Shadowing and Ndere Cultural Center (6/14/2013)

This morning we woke up and I showered off before a delicious breakfast of eggs and toast with homemade roasted peanut butter. It was easily the best peanut butter I have ever eaten. It's a lot like the natural peanut butter but no stirring necessary , so it's much easier to spread. I put it on my toast with some banana and it was wonderful. After breakfast we headed back to Mulago hospital to do some shadowing.

We were in the PICU and the pediatric acute care unit this morning, but I don't think the doctors we were following really understood what we where there for since they really don't do shadowing here. We saw kids there with malaria, bacterial meningitis, sepsis, sickle cell, thrombocytopenia, and possible malignancy. When you enter the PICU, you have to take your shoes off and put on these slippers or just go barefoot to try to keep the bugs out. That was really interesting I thought. It is also a sealed room with air conditioning, which is very rare in the hospital. It was so different than a PICU would ever be at home. There was even an aspirate bag with bloody fluid hanging in the ground. It was organized though and the children were getting care, so that is what was most important. The resuscitation room is basically the non surgical pediatric ER. There are very few beds, and children must share. One of the small beds had three kids on it, each with their mother or father next to them. I

We couldn't see much in there because it was so crowded, but it was very interesting.

After shadowing we went to get some more money at the ATM and then went to a crash course in Luganda, the most common non English language here. It is pretty difficult, especially telling time where they totally mix up even the hours of the day (for our 7am they say 1am). It was fun and interesting. After class we went to dinner at a place called Faze 2 and then we went to the cultural center.

The Ndere Cultural Center was really cool. The show was all traditional dances from all over Uganda and a few from Rwanda and Burundi as well. They were incredible hip shakers! It was quite entertaining and we all had a great time there! After the show we came straight home and got ready for bed because we are getting up early to go see the chimps tomorrow morning!

Mulago Hospital (6/13/2013)

Today was out first full day in Kampala. I woke up and took a shower, and right when I was finishing up we found it we had an hour less time than we thought. I quickly finished up so my friend could hop in the shower and then I got dressed and ate a quick breakfast before we left for the hospital. 

When we got to the hospital we had a little orientation of the programs we are doing this summer, and then we had a tour of the hospital. The hospital here is so incredibly different than the hospitals in the US.it makes me very thankful to live where I do. We mostly saw pediatric wards this morning. There we literally tons of beds crammed into each room and the families come and help take care of the kids so it is hectic. Things are also definitely less sterile and people are quite obviously not as demanding here as they are at home. They would probably laugh if someone asked for a private room. We saw a bunch of wards and met a bunch of people and it was a pretty cool experience.

After the hospital we went to the Global Health Uganda (GHU) main office and met Esther who runs most of the program I think. We than all went to lunch where I order a sandwich that was going to be so delicious but was covered in mayonnaise so I had fries and some banana bread. First food mishap, but not the end of the world. The place was called Cafe Java I think and it was really nice. I would definitely go back there and just order more carefully.

After lunch we went to the international students office and filled out a form. We also quickly passed by the medical school and the anatomy labs, but didn't go inside them. W then went to get our phones so we are no longer totally disconnected from the world! I put a SIM card in my old iPhone so I have an iPhone here in Uganda, yay! We also looked around a store called Game, that I would describe as a mix between Walmart, Costco, a sporting goods store, and Staples. Mostly like Walmart though. It was cool to have a look around. We then went back to the GHU office and had some Internet time where I got to talk to my mom a little.

Around 5pm we drove back to Mama Riba's where we are staying. When we got here there of us went with Sula, one of the workers here to see the goats. There are three adults and three three month old baby goats! They were so cute, but so scared of us. We met a few of the local kids who were going to play soccer. They play with a tennis ball because they don't have a normal ball, so we are thinking about buying one for them on Saturday. We then set up our phones and hung out for a bit before dinnertime.

