SO I guess this blog is continuing outside of Africa..First I'll tell about the past month at Holden Village in Chelan, WA. To get there one must take a 2.5 hr boat ride and then an 11 mile bus ride. Aside from wonderful people, local organic homemade food, and a BEAUTIFUL place being on the border of the Glacier Peak Wilderness, oh and I can't forget the insane double triple word bingoed word scrabble games (Thank you @Hunter), I had some pretty insane hiking experiences and my first experience with splitting and stacking wood even in the pouring rain along with being thrown into Hike Haus from day one while my supervisor was on his "out" (when they leave the village and go into the real world) so from day one people were asking me, "Which trail should we go on?" and me of course referring them to a map having never been there before. This also involved waking up at 5:30 AM daily to set up what they call the hiker bar (sandwich bar for hikers) which was a grand change from sleeping til at least midmorning with no plan back in Afton. In the month, a toenail fell off and I lost my glasses and then got conjunctivitis which of course resulted in me walking around semi-blind for several days and a realization I could hike a mountain, and cut vegetables, everything except read from a distance. And by week two, I was willingly waking up early on my breaks to go fishing and climb Mt. Fernow, which is the adventure I will share with you below!
It all started out at 4;30 AM when I had been warned we should leave at the ABSOLUTE latest at 5. I went to the dining hall to eat breakfast and was promptly ready to go at 5. Our leader decided 5:30 would be plenty fine and took his time with eating breakfast. Figuring he had done this three times before, I waited patiently and so we began our hike in the dark, the two boys debating if the bright star we saw was Venus or Jupiter and then guy gossip about relationships of people I didn't meet, quite amusing. We reached the top of copper basin around 7 and began the beginning of the trek up to the saddle, which is the hardest part. After many a rock field and scree, we came to a snow field and I used my ski instructing skills to walk up wide footed like a duck. M thought it would be easier (having led the way) since the snow was slick if we made it to the edge and went up the rocks. BAD idea! I tried to do this and ended up slipping clinging with my hiking pole to the snow not wanting to have to climb up again. I managed to get up and my friend John used an ice axe to carve stepholds. Thank goodness he had brought that cuz M said we didn't need one (correction: he didn't need one!). Upon reaching the summit, we saw the Entiat Valley and Mt. Maude which truly looked like a mountain out of a fairytale with its silver color and snowcapped peak.
Then it was just up, up, and more up of boulders, rocks, and snow. At 8000 ft J decides to tell me he's afraid of heights and I'm asking in my mind why in the world he decided to do a 9200 ft mountain if he is afraid of heights. But he overcame his fear and we made it to the fake summit of 9100 ft. M didn't feel comfortable with bringing us up the last 100 ft because of how slippery the snow was and we could see everything but Glacier Peak which I had seen in an amazing view from Image so I was content. If the leader isn't content, it's never a good idea to do it. So there we were with multiple layers in the wind (and a bar of cell phone service!) looking at peaks in Canada, Mt. Rainier, St. Helen's, Baker, and I think Adams. VERY beautiful and cool!
And so the descent began...I've always thought going down was more difficult than up and especially agree with that statement after this! We began the descent at 2 and had only made it down the first 500 ft in an hr when M realized he forgot his hiking pole. J was the closest to it b/c he was the slowest in the group and M decided to ask him to go back up and get it. In all honestly, I'm quite sure M could've gotten it in the time he succeeded in yelling back up the mtn and being comprehended and then J trekking for it. I told M it was 3:15 and he insisted we had plenty of time so I slowly continued trekking down. We made it back to the saddle and thus the snow fields downward began in a form even a child is familiar with-sledding. M showed us how to use our hiking pole as a brake..Jon had an ice axe. I went with my feet first, but my feet nor my hiking pole worked as a brake and I went flying, legs in a scissor position. M said I was starting to slow down but he grabbed my hand and feeling my heart beat inside was so relieved. I decided sledding was not the best idea and so tried to go down step by step with my hiking pole until that rolled down the hill. J gave me his yak tracks but they were too big and that too rolled down the hill. SO I waited there clinging to the spot I was in for dear life and waited for him to retrieve the two items that had fallen down the hill. An hr later we made it down that part with him carving spots for my feet and hands lowering me down one step at a time..until the 15$ ice axe decided to break and then we were literally just using the end. By this time it was 5:30. But the rest was a piece of cake in comparison. Boulders, rock fields, and scree. I decided to go ahead knowing I was slower coming down and decided to go in the trees being from MN and familiar with the woods. I felt like a monkey flying from tree to tree and descending rapidly. Until all there were were branches semi-rooted to the ground to which I clung to and decided it would be best to go back to the rock field bushwhacking through the trees until I reached the rock field. At this point, M and J were significantly behind me, but I didn't know which rock field to go down so I waited..and the sun began to go behind the basin (not sunset but the mtns are tall so the sun "sets" early). I realized we were going to be hiking down in the dark and so it began. We got our flashlights out just like we had that morning and began going down. Of course my hiking poles had to get caught in the crags of the rocks, but eventually we made it down to Copper Basin..in the pitch dark. So we start to go down to the path and realize we're on the wrong side of the creek. So backtracking, filling up water (we had been out for hours at this point), and with nothing on our minds but the Village we begin to descend radioing in telling them we will be back by 8:30. M told us he was only stopping for med emergencies and I agreed! Then J's headlamp bulb dies out...and then 30 mins later the battery. Of course we had to stop and hiking in the dark exponentially slowed our hiking down and something that took 1:45 to climb up took the same to come down when usually we had flown down this in 45 mins. At 10:15 we arrive back at the village, never been so happy to see it in my life!, and the HH guy and our emer contact are waiting there for us. I collapsed into lodge 6 and my roommate had already fallen asleep. 17 hours! G'night! But we did it and it was beautiful and all were safe!
