Two Different Sides of the World

Not only was I literally on two different sides of the world today, but the more of Kampala and Uganda I see, the more I realize that the United States and Uganda not only have many differences but some similarities as well.

Today was by far the sunniest day we have had, the most humid, and the warmest. I would guess it was in the uncomfortable range of humidity and probably around the mid 80s. Once again, all of this is just me guessing. They don't have flashing signs near banks telling us the temperature, and if they did, it'd be in degrees Celsius so I wouldn't know anyway ;)

I finally had a better night of sleep. We went to bed around 1:00 am, thanks to all of the days activities and journal entries we had to do for them, and I only woke up 3 times last night (a new personal best :)! We had a later start today, so we stayed in bed until about 7:45. Before loading the bus, we were greeted by some guests this morning. Yep, their were monkeys at the place we're staying, so we all whipped out our cameras for a photo shoot.

(they were pretty friendly and definitely not afraid of the camera)

After satisfying our need for pictures of things we never see in Iowa, we loaded the bus for breakfast at MUBS at 9. Breakfast today, for me, consisted of toast. It seemed to settle my stomach really well yesterday, so I decided to stick with it.

After breakfast, we had a discussion about all we had seen and done so far. It was really nice getting to hear how everyone else was feeling and getting out of the trip, especially some of the MUBS students since this is their everyday life. Around 11, we left to head for the Entebbe Botanical Gardens.

(my table at breakfast)

When I read we were going to the botanical gardens, I immediately pictured lots of flowers and maybe some unique birds. We got to see lots of trees instead. However, some of them had some really interesting stories. While it hasn't been the best part of the trip it was still very interesting, and there were lots of pretty backgrounds that provided perfect backdrops for pictures. We also got to hear about the story of Tarzan and Jane! The film from 1930, was actually filmed at the garden we visited. We got to see the berries from a tree he used to make jewelry for Jane, and the tree where Tarzan 'lived'. I also say giant spiders and huge termite hills!

(some of the berries that Tarzan used to make jewelry for Jane)

Next it was off to lunch by Lake Victoria. We took lots of pictures by and near the lake, and we were supposed to eat at a restaurant there. However, some of their equipment was broken, and since we were already way behind schedule we settled for Dominos Pizza. Yep, Dominos. It was something I thought I would really enjoy, but boy was I wrong! They put vegetables on every single kind of pizza they make! Green peppers, chunks of tomato, yeah, that meant a granola bar for lunch today. Besides, it was already almost 3:30pm, and I wasn't that hungry anymore anyway, just disappointed.

(Lake Victoria...and me :)

We continued on to the equator afterwards. What was suppose to be an hour and a half drive, turned into a three hour drive after we hit a LOT of traffic. It was stop, crawl forward, stop, crawl forward...you get the idea, for quite some time. Definitely not ideal, when we were all excited to visit the equator. We finally got there around 6pm.

While at the equator, I got to watch the water turn the opposite direction that is does in the Northern Hemisphere. I also learned that right on the equator, the water goes straight down, no spinning at all! (I'm not even kidding, I watched it happen!!)

(this is when it's on the equator and drops straight down)

While standing on the equator today, I was 3 kilograms lighter!

(Can you tell?! ;)

We also visited all of the little shops that were on the equator. I learned that they double prices for white people there because they think we can afford more. So the MUBS students helped everyone negotiate down prices to be more reasonable. I honestly think we'd be lost without them. We left the equator around 7pm since it was already getting dark (still adjusting to that too). We once again got stuck in traffic for a bit, but we made it back to Red Chili by 9. I once again wasn't hungry, and it was getting too late to eat.

Tomorrow we are visiting a secondary school, and we were invited to a nice dinner (however, that's all the details I know about it since it was scheduled last minute, and we aren't always told everything). It should be a great day.

Until then, I leave you with this....

(Yep, they gave us juice boxes with lunch! It was delicious, and after my encounter with juice boxes and my shots, I couldn't resist the photo opportunity :)

Culture Shock

Today we got to see so much of Kampala; it was literally overwhelming.

The day started off cloudy, but ended in warm sunshine. It wasn't too terribly humid today, but there was some humidity. My guess would be the temperatures was probably in the lower 70s until the sun came out. Then maybe we went to the upper 70s. I can honestly say I don't know though, sorry.