For dinner we had a traditional Ugandan meal. It had a mashed banana thing that was sort of like mofongo, but different, we had a white thick corn thing that's a similar consistency to the mofongo as well, a pea/lentil like dish, and some amazing cabbage dish. It was really really delicious. There was also pineapple, which is always wonderful. After dinner we all just hung out before going to bed.

Back to Kampala (6/12/2013)

This morning we woke up and had our final breakfast at Red Chilli Camp. I hd some delicious pancakes with lemon and sugar and a fruit salad that had bananas, watermelon, pineapple, and passion fruit. So yummy. After breakfast we got our things together and headed to see the top of Murchinson Falls. It was so incredibly powerful and amazing to see. There is so much water going over the falls it is ridiculous. It is no wonder no one has ever survived trying to go over the falls. There is absolutely no chance at all whatsoever.

After seeing the falls we headed out of the park altogether and saw a few last buffalo and baboons along the way. We made a stop in Masindi for some fuel and then we had lunch at a small place that was near to the rhino sanctuary we had gone to our first day in Uganda. Lunch was pretty good as well, but they didn't have the cupcakes that's were advertised on the menu. A bit of a bummer after we all got excited, but we lived haha.

After lunch we drove the rest of the way back to Kampala, which was quite a long drive that took us through many villages. It was really interesting to see everything along the way. There were tons if people, and shops, and houses and huts. Even people coming up to your car to sell you some foods like cassava or kebabs or whole pineapples. We ended up arriving back in Kampala at the guest house we are staying at around 6:15pm after had left the falls at 10:45m (but that includes at least an hour stop for lunch). Basically it was a long day of driving, but it didn't feel too bad. Only a few times did I start to doze off, but in general there was a lot to look at and see.

When we arrived back at the guest house we had about an hour to relax before dinner, which Grace (the owner of the house) prepared. It was some spaghetti with a really delicious bolognese sauce and some salad and mangos and pineapple. So yummy! After dinner I also uploaded some of my 245 photos I have already taken onto my computer and played around with the saturation and contrast of  few of them. I have some that are really nice! I don't think I will have good enough Internet to post them from Uganda, but maybe one or two can be posted along the way, we will see. I also chatted with Grace and her daughter Riba for a bit before getting ready for bed. The mosquito net is too close to the bed here, so here's to not getting too many new bites. I have to sleep above the covers because I'm constantly hot, but at least it is cooler in Kampala. I think I may get through the night without waking up drenched tomorrow! No hippos or warthogs to look out for when I head to the bathroom tonight either!

Murchinson Falls

The whole group at Murchinson Falls

Game drive (6/11/2013)

First of all, last night I had to wake up to go to the bathroom again around 11pm. It gets dark early so we go to bed early. Anyways, I walked outside my room and looked towards the bathroom with my headlamp and the hippo was also walking towards the bathroom. Luckily it just walked on by and in was able to still get there! Never thought I'd have to be on such a careful hippo watch in my life!

This morning we woke up quite early in order to start our game drive through Murchinson Falls. We had to take a car ferry across the Nile and then we started safari-ing. We saw a ton of animals and it was really cool! We saw lots of bushbucks, hardebeast, duikers, waterbucks, two elephants, tons of giraffes (25 at one place!), a monkey, some warthogs, more hippos, herds of buffalo, a couple hornbills, and some other birds. It was pretty cool to see all the animals and once again I got some awesome pictures. We didn't see the lions this morning which was a little sad, but I'm sure I will see some at some point on my trip this summer.

After the game drive we stopped at a really nice safari lodge on that side of the Nile. It had beautiful facilities and a large pool with a swim up bar. It even had wifi, but of course it was the only time this whole week that my phone has been out of my purse. Figures. We had some fresh passion fruit juice there and relaxed of a bit before heading back to out side of the river. When we went down to the car ferry we had to wait over an hour, so we had some trail mix and read some of Dr. Girodani's wife Uganda guide book and some people danced to music being p,ahead by a group of locals. We also saw a bunch of baboons there while we were waiting. The ferry eventually decided it was time and we got on and went back to Red Chilli Camp, where we rested for a few hours, showered, and I listened to some music. 

