Sipi Falls

"The waterfalls, you should really go see the water falls!"

 Fred kept mentioning it, and I finally agreed to go! I assumed it was mostly because he really wanted to go back to these so called "magical falls," but I wouldn't trade that experience for anything now! They were pretty magical!

Fred and I heading off on our adventure!

We left pretty early in the morning, since it was kinda far away. It was my first time riding on one of their motorcycles, which they call bodabodas. (They are one of the most popular means of transportation in the country).We sped past children heading off to school, the cows grazing in the fields, and farmers beginning their work in the crops. Once we reached the city nearest to us, Mbale, we switched to a taxi!

Word of advice, try not to get stuck in the back of a Ugandan Taxi; It sucks! Each taxi should only seat about nine passengers, but sits fourteen or more if they think they can fit it! I was squished in the back next to Fred, back pack and all! At least I was near the window though! After an hour of near suffocation and bashing my head against the window, we finally made it! Our wonderful guide, Nabil Ramazan, began out tour.

Part of the trail

Sipi Falls is a series of three water falls in the Kapchorwa district of Eastern Uganda. The highest fall is 100m high! We hiked down a trail through the bush to the first fall, which I viewed from the protection of a cave! It was pretty cool to be inside a mostly natural cave and viewing a water fall!

The second waterfall was a bit of a hike, but a beautiful one! We climbed up the side of the first waterfall into a spacious open field. It was cut in half by the river feeding the Falls. Women sat on the stones washing their clothes, and children splashed about in the water. Up ahead was another large hill, and the next water fall in the distance!

Since it was dry season, the Falls were not as wild as they could have been. However, that meant we were able to go almost under the second one! Climbing down the slippery slope, I grasped onto Fred's hand as he helped me onto a nearby rock. We stood gazing up at the falling water, feeling the little spray of cool droplets on our face. I realised almost sub consciously that I was still holding his hand. We both seemed to realise this at the same time, and let our hands slip away from each other. 

Down where Fred and I stood.

Selfie by the second fall

The third water fall was the tallest at 100m high. However, we were running out of time, so we viewed it from a distance instead. It was still incredible seeing it from a distance though, and taking in the whole landscape from that height as well! It's incredible coming from a different ecosystem and culture all together, and being able to explore and be a part of another. All in all, if you ever travel to Uganda, I definitely recommend making a trip to Sipi Falls! 

The 100m waterfall!

We said goodbye to our guide before we departed. Nabil Ramazan was incredible! His English was fantastic, and he was very knowledgeable about the falls, the environment, and culture! Nabil is looking to continue his education in Tourism. He wishes to attend the Global institute of Information and Technology in Uganda. His tuition costs 840$ for the whole year. If anyone is interested in helping him out, you can connect with him or myself on facebook. 

Fred, Nabil, and I!

On the way back to Mbale, I got to sit directly in the front of the taxi! That was a lot more comfortable then being in the back! When we took the boda back to the guest house, the sky took away my breath! The sun was setting, and the sky was a blaze of red and orange, like fire! Soon the sun faded, and we sped off under the starry sky back to the village.

Peak into the Past

Uganda is part of Eastern Africa and sits on the equator. Because of this, they only have two seasons. The wet season when it rains a lot! Then there is the dry season, when it is very, very dry! 

And HOT!

I was in Uganda for most of the dry season, so it was very dusty and very hot everyday! Despite this, I wanted to see and explore a bit of the country. A country so different and so unique from my own!

The team of us at Nyero Rocks

The first place I went to explore, was the Nyero Rocks. They were a large hill full of boulders and brush. From the outside you would never be able to tell that they were covered in cave paintings. Our guide was a sweet old man, with a few missing teeth. He seemed ancient, but was still very fit and strong! He lead us up a rugged path to where the first set of paintings were. The paintings were drawn with a red and white pigment that had lasted for several hundred years. The drawings were of animals, canoes, families, and the sun, which represented their God. 

It was very captivating to be surrounded by the giant rocks covered in glimpses from the past. I imagined the small children playing bellow the rocks, the men and women recording their memories on the boulders. Them having meals by fire light, the light illuminating their stories....the stories that still remain there today. Faded, but they are still there! 

