Ashley
We spent our last night eating dinner looking at lake Victoria. We ate at a resort where they had weird/ugly looking storks that were just walking around minding there own business. Then we headed for the airport we already had one of the student that were coming back to America with us (Cynthia) and we met the other one at the airport (Richard). Father Dan and Peace along with yachts a family walked with us a far as they could where we had to say goodbye which was hard. We made Pece and Father promise to come to America and visit. So far things were going smoothly we had checked our luggage receive our boarding passes it was when we were trying to pass through immigration were we hit a snag. The first couple of us got through no problem it was when Cynthia tried to go through we started to go through immigration we hit a snag. They wouldn’t let her through the lady was insistent that she believed she was being trafficked we understand that she was just doing her job but we had paper work proving otherwise. We were able to get Richard through though with help from other employees. Cynthia went back with father dan and will be coming with Ivan (another student) at later date which is unfortunate. Currently we’re waiting in Brussels for our flight back to America.
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Due to the business of the day, this post will have entries from multiple students! Please continue reading! Raegan On our way to visit our final farm, we had to take a small, wooden boat on Lake Victoria. This boat was simple, to say the least. The dock that we had to walk on to access the boat had rotting boards and missing ones as well. The ship had a few wooden boards to be used as a seat, and had a small motor attached to it. While the 30 minute ride went by, we were able to see the beautiful sights of the bay, and many different species of birds. The water in Lake Victoria was a gnarly green color and stagnant on the way to the farm, but on the way back, waves were rough and often splashed into the small boat. Faith This morning we went the US Embassy in Kampala to meet with a Cultural Affairs Officer. Before we were able to enter the premises we had to be screened for security purposes. Even though we are US Citizens we were not allowed in the building, which was odd. We only got to talk to him for several minutes outside because he had another meeting to attend. But, we disscused the FLAG East Africa Initiative Student Exchange Program. We told him about our blog and emailed him the website and how we are Agricultural Exchange Students from America through the FLAG Program. Due to the high security photos were not allowed to be taken during this event. Paris After our boat ride to get to the other side of Lake Victoria we hiked 2 miles to get to Laurence’s farm. We started walking on a road which then turned into a trail that got very slim very fast. The path ended at the farm. At the farm he currently has 5 cattle and 4 more are coming that are pure Holsteins. Laurence started making his own silage last year made from products he grew on his farm. Today we got to see the progress and the silage is coming out very nicely. He feeds the cattle grain corn stalks and his silage. He is one of the few farmers that make and feed silage. On the way back one of the men that work on the farm took us on a short cut but it turned out to be almost the same distance. But it definitely seemed shorter. Liz
While at Lawrence’s farm we saw the new well currently being dug. Two men worked above ground while another man dug deeper and slightly wider inside of the well. The two men above ground used a rope system to lower two jerry cans down to the man inside of the well. The man inside proceeded to put the dirt inside of the buckets and the en on top cranked the buckets up to them and dumped them out. The long, hardworking process is continued until they hit water. So far they have dug a little over 60 feet down with no water but the soil was slightly damp compared to before. After we left they pulled the guy out from inside of the well by tying the rope around his waist while they cranked the man up. Paris
Yesterday we went to father Jacobs parish to visit and see his new vocational school. At the school they have 5 programs they are, agriculture, carpentry, hair styling, mechanic, and catering. The agriculture class has the most kids. The first year there were 9 kids and the second year there were 6. At father Jacobs school it’s only 300 U.S. dollars to sponsor a student for a year. The reason there are not a lot of kids there now is because of money. The students in the agriculture program had a small farm with eggplant, corn, and other vegetables. Most of them didn’t survive because of the drought. At the school they had a girls dorm where they sleep three to a bunk. They are currently building a boys dorm. Sunday a friend of our, Moses, invited us to his church. We hiked about 2.7 km to get there. At his church he sings in the choirs and we were given seats of honor on the altar to listen to the mass. They introduced us to the rest of the church multiple times because they were so honored to have us there.
