The Simple Life

So we have been here for over 5 weeks and we have had plenty of adventures during that time. It still amazes me that my life has led me here to this place – 8 years ago if you told me I would be going to Uganda I would’ve probably laughed at you. When we were getting ready to come, Uganda felt so far away and almost like a dream that was just out of our reach but reality has set in and this is our life. One thing that makes life here not only bearable but also refreshing is that life is very simple (even though there are several complex issues facing this country on a larger scale).

Most people eat what they sow, which includes beans, rice, posho (made from corn), greens, matoka (similar to a banana), cabbage, avocado, pineapple, sugarcane and mangos. I have eaten rice, beans, cabbage and avocado for lunch every day and I am already sick of it, but this is all the local Ugandans know so somehow they never get sick of it. They live with the mentality that as long as there is food there is nothing to complain about. Let me tell you, for sure I will think twice when I complain about only having milk for coffee instead of half and half, or when they hot water has run out in the shower. Every night we have mangos and pineapples for dessert and I don’t think I will ever get tired of eating those. Since we a stones throw away from the Equator Uganda does not have seasons and everything grows all year round.

Their houses are simple; they are made out of mud and sticks or mud bricks and cement, with tin or thatched roofs. They wash themselves, their dishes and clothes in basins, which is the way we have been doing it as well. Most families also own a variety of animals – cows, chickens, goats, and turkeys. We have a few chickens at the guest house, but they don’t lay eggs because we got rid of our cock and we used to have 6 but now we only have 2 because a stray dog was hungry. There is no refrigeration so when an animal is slaughtered it must be eaten that day. I can’t tell you how many times I have been walking or riding down the street and I see raw meat just sitting or hanging in a shop, twice I have even seen the head of a slaughtered cow as well. This reminds me of a great story… Once upon a time we were all on a hike going to see the area that had the mudslides last year. The hike was epic and the mountains were unlike any mountains I have ever seen. Along the way we were hiking up this steep slope on a tight path, when all of a sudden our local guide shouts, “Get off the path!” I quickly looked up the hill and saw a mad bull charging down the hill towards us. Within seconds I was clinging to the trees and pricker bushes on the side of the trail for dear life and the cow missed us by about 5 feet. Since then I have been a little nervous around cows that are not tied up.

The children here are happy with this life, mostly because that is all they have ever. They can entertain themselves with a stick and old bicycle tire or with a deck of Uno cards with no instruction. When we go running we usually have about ten kids following us. They are so strong, running 4 miles is nothing to them but at the end they ask us ask to give them shoes for the next run. One of the classes at the vocational school is tailoring/sewing and all their sewing machines are human-powered, you peddle it with your feet. I have had the opportunity to learn how to sew on one and at first it is tricky but it doesn’t take long to learn.

Recently Mike was showing a teacher some skiing and ice climbing pictures and we had to explain that the temperature was so cold that the water turned to snow and ice. They don’t know what to think of it since 70 degrees F. feels cold to them, and they usually have a confused look on their faces then they ask they what happens to your crops. This is not the developed world and it is so far away that it is hard for them to even comprehend the world we come from and the conveniences we have. The developed world is capable of so much and has accomplished amazing feats but it lacks the simplicity and the connection to the land that makes life possible for millions of Africans. Before coming to Uganda I knew that we take everything for granted in our culture but that didn’t spot me from doing it. How do you obtain simplicity and gratitude when you have everything and always will have everything? Visit a country like Uganda!

