Oh my.

Let me start by saying I am quite happy here. I know already that I will enjoy the work I will do here. I love the children I will be working with. I am living in a very nice (by Ugandan standards) apartment. It is next door to the headmaster of the primary school and his family. He and his wife are wonderful. I have been unable to use the internet until today...and I may not be able to again until next Friday. I have something I just absolutely need to get off my chest, and in an effort to therapeutically release it from my mind, I am going to share it (well, the condensed version anyway) on this blog.

If your children read this blog, you might not want them to read this next part. It is not something I would want a child to be exposed to.

Let me start by saying that I am okay. Seriously. I'm fine.
This Tuesday, I went on a field trip with the 44 older students of Mustard Seed Academy (the primary school I am at). We were also accompanied by two teachers, a social worker, the headmaster, and five of the volunteers. I was driving in the bus with the teachers, headmaster, and all the children. The day was amazing. I got to know a lot of the students' personalities while we admired the animals of Lake Mburo. We shared the day with laughing, sharing, and learning together. Honestly, I cannot emphasize enough how perfect the day was.

Unfortunately, we had to leave the park later than we planned. It is about an 90 minute drive from the park entrance to the village. By the time we were twenty minutes into our drive back, the sun went down and we were left to drive the remaining kilometers in total darkness. This probably seems like it isn't a very big deal to my American and European friends. I have spent enough time in Uganda to know that this was a VERY big deal. Night time brings many dangers. Without the protection of daylight, cars and people alike are at risk of getting hit by vehicles as they speed along the highway. There are of course many other dangers to nighttime, (some not unlike the dangers in America or other Western societies...they just seem worse here) but my main concern was with the increased likelihood of a car accident.

Since we are right on the Equator here, when the sun goes down there is hardly a sunset. It will be light one minute and then POW it is night. The moment it went black, I instantly had this feeling in me that I should take a moment to pray. This is a part of Ugandan culture--to pray before long journeys for safe travels. I thanked God for the wonderful day with the children. Then I remember praying that we would all return home safely.

About 45 minutes from the village, my prayers were answered in the most peculiar way. I remember I had just received two texts. One from Elaine, the director of the agency I work for. She was in the van with the other volunteers pretty far ahead of us. She wanted to check that we were safe. I replied right away saying that the children were singing, and we were all safe. The next text was from my cousin asking if I could call yet. I responded that I was still driving, too noisy to talk. Then WHAM.

I was looking down at my phone waiting for my phone to say the message was sent. When I heard something very big hit the window of the bus, children screaming and crying, the driver slamming on his breaks. I looked up--I was sitting in the front seat (without a seat belt since there wasn't one) and right at my eye level, there was a massive indent of the window the size of a watermelon. The headmaster's arm was across me and my right hand was gripping his arm very tightly. He and I looked at each other and without saying anything he jumped up and got out of the bus. The driver had already left, I don't remember him even leaving.(I later learned this was because he got out, hid, then rejoined a nearby crowd of onlookers because if he had been found they would have killed him.) I didn't really understand what had happened, I just knew I was covered in glass and everyone was making a lot of noise. I stood up and looked down to find a boda boda (motorcycle transportation) mangled just under the front of the bus. I could not see the driver, but it was immediately obvious that his head was the source of the indent in the window.

I turned around and saw the children standing on seats, crying, screaming, some laughing (probably from shock) and I remember shouting to sit down and stay calm. They listened and we were able to see that the teachers were ushering them off the bus. As I got off the bus I heard shouting and screaming from the locals. I later learned that many of them were screaming that they wanted to find the driver to kill him. This is village law--and eye for an eye exists in this part of the world. Other locals were opposing this idea because the now dead boda boda driver had just pulled away from the bar--where he had spent the entire day getting drunk and was told not to drive away on his bike. He didn't listen and the decision cost him his life. (Side-note: DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!)

