Safari in Murchison Falls

Overview of the falls

 

A herd of buffaloes strolling by

Last weekend I finally made it on a SAFARI (yes, you heard right - woop woop)! Going on a safari is something I've always wanted to do, and was actually one of the reasons I chose Africa for my volunteering experience (don't tell anyone). We made the trip to Murchison Falls - Ugandas largest national park - , home of the maybe not so famous plane crash site of Ernest Hemingway and his wife in 1954 (!). The park is a 6 hour drive from Kampala, on a rather decent asphalt road to the North-West of the country, bordering to DR Congo (yikes).

Hiking up to the misty falls!

A hungry elephant eating the leaves off the tree

Murchison is home to the baboons, antelopes, crocodiles, hippos, buffaloes, hyenas, giraffes, elephants, and lions, among others. Out of the 'big five' (elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and rhino) we saw three; elephants, buffalos and lions. Leopards are apparently really hard to catch, and rhinos sadly became extinct in the 1980s, but are being re-introduced now into sanctuaries. Luckily, we didn't see any poisonous snakes - like the black mamba - or spiders, although we saw the giant Nile crocodile, and our camp site was basically infested with bugs of all the different sizes and shapes you can imagine.

Warthogs eating our trash at the camp

The infamous Nile crocodile

The camp we stayed at was very basic, with tents and a few huts, no hot water or wifi, and only electricity whenever they switched the generator on. Nonetheless it was very cozy, with a bonfire every night, and it probably provided us with a more 'authentic' safari experience than some of the luxury lodges with pools and rooms with balconys (yes, they exist!). The first night we slept in one of the smaller huts, equiped with a fan, mosquito net and a small kind of porch outside with chairs you could sit on. The second night, however, there weren't any more huts available since we booked last minute, so we had to move to one of the tents. When I think of tents I think of the small ones where you can barely fit two persons in a four person tent, and you wake up in the middle of the night with your back hurting because you're basically sleeping on the ground. These ones however, were huge - you could easily stand up in them, and they could probably fit at least four - if it wasn't for the two big beds placed in the middle (can you imagine, and I sleep on a mattress on the floor in Kampala). Of course it was a bit dark and humid, but all the tents were equipped with oil lamps and sprayed with mosquito spray, to keep unwelcome visitors away.

Sunrise over the Nile

A bunch of hippos chilling in the water

The first day we arrived we hiked up to the top of the Murchison Falls, where the Nile river pushes through a 7 meter wide passage in the Rift Valley and plunges 43 meter down, flowing down to Lake Albert, which separates Uganda from the DRC in the North-West. Since it is during the rain period now, there was a few showers on our way, which got us completely soaked in only seconds, even though we waited around an hour in the car for the worst of it to pass. I guess that's what you get for being stupid enough to camp in the woods during the monsoon... For the rest of our trip though, we were lucky with the weather!

A flock of birds waiting to prey on us

Some animal footprints we discovered in the sand on our un-supervised hike (which we got yelled at for, because apparently it is dangerous to walk around unarmed)

The second day we got up at 6am to go on an early morning game drive in the park. On or way, we had to cross the Nile on a ferry, and caught a sight of a group of hippos chilling in the water. They must have the most comfortable lifestyle, apparently they just float around all day till it gets dark, when they go on land and graze for a few hours, before heading back. The game drive was the highlight of the trip I would say, driving through the diverse landscape, spotting different animals every 5 minutes or so. We actually got to see more animals than I expected, as the rangers said they couldn't promise anything. We also had a guide who had a very relaxed attitude towards the park rules, driving off the road and only about 5-10 meters away from a pair of lions lying in the shade, with the leftovers of their lunch right next to them. As we came closer, the lion really started to prepare itself for defense (or attack, depending on how you look at it), so just about when I was about to inquire if we should maybe close the windows (as this is also a rule), the guide came to his senses and pulled away. Later on, we drove past a group of people whose car had broken down, who were just walking along the road - we never saw them again...