And now my next adventure begins. I'm realizing I"m waiting for the unknown which could be forever and after taking an enneagram test (I'm a type 7 to the Tee!) realized I need to cease life to the fullest and found an opportunity to teach in Thailand for 4 months and receive my TESOL. Something in me was hesitant and questioning if I wanted to continue the nomadic life, but after friend, family, and stranger all saying nothing but GO! and then two sermons relating to getting out of your safety zone and the unknown, etc. I realized it was out of my hands and it's four months. What do I have to lose? A cafe job? I can do later if I really want to. So I'm going. Nov. 5! Between now and then I have to start and finish the 60 hr online portion, get my workshop CD for El Sistema ready to mail, and volunteer at a music festival in Black Mountain, NC, where hopefully more connections could arise. I'm committing! And Yes I'm excited even though it does seem crazy I'm jetsetting yet again. Thank you all for your support and of course I will continue to post!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Back in the USA!
Hello All!
Thanks to no internet for the past month I haven't been able to update, but aside from finally making quality friends (thanks to frisbee), lots of work (concerts galore!) and trying to spend as much time at Maku to learn as many African dances as possible including making a Bukoba drum (16 hours later!) and realizing I still haven't done souvenir shopping, that would be a summary of the last month. Not to mention the goodbyes where I received metres of fabric! I had a fashion show with my housemate Nina as we tried on dresses, skirts, and other clothing made especially for us :) I will miss everyone immensely and saying goodbye is always hard for me to do, but adding that many don't have email and I don't know if I will ever see them again made it especially sad not to mention the goodbye to my now considered nephew 4 yr old Colin.
It's so weird to be home. When I got off the airplane in Amsterdam, I literally stared at the Svarinsky crystal store close to 5 mins realizing this store alone is more than the whole of GDP in Tanzania! And then there was the airport library equipped with 1 euro massage/spa, bubble chairs, fake fireplace, books and iPads about Amsterdam history and culture, and a grand piano that is the nicest piano I have played all year just sitting idly in the airport (I think you can guess how I passed the next hour or so :) Thank you Blue Heron music not fitting in my checked bag.
NBI baggage people were complete assholes and insisting I could onyl have 1 carry-on. Explain to me that I can travel across the US with 2 carryons but intercontinental is only 1 and they tried to have a blanket count as my carry-on, bull shit. The guy who was weighing bags was really nice and helpful and suggested I repack my roller board so it is under the 12 kg limit for hte plane but the air guy wasn't having it so I took everything out and made one bag overweight...I think I got tricked into having to pay for a 3rd carryon because I somehow repacked this and the whole flight home kept realizing things I could have taken out: contact solution, books, strapping more shoes to my backpack, wearing more clothes, ah well shoulda coulda woulda. 200 dollars later I was on the plane with a 2 hr delay and ended up eating dinner at 1:30 AM and then crashing kabisa for the next 5 hrs.The second flight was much longer, but both uneventful.
Nairobi was a great last day in Africa with an excellent host and a great place, and i had a wonderful day in NBI meeting up with a CS from Kenya, a guy she was showing around from Denver, and a girl I met on the bus from Princeton who was an avid bird watcher. We saw the elephants at an elephant orphanage called the Sheldrick Wildlife Foundation (you can even adopt an elephant!) and I even got to pet them. I couldn't believe how fast they guzzled the bottles of milk, 45 seconds later and Abrakadabra-gone. Did you know elephants have a memory of 25-3o years? They also entertained themselves with a good ol' fashioned game of football (soccer).
This followed by a no picture trip to the Uhuru Gardens (uhuru means freedom) and a taxi breakdown followed by one last mbuzi (goat) nyama choma, ugali, and tomato salad lunch for the price of $1.50, was my first kiss...with a giraffe! Basically described as a dog slobbering on your face except with a pellet of giraffe pipi (candy) in between my lips.
The Nairobi National museum was also fascinating! I had no idea Kenya was the discovery of so many early humans like Nutcracker boy, etc! And they had the skeleton of an elephant that was the only wild elephant that the government supported to protect.
A bit of heart rate acceleration with 40 min. traffic and a need to be at the airport in 2 hours, but all went well. Taxis are SO much more expensive in Nairobi but she made a point, everything is more expensive in Nairobi. The Kenyan shilling is 90 to the dollar compared to approx. 1500 in Tanzania!
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Arrival in MN
You'll never guess the first thing I did after greeting my mom. Starbucks for a vanilla frappucino and an Asiago cheese bagel :) Just standing waiting for my mom was such culture shock seeing all these posh, very shiny (I didn't realize the difference of material they use on the cars here vs TZ), and tried to get in the car on the left side. Coming home, everything seemed so huge considering our whole house was the size of our family room! Had a lovely dinner of seafood spaghetti on the screened-in porch and admittedly took a nap to keep the jet lag at least a bit manageable. Minus being up at 5 AM jet lag is so far okay.
Not looking forward to unpacking and ECSTATIC to see friends I suppose this is my last blog until whatever the next adventure life brings me,
Kwa heri
Sara
PS A good friend of mine who is still in TZ who writes extremely well is whaleherdienda.com if you can't enough of TZ stories.
Thanks to no internet for the past month I haven't been able to update, but aside from finally making quality friends (thanks to frisbee), lots of work (concerts galore!) and trying to spend as much time at Maku to learn as many African dances as possible including making a Bukoba drum (16 hours later!) and realizing I still haven't done souvenir shopping, that would be a summary of the last month. Not to mention the goodbyes where I received metres of fabric! I had a fashion show with my housemate Nina as we tried on dresses, skirts, and other clothing made especially for us :) I will miss everyone immensely and saying goodbye is always hard for me to do, but adding that many don't have email and I don't know if I will ever see them again made it especially sad not to mention the goodbye to my now considered nephew 4 yr old Colin.