Once again, I had a horrible time trying to sleep here. I went to bed around 11:30 pm and woke up to loud noises around 3 am. I then continued to wake-up about every 45-50 minutes until I finally gave up around 7. We all got ready and loaded the bus for breakfast at MUBS.

I wasn't feeling well (don't worry Mom, it was just a bad headache, probably due to lack of sleep), so I only ate toast for breakfast. We then went to the Protea Hotel, which was absolutely gorgeous, and go to listen to Patrick Bitature speak. Patrick is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Uganda. He is a founder of Simba Telecom, a large provider of cellular service in Africa, and has moved into a wide range of other businesses, including the hotel we listened to him speak at. He was an amazing speaker, and he really captured my attention. This really surprised me since I have absolutely nothing to do with business when it comes to my major and expected to be bored out of my mind. However, he was extremely engaging the whole time and gave lots of advice on how to be successful.

(the back part of the hotel)

(part of the lobby of the hotel)

After listening to Patrick and asking our questions, we went back to MUBS where we had lunch. Today at lunch, I had a little matokee, more potatoes, fish, rice and chipolli (which may or may not be spelled correctly). Chipolli is similar to a tortilla. Anyway, lunch was once again delicious, much to my delight. No starving here yet :)

(today's lunch, yummy :)

After lunch, we visited Owino Market. I have never seen so many people or so much stuff in one place. They were literally selling anything and everything. Shoes, clothes, food, chickens, some crafts; if you can name it, they were probably selling it. It was very similar to a farmer's market, except it was much more crowded and there was so much more stuff. I was called a muzungu a lot, which mean white person in Lugandan. We were also touched a lot to try to get our attention to buy from them, which became extremely uncomfortable and awkward. I'm really glad we had MUBS students with us because I literally would have been lost without them. The market was almost maze like. Sadly, I wasn't able to get pictures of this because they said pick pocketing was a major concern.

(I had to choose one picture to represent Kampala, and I chose one of one of the many pharmacies I've seen so far. Each time I see one, I announce it (to whoever is sitting next to me)...such a nerd :)

After being completely overwhelmed by Owino, we went to Namugongo Catholic Martyrs Shrine. This shrine was dedicated to 22 Roman Catholics who died for their faith. They were ordered to be killed by King Mwanga in 1886, for refusing to deny their Christian faith. It was a very beautiful place, and it was exciting to see since Martyrs' Day is June 3rd. They told us people from Kenya and other surrounding countries have already started walking to the shrine to celebrate the public holiday. We were also told we will stay very far away form the area on that day because of how many people will be there.

(the shrine)

We ended the day with supper at Fang Fang, a Chinese restaurant. (Yes, Mom, I did eat something there.) We ordered lots of dishes and just kind of passed around everything. I had some chicken, some pork, some beef and some rice. It was actually good, as long as I avoided the vegetables ;)

(part of my supper, I promise I ate a little more)

Now it's just journaling and hopefully a better night of sleep. We saw so much of Kampala today, and I have taken so many pictures already. Tomorrow we are off to the Entebbe Botanical Gardens, where I should get to see monkeys, native birds and flora. We will also be visiting the equator tomorrow. In other words, at some point tomorrow I will be in two different hemispheres. I can't wait!

Until then, I leave you with this...

(yep, this thing is living in my room, crawling around on my wall....we'll see how well I sleep tonight :/ )

I'm Here...

...well actually, I have been for about 20 hours now! I can't believe it still! I'm actually in Uganda, Africa!

All of the flights, from Des Moines to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Kigali, and Kigali to Entebbe went really well. (Yes, we had a stop in Kigali, Rwanda that we were unaware of for an hour) They were long, and I really couldn't sleep on them, but it was all pretty smooth. We only had one delay of about 30 minutes in Amsterdam, so we arrived a little later than expected. My feet and ankles were swollen and are slowly going back to normal size after the 28 hours of traveling that I did (something I don't want to do again...or at least for awhile anyway ;)

We arrived at the Red Chili Hideaway, where we will be staying most of the trip, at around 12 am on Friday, May 20th, which is still taking some adjustment (because my Thursday was spent on a plane and was NOT 24 hours long). As we arrived in Kampala, we were greeted by the MUBS students and rain. Not just any kind of rain either, it was pouring! However, the MUBS students informed us that when guests and rain come at the same time it means the guest are blessings, according to their culture, so we felt extremely honored.

