I think I should start this blog with merry Christmas and a happy new year! Sorry I'm a little late, it's currently holiday time so it's harder to get time to sit down and write a bog entry.
As I said were in holiday time and what better way to kick of the holidays by water rafting down the Nile! (Sorry mum) but it was seriously the funnest thing I've done! We first got picked up by the rafting organisation and taken to their centre where we signed some forms and afterwards had breakfast there. After breakfast it was time to head to the Nile! We were all suited with life jackets and helmets and put into the back of an open top truck. Soon enough we had made it to the Nile and were separated into our two groups. Our team leader was Ashlav who was brilliant. We first went over the safety tips and soon enough we were paddling towards our first rapid which was a force 5 (grade 6 is the highest!) I was second from the front so got a pretty good view of the humongous rapid we were paddling towards! With Ashlav shouting over the waves "hard forward!" We literally had to paddle straight into the waves then "get down!" We all had to crouch down while the waves crashed over us! It was sooo much fun!! Our boat was close to tipping over several times. We could not stop laughing when we emerged from the rapid, it was brilliant. The next rapid was like a waterfall so the boat dropped from a ledge and smashed into the water rapid, that was a good one! After a few more rapids we reached a long stetch if calm water where Ashlav decided to push some of us in which I did not complain about as it was so hot and was amazing to just float around in the cool water. We also got chatti g to some of the safety kayakers, turned out one was called Moses, what a coincidence! After a nice swim we went for lunch in a really beautiful spot over looking the Nile. After a few more smaller rapids we got back onto dry land and had some beers on the way home in the open top truck. It was such a fun day and who knows I may do it again since I've got my next time half price...
We have also been travelling around each others projects in Uganda which is such a fun way of travelling as you get to meet so many people and see places tourists wouldn't usually get to see. We went to a place called Mukono where there are two volunteers. Their host cooked for us all which we ate around a bonfire. I got chatting to a boy called Marvin who asked me to tell him stories and In return sang me songs he was hilarious and told me "abi you look like your father" I was like how do you know what my dad looks like? He then replied "I've dreamt of him" all right Marvin!
As we had been in Uganda for 3 months we decided to treat ourselves to a spontaneous trip to the ssese islands! We got a ferry from entebbe to the biggest island on lake Victoria. The ferry trip was 3 hours long but didn't feel like too long as soon we had stepped of the ferry and were making our way to the hornbill campsite where we would be staying. We walked alongside a beautiful white sand beach and reached the campsite which was so hippy with wooden cabins with all sorts of colourful paintings all over them. So that night we decided to have a relaxing night around the bonfire (we seem to chill around a bonfire alot!)
The next morning we were awoken by the German woman who owned the campsite banging on our door. We answered it to her hysterically telling us that her husband had been arrested and that 30 men were standing outside with sledge hammers and crow bars waiting to bulldoze the whole place down!! Half asleep and so confused we all packed out bags on a mad rush and sure enough when we went outside were greeted by 30 men about to demolish the campsite. Without hesitation they smashed down where we had just come out of and within 10minutes where we had slept that night was now piles of wood and rubble. It was so shocking to see as they moved on to the next building destroying the artwork the German lady and her husband had spent 20 years on. What was even worse was they were laughing while doing it while the German lady was crying beside us. We then cleared out the woman's house and put all her belongings outside to then stand beside her and watch her watch her own home being destroyed. It was heartbreaking. We then decided to save at least one of the pieces of artwork from the cabin so we each took a plank of wood and took it to the neighbouring campsite. They were so appreciative of the small gesture we could manage to do.
Then within a couple of hours the whole campsite was destroyed, it was so shocking to see and after staying with the German woman for a while we then had to move to the next campsite. This whole day was also one of the girls birthday so we decided to make it better by going out for dinner that night. The next couple if days on the ssese islands was otherwise very relaxing, lying on the beach, and even bathing in lake Victoria (not sure how clean I would have actually gotten but desperate times call for desperate measures!)
So that was our trip to the ssese islands! Not what we expected but I guess nothing is here!
In the holidays we also ent back to our project as after being on the phone to deo we realized just how much we missed it! while we were there we visited an orphanage in the next village to mityana. We met up with Ian who is the manager of it who then showed us around the village, including some crazy old woman who claimed us as our daughters and dragged us to her house and kept on doing the Simba thing with get thumb on our heads.. After finally being released from her grips we went to the speach day the orphans were performing at,again we got front row seats and pictures taken of us with all the staff, we then got shown around the orphanage and shown the coffee project they have started to help the kids get jobs as coffee farmers in the future.