The lions relaxing in the shade of a tree

A curious giraffe

Later that day we went on a launch ride up to the falls again, spotting animals along the riverbank from the boat. On the way we also passed by the place where Hemingway's plane crashed, right by the falls - guess he was lucky to get away alive! When we finally got back to the camp, we realized that we had had some visitors while we were away. I found my bag wide open on the floor, my soap and mosquito spray under Fridtjof's bed, and my moisturizer smeared on the outside of the tent. The guides told us that  it had most likely been a baboon, as they have a reputation for breaking into tourists' tents looking for food. Of course we had been warned about this in advance, and of course we ignored it, 'muzungus' as we are... Apparently the baboons have a really strong sense of smell, and they often mistake sweet scented toiletries for food. I'm just really glad the baboon didn't decide to visit us at night when we were sleeping, altough it would have been a perfect chance to get a good picture... So word of advice, if you're planning on camping in the wild in Africa, don't leave your toiletries in your bag! 

A baboon family in the middle of the road - maybe the ones that broke into our tent?

Everyday Life - When Reality Knocks

Next week I've been in Uganda for two months (unless my calculations are compeletely off), and I have to say - sorry for the cliche - time really flies by! I feel like we arrived sweaty and tired at the airport the other day, and to think we only have three months left now feels surreal. I still discover new shops on my (almost daily) walk to Kabira Country Club, where I've probably spent a good quarter of my time so far - sadly. But if I think of everything that's happended the last couple weeks, and all the new people I've met and places I've seen it feels like we've been here a while, after all.

Everything looks so much nicer from up here!

Before going on exchange we had a prep seminar with both AIESEC and Fredskorpset (the Peace Corps), where we talked about topics like cultural shocks, cultural differences and inter-cultural communication to prepare us for our stay abroad. One of the things I found most interesting was this model that showed all the different stages you go through while being abroad, where the first period is characterized by an excitement and curiosity for the new environment, followed by a slight slope - when reality knocks you off from your pink cloud you've been living on - before evening more out, with a few fluctuations. Whether this is true for everyone is of course not a given, but for me at least it's been pretty describing for the first part of my stay.

But what happens when the bubble bursts?

 I've actually been so comfortable inside my own little bubble that I hasn't even crossed my mind to write about why I'm actually here (untill now, that is) - which is work! So brace yourself for the probably shortest and least engaging blog post so far, unless you have an abnormal interest in social work or just have an above average work ethic.

As mentioned, I am in Uganda for five months as a volunteer for AIESEC - the world's largest student run organization, working on a project they have with FK Norway. I ended up doing this because I've always wanted to volunteer and work for an NGO abroad, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I couldn't choose which country I wanted to go to, but I could rank Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique, and cross my fingers I wouldn't end up in the middle of nowhere. All in all there are eight participants from Norway, three which are in Kampala (myself included), three in Nairobi and two in Maputo. From the other end there are seven participants from Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique who are in Oslo right now, doing the same as we're doing here. So it's a two-way exchange, basically.

The decisions wasn't quite as dramatic as Katniss

The organization I work for is called The Treasure Life Youth Centre (TLC), which is part of a larger organization called Kamwokya Christian Caring Community (KCCC), which is a local, catholic NGO located in the Kamwokya slum. TLC can best be described as some sort of 'day care centre' for the kids who can't afford to go to school, where they can come and hang out and play, as opposed to engaging in criminal activities, doing drugs or being exposed to other sorts of bad behavior. Our work mostly consists of promoting TLC on social media, to attract more donors (we're lacking funding for about half of our planned activites). We also of course engage with the kids, both playing with them, but also sensitizing them on issues such as reproductive health, substance abuse and other valuable life skills. During our time here we have also participated in workshops, various sports events, been on school outreaches and visited the advocacy office, which works with promoting human rights. Most of our work can be described as information work actually, as we do a lot of informal 'teaching'.