Thankfully, none of the children were hurt. Nor were any of the adults; myself included. However, the next hour was very scary as we stood on the side of the obviously dangerous highway waiting for the volunteer van to double back, and also for another ride to become available for the children. We could not take the bus because it was leaking fluids and the window shield was completely damaged. Also, the locals were threatening to burn it and may have put up a fight to take it away. As I was unable to talk to anyone in Luganda to help with the coordinating...I took on the role of helping keep the children safe. I remember many of them huddled around me, holding my hands, hugging on to my front and back, and I just tried to reach out and touch as many of them as possible.

Eventually, the shock wore off and my body stopped shaking. I then realized that my hands, face, and chest were covered in little tiny slivers of glass. Thank goodness I was in the front and not the children. Thank goodness I was texting my cousin and not looking up. That glass would have been in my eyes instead of my skin. Thank goodness only the drunken boda boda man was hurt. I later found out that the bus driver (who had to spend a night in jail for his "crime") had seen the accident coming. He knew there was a steep hill on the left, and another lane of speeding traffic on the right. He knowingly decided to hit the boda boda and risk his life rather than veer to one side or the other and risk dozens more. Tough decision, quick thinking, but in that instant he saved many more lives.

We were able to get an empty truck to stop and we packed the children into it. I was able to ride with the volunteers in their van. They also let me stay with them at their hotel in a nearby village so I didn't have to be alone that night. They told me over dinner that when they pulled up to the scene, they saw me standing there with what they knew to be every single child forming a complete circle around me. I hadn't realized in the darkness that they had surrounded me from all angles and were tightly packed in. They said it looked like 20, not 40 children were around me because each wanted to be as close as possible.

Despite how incredibly traumatic the incident was, I take great comfort in knowing that I played a role in the events. My role was to pray for our safety. My role was to sit in the front and shield the kids from the impact. My role was to help keep them safe. My role was to simply be with them; and provide as much comfort as possible. In a weird way, I could not have asked for a better way to get to know the children on my first day with them.

I also got to see how responsible and honorable the headmaster and other teachers acted in the time of a crisis. This brings me a great deal of comfort in knowing that my life will be in very capable hands for the next six months. The next day I spoke to the headmaster and told him he was the reason I didn't go through the window, he laughed and said it was his instinct to help me. He was also very concerned with the glass in my skin--when I asked if he had the glass in his he said "yes, but that doesn't matter...how are you??" I'm confident I am surrounded by a wonderful group of people here.

I will absolutely be praying before every journey in the future--just in case that was the reason I walked away in okay condition.  Why tempt things, right?

Thank you for reading to the end of this. I really needed to talk about it!  I promise that despite this incident...I really am having a great time here! I will be going to Queen Elizabeth National Park on Saturday. The teachers and staff and volunteers are having a party on Friday. I look forward to the rest and happy times to distract my thoughts from that night!

Will write again when I have internet next weekend.

With love,
Kristen

Back to Africa!

Well...here I go again!

The last six months since my return from Uganda seem to have flown right by me. I finished my last class of college (for real this time), I gained (a brief) experience as an interim Administrative Assistant, my Foundation has finished over half the construction for the dormitory, my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year came and went....and oh yeah, I found a way to get back to Uganda...starting tomorrow.

This time, I will be living in a different village working for an organization called Real Partners Uganda. They are a non-profit run by a few wonderful people out of New Jersey, USA. I get to teach health education, start a peer-health education program at their primary school, and conduct a needs assessment in the village.

This time, I will be living in Uganda for six months. Oh. My. Goodness.

"Excited" is too small a word; yet I am too blown away by this recently developed life plan to provide a better description of my current feelings. 

This blog is short because I have to wake up in a few hours to catch my early flight--but I wanted you all to know that I will be writing in my blog again! I will have access to my email, Facebook, Skype, and of course, my blog...I hope you will once again join me as I start my first post-grad-"real life" chapter!

With love,
Nankya Kristen

With great charity comes great progress!

