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