Abstinence is the answer in Africa

It is very interesting, as the kids are very smart and participation is high in the classrooms, which is more than can be said for Norwegian schools. However, it is also frustrating at times, as the cultural differences between Africa and Norway seem to be innumerable at times. The pace is much slower, there is a very non-confrontational culture, meaning that everything is being sugarcoated and you must constantly read in between the lines, and of course the infamous concept of 'African time', meaning that you're meeting at 11am probably won't take place till 2pm - if you're even that lucky.  

All in all, I'm still enjoying my stay here, although everyday life finally caught up on me. So if anyone knows how to get back on that pink, puffy cloud - don't hesitate to let me know...

Hey, wait for me, don't leave me down here!

 

The 'Exploring' Part of It

I just came to realize that my blog posts so far have been a bit negative, which was never my intention, save for the last one about the anti-gay law and the anti-miniskirt law, of course. Also, I promised in the beginning that this blog would be about 'my life in Kampala, exploring Africa, and other unrelated topics' - so here it comes, the 'exploring part of it'!

It's a whole new world!

Tips: Listen to either Toto's Africa, Shakira's Waka Waka, or the Lion King soundtrack while reading this for a more 'authentic' African experience. 

Uganda is really a beautiful country, and I would recommend everyone who wants to experience something slightly different from your typical 'tourist destination' places to make the trip down here. Africa has so much to offer, and the nature here is much more 'untouched' than many other places I have been to.

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Two weeks ago my roommates and I went to a city called Jinja, which is one of the must-see places in Uganda as it is right by Lake Victoria and the source of the river Nile (you know the big river from the Prince of Egypt). We stayed at a really cool backpacking place with camp site a little outside the city-centre and right by the Nile. I was actually really surprised by the number of backpackers who were there, as I (excuse me ignorance) have never really considered Africa to be a part of the typical 'backpacking route'. But I guess South-East Asia and South America got some competition now!

Fun fact: Did you know that the Nile is running from Uganda, 'up to' Egypt, and not the other way around?

Of course we had to try white-water rafting, which was actually not as scary as the picture suggests (and ridiculously expensive)

Unfortunately, we didn't get to go on a safari - which is a must do while in Africa - but we did get to both go swimming, kayaking and rafting on the Nile, which was pretty cool in itself. The first time in the water we were a bit scared of the crocodiles, but after a while we forgot about them (for better or worse), and just enjoyed the chilled temperature (Uganda seems to be getting more hot and humid by the second). Also during the safety drill before going rafting we were told the two things to be most afraid of was hitting our heads on a rock or getting smacked in the face by the person's in front of you paddle, so our fear of the crocodiles's quickly faded.

We found a camel at the beach!

Don't drink and swim

A Hindu tempel we went to on top of a hill

This weekend we actually went to the  beach in Entebbe for the first time (yes, there are beaches in Uganda, even though it is landlocked!). We soon came to realize that this was a bit different than going to the beaches in Southern Europe. If you're expecting beach chairs, umbrellas or a long, white beach by the crystal clear ocean, think again. The beach in itself was really cool, but I can't say it was very clean - neither my Mexican or Indian friend dared to go out in the water as it looked 'lime-puke green' in their words, and also it looked like their had been an oil spill as something weird seemed to be floating on top of the water, although im pretty sure there's no oil riggs on Lake Victoria... Also if you come to the beach to relax, you're at the wrong place, my friend. Right next to where we were sitting were some huge speakers which were blasting music throughout our whole stay, with some Ugandan girls twerking their ass of (believe me, Miley pales in comparison). And as always, privacy is a luxury commodity. I can't count how many guys we had to tell off who were shamelessly staring at the 'muzungus' at the beach. Even the waiter gave me a disapproving look when I was ordering food in my - brace yourself - SHORTS (omg, how promiscious of me).

Here's one for the women - happy belated women's day everyone!

So to round it off, as long as you're not very outspoken gay or feminist - travel to Africa! We still have some more travelling to do, including going gorilla trekking in a national park and maybe hiking in the Rwenzori mountains, so stay tuned for more travelling tips to come!