Today I am writing to recognize my friends and family who have shown their generosity in support of FDEC Foundation's dormitory construction project. People keep telling me that I must be a great person to have lived and worked in Uganda this summer. What I did was an easily witnessed act of kindness. Almost everyone in my social sphere was aware of my Journey to Africa. Yet, since I began fundraising for the dormitory, many more people have shown great acts of kindness and I cannot let them go unnoticed just because they weren't public!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to: 
WWU Foundation Staff for their generous send off donation
Alyson Pettet
Pam Stanek
Jennifer and Chuck Paradis
Dr. Billie Lindsey
Lisa Keene
Paula Chamberlain
Donna Janigo
Joshua Branson
Shelia King
Scherezad Yusef
Betty Wilkinson
Nakoma Pishko
Janet LeBlanc
Jackie Siewert
Linda Clay

And of course, my Mom, Dad, and Cousin Mike whose endless words of wisdom and financial support carry this fundraising effort to success! 

Here are the before and after photos of the dormitory's progress:

We couldn't do this without you! 

If you would like to help keep the construction going strong, please click the Donate button below and follow the instructions.

You can also mail a check addressed to FDEC Foundation to:
FDEC Foundation
PO Box 65141
Vancouver, WA  98665




With love and appreciation,
Kristen

Home Sweet Home

So here I am in Mount Vernon, Washington preparing for my second attempt at graduation. A few days ago I was in Anaheim, California hanging out with Mickey and Minnie. Days before that I visited Mount St. Helens. Two weeks before that I was roaming around London during my layover. Days before that I was living in a village in Uganda.

People keep asking me to tell them about my summer....honestly, I'm not sure I have the words to describe it.

Coming home felt like reuniting with an old familiar friend. Everything looks the same. Except my dog. He looks fatter, but I think that is because most of the dogs I saw this summer were skin and bone. My house smelled the same. My friends and family still have warm, loving hugs to embrace me. My car drives the same way...once I readjusted to driving on the RIGHT side of the road again. Our currency hasn't changed. American restaurant food still consists of Asian/Mexican/Italian/fast food options on every street. Starbucks has a couple new drinks to choose....

For the most part, nothing dramatic and noticeable has changed in my world.

Everything looks a little funny to me though. My bed. The decorations in my room. My car. My money. My massive closet full of clothes. The traffic lights. The food. The people. The trees. I could keep going, but I think you get the point.

Before I left Uganda, my cousin sent me off with very good advice. He told me that everything would feel different at first; but the only thing that will have really changed is me. I have a new perspective. I have witnessed great pain. I have seen the endangered Silverback Gorillas of the Bwindi forest. I have lived in a village in Africa. I have rafted the Nile River. I have survived swarms of African Ants, mosquitoes, and wasps. I have walked only a few feet beside a herd of Zebras. I have peed and pooped in places I can't even tell my Momma about. I have taught Ugandan people of all ages about health. I have ridden on motorcycles! I have survived many scary boat rides across Lake Victoria. I have co-founded a non-profit organization. I have raised enough funds to start the construction of the dormitory. I have traveled across the globe entirely on my own.

In short: I have started living my life. My God, it feels good!

It was hard for me at first to adjust back into the ease of my life here. The faucet provides me with water that I can actually drink without boiling! I can use my debit card wherever I go. My closet experienced a serious down-sizing when I purged an entire car-full of clothes and things to the Goodwill. I feel like I'm wasting water every time I step into the shower. Cooking food is almost a joke, it really is so easy! I get into my car, drive to the store, shop there, and drive back; twenty minutes later I am sitting back on my rear watching cable television in my air-conditioned home.  Amazing.

It takes a lot of energy to not explode from this reverse culture shock, but I think I'm doing alright so far.

With love,
Kristen

If you would like assist with the construction of the dormitory, please click the Donate button below.
Thank you for your generosity!

Lessons Learned

My family sent me to Uganda with a few special gifts: two books and a journal. One of the books, Water for Elephants is special-not only for its charm and ease of read-but also because I have given it to Molly to practice her English. By the look on her face when she received this book, you would think it was an original transcription of the Bible signed by God Himself! The second book, Eat Pray Love, has provided me with a platform to question and examine various aspects of my personal journey of self-exploration through reading about the author’s own journey. The third gift is perhaps the most special. This journal not only houses some of my deepest thoughts, it also provides the user with some of the greatest travel quotes I have ever come across. I am all for tying things together so they go full circle…as you know,  The Circle of Life was documented in a 1990’s film by Disney called, The Lion King, set in the very region I currently reside…My final blog will be strung together by some of the quotes I have found most suitable. I have mixed these quotes with 25 of my own lessons learned. 

