diet coke IN AFRICA

I realize I haven’t posted on my blog in quite some time, so brace yourself. This could get long. Last week I used most of my vacation days and traveled to Tanzania with eight of the other volunteers. It was a great week. The first couple of days we stayed in Arusha and did things around that area. The first day we went to their fruit market (where they had unbelievably delicious pink lady apples and KILLER mangoes), a craft village, and we visited a Masai Museum and rode camels. The camel rides were ridiculous and touristy, but really entertaining. The second day we hiked up to a really beautiful waterfall around the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, but getting to the trailhead was the best part. It was raining and somewhere along the dirt road that was quickly turning into slippery mud, our bus realized that it was not actually an all-terrain vehicle and it got seriously stuck. The guides told us the trailhead was just a thirty-minute walk up the road. Right. Thirty minutes translated into over an hour of stepping so carefully as to not slip and eat it before reaching the trailhead. The trail was a little better and most everyone was on their feet for the majority of the hike, but the way down was a different story. The three-mile walk back down to the bus seemed endless and almost impossible. I slipped four times. Others had better luck than I had, but quite a few of us got on the bus completely covered in mud. It was so embarrassing walking back to the bus because everyone who was sitting out on their porch or walking by would stare and laugh at us. Quite miserable and humiliating, but we all ended the day with a hot shower at the hostel in Arusha, and a pizza and milkshake at an American restaurant which made up for everything.
The next three days we spent on a safari through the Serengeti. It was really beautiful. It was actually pretty dry in some areas though, and a lot of it reminded me of areas in Utah. The sunsets and starry skies were unreal though. The Milky Way looked like it does in pictures-cloudy because it’s so bright. And all of the animals were really cool. Our very first day we saw a lioness with her cubs, and then we saw her take down a warthog. It was like animal planet right before our eyes. We also saw a ton of gazelle, hippos, wildebeest, giraffes, zebras, lions, hyenas, meerkats, a cheetah, and other cool animals. After the Serengeti, we spent a day in the Ngorangora crater and camped at the rim. In the Serengeti, the animals were pretty spread out, but in the crater there were huge herds of animals everywhere. There were massive flocks of flamingos which was awesome. The crater was really, really pretty. I felt like I was on a safari in Jurassic Park or something. All in all, Tanzania was fantastic.
We got back from Tanzania on Saturday and the next day was the U.S. Embassy’s 4th of July Celebration. I don’t know if I can adequately describe how fantastic it was. First of all, we walked in and there was real Diet Coke at the bar. That’s right. Diet Coke. Not Coke Light, not Coke Zero, actual DIET COKE. Heidi and I were hysterical. They were 3000 shillings, which is about $1.75 per can, but we didn’t care. And when I thought things couldn’t get much better, there was a beautiful swimming pool, tennis courts, a sand volleyball pit, a great dinner of hot dogs and hamburgers, and acrobats for entertainment. They were really good. I honestly shed a tear of delight during their performance. They were tumbling and climbing on top of each other and pulling out all sorts of Circe de Soleil stuff. The night was finished off with some fireworks and a Disney princess song-filled taxi ride back to Lugazi. I could not have been more pleased with the day. What a great party. I really love Uganda, but that made me realize how much I appreciate America.
On Monday we met with a Women’s Group in our village, Nakazadde. We taught them the body parts in English and sang, “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” Then we painted their toenails and fingernails. That was one of the most fun women’s group activities we’ve planned. The women loved it. We can hardly communicate with some of them, but I can’t help feeling like they’re some of my best friends. They’re always super excited to see us. I just love them.
On Wednesday we went to a school in a little village near Kampala and we helped another organization with HIV testing, vaccinations, immunizations, and administering deworming pills, vitamin A, and multivitamins. First the children would be tested for HIV, then they were sent to a classroom where they were given various vaccinations, then on the way out they would receive the vitamins and deworming pills. I was giving out the deworming pills, and I felt so horrible because by the time they got to me they were crying and hated mzungus, and then I had to tell them that these disgusting little pills were “sweeties” (candy) so they would chew them. They looked at me like I was trying to poison them. I felt really bad. I think we’re going back next Wednesday to help with another group of children, so I decided I’m going to take Smarties that Heidi has and give them to them at the same time as the pills. Maybe they won’t hate me as much and I can redeem the mzungu reputation.
Thursday we finished Betty’s stove in Namengo. We did our first tin chimney and it went really well. We have been bricking the chimneys because many of them are outside, but this is a small one in a home so the tin pipe worked great. I’ve loved working with Betty on her stove. She’s been really helpful and willing to learn and just fun. Heidi and I love to make the ugliest faces we can think of and then take pictures, so while Dan was breaking out a hole in the wall for the chimney, we convinced Betty to do it with us. We were laughing so hard. The pictures are great.
Today we filled in a big stove at Crane’s School near our house. Our guard, David came to learn. He lives about 5 hours away from his family but he is going to see them in September and he told us he wants to build one for his wife. He’s such a good guy. Some of the people here are such great examples of kindness and service.
Anyway, those are just some highlights from this week.
The week before Tanzania I was supposed to be hiking Mt. Elgon with Dan, but he got sick so we came back. We were pretty bummed that we couldn’t hike it, but we had a really fun/busy week which was great. We built a bunch of stoves and set appointments for others. I was exhausted by the end of the week, and so ready for a little getaway to Tanzania. So that’s what has been happening these past few weeks. I’ll try to blog again soon so it won’t be so long!
Amber