It's so weird to be home. When I got off the airplane in Amsterdam, I literally stared at the Svarinsky crystal store close to 5 mins realizing this store alone is more than the whole of GDP in Tanzania! And then there was the airport library equipped with 1 euro massage/spa, bubble chairs, fake fireplace, books and iPads about Amsterdam history and culture, and a grand piano that is the nicest piano I have played all year just sitting idly in the airport (I think you can guess how I passed the next hour or so :) Thank you Blue Heron music not fitting in my checked bag.
NBI baggage people were complete assholes and insisting I could onyl have 1 carry-on. Explain to me that I can travel across the US with 2 carryons but intercontinental is only 1 and they tried to have a blanket count as my carry-on, bull shit. The guy who was weighing bags was really nice and helpful and suggested I repack my roller board so it is under the 12 kg limit for hte plane but the air guy wasn't having it so I took everything out and made one bag overweight...I think I got tricked into having to pay for a 3rd carryon because I somehow repacked this and the whole flight home kept realizing things I could have taken out: contact solution, books, strapping more shoes to my backpack, wearing more clothes, ah well shoulda coulda woulda. 200 dollars later I was on the plane with a 2 hr delay and ended up eating dinner at 1:30 AM and then crashing kabisa for the next 5 hrs.The second flight was much longer, but both uneventful.
Nairobi was a great last day in Africa with an excellent host and a great place, and i had a wonderful day in NBI meeting up with a CS from Kenya, a guy she was showing around from Denver, and a girl I met on the bus from Princeton who was an avid bird watcher. We saw the elephants at an elephant orphanage called the Sheldrick Wildlife Foundation (you can even adopt an elephant!) and I even got to pet them. I couldn't believe how fast they guzzled the bottles of milk, 45 seconds later and Abrakadabra-gone. Did you know elephants have a memory of 25-3o years? They also entertained themselves with a good ol' fashioned game of football (soccer).
This followed by a no picture trip to the Uhuru Gardens (uhuru means freedom) and a taxi breakdown followed by one last mbuzi (goat) nyama choma, ugali, and tomato salad lunch for the price of $1.50, was my first kiss...with a giraffe! Basically described as a dog slobbering on your face except with a pellet of giraffe pipi (candy) in between my lips.
The Nairobi National museum was also fascinating! I had no idea Kenya was the discovery of so many early humans like Nutcracker boy, etc! And they had the skeleton of an elephant that was the only wild elephant that the government supported to protect.
A bit of heart rate acceleration with 40 min. traffic and a need to be at the airport in 2 hours, but all went well. Taxis are SO much more expensive in Nairobi but she made a point, everything is more expensive in Nairobi. The Kenyan shilling is 90 to the dollar compared to approx. 1500 in Tanzania!
************************************************************
Arrival in MN
You'll never guess the first thing I did after greeting my mom. Starbucks for a vanilla frappucino and an Asiago cheese bagel :) Just standing waiting for my mom was such culture shock seeing all these posh, very shiny (I didn't realize the difference of material they use on the cars here vs TZ), and tried to get in the car on the left side. Coming home, everything seemed so huge considering our whole house was the size of our family room! Had a lovely dinner of seafood spaghetti on the screened-in porch and admittedly took a nap to keep the jet lag at least a bit manageable. Minus being up at 5 AM jet lag is so far okay.
Not looking forward to unpacking and ECSTATIC to see friends I suppose this is my last blog until whatever the next adventure life brings me,
Kwa heri
Sara
PS A good friend of mine who is still in TZ who writes extremely well is whaleherdienda.com if you can't enough of TZ stories.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Value of the Arts from a personal account
I just heard the saddest thing. On our way to Umoja Ensemble today, we saw one of the boys at home and figured he must just be sick or have to help out with family duties. We asked the other kids in the ensemble what was wrong with Yusto. It turns out his father is prohibiting him to do Umoja Ensemble because he was sent to that school to be someone, “not a f%^&’in musician!” This saddens me so greatly because little does that father realize how important music can be into developing somebody into someone. This is the kid that shows us every week what step or drum pattern he has practiced (Dad, this was the one that was obsessed with your iPhone). I want our Tanzanian teacher to go talk to his parents, but know it needs to come from the school. Our only hope is that his test results don’t diminish so that he can see it’s not because of UE that his concentration is not there and he doesn’t like math. In fact, all the Umoja outreach kids are at the top of their classes. I looked today and saw all the kids at the top with one even having scores of 100, 94, and 91, with the lowest being 85. I’ve seen these kids transform from shy, giggling children to children who have self-confidence, a purpose, and are proud to be part of something. It breaks my heart that this boy can’t and that his father can’t see that. Sadly, I know this is the mindset of many parents, not only in Africa. Music is something you can do later. But do they know it is the only activity that stimulates both sides of the brain? That children who can play an instrument do better in school and have better concentration, not worse? Better coordination and most importantly are able to express themselves.
At the time in university, I continued to take classes because they interested me and resulted in getting a major. Not the other way around. But now I’m realizing how fortunate I was to have that opportunity and it was up to me. That my parents supported me throughout my musical childhood and encouraged me, even if that meant nagging me to practice. I want to be able to give that same gift to others regardless of their background, supported or not, rich or poor, I want to help! Arts development is so important!!! Thank you to all who value the arts as much as I do!
On another note, we’ve had no Internet for over a week now and my computer is busted so I’m using an old Dell desktop. I have to play at Blue Heron but can’t print off music…and applying to jobs has been difficult to say the least. Regardless, I’m home in less than a month now!! See you all soon!!!
At the time in university, I continued to take classes because they interested me and resulted in getting a major. Not the other way around. But now I’m realizing how fortunate I was to have that opportunity and it was up to me. That my parents supported me throughout my musical childhood and encouraged me, even if that meant nagging me to practice. I want to be able to give that same gift to others regardless of their background, supported or not, rich or poor, I want to help! Arts development is so important!!! Thank you to all who value the arts as much as I do!