 

Why Girls Can't Wear Miniskirts and Gays are Gross

Cady Heron knows how to put it

If you hadn't heard of Uganda before, now you probably have. And unfortunately for Uganda, it is not good PR -  at least not in the eyes of the West. Earlier this week the controversial anti-gay bill sentencing not only gay people, but also their 'collaborators' up till lifetime in jail, was signed by the President - after 5 years of debate in the Parliament; and the gay debate resurfaced again. The newspapers have been riddled with titles like "Gay members of Parliament on how they're planning to take over", "Shameless homos partying till late", "Homos on how they turned homo", and of course the much talked about list of top 200 gays exposed, with full name and profession.

Here are some of the headlines from this week's newspapers: 

     Let's go knock on some doors, shall we?

What a scandal...

How dare they!

They're taking over!

 If you think this sounds bad, wait till you hear why most Ugandans are so homophobic - it is not religion (that much, at least), but because it is a Western invention promoted by gay countries (never heard of that? Well that makes two of us!). Apparently, the West is funding gay NGOs in Uganda to promote this socially deviant behavior to the poor kids who don't know better, corrupting them. Also, obviously, being gay is closely connected with being immoral, pedophile and eating poo (ew) - the latter according to a well-known pastor in Uganda. I must admit I've been pretty ignorant my whole life before coming here, why didn't anyone tell me all this before? So there is some misinformation going around, and with a long tradition of not accepting homosexuality, a great portion of religion, and some very strong feelings in motion, you might understand why the fight for LGBT rights in Uganda has a long way to go. So just stop being gay, because your life here will pretty much suck here then.

Just leave me alone already??

Another interesting law in Uganda is the anti-miniskirt law. Yes, you heard right girls, pack away your miniskirts - if not guys on the street will take the matter into their own hands and actually undress you. Now this part I find a bit ironic, since the law prohibiting girls wearing miniskirts (guys can of course wear whatever they want, as always) is called the Anti-Pornography and Indecency Act, and is aimed at reducing pornographic elements and indecency in Uganda. So if you see a girl being indecently dressed, ripp of her clothes and that makes her... decent? Makes perfect sense. While we're at it, why not outlaw old wifebeaters, crocs and ripped jeans? I mean come on, in what world is that being decently dressed? As a matter of fact, why doesn't the government issue a dress code for the public? I'm sure that would be much appreciated - you'd never have to think of what to wear again, ever! Whereas I'm used to the government being there for you, to protect your rights, here it seems to be the opposite - issuing laws on what you're allowed to wear and who you're allowed to fall in love with.

Women's rights activists protesting the anti-pornography law

Everyone knows wearing miniskirts is synonymous with being a slut

After reading this you might wonder: Wait what, is Uganda in the Middle-East, is it Muslim? Is this for real, in 2014? The answer is no, no, and yes, unfortunately. After living in Bangladesh the past 6 months, struggling to conform to the strict dresscode and Islam's view on women, I thought coming to Uganda would be a relief, since after all, it is Christian, right? How can two countries sharing the same religion, still be so different? Truth be told Uganda seems as, if not even more, alien to me than Bangladesh did in the beginning. At least there, they denied the existence of gays, so the topic never really came up. This seems like a witch hunt from the 1600s, holocaust, or even apartheid. Surely Africans learned 'their lesson' about discriminating against others then, when they were treated horribly by white people? Why is sexuality so different? Don't they realize this is almost exactly the same as what they fought together against only two decades ago?

Yes, I totally get it (not)

Only to make matters worse, everyone seems to have gotten the memo that Norway is witholding aid due to this legizlation, making it actually a bit dangerous to 'reveal' our nationality. We've already been confronted by our waiters in our regular restuarant, overheard people talking about the West in extremely negative ways, and been told to be cautious by the Norwegian Embassy here, which apparently has been getting hate mail. So if anyone asks, we're all from Iceland!

Go Iceland!

So my word of advice would be: Don't be gay, and don't wear miniskirts. Definitely don't do both at the same time, then you're just asking for it. And watch out, your best friend might just have:

Janis Ian know how it works...