While we were there, a traditional Uganda family let us explore their compound! We got to go inside their brick mud huts. There was one hut that was the kitchen. It had a few holes in the wall to let the smoke vent outside. There was one painted in white and blue colours, which was a bedroom. There were also a few others used for different things. The whole family, and even some extended live together in these little compounds! 

On the way back to the school, we stopped at a market. I had brought only one skirt, so I wanted to buy one or two dresses. The market was full of fresh fruits, vegetables, traditional foods, and clothing. I went to one dress vendor sorting through their array of dresses. I found two I wanted, but unfortunately I was off by about 1000 UGX shillings. Suddenly Fred fished in his pocket pulling out the remaining amount. "Here," he said handing the money to the vendor. Thanks to Fred I got my two dresses! 

A little girl we saw on the way to the market

Women selling bananas

One of the dresses Fred helped me buy

Sorry for my delay in posting! I have been without a computer for several weeks. I will be getting my laptop back soon, and then I can be more diligent about updating this! Thank you all for following my adventure! More stories to come! 

Photo Cred: Sheri and Ian Kahane Federman

School Life

For six weeks I taught at Nabugalo Primary School  in the Budaka district of Eastern Uganda. The school was four buildings.

- The office
- Two buildings with 4 class rooms each
- The primary class room block

Each day my first two weeks, I arrived at the school at 8am. My first class was Kindergarten. This was their classroom....

It took a lot of creativity to teach in that! Talking over the teacher on the other side of the wall really boosted my volume! Trying to write on the broken chalkboard was a fun challenge. Sometimes the wind would even blow it away, and then I would have to chase after it while my students laughed.

Kindergarten however, was one of my favourite classes! I taught them the alphabet, new songs, numbers, read them stories, and played games such as Hot Potato and What Time is it Mr Wolf? By first break at 10:30am, they would be begging me to stay! However, I only had a half hour window to eat breakfast.

Kindergartens eating porridge for breakfast

Breakfast was usually bread with eggs and tea. Then I'd run back to the school at 11am for the next class. The two other volunteers, Ian and Sheri, would arrive around that time. They usually made the lesson plans for the students we would be teaching each day. I would help them, and suggest my own ideas as well. We taught them English using activities such as....

- What words Rhyme with CAN?
- What does this TOO mean?
- What is the opposite of HAPPY?

We also taught geography, and they asked us questions about Canada. Some of their questions were....

- What are schools like in Canada?
- How does marriage work?
- Are there farms in Canada?
- How many children do people have?
- What is the weather like?

Through their questions, we learned a little bit about Uganda as well!

- In Uganda, to marry a woman, you need a dowry. A dowry is usually a few cows, and goats given to the woman's family.

- You are not allowed to work in Uganda until you are eighteen

- People usually have an average of eight to twenty children

- Uganda only has two seasons: Wet and Dry

Lunch was at 1pm. I was fed a large plate of rice and beans, which I usually couldn't finish, no matter how hard I tried. Then I helped teach from 2pm-4pm. After, I would play soccer with the children, then say goodbye to Ian and Sheri as they headed back to the city of Mbale

Playing cards with the children after school

I did that everyday for the two weeks that Ian and Sheri were there! It was slightly scary at first, teaching in front of a large class of students. However, they were all pretty exceptional pupils! They listened, participated, and were very respectful! Having Ian and Sheri there was also great! They had many great teaching ideas, so that when they left, I had a lot to work with!

Africa

I'm back! Back to the cold! Back to standing over the heaters to keep myself warm, as opposed to trying to find shade! I now have access to technology, to the internet, to hot water, to food that isn't rice and beans, rice and beans, beans and rice.......!

Its good to be back! Everyone is taller and excited to see me. Meanwhile I'm tanner, thinner, and somewhat in shock over everything! Not just the weather, but our culture too.  Its like I completely flipped my life over in the span of two and a half months.

So first, let me apologise for not blogging over the last two months! As I mentioned, my access to technology was very very limited. I'm back now though, and I'll be posting stories of my adventures in Uganda over the next few weeks, months, or however long it takes! It definitely was an adventure!


Day 1: January 22nd 2018:

Stepping foot on the soil in Africa probably tops the scariest thing I have ever done in my life! I was freaking out on the inside. I stepped out of the plane, breathed in the hot air, and thought, 
"Wow! I'm actually here!"