On another note, we’ve had no Internet for over a week now and my computer is busted so I’m using an old Dell desktop. I have to play at Blue Heron but can’t print off music…and applying to jobs has been difficult to say the least. Regardless, I’m home in less than a month now!! See you all soon!!!
Friday, May 6, 2011
An African Easter
So after finding out the visa for Burundi was twice as much as I had anticipated I was just thankful that I had an extra twenty. Note: ALWAYS carry extra dollars. THis was the second time they had saved me! So of course the first thing we did was pay and they held onto our passports for a suspicious amount of time before having us go with them to cross the Burundi border to give our money to the officials there, get receipts and then cross back to the Rwanda side and write down all our information before finally giving us our passports back. Talk about inefficiency!
Anyway, after 2 hrs we had driven from North to South of Burundi and arrived in Bujumbura where I was greeted by a text from my German CSer if I wanted to go to the house or straight to the beach. What a wonderful way to be greeted! After being welcomed at her house in which I had my own bed and bathroom with hot shower!!!, we took off for the beach called BOra Bora (best) appropriately named with a really nice beach bar, volleyball, jet skis, and a lake that had waves the size of a calm ocean. It was AWESOME! She had three dogs so it was really fun to have pets again and play fetch with them. I've missed having pets so much!
THe next day she had to do some cleaning for her parents' arrival the following week and I had mentioned wanting to see Burundi music so she took me to a boys' orphanage where she used to volunteer and I watched the most amazing Burundi drumming done by middle-school orphans. Swahili was my saving grace; without it, there would have been no communication and I"m realizing how competent I am in it not to sound cocky or anything. They all used Swahili from COngo which is a bit more...diffused. There's a saying Swahili was born in Tanzania, grew up in Kenya, died in Uganda, and was buried in Congo. I added a part. It was resurrected in Burundi. Anyway, after watching them balance drums on their head and then kick their foot up to the drum (I have video clips!) I met up with another CSer who took me to meet every family member and friend and tried a new way to eat goat meet called muchopo. I'd describe it as ceviche (lime and onions) except with goat rather than fish. I then went to a Burundi bd party, but it was the wealthy Burundians that all left and went abroad during the Civil War so almost all spoke fluent English and I met a really nice French girl.
Easter was a good mix of relaxing and meeting more of this CSers friends. I attempted to go to church but it was in Kirundi and had 3000 people! I entered more than an hr late, heard one song, and then a ceremony of new members began. After an hr of hearing testimonies and not comprehending anything aside from hallelujah, I had enough and tried to go to the Catholic church. But we weren't welcomed and told we couldn't stand where we were standing so we left and the consecutive Fantas/beers began as we went from house insisting they serve us something. After greeting and drinking I don't know how many Fantas and finding excuses not to drink them (I just had one is not an exception) such as the kid coughed on it or just flat out giving it to a kid, I attempted to buy a bus ticket for the ride back to Arusha across TZ. But it was 10 hours longer than the person in Kigali said so at 11:30 PM i was searching for fares and splurged on Easter to buy a plane ticket back home via Nairobi. Little did I know we also stopped in Kigali so I was in 4 countries in 1 day! I splurged on some delicious fish brochette and a fruit smoothie and loved sitting on the beach and playing with the dogs. It was a good African easter.
The plane ride was uneventful and I got my own row so I slept the whole time. I couldn't find my TZ SIM card upon arrival and it being Easter Mon the border was not harassing people to buy them or other trinkets for that matter. Boy did a hot shower and my bed and clean clothes feel good!!!!! And now it's less than 2 months til I'm home in the USA!!
Anyway, after 2 hrs we had driven from North to South of Burundi and arrived in Bujumbura where I was greeted by a text from my German CSer if I wanted to go to the house or straight to the beach. What a wonderful way to be greeted! After being welcomed at her house in which I had my own bed and bathroom with hot shower!!!, we took off for the beach called BOra Bora (best) appropriately named with a really nice beach bar, volleyball, jet skis, and a lake that had waves the size of a calm ocean. It was AWESOME! She had three dogs so it was really fun to have pets again and play fetch with them. I've missed having pets so much!
THe next day she had to do some cleaning for her parents' arrival the following week and I had mentioned wanting to see Burundi music so she took me to a boys' orphanage where she used to volunteer and I watched the most amazing Burundi drumming done by middle-school orphans. Swahili was my saving grace; without it, there would have been no communication and I"m realizing how competent I am in it not to sound cocky or anything. They all used Swahili from COngo which is a bit more...diffused. There's a saying Swahili was born in Tanzania, grew up in Kenya, died in Uganda, and was buried in Congo. I added a part. It was resurrected in Burundi. Anyway, after watching them balance drums on their head and then kick their foot up to the drum (I have video clips!) I met up with another CSer who took me to meet every family member and friend and tried a new way to eat goat meet called muchopo. I'd describe it as ceviche (lime and onions) except with goat rather than fish. I then went to a Burundi bd party, but it was the wealthy Burundians that all left and went abroad during the Civil War so almost all spoke fluent English and I met a really nice French girl.
Easter was a good mix of relaxing and meeting more of this CSers friends. I attempted to go to church but it was in Kirundi and had 3000 people! I entered more than an hr late, heard one song, and then a ceremony of new members began. After an hr of hearing testimonies and not comprehending anything aside from hallelujah, I had enough and tried to go to the Catholic church. But we weren't welcomed and told we couldn't stand where we were standing so we left and the consecutive Fantas/beers began as we went from house insisting they serve us something. After greeting and drinking I don't know how many Fantas and finding excuses not to drink them (I just had one is not an exception) such as the kid coughed on it or just flat out giving it to a kid, I attempted to buy a bus ticket for the ride back to Arusha across TZ. But it was 10 hours longer than the person in Kigali said so at 11:30 PM i was searching for fares and splurged on Easter to buy a plane ticket back home via Nairobi. Little did I know we also stopped in Kigali so I was in 4 countries in 1 day! I splurged on some delicious fish brochette and a fruit smoothie and loved sitting on the beach and playing with the dogs. It was a good African easter.