At our project there were also a lot of new people about as family relatives come for the festive period.
We also handed out everyone's Christmas presents. We got deo a diary, pen and chocolate bar which he loved! It was also so lovely watching tallemwa opening her present as we had gotten her trousers which she had told me how much she wanted, she was do excited it was adorable! We also got benedee, yibula, benita and others toy cars which they didn't stop playing with, we also had a bag of mars bars which we dished out to everyone in the village, they all live mars bars now! It was so nice to see everyone again even though we had only been away for a couple of weeks.
After being home for a couple of days we went kihura for Christmas! While we were in kihura we decided to go to one of the crater lakes in fort portal. We got quite a long boda ride on a dirt track road to the most beautiful wooden lodge on stilts overlooking an amazing blue crater lake. It was like something out if a movie! After looking around and feeling very scruffy and out of place we decided to walk down to the crater lake for a swim. After hundreds and hundreds of steps through tropical foliage we made it to the jetty going into the lake. It was the best swim I've had in Uganda to date! Definitely will be going back there.
In kihura we've also been spending a lot of time at home again. We've got a lot of friends there now so me and Lauren one morning went to see the boys digging which did not involve us digging but us being the dj for them, they are surprisingly good at dancing while digging! It also envolved us throwing balls of dirt at Robert (don't worry we missed a lot of the times!) we also went tree climbing with them where I relived the days of climbing up grampas tree!
Christmas Day!! - this day really did creep up on us all as its getting hotter it really does not feel like Christmas time! We woke up and opened the presents we had given to each other and put into our home made stockings made out of a ripped bed sheet.(Cheers dad and Jen for the hilarious Scottish presents!) deo did enjoy the shortbread! I think he may think that that's all Scottish people eat.. After opening our presents we started on the breakfast. We managed to find bacon from fort portal which was amazing! Man I've missed it. We also had scrambled eggs and tomatoes! It was brilliant. Then we headed over to home again to start sports day. On the way I phoned home and kept up the tradition of waking up everyone in the house!
When we arrived at home again they were eating lunch so we ate with them which included rice, millet, spaghetti, pork, chapatis, cabbage and potatoes. The toddlers were loving it! After lunch we began to set up the games, we had sacks so we did a sack race around the baby house they went crazy for it! Whoever won got a sweet which they also loved. We also did a tug of war until the rope snapped, think we underestimated their strength! That morning we had also prepared many water balloons do we did a balloon toss that ended in a water fight in the baking heat! How Christmassy!
After the games we went to faiths for dinner, we managed to make an amazing meal of meatballs, beans and carrots, potatoes, bread sauce (courtesy of mum) stuffing (courtesy of jess mum) and gravy it was sooo good! I was so full afterwards. Overall it was such a nice day we even managed to watch elf on Kate's laptop! It was so different but so much fun spent with the best people in the sun playing games definitely a Christmas to remember!
Boxing Day was then spent up a mango tree!
On New Year's Eve there was a football match in the village so we watched it with the Roberts and enok. After the game we went to Kate's for lunch and then got some drinks and fruit to make a punch for New Year's Eve after a seriously good but spicy curry made by Jodie we counted down to New Years and midnight mass next door went crazy with the drums it was hilarious! It was So sad to think we will be going home this year, Tried very hard to block that thought out of my head!
So now it's officially 2014! How crazy I've been in Uganda for four months now, we spent our first day of 2014 at the football pitch for the final where me and steph and Lauren got asked to be in the winning teams picture with the trophies! So funny. We then went to faiths house for dinner and after dinner me jodie and steph went to the village "club" which is basically just people dancing outside under the stars! It was so fun , we found the Roberts and enok as well who had sneaked out of home again to dance! It was so much fun and such a brilliant way to spend our first night in 2014!
So 2013 was awesome with finishing school, having a good summer with friends, flyin out to Uganda and being here for 4 months but I think 2014 will be a lot better and I'm soo excited for it!
I hope everyone had a good Christmas and new year as well.
Oh I also got myself a ritoro pet name, abwoli! It means forever young and I got a Luganda name nsamba!
