Our destinations in Uganda

Our destinations in Uganda

Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year's Eve in Africa

Today was an early morning: we left for the Kampala market at 6 am. We first visited the outdoor market where dozens of people were selling their crafts. Holly and I learned the art of bartering and we bought a lot of stuff for a lot less than it would cost in the U.S. For example I purchased handmade beaded necklaces for 1,000 shillings which is around 40 cents. We saw a lot of different crafts and got some good ideas to bring to the village on Sunday. We bought some sample crafts to show the men of the village to get them more active in our program.

We then went to another market that was a little more upscale. Every vendor had their own booth and there was slightly more variety. Still we did not purchase much more since it was more expensive but I did buy a walking stick and a magnet (I have to collect a magnet for every place I have been).

We went back to the Adonai House, packed the car and had lunch before leaving for Mbarara. We stopped at the equator along the way where we were shown the Coriolis Effect, where water flows counterclockwise south of the equator, clockwise north and straight down on the equator. We stopped at the equator cafe and I had a banana muffin (very good) and Uganda coffee (not so good - but then again I do not like my coffee that strong). We continued to Mbarara and arrived around 8 pm.

We ate dinner at the Lake View Resort where residents were celebrating the new year with live music. It was very similar to an American celebration although people were sitting in chairs and not dancing which surprised me. We (the five team members, Charles and Christopher) had a very nice dinner with more traditional Ugandan foods. We celebrated Sue's birthday at dinner and presented her a card that Holly and Ashley made and a balloon. It may not sound like much but you have work with what you have!

One thing that has impressed me a lot is how hospitable the Ugandans are. For example tonight we arrived at the Hotel Serene (where we are spending the night) and we found that the computer room was closed. All I did was ask and the employees opened it up just for me. I think this is especially impressive since the new year is only 15 minutes away here in Uganda. The team is not celebrating it too much - we had a pretty long day.

Tomorrow we are leaving Mbarara around 10 to go to the wedding. We will then travel to Kabale and settle into the hotel we will be staying at for the next few days. On Sunday we will be attending a three hour church service in Muko and then will be singing at another gathering. Luckily the other four team members are good singers so my nails-on-a-chalk-board style of singing will be drowned out.

I hope you all are having a wondering New Year's! One last thing: I would like to give a shout out from Uganda to Jim McHenry. I hope that made your year.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Today's adventure: Jinja, Kampala and a Chinese Restaurant

We awoke this morning to have eggs and cinnamon roles for breakfast. We left to visit Richard and Generous Turinawe and their family. Generous is the Director of ACT Muko. Today we celebrated her daughter's fifth birthday with cake and cookies.

Sue went to Kampala with Generous while the four of us (with Charles Tuhaise, Generous's son Jesse and our driver Christopher) drove two hours to Jinja. We first saw the Bugali Falls on the Nile River. The rapids were very impressive and we spent considerable time there. We had a nice lunch at a resort nearby then drove to the source of the Nile where the river meets Lake Victoria. Both places were beautiful. Unfortunately I cannot upload pictures at this time but will do so in the future.

We returned to the Adonai House (our hotel) and regrouped. The five of us plus Charles, Christopher, Richard, Generous and Jesse went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant called Fang Fang. The food was excellent. We ate dinner with Daniel Karibwije (from the Uganda Export Promotion Board) and Rev. Canon James E. Karibwije (academic registrar at Kabale University). We spoke about various ways to increase the scope and sustainability of our projects. Holly and I spoke to Daniel about exporting to China. Daniel explained to us the importance of selling the story behind the baskets and not just the baskets.

The first full day in Uganda was great. I also tried two new sodas: Marimba (which I recommend) and Crest (which is bitter lemon and not as good). Tomorrow we are leaving at 6 am to set up at the Kampala market. We will spend a few hours there until we leave for Mbarara, about a four hour drive from Kampala. We will spend the night there and then participate in a traditional wedding ceremony the next day before departing for Kabale where we will be staying for the next few days.

By the way, the time stamp for the blogs are Eastern Time. Uganda is eight hours ahead - it is just after 10 pm here. Stay posted!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Arrived in Kampala

We arrived in Kampala without any issues. The flights were uneventful which is the best you can expect when flying any where. It is very nice here but we arrived after dark. There is not much to post today but we will be traveling to Jinja to see the source of the Nile tomorrow.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Sue's Blog

One of our travel companions, Sue Waechter, will also be posting blogs while we are in Uganda. Check it out at http://www.actuganda.blogspot.com/.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Trip Information

SIFE has been working with ACT Uganda for the past year. ACT stands for Agape Community Transformation. ACT is a partnership between the five churches in Michigan and several churches in Muko, a village in southwestern Uganda. ACT does several projects in the community. The specific project SIFE is working on is the creation of a business plan to help the village sell their handcrafted items (such as baskets and beads) in international markets so the proceeds can return to the village. Holly and I will help the village members create an inventory shipping and identify shipping methods to help create a sustainable business.

We will depart from Detroit on December 28 and fly to Amsterdam to connect with the flight to Entebbe, Uganda's main international airport. Each flight takes eight hours and we expect to arrive in Entebbe on December 29 at 8:15 pm local time (12:15 Eastern time). We will visit Jinja and the source of the Nile on Thursday, December 30 and then we get to work. We will visit Kampala's (the capital city) markets on Friday morning then depart for Kabale in the afternoon. The drive to Kabale takes eight hours so we will spend the night in Mbarara. We will arrive in Kabale on Saturday morning. We will be staying in Kabale while we are working in Muko which is a twenty minute drive.

While we are at the village we will meet with ACT Board members, work with the ACT team to create a sustainable business plan and visit the Guardian Families of local orphans. We will work in Muko until the following Friday (January 7) then depart for a day at Queen Elizabeth National Park. We will arrive in Kampala on Saturday then depart Entebee late Sunday night (actually early Monday morning). We will arrive back in Detroit on Monday, January 10 at 5:00 pm (Eastern time).

I hope to post updates every day while we are in Uganda. However, the internet and electricity are not always reliable and therefore updates may not occur every day. Please feel free to post comments and ask questions. I am very excited about this opportunity and hope you enjoy this blog.