The plane ride was uneventful and I got my own row so I slept the whole time. I couldn't find my TZ SIM card upon arrival and it being Easter Mon the border was not harassing people to buy them or other trinkets for that matter. Boy did a hot shower and my bed and clean clothes feel good!!!!! And now it's less than 2 months til I'm home in the USA!!
Monday, May 2, 2011
The Land of a Thousand Hills
IN short, Rwanda is GORGEOUS!!!!! Every turn was just wow. First stop, Gisenyi to see Lake Kivu. I stayed with a PC volunteer outside GIsenyi meaning an hr and a half bus ride. Little did I know what that would entail. Picture as many people as a NY subway, but with ruts every 2 ft in the road, then add the fact there is only one pole to hold onto and people 3 to a seat on either side of you, then add the fact that you have a backpack and a grocery bag not to mention the huge backpack I had, and it was a dirt road with meandering turns. Then I think you will have some type of picture. However, on the way was SO beautiful and it was so hard not to take pics!!!!!!! The sun was setting so the light was hitting the houses as if it were an NG cover pic and the sunset over Lake Kivu could not be captured on film though of course I did try (see Facebook) but pls know this is a failed attempt. Then the people were SO nice, tying my bag around the seat, a guy offering to hold my bag for me and even helped me take the failed attempt pics. People in Rwanda: HELPFUL! And not expecting money in return (a first!). Arriving at the PC house I had NO idea I was going to be in a rural African village. This was my first experience living in this setting. But aside from the mold in the house, she had a pretty nice set-up: a big garden, a very impressive, resourceful kitchen which resulted in 5 WONDERFUL homemade meals, and her village was in the process of getting power. The next day we took a walk which involved climbing through eucalyptus forest that they sadly plant to chop down for firewood, and up many hills to the beautiful Lake Kivu with 30 children trailing us and I'm not exaggerating (see the pic if you don't believe me). Then she showed me the village and after having Rwandan tea with a family had more village children follow us. Everyone wanted their photo picture and it was a bit nostalgic of Ecuador with the kids all wanting to carry my water bottle. I also had a lesson in Congo Swahili.
The next part of the trip was a bit more grim. I went and visited the Kigali Memorial of the 2004 genocide where almost 1 million people were killed in 3 months! What bothered me most was my naivete towards the whole event. We are bombarded with the Holocaust in schools, but learn nothing of this RECENT event. IT was so real because every Rwandan has been affected and there are still many refugees outside of Rwanda. To read of how the people were killed or hiding in an outhouse and the profiles of the children was mortifying. The most amazing thing is that people are going to the prisons and forgiving their killer, letting them free and them helping to rebuild. They also had articles of clothing and to see a US university shirt and running shorts made it so close to home. It could have been anyone. AND the beginning of this whole thing was Belgium ethnically dividing the people into groups by how many cattle they had and then France financially supporting the genocide. I can't fathom a country wanting to help with such a thing. Rwanda was a unified country and then the colonizers came and did THIS. If you go to Kigali, you NEED to go to this museum. It is very well done and very moving. There was another section on other genocides going on in the world which I also had not heard about. Armenia, Balkan Islands, Cambodia, and of course The Holocaust. But why do we only hear about the latter?!?
On a happier note Butare was a WONDERFUL stop! My first stop was a place I heard had homemade bagels and turned out to be a women's coop that had the first all-women Rwandan drumming group and had homemade ice cream :) Check them out here:
I also visited Africa's largest mountainous rainforest which was GORGEOUS although transportation was a PAIN because buses went from Kigali only so you had to pay the price (double) from Kigali and have the middle seat where your legs were up to your chest and a person ahead of you leaning back since the chairs had no back support. Beautiful though! Met some more PC volunteers and was amazed at the contrast of the house of this one with the other one: indoor bathroom, 2 bedrooms, toilet, shower, and a ceiling!
On my way down to Butare, I saw two museums in Nyanza. One was of a king's traditional hut and the other of Rwandan art which was really cool because I saw mediums I had never seen before: colored sand and tree bark, and they all had an annual theme that related to the genocide. I couldn't take any pics. When I went to the National Museum, I was a bit jaded of reading after already having visited two museums and kept hearing singing and dancing sounding like it was coming from the back of the museum. After asking the museum and them having no idea what I was talking about and continuing to go back in the museum and hear the sounds again and again, I decided to investigate. I went out back and sure enough there was a dance class going on with a choir. THe biggest difference I noticed in what I saw was the acapella quality of the music. I never got the opportunity to see Rwandan drumming so I can't comment on that, but the dances were VERY different than that of TZ. First of all, the women did not shake their hips. There was a lot of stomping (yes like Appalachian clogging or even Irish dancing or tap) and they did a lot of birdlike movements with their arms outstretched. But apparently it wasn't a bird, but rather a defense and power symbol. It began to pour so I ended up watching quite a bit of the rehearsal and regrettably couldn't take photos or movies since I was just a student observing not a tourist (this would've involved paying $25).
And then it was onto Burundi.
