Happy Holiday

Happy Holidays!

In the past month a lot has happened. I finished school at the beginning of December and wrote exams for one complete week, Monday to Saturday without fail. It was very tiring and, in my opinion, a complete waste of time. I need challenge and push in my education and here I feel I get neither. I am not trying to be deliberately negative, it’s just that when a student perusing a Masters degree is asked, on a final exam, to define prejudice and give exams of how to put an end to it, I continue wondering how informative this “education” really is. Oh well…I might need therapy and start my Master’s all over when I get home.

Josh arrived on Dec 17th very tired, very white, and a little annoyed. Air Canada had lost his luggage. Because I had warned him of this, he did pack on extra pair of clothes. It was almost one week before he got his suitcase. (For those of you at home who may think it’s not a big deal…it is…in Uganda we don’t have washers and dryers we have our hands).
I was very excited and my emotions went though a rollercoaster waiting for him to walk out those doors!
There have been several things that I have been waiting to see here in Uganda, but I wanted to wait for Josh to arrive. It’s not the same when you have seen something once and show the other around. It’s nice to experience new things at the same time.

When people live and experience new lifestyles things about those individuals change. The change is not something that can be explained or, sometimes, even recognized, but it’s a change that can end lifelong friendships and relationships. As people age their hobbies and interests transform, but add a drastic variable into the equation and somehow even the most familiar can become a stranger. I have tried with all my might in the past four months to tell Josh about my new life and environment. He listened and tried to understand, but as he admitted to me after only several days after his arrival, there was absolutely no way he could have “understood” without coming here. This trip widened Josh’s understanding and acceptance of difference and culture. I am very happy that I was able to be the one to see him and guide him on his first trip abroad.

On December 19th Josh and I traveled 7 hours to Northwestern Uganda to Murchison Falls for a Safari. We were very lucky and were able to have a game drive, hike, and boat cruise to view the animals. It was so amazing to see animals in their natural habitat without bars and signs that read, “do not feed the animals”. One of the best things about the safari was that we were able to see two lion mothers, each with their three cubs, eating a cobb (a little like a deer) that they had just hunted.

One thing that I never noticed from watching animal planet is that hippos are extremely personable animals. They will actually make eye contact with people. I guess maybe it is their way of saying “ as long as you stay in your boat and leave me alone, I will reciprocate!” We must have seen over one hundred hippos in the Nile that day and their grandeur is absolutely amazing. It truly does take seeing them up close to realize their power.
One thing that has constantly annoyed me beyond belief is the desperate need for money and the willingness to lie and cheat me to get it. I take motorcycle taxis (Bodas) to get around. They are fast and get me where I need to go. Just because I am white they charge me double and sometimes even triple the price. I now know the price and argue till my ears bleed, but the whole situation angers me tremendously. It takes much energy to deal with these men 3-4-5 times a day, just so I can get where I am going. The first few times Josh experienced it was new to him, so it wasn’t really a big deal, but continued annoying me. One night after a long day I expressed my anger and dislike for this daily and constant struggle. He listened but didn’t say too much. The next day, every time it happened, Josh laughed. He looked at me and smiled…then laughed. I think if now I am to pretend that Josh is standing along side me and laughing…I might just be able to cope.

I think I introduced Josh to many new things! I was a good ambassador!! We had our days kept busy, but many of the evenings we just stayed in and watched movies. He has been so tired from work that the rest here did him a world of good. He enjoyed the sunshine a tremendous amount, He was only here for 17 days, but he got a GREAT tan! He didn’t look the same when he left that was for sure.


Josh is going to write a blog here after he gets home. I am anxious to read it. The day after Josh arrived, the little water “heater” that I have broke and the water only ran for 2-3 days. One day we had to buy bottles of mineral water to pour into a bucket, so we could have a “bath”. The water I heated in my teakettle and poured it into a small basin. Thanks to Josh coming all the way to Uganda I was able to share these annoyances with him and he brought a little light to the whole situation.

I think I can say that Josh had a great time. Lets wait and read his blog to see what he really thought! I can’t even explain in words how extremely wonderful and important it was for Josh to make the journey here. I have lived and traveled extensively in developing countries for 6 years, so I understand the cultural difference and the marks that it leaves on the heart. Now…finally, after such a long time, Josh can relate (exhale…smile…lots of tears)