We met up around 5pm to head to Nile Safari Lodge for dinner. It was maybe 10-15 minutes away for Red Chilli Camp and it is an ecolodge. Molly would like that. We walked around and saw the lodge a bit and it looked really nice. They fill a shower bucket with heated water above your shower and have solar lights and its all very green. By one of the cabins there were even a whole family of monkeys! They were so cute until they started coming a little too close (but really they were still cute I was just nervous, haha). We walked down to the Nile and then saw the pool before heading back to the deck area to have a drink (mmm Fanta) on the porch overlooking the Nile. We eventually had dinner there in their little outdoor restaurant that was mostly candle lit. Actually, every single meal we have had has been outdoors since I got here. They only time we are really ever inside is when we are sleeping or getting ready for something. Anyways, I had a delicious dinner of beef and sweet potatoes (these are not like our sweet potatoes, they are more like potatoes that are very sweet). At the end of dinner we also found out that the manager of the ecolodge is a Michigan grad. Small world! I though Stanford had a pretty crazy  and large international alumni network, but my experiences with Michigan alum is starting to rival that. 

On the way home from dinner our driver told us a story about when he was driving back to his village one night around Christmas in his pickup with his kids in the back. As they drove under a tree a leopard jumped down and just missed the car and started chasing them. He had to turn off the car lights so the leopard would stop and they got away. It was nuts! I'm glad that t hasn't happened to us! When we got back to the Red Chilli Camp low and behold the hippo was back in action, munching away on the apparently yummy grass at the site. We grabbed our tooth stuff and went to the bathroom to brush our teeth and when we came back the hippo was right outside our door so we couldn't go back. We waited for a few minutes for it to move and then we went back in, but the hippo hung outside our door for quite a while after we got back in. Needless to say we didn't leave our Banda again! The hippo is quite awesome though!

Tomorrow we will go to the top of Murchinson Falls and then head back to Kampala to start some training for the actual projects we will be doing. Safari time is coming to an end, but it has been great! 

African Sausage Tree

Monkeys!

The hippo outside my room

Crazy day at Murchinson Falls (6/10/2013)

This morning we woke up around 8:30 and had breakfast at the lodge at Ziwa before heading out towards Murchinson Falls, which is a national park here in Uganda. I had to get up to pee about three times last night, which sucked because there were so many bugs and frogs at night in there! Anyways, we got on the road and started driving out of the park, and on the way out we spotted a little monkey in a tree! It was my first ever wild monkey and it was so cute. I got a picture of it, but I was just a second too late for the perfect picture that I should have gotten. We stopped to look at it for a few minutes and then headed on our way. We had to take a quick stop at the park gate because one of my classmates left her Visa card at the lodge, but someone drove it out to us so we didn't have to turn around.

The drive to Murchinson was pretty nice, and some parts were a bit rough, but it was a great time. We stopped in a town called Masindi on the way to have some sodas, and there was an awesome quilt shop next door. If I had had room I totally would have purchased a quilt. I got their card to check out their website when I get some Internet. After Masindi we continued on and got to the entrance to the national park where we got out to pay our entrance fees. When we got there there were a ton of baboons wandering around! We actually saw a ton of baboons today! When we drove into the park we came across a few packs and they were pretty cool to see. We even saw two babies! Our driver threw them a half of a banana and they seemed quite pleased. 

We eventually arrived at our lodge for the next two nights, called Red Chilli Camp. It's cute and no frills, but good. There were warthogs here when got here just chilling and we got so close. We ordered some lunch right when we arrived, I had a grilled ham and cheese and it was yummy, and then drove the couple minutes down to the Nile river for a river safari! It was just like the African Jungle Safari ride at Disneyland, only real! We immediately saw a few hippos, and boy are there a TON of hippos here. We saw them everywhere. No lack of hippo sightings for us. We also saw a lot of birds, more baboons and watthogs, some crocodiles, buffalo, two lions (they were slightly far away), and a bunch of elephants including baby elephants (!!!). We also saw Murchinson Falls which is quite powerful and pretty cool. We didn't get too close to it, but it was awesome. I got a ton of great pictures and I can't wait to share them!

