With my departure less than 72 hours away (but who’s counting?) this will probably be one of my last posts for this trip. Truly is a shame since after 2 ½ months my mom has finally figured out how to leave a comment on my blog.
I had the best last weekend I could have asked for and got to spend it with some of the people that have made this trip so unforgettable. On Friday night a huge group of us went to Absinna, the Ethiopian restaurant, and ended up having a 3-hour dinner full of laughs (PS Ethiopian food is growing on me). Matt and Sinead, who work at Lacor Hospital, brought some of their co-workers who are also volunteers. They were a lot (A LOT) older than the rest of us and I couldn’t help but laugh because they reminded me so much of my grandparents. Barbara, one of the older volunteers, kept asking Iesha if she was Acholi and how long it takes for her to do her hair…..If you’ve met my family you know my grandfather can make some inappropriate remarks so even though Ieasha, who is so obviously a westerner, was less than amused, I couldn’t help but laugh.
On Saturday I had plans to go to yoga but accidentally slept through it. I didn’t set an alarm because in my whole time here I have never slept past 9:30. Oh well. In the afternoon I went shopping to find a vest for my murder mystery outfit , which was an amusing experience to say the least. Here they will try to make a sale no matter what. So even though I was buying a vest from the “men’s dress store” (aka a couple of dress shirts and coats hanging under a wood overhang) she kept telling me how great it looked and that I should buy more. FYI- I looked like an idiot. In the afternoon I went to a cultural fair that they were hosting at an organization called TAKS. They had different Ugandan dances and a few crafts. Unfortunately after being there for only 15 minutes it started to pour. We had to wait about an hour for it to let up before leaving. As we walked out they had “the rappers” come on stage and some were even rapping with Eminem in the background. …
On Saturday night I went to a Murder Mystery Party that was hosted by the girls I met that work for 31 bits. It was held at Combonis, the good pizza place, and we all had such a good time. It was essentially every single volunteer that is in this area (plus a few visitors) and it was such a good way to meet people. As Casey Saber the sword swallower, I took an Aladdin approach. Everyones costumes looked so good and you could tell that people put a lot of thought and effort into their outfits. I was even able to make a sword out of a cardboard box (after I removed the mouse that was chilling in it…) and was lucky enough that the Iron Donkey gave me some aluminum foil. I found a couple toy guns in the market but was not able to find a sword. If I had wanted a machete though I could have bought one for $2…horrifying. I was probably one of the worst actors at the party but that didn’t surprise me. I definitely enjoyed the social aspect more than trying to figure out who the murderer was. I do have to say that the way these parties are planned and how all of the characters are intertwined is pretty impressive.
What can I say-I’m an artist
On Sunday I went back to Chobe with Sophie, Helen, Matt and Frankie. This is definitely one of my favorites spots and we got so lucky with the weather we had- I was actually able to get some color. We spent most of the day just laying by pool and then went and sat by the Nile to eat the picnic lunch that we had brought. Halfway through our lunch we were greeted by a pack of 6 elephants! We got to eat the rest of our lunch watching them play in the water- probably the best lunch view I’ve ever had. After getting too much sun we decided to call it a day around 5 and headed back to Gulu. On our way out of the gamepark we turned a corner and were greeted by a lone bull elephant…..it turned and lifted its trunk as if it were going to advance and then stopped once it saw us backing up…one of those moments where no one could speak for about 10 minutes after since we all just saw our lives flash before us. Matts small rav-4 would have been no match for the 12-ton elephant. Still freaks me out just thinking about it.
Elephants joining us for lunch
I spent this morning trying to get everything in order for our blood samples to be shipped to the States. In true Ugandan fashion I think everything that could possibly go wrong has been going wrong. I’m praying that everything goes smoothly in the next 2 days and that they arrive safely-obviously there is a lot riding on this. Pretty sure my heart rate is 20 beats faster than it should be at the moment.
Matt and Frankie are having a bunch of us over for dinner tonight and it will probably be the last time that I get to see a lot of my friends before I go-definitely bittersweet. Super excited to see my family and friends but I will miss these people so much and its even sadder knowing most of them won’t be here when I return. The friendships I’ve made are definitely what I will miss most (with fresh bananas and avocados as a close second).
See you all soon!
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