Our cabin has more room than we could ever need because it's actually a hostile. We have two bedrooms with a total of 5 beds, and I'm staying with 5 other girls. We have a room with just the toilet, a room with a shower and sink, a dining room, a kitchen (complete with stove, dishes and a mini fridge), and a front sitting room. The biggest shock, we sleep under mosquito netting! Talk about waking up feeling like a princess ;) It was weird having to surround myself with it before going to bed. We also have switches for everything! A switch to turn on the hot water, a switch to turn on/off the outlets, and of course for the lights (so maybe EVERYTHING was an exaggeration ;). Another huge adjustment, needing a water bottle for almost everything! Yes, I need a water bottle to brush my teeth, which is taking some adjustments.

(Mine is the bed in the corner. Please note the tied up mosquito net (to prevent bugs from getting in them during the day and the flat pillow)

We didn't get to bed until around 2 am, and we had to be ready to be on the bus at 8:30 this morning. It wouldn't have been so bad if there hadn't been dogs barking all night, and a bird similar to a crow to wake me up this morning. Plus, the pillows here are flat, making me realize I will NEVER travel without my own pillow EVER again!

Needless to say, the morning came way to early, and it is pretty humid here, which for those of you that know me, means my hair is just loving this climate and curling like crazy! We began our day at Makerere University Business School (MUBS) with breakfast with the MUBS students that are joining us around 9. Yes, I managed to find something to eat, a cereal similar to corn flakes and some toast. We went and met with the President of the school and the head of International Relations, where they gave a program about the University and a little more information on Uganda.

We then ate lunch around 12 pm, where I experienced Ugandan food for the first time. Yes, I actually tried some too! (Mom, I have pictures to prove it, so don't doubt ;) For lunch, I ate matokee, which is mashed bananas (and tasted similar to mashed potatoes, but not quite enough to make me eat it all :), rice with carrots and peas (no, I didn't eat the carrots or peas), potatoes (that I'm pretty sure were a mixture between a baked potato with no skin and a mashed potato, minus the mashing, and were delicious!), chicken (yep, but it didn't taste quite the same as home), and an orange pop (similar to Crush or Fanta)....so much for my no pop streak, but hey, I had to try it, right? :)

We then went and visited the Uganda Parliament, which was really interesting and absolutely beautiful. I learned about their Parliament chamber, the Uganda cross of arms, and just about their Parliament in general. It was fantastic. They actually just elected their first woman Speaker (similar to our Speaker of the House) yesterday!

(This is right outside their chambers. It shows their culture and numerous wildlife.)

After Parliament, we walked to go exchange money. They use the shilling here, and $1 is the equivalent of 2,780 shillings! I couldn't believe how much value the dollar had here, especially when it's losing it's value in so many other areas!

We were supposed to visit Owino Market today, but it was postponed for another day due to uncertainty with the weather. It ended up being beautiful the rest of the day, but we were all glad to come back and get a chance to rest (literally). I look forward to a good night of sleep tonight. It's pitch black already and has been since around 7, which comes as a huge surprise. Hopefully all of the wildlife works with me tonight to allow me to sleep better.

There is so much more I'd love to say and share, but then I'd be on here forever. And I should probably share the internet connection.

So I leave you with this....yep, be jealous :)

P.S. Mom and Dad, pharmacy school is only 4 years here, plus, it's about $500-600 per semester (at least at MUBS). I might be transferring ;)

No More Counting....It's Here!

The wait is over, and I am no longer counting anything down (until I get homesick anyway ;)

Yep, I'm finally leaving for Uganda. The suitcases are packed (and under their 50 lbs. weight limits) and almost loaded. I have some food from home, to prevent immediate starvation, and I think I am about as ready as I ever will be for this trip.

The time has gone so fast. I'm pretty sure I never actually thought today would come, and I was just dreaming I would really be leaving for Africa. In fact, I'm still not quite sure it's completely sunk in yet! My dad and I will be leaving shortly to head for the Des Moines airport, and then at approximately 1:38pm, I will be on my way to Detroit, then to Amsterdam, and finally on to Kampeche!

How am I feeling? Definitely super excited! However, there are definitely plenty of butterflies in my tummy to go along with it.