After the river safari we went back to camp and took showers and then had dinner. I had a beef goulash over pasta and then dessert banana fritters with a little honey. Omg the dessert bananas were amazing! We hung out in the restaurant bar area for a while and then Dr. Giordani came and told us to be careful because there was a hippo. It was crazy! When we went back to our rooms there was literally a giant hippo grazing through the camp ground. I came right up to my classmates little Banda and all seven of us were in my two person room because the hippo was too close to their doors. We watched him for a while and he eventually moved on. It was so freaking cool! Literally a giant hippo was so close, just munching (loudly) and doing his thing. 

All in all today was really awesome! We saw a ton of cool animals, had some great food, and some great times. Tomorrow we are getting up early to do a game drive through Murchinson, so hopefully we will see some giraffes! Good times in Uganda :) 

On the Nile

Elephant family

Hippos!

On the Nile near Murchinson Falls

My room at Red Chilli Camp

Rhinos! (6/9/2013)

Today was our first full day in Uganda (well our first time seeing any sort of day since we arrived so late at night). We woke up and showered and then had some delicious pancakes for breakfast before hitting the road. I also got to use Dr. Giordani's internet card for a minute to send a quick email to my family to tell them I arrived. We packed some things for a few days out doing safari like things and then set out for some non-work related fun.

We drove through a lot of towns that definitely look very different than anything you would ever see in the US. People walking everywhere and nothing looks super organized, but it was cool. We saw a lot of goats and cows and people selling fruits and stuff too. Not a great description, I know. The driving here is also kind of crazy. The rules seem to only sort of apply. I would not want to be a driver here, but luckily we have two awesome drivers getting us around everywhere. We drove for about four hours until we got to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where we are staying for the night. We had a yummy lunch (I had chicken and potatoes) and then had some relaxing time in our rooms. Somehow I have managed to already get a half dozen mosquito bites (two of which are on my face), so I took our resting time to put on more (keyword, more, i already had a bunch on). No one else has gotten nearly as many yet, so aren't I lucky. 

After a quick accidental nap (I was sooo tired) we left to go rhino tracking! A guide takes you out though the bush to where the rhinos are that day so you can see them. Each rhino has a guard to protect them so they are easy to find since the rangers can use radios and whistle to find each other. We found a group of four white rhinos and they were amazing. You can get fairly close and they are just the coolest creatures. We learned also that where and black rhinos have nothing to do with coloring. When the white people asked the natives what the animal was called the natives used the local word for wide, which sounded like white and that's what they became known as. The black rhino was named simply to differentiate it from the white rhino. Anyways, we followed this group of four rhinos for a while and got a ton of awesome pictures. There were two males about 3 and a half years out named Obama (his mama was from Disney's Animal Kingdom so they named his after out president) and Augstus, the female 13 year old was Bella, and her calf was 1 and a half and named Donna. So amazing. On the way back from seeing them we saw some bushbucks and some small deer like things called Duiker. When we got back we saw an awesome crowned heron too, which is the national bird of Uganda. So beautiful.

After rhino trekking we hung out for a bit and then had delicious dinner and got super fresh mango and pineapple for dessert. It gets dark fairly early here, so we went back to our rooms and got ready for bed around 9pm and now were going to sleep soon, this time under a mosquito net. 

Awesome rhino

Crossing the street all together

So close!

The travel day(s) to Uganda (6/7-6/8/2013)

Well, needless to say it has been a long days of traveling, but I have finally made it! Uganda dark, because its nighttime. The flight to Brussels from JFK was actually quite short when it came down to it, and even though I took an ambien I could only sleep for around a half an hour. Not too much fun. Other than that I sat next to a really nice Belgian man who travels a lot for work. He is a textile engineer which seemed pretty interesting. We also had a laugh at this crazy old dude in the row behind us, and he told me a story about sitting next to an older American women on a plane once where he told the person he was traveling with that she would invite him to her house in Florida, and sure enough she did! Haha, the epitome of stereotypical east coast elderly who winter in Florida.

