Into the Wild.

It wouldn't be a trip to Africa without a safari, or at least that is what my parents told me when I tried (read: struggled) to convince them that this trip was a good way for me to spend my January.  Our whole group hopped the bus and started the very, very long drive to Lake Mburu National Park in Uganda which is literally on the border of Tanzania.  Lake Mburu is famous for having the most species of antelope and the highest zebra population in Uganda, and is the only park in the country where you can do a game walk.

Striped Pals.

A game walk is essentially a walking safari, and while it was pretty scary at times to be less than 20 yards from a water buffalo, it was so much cooler than seeing them from a car.  Animals literally surrounded you, and I basically spent the entire time comparing the experience to the Lion King.  Seeing Pumba (meaning: warthog in Swahili) might have been the highlight of the safari.  
We also got to take a water safari and got to get up close and personal with some hippos. Hippos were the most dangerous animals we encountered on our safari.  Their jaws open 180 degrees, and though they are vegetarians, they’ll happily chop you in half if you get in their way. The hippos make a horrible sneezing angry sound when they are displeased, and they were certainly not happy to see us there. Every time they popped up from under the water there were more of them, and they kept getting closer. Though our boat driver laughed at us and promised us there was nothing to worry about, he suddenly sped us away all the way back to our campsite. Concerning.

Lake Mburu.

Our hotel was in the middle of the park and the animals could literally come up to our rooms, and those hippos we saw on the lake come out onto the camp site to feed at night.  Luckily, there were a few guides who accompanied us back to our rooms at night armed with little more than a bright flashlight (still concerning).  

Wild Uganda

We passed by the equator.

I've been in Uganda for a little over a week now, and have just returned from our week long home stay in the rural Rakai district of Uganda.  My time there reminded me of how wild this place actually is.  Switching from (relatively) developed Kampala, to completely under developed Rakai was eye opening.  I found myself missing the trickling water we had in Kampala while we walked to fetch water at the spring in the valley and then subsequently boiled it to make it drinkable.

Standing in two different hemispheres. 

We walked to work every morning, spending thirty minutes observing our surroundings while thoroughly confusing everyone in town.  All of the children would run up waving shouting "Mzungu, How are you!" Our group would respond with "Fine how are you?" exhausting the children's english vocabulary.  Over the course of our stay in Rakai we must have had this conversation hundreds of times.  We passed stores for airtime, pork barbecue, and hair cuts.  People tried to get us to buy their wares, and we almost got run over by motor cycles on a daily basis. The first few days were rough, but now I think I prefer rural life compared to the hustling, dirty streets of Kampala.  It is really nice to just sit outside and look at the millions of stars speckling the sky, or to walk through town to pick up half cakes.

Learning how to harvest coffee beans. 

We spent the mornings at the Rakai Health Sciences Program, a program that has been reducing the HIV prevalence in the area since the late 1980s, learning about our independent topics.  Besides our time at RHSP, we transversed the town asking every healthcare worker who would listen about postnatal care.  I learned so much just by talking to people (usually needing an english to english translator) that it has revolutionized the way I look at learning, and I anticipate by the end of the trip I will return a changed person.

       

After the walk home, we would take up the role of the women and help prepare dinner and take care of the children.  Learning to cook over an open flame in a room separate from the house had a learning curve.  But I have picked up a few recipes that I am definitely taking back with me.  The gender roles in Rakai are a bit hard for me to swallow, but I am trying my hardest to finagle my way around the situation not offending anyone.  It's hard not to feel uncomfortable about the differences between the US and Uganda.  At the same time though, it's an inspiring and happy place to work.  People are friendly, the sun shines all the time (even when it's raining), and the work we're doing is so interesting.  Here's to the glass being half full, and exploring this crazy new place!

Doing research next to Lake Victoria. 

Oli Otya from Kampala.

Sunset at Ndere Center.

Oli Otya means Hello in Luganda, the traditional language of Uganda. I have been here for two days now and I am shocked at how different it actually is.  Cattle graze on city street corners, stores are set up in shanties, and everything is loud.  We braved a city market yesterday and I can say it is an experience that I am never going to forget.  Today we headed to a women's center an hour outside of Kampala and it was one hundred percent wonderful. Although I don't think I'll ever get used to being referred to as Mzungu (white person), I am loving my experience here so far.  While it might be exotic and completely different from what I am used to, I am loving the culture shock I am feeling.  I am headed to a rural Ugandan village tomorrow morning but for now I will share some pictures of my time here so far.

Passport and Yellow Fever Card.

A little boy named George.

Marching band playing "The Lion King Sleeps Tonight".

Turkey, Trials, and Traditions.

Beautiful trees on campus.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and subsequent break.  Things are slowly ramping up around here, and Thanksgiving provides a much needed calm before the storm of exams, projects, and general end of semester hysteria sets in.  The main reason I love Thanksgiving (excluding the start of the Christmas season) is the fact that there are so many traditions my family has surrounding the holiday.  My entire family hiked out to our beach house, which is rather desolate in the winter, and chowed down on a (Croatian inspired) turkey feast together.  The family time was unparalleled, but what I want to talk about is actually something new we tried out.

Getting ready to run.

This year, my sister and I decided to change our Thanksgiving morning plans, and run in our local Turkey Trot 5k.  Let me preface this by saying, I was never a runner.  In fact, I could be quoted (on multiple occasions) as saying running long distance was a fate worse than death.  Yet somehow this summer I got the crazy idea in my head that I wanted to take up running, and I had managed to keep running all through the summer and early fall.  Sometime in August I set my mind on running a 5k by November, thinking I had ample time, but with ankle injuries (and studying) I somehow couldn't find time to squeeze in a run.  However, inspired by Jenna and the fact that she ran a half marathon with a sprained ankle, I arrived at the high school ready to go sans training.  Less than a half hour (not by much) later, I crossed the finish line ankle miraculously in tact.  The rest of the day was spent surrounded by family and treats and my regular traditions, but there is something so satisfying about accomplishing something you never thought you could.  Here's to new traditions!

Tired post run.

Bedside Table.

Lamp. Plate. Candle. Alarm Clock. Bracelet. Bowl.

It's the last thing you see before you turn off the light, and the first thing you see as you fumble for the alarm in the morning.  I need my bedside table to be functional and hold my jewelry, glasses, and books, but I also want it promote restful sleep.  These are my top picks.

Graham Crackers.

When my friend Devon got the chance to jet off to SanFran for the weekend, I begged her to stop at my favorite bakery (that I've never actually been to). As a surprise she brought me back a pack of their graham crackers, and I knew I had to learn how to make them myself. Buttery, dense, and nothing like the graham crackers that come out of the cookie isle of your local supermarket, these delicious nibbles did nothing less than change my opinion of the snack.  With their little scalloped edges they were almost too cute to eat, and when I had a free moment on Sunday, I whipped up a batch using this recipe.  They were sinfully delicious, easy to make, and the ingredient list was short.  The only comment I have is that they will definitely be making a reappearance again soon.

Rainy Days.

Candles.

Well that was quite an experience! Hurricane Sandy spent the past two days ravaging the East Coast, including Baltimore, giving students two days off in its wake.  The experience was quite scary, and after looking at all of the pictures pouring in from New York and the eastern end of Long Island, I realized I was one of the fortunate ones.  I did not lose power, my building was not affected, and I am going back to school tomorrow.  The promise of school did not stop me from having a great two days indoors despite contracting a mild case of cabin fever.  Here is what made up my hurricane days.

Getting work done.

Hot chocolate with fresh whipped cream and movies.