This is it...my journey of a lifetime is beginning.

Uganda, ready or not, here I come...

Home...For Now

Home at last after the longest semester of my college career. The worst part of being home, knowing that in five days I will be leaving again, so this short time spent at home will be a rush of unpacking, doing laundry and preparing for the trip of a lifetime. Excitement continues to grow for my upcoming trip though.

This week I received my travel journal for while I'm in Uganda. Each day we are responsible for journaling about the events of the day, and we have to have questions prepared to ask the speakers for the day. Therefore, writing questions is also on my 'To Do' List.

I also received some pretty snazzy luggage tags along with my final flight schedule. I will be leaving Des Moines at 1:38pm on May 18th and landing in Kampeche, Uganda at 10:15pm on May 19th. Sure, there's an eight hour time difference, but that is still almost 25 hours of traveling in order to even get to my destination! A destination that is 8020 miles away (yep, thanks for that Jeff :)...assuming I were to travel straight from Des Moines to Kampeche. Talk about a long way from home...

While I have absolutely enjoyed the few hours that I have been home, I can't wait to leave for Uganda. It's so close, and there is definitely a lot of excitement in the air. If only there was less to do in order to be ready to actually leave... The goal for this weekend: finish unpacking, get all of my laundry done, and have all my questions ready. Packing can wait until Monday, right?

Shots, Shots and More Shots!

Today I visited the Polk County Health Department, where I was prepared to become vaccinated before leaving for Uganda. However, I definitely did not plan on the day turning out the way it did.

Just so we're clear, I dislike shots or anything having to do with needles when it comes to my body. If it's someone else, it doesn't bother me (but I do feel bad for them), but I do NOT want them near me. Therefore, I went into the office absolutely dreading every minute I was going to be in there.

After waiting for what felt like a lifetime and trying not to panic, I was escorted to my 'exam' room. I was told all about the required vaccines and the 'highly' recommended vaccines. After this talk, I came to the realization that I was not going to get one shot, not two or three, but FOUR shots today! I was no longer anywhere close to calm or collected. The nurse went to prepare the shots, and I was left to panic and read as much information as I wanted about the 4 vaccinations I was about to receive. One for yellow fever, one for meningitis, another for typhoid fever, and finally one for Hepatitis A. I was to receive two in each arm. Reading all the information was not comforting, especially after learning about most of the disease already in Medical Microbiology. When it came time to administer the vaccinations, the nurse continued to tell me to breathe and relax, as I looked away with tears in my eyes and streaming down my face. She didn't count down, she just stuck the needles in my arm both times. I was right about one thing, shots still hurt, and I felt it!

As she went to prepare the next two syringes, I began to feel queasy and light headed. Apparently, it showed because she asked if I was feeling alright. I told her how I felt, and she said she would lean my chair back a bit and try to get them done as soon as she could. I felt a little bit better once I was leaning back, but it didn't help for long. The closer she got, the worse I felt, until the next thing I know, I was waking up to the nurse asking me if I was okay. I let her know I was, and I got a juice box to make me feel better. It was awesome! I had to save half of it for after the last two shots. The last shot was for Yellow Fever, and it burned. But I got to finish my juice box afterwards.

Now my arms feel absolutely awful, and they're swollen. I don't want to move them or lift them, and I'm experiencing a fever. While I'm experiencing the wonderful world of side effects from four vaccines in one day, I can't help but wonder how I'm ever going to be able to sleep comfortably with two sore arms. I guess in the end it will be worth it though. While I may not be enjoying what comes before the trip, I still can't wait to experience Uganda! 16 days!!

The Countdown Begins

In 20 days I will be leaving the United States for the first time! I will be leaving behind family, friends, and the comforts of home. I will be heading to a country where I will be in the minority, and I will only know the other students and professors I am traveling with. Yes, I am more than a little nervous and stressed! However, at the same time I cannot wait! I am so excited for this opportunity, and it is finally starting to sink in. I am really going to Uganda! This is the chance of a lifetime, and I plan on making the absolute most of it and my time there. I cannot wait to experience a new culture, a new country, and a new continent. We have the final itinerary set, which is just adding to the excitement and nerves. Now all I have to do is make it through the next 2 weeks of school and finals, not to mention unpacking everything just to repack it for this trip.