The next part of the trip was a bit more grim. I went and visited the Kigali Memorial of the 2004 genocide where almost 1 million people were killed in 3 months! What bothered me most was my naivete towards the whole event. We are bombarded with the Holocaust in schools, but learn nothing of this RECENT event. IT was so real because every Rwandan has been affected and there are still many refugees outside of Rwanda. To read of how the people were killed or hiding in an outhouse and the profiles of the children was mortifying. The most amazing thing is that people are going to the prisons and forgiving their killer, letting them free and them helping to rebuild. They also had articles of clothing and to see a US university shirt and running shorts made it so close to home. It could have been anyone. AND the beginning of this whole thing was Belgium ethnically dividing the people into groups by how many cattle they had and then France financially supporting the genocide. I can't fathom a country wanting to help with such a thing. Rwanda was a unified country and then the colonizers came and did THIS. If you go to Kigali, you NEED to go to this museum. It is very well done and very moving. There was another section on other genocides going on in the world which I also had not heard about. Armenia, Balkan Islands, Cambodia, and of course The Holocaust. But why do we only hear about the latter?!?
On a happier note Butare was a WONDERFUL stop! My first stop was a place I heard had homemade bagels and turned out to be a women's coop that had the first all-women Rwandan drumming group and had homemade ice cream :) Check them out here:
I also visited Africa's largest mountainous rainforest which was GORGEOUS although transportation was a PAIN because buses went from Kigali only so you had to pay the price (double) from Kigali and have the middle seat where your legs were up to your chest and a person ahead of you leaning back since the chairs had no back support. Beautiful though! Met some more PC volunteers and was amazed at the contrast of the house of this one with the other one: indoor bathroom, 2 bedrooms, toilet, shower, and a ceiling!
On my way down to Butare, I saw two museums in Nyanza. One was of a king's traditional hut and the other of Rwandan art which was really cool because I saw mediums I had never seen before: colored sand and tree bark, and they all had an annual theme that related to the genocide. I couldn't take any pics. When I went to the National Museum, I was a bit jaded of reading after already having visited two museums and kept hearing singing and dancing sounding like it was coming from the back of the museum. After asking the museum and them having no idea what I was talking about and continuing to go back in the museum and hear the sounds again and again, I decided to investigate. I went out back and sure enough there was a dance class going on with a choir. THe biggest difference I noticed in what I saw was the acapella quality of the music. I never got the opportunity to see Rwandan drumming so I can't comment on that, but the dances were VERY different than that of TZ. First of all, the women did not shake their hips. There was a lot of stomping (yes like Appalachian clogging or even Irish dancing or tap) and they did a lot of birdlike movements with their arms outstretched. But apparently it wasn't a bird, but rather a defense and power symbol. It began to pour so I ended up watching quite a bit of the rehearsal and regrettably couldn't take photos or movies since I was just a student observing not a tourist (this would've involved paying $25).
And then it was onto Burundi.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The Pearl of Africa
Wow I don't think I've ever been this bad at blogging. Sorry about that. The past month and a half were crazy because my boss waa here so work was constant. We had a very succesful fundraiser, I turned 23, and socially things are much better. It was so great to play classical piano again in public! A LOT of work but I'll say it was worth it :) And my black Talbot's cocktail dress find at mtumba was also great and quite funny since everyone else was wearing $1000 dresses courtesy of our finance person.
Uganda was amazing!!!! Beautiful country and beautiful people. I didn't feel like a mzungu nearly as much and it didn't get pointed out to me everywhere I went (only on public transport). After a horrendous bus ride from Nairobi, I arrived in Jinja where I was greeted by a wonderful CS named Micheal who brought me home and introduced me to his wife and baby. Women here have no problem nursing in public. It doesn't matter if it is someone else's home, a bus, or a church, they just pull out the milk makers right then and there and this women was voluptuous in a way I rarely see. Aside from seeing 100 school children at the source of the Nile where I learned Gandhi spoke and eating a full lunch of 10 diff kinds of carbs and Nile Perch fish for under $2, the day was pretty uneventful. The night on the other hand was the first time I knew what it felt like to be in a tin roofed house while a rain storm occurred and my stomach growling of hunger. Eventually, I asserted myself and they drove me to get some food, but that definitely took some courage and I knew what it was like for many who don't have a car to rescue them and go to bed hungry.
People were so helpful, helping me find my CS's workplace in Kampala. After dropping my heavy 7 kg bag off, I found a local place for lunch where I could finally have some greens and a yogurt. IT's so nice to be able to choose for yourself what food you want. As great as it is to eat with local families, food diversity is something that I learned in Chile was really important. I ended up meeting another CS who did art with local kids and aside from a great museum with a section dedicated to music, the highlight of Kampala was the Ndaris Center where I got to see several different Ugandan tribe dances and music. I also went to my CS's grandma's house for lunch after a mega-church service with a TV-like commercial and announcement video on a big screen. I couldn't believe I was in Africa with this high tech stuff.
But my most memorable part is the wonderful family I found at Lake Kifunika campsite after a taxi sedan with 8 people in it broke down and they refused to let me get out and a boda (motorcycle) ride through the countryside (the main way to get around). Meble helped cook there but she at age 21 was also teaching tourism students aged 19 and 20 birding and debate. They invited me to go along and I have never seen such excellent birds. Hear that? That's a ... See that? That's a ... which was succeeded by confirming it in the bird book. She was right every time. I also had a very detailed guide show me every type of botany we passed and went to two Ugandan schools and taught them a song I do with Umoja Ensemble and recorded it and then decided to be silly and do Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. They loved it! I didn't go to Murchison Falls but this Bugahoma Falls was GORGEOUS (and free)!. For the next three days I was a part of their family and no one wanted me to leave and the feeling was mutual. I had originally chosen this part of Uganda to see the chimps, but sadly aside from the beauty of the park it was a waste as I could only see a black blur of fuzz 100 ft. up a tree in a nest. I did learn about them and heard them coughing and through the binoculars caught a glimpse of their face but there are no photos to document this.
