often for updates from our students regarding the magical semester of team building, community service, exploration, growth, and FUN on which we are about to embark.

Peace,
Zik

Updated Program Itinerary

Date	Description
Sept. 10	Depart San Francisco International Airport to Entebbe, Uganda
Sept. 12	Arrive Entebbe, Uganda and travel to backpackers hostel outside of Kampala
Sept. 12 - 16	Orientation at local hostel with occasional trip into Kampala for scavenger hunts
Sept. 16	Travel by bus to Fort Portal in the Western side of Uganda
Sept. 16 - 25	Volunteer with Youth Encouragement Services working on construction at an HIV/AIDS orphanage
Sept. 25	Travel overland back to Kampala and overnight
Sept. 26	Travel overland from Kampala to Jinja and overnight
Sept. 27	Rafting!
Sept. 28	Get settled with Volunteer project
Sept. 28 - Oct . 5	Volunteer with Adrift on Environmental Conservation project
Oct. 5	Free day in Jinja for relaxation, email, pizza, etc.
Oct. 6 - 12	Volunteer with Soft Power Education. Homestays and Swahili tutor.
Oct. 12	Travel overland back to Kampala and overnight
Oct. 13	Travel overland across the Tanzanian border to the town of Bukoba
Oct. 13 - 15	Free days in the sleepy Lake Victoria town of Bukoba
Oct. 15	Ferry across Lake Victoria to Mwanza where we're met by our safari company, Tanzannature Tours. Ferry runs only on M, W, & F
Oct. 16	Free day in Mwanza to recover from the ferry trip
Oct. 16 - 19	Safari through the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater
Oct. 19 - 22	Safari: begin three-day trek from the Ngorongoro Crater rim down to Lake Natron; camping with local Maasai tribesmen
Oct. 22	Overnight in Arusha for comfort and email
Oct. 23	Free day in Arusha. Eeew, but necessary for more email and comfort
Oct. 24	Travel by local transport to Homestays in local village
Oct. 24 - Nov. 8	Homestays and Swahili classes in village immediately outside of Arusha
Nov. 8	Travel by bus to Moshi and start working with Amani Street Kids Project
Nov. 9 - 20	Volunteer with Amani Street Kids
Nov. 20 - 25	Free Travel
Nov. 25	Overnight in Dar Es Salaam
Nov. 26	Ferry from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar
Nov. 26 - Dec. 3	SCUBA Diving on Zanzibar Island
Dec. 3	Fly from Zanzibar to Dar Es Salaam and on to Arusha for connections home.