To start us off: 

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” –Confucius

1. Thinking back on my mental preparation for this journey, I recall a conversation with my boyfriend that went something like this:

Me-“Dan, everyone keeps telling me how brave I am to be going to Africa alone, but I hate that because I feel like a fraud for being so completely terrified!”

He wisely replied, “The fact that you are afraid and still eager to do it is what makes you brave. If you were fearless there would be nothing heroic about it.”

2. Months later, I now know that I am a lot stronger-mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually-than I ever gave myself credit for.

3. I’ve never been especially great at anything; always just decently good at most things. That is, until I came here. I think I may have been born for this work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable” –Clifton Fadiman

4. Some things about Uganda are the same as they are in America. We all eat, shower, sleep, work, talk, raise children, and poop. The only difference is in the way we go about doing these things.

5. When people ask what I miss most about home I say I don’t know—because telling them that I really miss sitting in bed with my boyfriend while splitting an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s and watching shows like the A Team online just seems weird to admit to someone who doesn’t know what any of that is.  

6. Americans have it so freaking easy! (Don’t bother arguing with me on this one, this opinion won’t budge.) Case in point: It took me about two hours and thirty minutes to hand wash two pairs of shoes the other day. This was my second time washing them—without wearing them in between washings. 

7. The “Let’s save Africa” mindset is useless. Most people here don’t need “saving.” They need what every human needs and deserves: Compassion, Assistance, and Understanding.

If you ever plan on coming to this continent, I suggest leaving the White Horse at home.

8. That brings me to my next point: Africa is a continent. Uganda is a beautiful country within it. Its people are no more Egyptian or South African than I am Mexican or Canadian.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” –Marcel Proust

9. Crystal Light is basically Kool-Aid for grown-ups and can turn icky water into yummy juice.

10. Mosquito nets are kind of like less fancy canopy beds that protect you from malaria.

11. Drinking a coke after a hard day’s work is as refreshing as a cold beer…well, almost.

12. Baby wipes are better for shaving my legs than any cream I have ever used. Seriously, try it.

13. Eating, sleeping, bathing, and pooping with bugs isn’t so bad after a while.

14. I’ve grown to see insects and bugs as things with which we must coexist. I don’t think it is right to kill them on the mere grounds of, “they were close to me.”

Unless of course the bug/insect in question is a mosquito, a spider in my bed about to attack, or a marching line of African Ants—in those situations, kill or be killed fully applies.

15. There are times when a rainstorm means there will be enough water to bathe, cook, and do laundry. They aren’t always about ruining parades and weddings.    

16. And yet, there must also be a balance between rainy and sunny days. The sun brings safer roads, energy for crops, and power in our homes. Not just pretty tans and picnic weather.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

17. Even when life is as hard as it can get, it is human instinct to Just. Keep. Going.

“Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey.” –Babs Hoffman

18.…because someday [week six of my journey to be exact] the Ugandan Government may decide to send workers to fill the potholes and fix the road. Patience is a virtue…

19. The smiles of children can bring out the sun on a dreary homesick day.

20. Money isn’t everything. It is a lot of things. But not everything.

21. One trip to Uganda can’t possibly be “it” for me. I will be back. Probably soon.

22. I needed to live, work, eat, breathe, and love in this community to comprehend fully the power of community health. I look forward to embracing more communities like this throughout my career.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

23. I won’t be graduating this August because I need to retake one more course. I found out about this during my first week here—just after I held the responsibility of telling nine people they were HIV+ and then practically lying to them as I said it would all be okay.  

I’m not sure God/The Universe/Fate could have tried any harder to teach me the value of perspective that week.

24. I won’t be graduating this August, but I will be concluding the most meaningful, powerful, and treasured chapter thus far in my life. 