My first day was nowhere near great! It was probably the worst day of my trip. I was exhausted! A fourteen hour flight was tiring, and everything was different. I was the only white person in the waiting area in the airport. My ride was late to pick me up, and I wasn't even certain who he was! He only said my name when we met. He didn't hold any sign with my name on it, like I had been told he would. Still, he was wearing the red shirt I had been told he would wear, and he seemed friendly. I handed him my bag, and followed him out the door to his black, dusty pick up truck.

Things went down hill....

- Car accident
- Almost getting run over by a motorcycle
- Trying to find a bathroom
- Having trouble figuring out their extremely confusing currency
- thinking about the white sex slave trade that my grandfather had drilled into my mind. 

I survived the car accident, the first one in my life! It was the only time during the whole trip I actually bothered to wear a seat belt. Lucky, because I probably would have had a serious concussion otherwise! The bathroom was at a gas station and it looked like this.....

Not very appealing!

Eventually, (after a seven hour drive) we arrived in a city called Mbale in Eastern Uganda. It was very close to the Kenya border, although I didn't know that at the time. I met the director of the mission I was going to work with there, and they put up me in a hotel for the night all alone. I was freaking out mind you! Everything was very different! The people, the rooms, and the environment. Yet I was so tired, I fell asleep quickly.....after double checking the lock on my door around ten times!

My bed in the hotel

Mbale during the day

The next day we met up with two other volunteers from Canada. As soon as I met them, I relaxed, and knew that the mission I was with was legit!

Ian, Sheri, and I. They were two other volunteers from Toronto Canada!

 My first day was a whirl of motion! We drove over to the village, which was about 45 minutes away. I settled into my new home, started teaching almost right away, and met many new people. At the end of my first day I was exhausted, but happy! The other volunteers went back to Mbale in the evening. They had chosen to stay in a hotel during their time at the school. However, I decided to stay in the guest house. It was large, made of concrete, and was hot during the day, but cooled off at night

Teaching in our class

Pumping water in the community well

There was no running water, no electricity, and no gas or electric cooking stove in the house. The girl who lived with me, cooked meals for us in a charcoal stove. I used my flashlight as light......till I dropped it one day and it smashed into little pieces. Fred, the nephew of the director, brought water up to the house everyday for us. The water came from the community well, and we used it for drinking, bathing, and flushing the toilet. Drinking water was put through a filter, so it would be safe to drink. 

A view of the school, with the cow who came for a visit!

Overall I was happy and settled. It was weird though, to think that I still had about eight more weeks to go!

England!

England is like walking by history!

Everywhere you turn is an ancient building, or a place where something significant took place!

Saxon kings were crowned on this coronation stone.

Even in the present, traditional rituals still occur.

On top of that, the people are very nice!  A stranger paid my bus ticket and I had no idea who he was.  My host family is ever so nice as well!  They are more than I could have ever hoped for.

Like normal, I take far more pictures of animals than sights when I travel.

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Unfortunately, London is so expensive.  Their pound is pretty much equal to two Canadian dollars.  So I wasn't able to go into alot of buildings. 

St. Paul's Cathedral

For example, it cost 22 pounds to go into Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey

However, I got to enjoy the company of two friends while I was here.  Remember Rike?!?  She spent almost the whole week with me here, which was lovely.

Buckingham Palace

Tower of London

Then my other friend who is from England came to visit me.  It was his Uncle's family who I was staying with.  It was great to see him again, too!

Some highlights from the week include: a 3-hour hike to my hotel the first day (it turned out the bus I was supposed to take wasn't running), still I got a very good feel for the English countryside doing this.

I had very bad jet-lag for some reason, the worst I've ever had.

Seeing the sights, obviously.

Meeting up with friends.

Coming up close to lots of wildlife.

Eating incredible food.

I fly out today!  I'm starting to feel nervous jitters now.  I'm having a real hard time believing that I'm actually going to Africa.  I'm trying really hard not to think about it too much.  England has been a great distraction until now, but although I'm nervous, I'm still very excited to go!

Anyhow, the next post should be coming from Africa!  

Until then...!