Returning to the Source

Well, we took the orphans to Sipi Falls...and it went off without a hitch! Who knew it could be possible? Nothing ever really goes exactly as planned, especially in Africa. Well this did. We took over 70 people on a rented bus and drove them an hour outside of Mbale. The bus even had music! Those kids felt like town celebrities. Everybody stopped what they were doing to gawk at us. The kids loved it. They could have just driven back and forth from Mbale all day and been psyched!
It was fun to see the students interact with the local kids from Sipi. Some memorable moments were one female student refusing to come over and talk to an older boy who was calling her over by saying "No, I will not come because you are only interested in playing sex." I guess the woman's group is paying off. Another smooth conversation starter was "So...do you have cows?" One student rattled off a long fast sentence in Ligisu knowing full well that the young boy he was speaking to spoke an entirely different language. After he finished, he said "how are you?" in English. After the young boy dutifully and enthusiastically responded, our student replied with "Well at least you know something!"
I love these kids. They all did their best to look their best. They brought their fliest jackets and their Sunday church shoes. Many of them quickly kicked them off once we started hiking because they were better off without them. They were so cute.
Our contact Sam gave us a royal welcome. He provided us with a guide and hosted us at his home, which overlooked the plains below and one of the Falls. Beautiful! He also provided us with a lunch fit for kings and queens. We were very grateful and appreciative. In the end, we left with everyone we brought and in the words of the wise and ancient Bruce Saxman "There was no loss or gain of life." Wakinyala! (Well done!).
Our trip to Sipi was not the end of our adventure this weekend. Oh no! The bus dropped us off at Mbale and we hunted for a ride to Jinja, the headwaters of the great Nile River. We found a bus by 5:30 pm and it left when we were full, 7 pm. The impetus of our trip to Jinja, the "adventure capital of Uganda", was for a little R &R. Therese and I went to raft the Nile! We didn't tell our families because we new what they would think. Crazy? Maybe so, when you factor in that the Nile River has some of the fiercest whitewater in the world. I have been rafting before. You are a cattle on the way to market. You are a passenger not crew, and the ride is very fun but rarely dangerous. The Nile is an all together different story! I have never seen water with such fury in my life! Consistent Class V with mandatory portages of extremely technical and deadly waterfalls. One of which was called the Dead Dutchmen, named after a man who was attempting to paddle from Source to Sea. He allegedly opted to run the class VI and died after only traveling a half day. Bummer.
Our 1st rapid, Class V, was directly beside the Dead Dutchmen, and it was an eight foot waterfall with a ridiculous amount of water pounding over it. Our guide Paulo felt compelled to take us over backwards. Therese and I were in the bow and swam immediately. It was like being in an angry washer machine! That 1st rapid injured three different people and two had to be evacuated to the nearest medical center (a scary adventure in itself). Our boat ran the rest of the day with four people. We hit the meat every time; and got worked, every time! It was honestly the most fun I have had in a long time. And I am glad that no one I love (Therese) was hurt. It was very exciting being on such a historic river and yes, I was worried about snakes and crocs. Paulo assured us that the crocs in the Nile were all vegetarians. Likely not. We also saw something called a Mountain River Lizard? It looked like a Kimono Dragon.
At the end of the day it was nice to take a shower (my first in almost 6 weeks), have a beer (Nile Special of course) and eat a meal that did not consist of chapatti, rice, beans, cabbage or eggplant. I am refreshed and ready to return to work. Today I helped make concrete and move bricks at the new site. I love working with my hands. It is such a change from the intangible work done with teaching and counseling. We work hard and say very little, but their is mutual respect there that does not need language. What a wonderful place this is!

What am I doing in Uganda?

Uganda is a beautiful, fertile, amazing country, yet also crazy, corrupt and depressing. The more I learn about Uganda – it’s culture, people, politics and environment – the more I realize it needs a little guidance. It actually needs big change and a lot of support, but the people are so stubborn that it makes big change practically impossible. The issues that this country are facing are enumerable and important, and they are issues that are all over the world but here these issues are common place. The issues I am talking about are enormous population growth, lack of proper health care and family planning, lack of adequate public education, political corruption and depletion of natural resources.(Currently the population of Uganda is 33 million, which is the same as the population of Canada but Uganda is the size of Oregon state. Also the average number of children in a family is 7, so the population is estimated to be 100 million by year 2050.)

Every person I talk to here has experienced some, if not all, of these issues first hand and surprisingly they work hard everyday, somehow survive and do so without complaining. They have accepted these things as part of their lives and (I think) because of that this country is in some state of denial about these issues needing solutions. It is interesting to talk to them and hear their stories, and they are all stories of hardships, struggles and survival as well as joy. But at the same time hearing their stories makes me mad because it sounds like there is corruption at every level and no one is doing anything about it and they are doing little to help themselves.

I know this sounds really depressing, but the Bududa Development Center is making a difference and it is helping people help themselves to gain knowledge and skills so that they may improve their lives, and that is why I am here to help.Although I still ask myself on a daily basis “How can I help? How can I make a difference”? It is hard since there is no clear answer, but I am finding ways to be an active member of the community. I am involved in counseling the women in the vocational school and the girls in the Children of Peace Program.We give them advise and counseling on sex, relationships, school, family, character and how to make good choices. This is one of my favorite things that I am doing here, because I know I am helping them make wiser choices and I get to teach them about their bodies, how to stay safe and about family planning. Mike and I have also been going around to schools in the area and talking to students about the importance of vocational training and promoting the Bududa Vocational Institute. During this we have learned a few scary statistics about Uganda’s population: 50% of the population is under 15 years old, and 69% is under 25, 80% of young people are unemployed, and only 8% of university graduates find jobs. It is really fun for us to go to schools and talk to the young kids about their country and about BVI and they get so excited to see muzungos (white people). I am often impressed with their attention, focus, their English and with the sacrifice some of them make to come to school everyday. I am also helping Barbara with making invitation for celebration/fundraising parties she will be hosting in the U.S. and Canada, getting pictures and photos of children of peace sent to their sponsors, and playing games with the kids. During our free time we go running, read, watch movies and occasionally go hiking.