“The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

25. My next mini-chapter will involve a lot of planning, job searching and of course studying in preparation for my next journey, which I am certain, awaits me with gates, opportunities, and strings to be struck…

Thank you for joining me on this one! I look forward to seeing many of you in the coming weeks!

With love,

Kristen

PS: I plan to write a follow up blog about my experience re-emerging back into American society. There will also be a blog with more pictures when I return to America next week.

PO Box

Many of my friends and family have asked if there is an alternative method of sending us payment for the dormitory fund. Due to popular demand, we have established a PO Box in Vancouver, Washington that will be used for the specific purpose of fundraising.

If you would like to donate by sending in a check made payable to Future Diplomats Education Centre Foundation, please address the envelope to:

FDEC Foundation
PO Box 65141
Vancouver, WA  98665

Thank you for your support!

With love,
Kristen

GOOORRILLLAAAAA!

So much can be said about my trip to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. If you have never heard of the great Silverback Gorillas of Bwindi, stop reading and Google them right now!

You back? Okay…well there are only 300 of these gorillas left in the world and they can only be found in three locations. Nine families live high in the mountains of the Bwindi Rainforest. The Ugandan Government limits the number of visitors who enter the rainforest each day. If you wish to partake in a Gorilla Trek, you must pay the Ugandan Government $500 for a permit (good for one hour of gorilla viewing). Then you must find transport to Bwindi, which is a nine-hour drive from Kampala. I was fortunate to have a cousin who absolutely insisted I see these notorious gorillas of the Rainforest. He also acted as my travel consultant and sponsored my trip (He is really just that incredible. I’ve already started planning a grand adventure to take his children on someday…)

I had been looking forward to this trip for weeks and on Wednesday, July 27^th I left my village for Kampala so I would be in an easy location for my 0700 pickup time on Thursday morning. My little body tried to change these plans though. Wednesday night I work up every hour in a hot sweaty daze and felt like I was a dried out sponge. Being the intelligent health educator that I am, I chalked this up to feeling dehydrated and I drank two full water bottles and went back to sleep. In the morning, I still felt miserable and I finally accepted that I had a fever. My cousin played nurse for the next hour and we were able to break my fever.

Then we literally had a life or death decision to make. Do I skip the trip (the non-refundable, un-repeatable, un-re-schedulable trip) and go to the doctor in case I was experiencing the beginning of some crazy African disease? OR: Do I ignore my symptoms and travel 9 hours alone to the border of Rwanda and the DRC where I will have no cell reception, no computer access, and no hospital to fall back on?

Well, if any of you remember the Kristen who went to class the day after her emergency appendectomy…you won’t be surprised to hear that I went with the, “ignore all logic: live a little!” route.

No regrets.

My travel group consisted of our slightly aggressive and extremely opinionated driver named Joseph, a lovely couple not much older than me from Denmark, and my disease-ridden weakling self. Quite a long drive, but it really was great company! Most of the drive was on a decently paved road…until we arrived at the bottom of the mountain. From the bottom to our lodge was about a two-hour drive up a narrow, rocky, and pot-holed road. When we [finally] arrived to our lodge, the staff greeted us with warm towels and tea. Since I felt ill, I drank enough tea to be polite and then left for my room and took a nap until dinner. The rooms were all scattered throughout the rainforest and it was absolutely beautiful! Yet, (despite my cousin’s warning) surprisingly cold! Our first afternoon it was 10^o C [50^o F but I have been in 85^o-90^o heat for the last two months] and it dropped even lower after dark. Our dinner was served on an outdoor canopy patio and we were treated to an authentic rainforest storm. If you have ever been to the Rainforest Café while the mock thunder and lightning storm takes place, then you already know what this was like. Only, it was much colder than the restaurant. Very fun. We were all giddy about how incredible it was to go from no rain and clear skies to total darkness and torrential downpour. The lightning would flash so bright it felt like I had looked into the sun, and then one M-i-s-s-i-s-s-BOOOMMM! It was so cool. However, I hardly ate a bite of my meal because I really did not feel well at this point.