When I got to Europe I left the airport and went downtown to walk around and have some breakfast. I went to Le Pain Quotidien, which is like a little organic bread and pastry chain. After breakfast I walked around a bit more, got some chocolates, and headed back to the airport. I really wanted a waffle, but I wasn't about to withdraw 20€ from the ATM to pay 1€ for a waffle when I would have no us for the rest of the euros. Anyways, I got back to the airport without a hitch and met up with my friends at the gate for long flight number two (actually, longER flight). 

The flight to Kigali, Rwanda was uneventful. Ate some meals, watched Wreck It Ralph, slept a little, and attempted to kill the time. We landed at 7:50pm and it was already pitch black, which was weird. I am so use to light past 9:00pm these days! I guess there will be no long summer days for me this year as the equator days are much shorter than those up north. It was actually dark for a while before we landed, so I'm betting it will get dark pretty early this summer. At least I may be able to have a fairly normal sleeping schedule! Here's to hoping. 

The final flight from Kigali to Entebbe, Uganda was fine. We arrived right on time and were met by James the driver who took us into Kampala. We stopped twice, once to change US dollars and once to go to the ATM. We arrived at the place were staying tonight super late, so it's off to bed! Rhinos in the morning!

Flying over Africa

And I'm off!

Quick post because I'm boarding right now, but I'm finally off to Africa! I had a great day in NYC despite the rain, having breakfast with one friend and lunch with another. I got to the airport with no problems and the plane is starting to board. Hopefully I'll get some good sleep on the plane to Brussels! I'm going to have a delicious breakfast there before I meet up with everyone else and head to Uganda. It's going to be a long next 24 hours! See you in August USA! 

Goodbye MI, see ya in August!

Today I headed out from Ann Arbor for the summer to begin my exciting adventures and headed off to NYC! My friend drove me to the airport and I flew here without a hitch. I had a ridiculously amazing view flying into Washington National airport where I had my layover. We came in right next to the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson monuments with close views of the Smithonians and the Capitol building. It was all right before landing too so we were quite low. So pretty! Wish my camera had been out.

My hotel in NYC is pretty awesome. I am staying in the New York Palace Hotel and it is beautiful. Very comfortable for my last night in the states. I went down to the West Village for dinner and had a slice of Joe's Pizza and some cookies from Milk and Cookies, yumm. I then saw the puppies and they were so cute. There was a little Maltese puppy chasing his tail and sometimes e would catch it and run in circle with his tail in his mouth. Adorable I also met up with my friend for a bit and it was great to catch up. Tomorrow I will see a few more friends as well. Now I'm getting ready for bed as I'm quite tired. Off to Belgium tomorrow night and after a quick few hours in Brussels it's in finally off to Africa!

Still preparing.

I thought I'd start out my blog today in theme with the rest of my family haha. My uncle and cousin's entries both began with "Still ___" so obviously I had to continue! I didn't do much today besides clean a little and pack a little. I went to the doctor to confirm that I have pityriasis and not something bad and then picked up the last of my prescriptions as well as some shampoo and unscented lotion so as not to attract the buggies in Africa. I have *some* of my non-clothing items laid out on my guest bed right now, and holy shit this is going to be hard. I have way more stuff than I should ever need for a two month trip, but since I don't know what I will be able to get living in a smallish town near the Kenyan border and hours from the capital I would rather be over prepared than wishing I had brought something. Some of it will dwindle and lighten up by pack along the way (I'm bringing a bunch of bars and other snacks to have during lunches and when I'm hungry or feeling sick of the food). I'm a little nervous about trying to fit everything in my pack, and I have no idea if my sleeping bag is going to fit, but here's to hoping! I may have to carry it separately so I can put more in my actual pack. One more day until I head to NYC! Can't wait for this adventure to begin, even though I don't feel ready yet!