When I think about how I am helping this community in many ways I feel like I am planting seeds. Ironic, I know, that’s what I was doing for my job as a wilderness therapy guide, but believe me I am planting different seeds in hopefully more fertile soil. It is refreshing to be here – planting seeds of change, seeing and experience life from a new perspective and having crazy adventures on a daily basis – that is when I am not feeling stuck about how I can help. All in all, Barbara Wybar is doing great work here and the staff at Bududa Vocational Institute is very dedicated, and since I am here to support them and my intentions are good I know that my presence here is making a difference.

Machetes Make Me Sick!

Last week we took a scouting trip to Sipi Falls, 2 hours away from where we live. Bus rides are always interesting here. Some would even say horrifying. Animals are allowed on board, infants are positioned in the aisle so that they can piss on the floor. They leave when they are full and they are full when they can just barely close the door. It is not uncommon to be in a bus with over twenty people that is designed for 14.

Anyway we were scouting the Falls because we are planning to take the orphans for a school trip. 65 of the older students from the overall student body of roughly 200. Many of them have never left the village. It was challenging dealing with the lawlessness and corruption that was rampant. Everybody and their mother (often literally) wanted us to pay them something to be there. There were three different grass huts that wanted made up "entrance fees" or "guide fees". It was another realization for me how often we take for granted that we have structure, organization, and regulation. Basic principles, I know. These often seem as foreign concepts here. From the office to the pitch. At home, if we want to go somewhere we pay a flat and often reasonable fee; rather than haggle and barter with random men and children with furrowed brows, dark glasses and rusty machetes. I just about had enough of the bullying and manipulation. Eventually we just started ignoring them.

There were also some great highlights other than the falls, which were incredible! There were actually three falls, one of which was roughly 275 feet high! I had an engaging conversation with a Ugandan man about the pros and cons of "Muzungos" (white people) in Uganda. He was a climber, trained by the Italians in the Alps and he apparently put up the 1st climbing routes and rappel stations (including Sipi Falls itself) but it became too demanding to deal with white tourists that he returned to the fields as a farm manager. He still climbs with his friends when he finds the time.
He seemed patriotic, genuine, and optimistic. At the same time he was very upset with his countrymen (the corrupt and the beggars) and blamed more than a little of the problems Africa faces on the West and their misdirected good intentions and thirst for resources. At the end of our conversation I offered to pay for his beer and he kindly refused. He had already payed, he said, and it was doubtful he would have another. We shook hands and parted.
Moments later Therese and I found a beautiful boulder along the road and stopped to play on it. I am a terrible rock climber but I found excitement and success (attributes not necessarily mutual in my rock climbing resume) as we played around for a half hour waiting for a ride back to Mbale.
Eventually after walking a while in the hot sun, we hitched a ride on the back of a dumb truck (a first for both Therese and I). It was economic, we paid 4,000 Ug Shillings (or roughly 2 dollars) for the hour long ride back to town. It was also efficient because it left when we wanted and it didn't make any stops. It also rarely slowed for the numerous pot holes and water bars that plague the roads here. I appreciated the wind to cool us down but by the end I felt as though I had been in a rock tumbler and sand blasted.
The last couple of days have been a little rough. I finally came down with something and it put me out hard! I think it was a bacterial infection in my gut. Probably from eating shit somewhere. A wise man once told me "Never eat shit! Not even a little! Not even your own!" I tried to heed his advise but it is absurdly difficult to avoid in this country! I don't know how I got it. There are so many possibilities it is nauseating, literally.
In the grand scheme of things I actually made out quiet well. I was only sick for about two days in a place where it is not uncommon to be sick for months or years! I didn't even take any real medications other than Tylenol. I am as right as the rain that falls every afternoon here. I'm back to playing soccer with the kids on Friday nights on their nightmarish field. T.I.A. ("This Is Africa").

Some Pictures

Hi Everyone, we have taken so many pictures of this beautiful country and its wonderful people. Here are a couple of the pictures we have taken. We will soon share more. There is so much I want to write about but it is kind of hard to find the time (and patience because the internet connection is so slow). The first picture is of Mike and I at Sipi Falls, we went on a scouting mission because next week we are taking some of the orphans there. I can't wait because it is breathtaking and many of the orphans have never left Bududa. The second picture was taken during our hike to the mudslides area, which is equally as breathtaking but also a bit tragic. The last picture is of me and a camillion on my birthday.