The hot water in the hotel did not work, so I took a brief ice cold shower after dinner, and jumped into bed dressed for a snowstorm. Thankfully, the hotel provided a hot water bag that was waiting for me in my neatly tucked back covers. I didn’t get much sleep that night because my body decided it liked the bathroom better than my bed.

Despite the fact that my mystery illness had clearly worsened, I was still very much determined to see the gorillas. I put on my, “No, really, I will be fine” face and started my day.   

The drive to the starting point took about a half hour. Much to my dismay, we stopped at the bottom of what felt like a very long hill and we half jogged up to the top. At the top, the lead guide gave us a talk about rules and regulations. The strongest point he made was, “If you have had a fever, vomit, or diarrhea in the last 24 hours, you cannot go to the forest. We are closely related to gorillas and as these are an endangered species, we cannot risk spreading disease.” All I could think was, “NOOOOOO!”

With great difficulty, I walked up to him after his talk and with tears of disappointment and defeat; I admitted I had these dreadful human malfunctions just this morning. I accepted that I could not go. He looked at me as if I was crazy and/or stupid. He and my driver sat me down and said it wasn’t that bad and I should stop being so weak and go for the trip of a lifetime. I was so confused, yet, also very relieved! I hired a porter (a local who carries your bag and helps you during difficult parts) who was my saving grace. After about ten minutes of hiking up a mildly sloped hill, I felt like I could collapse. I just kept thinking, GOOORRILLLAAAAA…..! My body was shaking, I was sweating, and my head throbbed as if I had a concussion every time I ducked it down. But, GOOORRILLLAAAAA!!! My porter was incredible. He walked in front of me and broke off low branches to prevent them from hitting my head. He carried me by holding one of my hands up the insanely steep mountain slopes. My favorite was when we stopped for breaks, he kicked into the nearby bushes until a box-seat formed and then  disappeared into the forest to return with big fern leaves, and sat them down on the “seat” and said, “Here, Madam, please rest,” as he gently sat me down like a little girl.

I am not usually the kind of person to allow doting. In fact, I hate when I am vulnerable. However, I am a realistic person and I recognize that without that man I would have missed seeing the gorillas. By the end of the first hour, I was so weak that when we stopped our forward momentum, I could actually feel my legs shaking and if I focused on my hands when he was holding me up, I could see them tremble. I do not think I have been that sick for years. Of course, it would happen in the middle of the rainforest.

People say many special things are “once in a lifetime.” I tend to take that with a grain of salt because every day comes once in a lifetime; I try to appreciate each one. After three hours of cutting new “shortcut” trails into thick bush, climbing up 90^o angle mud hills, fighting off African ants in my pants, getting attacked by a swarm of wasps (which left my left eye swollen almost shut), and witnessing views of the rainforest that have only been seen by a few hundred other people; after all of that, we were told we had reached the gorillas. We had to give up our walking sticks, backpacks, and porters to climb the final hill where the gorillas were resting. I stumbled up the last five strides up the hill and out of nowhere, a mother and her child came into view. I stood only four feet away from the duo as I watched in awe the tender, peaceful actions between them. My camera went crazy. Then one of the trackers summoned our group up to a higher point on the hill. Initially, I thought it was to get a better glimpse of this mother and child, but as I emerged from the plant-covered slope, I saw a family of majestic gorillas resting under a tree. Two teens playing in the tree (at one point one of them intentionally peed on the others on the ground and laughed about it), one silverback in the distance doing what looked like arm curls on a tree branch, one injured silverback hid in a bush, two mothers with two more babies, and the alpha male Daddy silverback sat quietly under the tree. Eleven gorillas total.

Despite my swollen eye and trembling hands, I managed to take about 100 pictures. Of course, only a handful is worth showing. Be aware, thee pictures were taken from only five feet away.

NOT zoomed...!

View from the top of the mountain at the gorilla site

View on the way down from the mountain

My Danish travel-buddies, Henrick, Melina, and me at the Equator on our way back to civilization

I just do not know how else to explain that day: it was truly once in a lifetime.

With love,
Kristen