The next day was hell. I woke up saying a tearful goodbye and couldn't believe how attached I got after 3 days, realizing I did not feel this same attachment in my current location after 8 months! My host arranged a ride with a courier driver who was wonderful and stopped to let me take pics of the crossing of the Equator and showing me viewpoints of Queen Elizabeth Park, but once we arrived in Mbarara that was the end of the fun. I still had another at least 3 hr bus ride and didn't know anyone at the other end. But after repetitive ATM failed attempts, a really bad connection Internet cafe and no answer at home to see if they could transfer money, I got a really bad exchange rate and forcibly exchanged a $20 blil so I'd have at least enough money to take a bus and have accommodation for the night. Yet all the buses had already left after this 2.5 hr detour so instead I went in a dala dala shoved to the window by 3 other people and my knees pressing up against the seat in front of me only stopping once for a "short call." On the way I had one of the most horrific experiences. I saw an ambulance blur past us and hit a man who instantly collapsed with blood dripping from his nose. AN AMBULANCE! Suddenly the whole town went to help the poor old man and our dala dala continued on its way. I was so scared after that.
After finally arriving in Kabale, I found out where I wanted to stay was still another 1.5 hrs but I figured the day had already been ruined and I may as well do all my traveling in one day. So I found a taxi and found out it really takes 2.5 hrs to get there so this would be in at 8:30 and the park guide was willing to meet me and help me find accommodation. Greedy greedy taxi drivers. 5 passengers wasn't enough for him (4 in the back, 1 in front) and we did not leave til an hr later when we had 7 psgers (AGAIN!). I was realizing this was a standard in uGanda and that taxis are not safer, faster, or more comfortable than a daladala in Uganda and was very thankful that taxis were not like this in Tanzania. So I began as the 4th person in the back. Yet the road was meandering every minute and I could not handle the weight of three people crushing my ribs as I was shoved even further into the door. Once one passenger left, I decided it'd be more comfortable in the front even with a gear stick where my feet should go so I switched. Taxis were the ONLY thing that made me irritated in Uganda, but I was completely peeved both times and this time muffled tears into my fleece with all the talk of the "mzungu" and knowing I was arriving in an unknown location at 10:30 at night. Thank god the guide was going to meet me there.
The next day made up for the preceding. I got to see the gorillas and not only that but had my own private tour!!!! And they actually care if you're a resident there so I got charged $25 less than the tourist rate and had wonderful accommodation with a very caring staff and excellent food. I had no idea it could get that cold, but thankfully I had packed wool socks, a Maasai shuka (blanket) and one long sleeve shirt. After a hot bucket shower and a cup of hot chocolate with a vegetable curry and chapati I bathed in the sun and reflected on the amazingness that was the gorillas! They were so BIG and one shook an entire tree branch at me but they told me not to run away as they were testing who was friend and who was enemy. When he rolled on his back and farted, I realized just how human they really were. No one has stressed how difficult gorilla trekking is though so I will attempt. Bush as high as you, going up and down grass tufts, through thorny trees, and only with a walking stick to guide you. I was VERY thankful for my rain pants! And I saw Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. BEAUTIFUL area! Then it was boda boda to the border which I presented my passport and walked right across into the Land of Thousand Hills: Rwanda.
Uganda was amazing!!!! Beautiful country and beautiful people. I didn't feel like a mzungu nearly as much and it didn't get pointed out to me everywhere I went (only on public transport). After a horrendous bus ride from Nairobi, I arrived in Jinja where I was greeted by a wonderful CS named Micheal who brought me home and introduced me to his wife and baby. Women here have no problem nursing in public. It doesn't matter if it is someone else's home, a bus, or a church, they just pull out the milk makers right then and there and this women was voluptuous in a way I rarely see. Aside from seeing 100 school children at the source of the Nile where I learned Gandhi spoke and eating a full lunch of 10 diff kinds of carbs and Nile Perch fish for under $2, the day was pretty uneventful. The night on the other hand was the first time I knew what it felt like to be in a tin roofed house while a rain storm occurred and my stomach growling of hunger. Eventually, I asserted myself and they drove me to get some food, but that definitely took some courage and I knew what it was like for many who don't have a car to rescue them and go to bed hungry.
People were so helpful, helping me find my CS's workplace in Kampala. After dropping my heavy 7 kg bag off, I found a local place for lunch where I could finally have some greens and a yogurt. IT's so nice to be able to choose for yourself what food you want. As great as it is to eat with local families, food diversity is something that I learned in Chile was really important. I ended up meeting another CS who did art with local kids and aside from a great museum with a section dedicated to music, the highlight of Kampala was the Ndaris Center where I got to see several different Ugandan tribe dances and music. I also went to my CS's grandma's house for lunch after a mega-church service with a TV-like commercial and announcement video on a big screen. I couldn't believe I was in Africa with this high tech stuff.
But my most memorable part is the wonderful family I found at Lake Kifunika campsite after a taxi sedan with 8 people in it broke down and they refused to let me get out and a boda (motorcycle) ride through the countryside (the main way to get around). Meble helped cook there but she at age 21 was also teaching tourism students aged 19 and 20 birding and debate. They invited me to go along and I have never seen such excellent birds. Hear that? That's a ... See that? That's a ... which was succeeded by confirming it in the bird book. She was right every time. I also had a very detailed guide show me every type of botany we passed and went to two Ugandan schools and taught them a song I do with Umoja Ensemble and recorded it and then decided to be silly and do Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. They loved it! I didn't go to Murchison Falls but this Bugahoma Falls was GORGEOUS (and free)!. For the next three days I was a part of their family and no one wanted me to leave and the feeling was mutual. I had originally chosen this part of Uganda to see the chimps, but sadly aside from the beauty of the park it was a waste as I could only see a black blur of fuzz 100 ft. up a tree in a nest. I did learn about them and heard them coughing and through the binoculars caught a glimpse of their face but there are no photos to document this.
The next day was hell. I woke up saying a tearful goodbye and couldn't believe how attached I got after 3 days, realizing I did not feel this same attachment in my current location after 8 months! My host arranged a ride with a courier driver who was wonderful and stopped to let me take pics of the crossing of the Equator and showing me viewpoints of Queen Elizabeth Park, but once we arrived in Mbarara that was the end of the fun. I still had another at least 3 hr bus ride and didn't know anyone at the other end. But after repetitive ATM failed attempts, a really bad connection Internet cafe and no answer at home to see if they could transfer money, I got a really bad exchange rate and forcibly exchanged a $20 blil so I'd have at least enough money to take a bus and have accommodation for the night. Yet all the buses had already left after this 2.5 hr detour so instead I went in a dala dala shoved to the window by 3 other people and my knees pressing up against the seat in front of me only stopping once for a "short call." On the way I had one of the most horrific experiences. I saw an ambulance blur past us and hit a man who instantly collapsed with blood dripping from his nose. AN AMBULANCE! Suddenly the whole town went to help the poor old man and our dala dala continued on its way. I was so scared after that.
After finally arriving in Kabale, I found out where I wanted to stay was still another 1.5 hrs but I figured the day had already been ruined and I may as well do all my traveling in one day. So I found a taxi and found out it really takes 2.5 hrs to get there so this would be in at 8:30 and the park guide was willing to meet me and help me find accommodation. Greedy greedy taxi drivers. 5 passengers wasn't enough for him (4 in the back, 1 in front) and we did not leave til an hr later when we had 7 psgers (AGAIN!). I was realizing this was a standard in uGanda and that taxis are not safer, faster, or more comfortable than a daladala in Uganda and was very thankful that taxis were not like this in Tanzania. So I began as the 4th person in the back. Yet the road was meandering every minute and I could not handle the weight of three people crushing my ribs as I was shoved even further into the door. Once one passenger left, I decided it'd be more comfortable in the front even with a gear stick where my feet should go so I switched. Taxis were the ONLY thing that made me irritated in Uganda, but I was completely peeved both times and this time muffled tears into my fleece with all the talk of the "mzungu" and knowing I was arriving in an unknown location at 10:30 at night. Thank god the guide was going to meet me there.
The next day made up for the preceding. I got to see the gorillas and not only that but had my own private tour!!!! And they actually care if you're a resident there so I got charged $25 less than the tourist rate and had wonderful accommodation with a very caring staff and excellent food. I had no idea it could get that cold, but thankfully I had packed wool socks, a Maasai shuka (blanket) and one long sleeve shirt. After a hot bucket shower and a cup of hot chocolate with a vegetable curry and chapati I bathed in the sun and reflected on the amazingness that was the gorillas! They were so BIG and one shook an entire tree branch at me but they told me not to run away as they were testing who was friend and who was enemy. When he rolled on his back and farted, I realized just how human they really were. No one has stressed how difficult gorilla trekking is though so I will attempt. Bush as high as you, going up and down grass tufts, through thorny trees, and only with a walking stick to guide you. I was VERY thankful for my rain pants! And I saw Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. BEAUTIFUL area! Then it was boda boda to the border which I presented my passport and walked right across into the Land of Thousand Hills: Rwanda.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Safari w/ Parents
In summary, it was an experience I will never forget! To explain all the animals we saw would be way too lengthy, and I haven't stayed in accommodation with views like that ever. My dad spotted a black rhino with his spotting scope as soon as we arrived at the hotel (there are only 13 left in the world so it's pretty rare!). The food was unbelievable at the Serena lodges with things like red peppers, cherry tomatoes, and lots of other veggies I hadn't seen in quite awhile. YUMMY! Even the beef at lunch was delicious unlike the tough, chewy meat here. Our driver was a very nice 27 yr old who said things like war-thogs and everything was "no proh-blem". He was so cute saying he missed his sister and how much more important family was than getting a wife. We came REALLY close to lions to the point where I stopped taking pics I was too cared it would jump up and snatch it. We never saw an attack but we did see lions and cheetah enjoying their prey. Saw lots of birds I didn't expect to see like the largest owl in Africa, flamingoes, ostrich, coral bustard (which we kept thinking our guide said bastard), crane, stork, stalk, and hornbill. We saw hippoes in and out of the water. They are ENORMOUS!!! And lots and lots of giraffes, elephants, and the migration of zebras and wildebeests and their relative the hatabeest. I did not know they made such sounds!! It was like an animal choir. Warthogs necks are too short so they have to kneel down on their front knees. Quite hilarious!
We stayed in a luxury tent where we had the equivalent of a chamber pot, but hey there wsa a toilet in the tent, and we all gathered around a campfire before dinner. I love camping so much!!! I'm realizing I can't go more than 6 weeks without it. The Masai boma (traditional house) minus being hot was really cool and had a beautiful view. The crater was GORGEOUS and we were right on the rim.
It was so great to have my parents here. They got to see a lot for nine days and can understand why I'm here after they saw the outreach concert and Umoja Ensemble. Though the dynamic when I was teaching by myself was VERY different!! Much more chaotic and not as good listeners/obedience.
Check out Facebook for MANY a photo of Safari. I tried to upload a photo but it failed :(
We stayed in a luxury tent where we had the equivalent of a chamber pot, but hey there wsa a toilet in the tent, and we all gathered around a campfire before dinner. I love camping so much!!! I'm realizing I can't go more than 6 weeks without it. The Masai boma (traditional house) minus being hot was really cool and had a beautiful view. The crater was GORGEOUS and we were right on the rim.
It was so great to have my parents here. They got to see a lot for nine days and can understand why I'm here after they saw the outreach concert and Umoja Ensemble. Though the dynamic when I was teaching by myself was VERY different!! Much more chaotic and not as good listeners/obedience.
Check out Facebook for MANY a photo of Safari. I tried to upload a photo but it failed :(
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