We went to the Ebenezer dairy farm today. At the farm they artificially inseminate all of their cattle. They have two well that dried up so they have to bike all their water to fill the trough. The last rain they had was in November. They got cattle from Kenya and they considered those the best ones they have. They milk all 14 cows by hand. They also put embryos in the cows. We at lunch in Tororo when we were on our way to meet the archbishop. The food there was delicious. When we got to the archbishops house he wasn’t there so Mr. Ankley presented the picture her was going to give him to the sister that greeted us. We did not meet the archbishop because he was extremely busy. Raegan
Earlier today, we visited the church that we went to on our first Sunday here. The church’s Nuns, the Sisters of Mercy, run a school for the homeless children in the area. We delivered a suitcase full of stuffed animals and toys to them, and toured their facilities. This school was easily the nicest we have been to so far! The Sisters came from Italy, Mexico and India, and were all glad to welcome us into their parish. The superior Sister gave us a blessing, as well as many Mother Mary charms. More recently, we visited the source of the Nile, in Jinja, UG. The group and I were able to have one of the best meals we have had so far, and saw some amazing views along the way. While driving to the source, we were able to feed wild baboons on the side of the road! Ashley
We are experiencing first hand how dry it is here. Especially when we drive around and get out of the car and you are covered with dust. In the Mbale region of Uganda there is some wetlands where they can grow rice but pretty much everywhere else it is dry and in most places it haven’t rained since August. While we were traveling to Kidepo we saw a lot of places where the rivers had dried up and people were digging down for water on the river bed to bath and wash their clothes. We also saw a lot of places where there was big pools of mud and people were trying to find mud fish. The dry season is normal in Uganda, however the severity of this drought is something the country hasn’t seen for a very long time. Most say the worst since 1997. While we were here we found out that in the west the drought is so bad that a large amount of their cattle have died.In the pictures one is of an orange tree that is drying out because of not getting enough water and the other is they have the soil tilled getting ready to plant for the wet season at the end of February to the beginning of March Raegan
Last night, on our way back towards Mbale, we were fortunate enough to stay in a hotel that was quite similar to the hotels in the US! Instead of having to go to the bathroom in a hole in the ground, we were treated with real toilets, as well as a small TV in our room! Another change was that our room keys were actually key cards, instead of having an actual key to enter our rooms! But the biggest difference was that the hotel had WIFI! This is the first time that wireless internet was offered to us this whole trip! The pictures show a bathroom, the bed with the mosquito net (to avoid mosquitoes with malaria) and the charging station. We haven’t had electricity for a few days other than the times the accommodations would run a generator for a few hours each night. We left this morning at about 9:30 and we stopped at a traditional market. To say that the market was busy is an understatement! There were at least 100 “boda bodas”, which are the small motorcycles that are used like taxis, in the makeshift parking lot. There were vendors selling everything from beef to baskets, and seeds to medicine. We purchased chapati (unleavened bread), pineapple and a few other miscellaneous items. Raegan
Last night, Bill Ankley and Father Daniel arrived back from Kenya, where they helped fix a baler (which has been broken for several years), and checked out a large cattle farm. The group and I headed towards Fonicus’ village, which took about 5 hours! The weather is definitely more hot, as we head north. It is dry and the wind is very hot. It is also dusty. On the way, we saw multiple large herds of African cattle, and what looks like untouched land. The beautiful view made the ride go by sooner. When we arrived, we went through the tradition of meeting the elders. This included introductions from all of the elders of the clan and a couple ceremonial prayers and a trumpet solo. We also had a large feast in our honor. It included goat, chicken, rice, locally grown vegetables, honey comb straight from the honey and several other dishes. Gifts were exchanged between Fonicus’ host parents and his actual parents. We were all made members of the tribe during the ceremony. We also taught some of the younger clan members how to play American football! Tomorrow we are heading towards the Kidepo National Park! Faith
This morning we went and toured the Kidepo National Park. We saw water bucks, elephants, water buffalo, zebras, and various birds. Our huts we stayed in the previous night were right inside the park and the wart hogs and monkeys roamed around there. The Sarai was a couple hours long and included stopping at a couple observation points as well as driving close to several animals in their natural habitat. The park has over 40 lions but we weren’t able to see any as they prefer solitude. We left the park and on our way back to Mbale we got a flat tire twice, both times in the middle of nowhere. Both times locals that were walking down the street stopped to see what was going on. None spoke English but Fonicus was able to translate a little. All went well and we moved along toward our destination. We just all said goodbye to our foreign exchange student, Fonicus at his home. He stayed in Milan Michigan for the past year and spent a week with us in Uganda helping us see the country and meet people. Before coming to the United States, he was responsible for caring for the family’s cattle. He will be doing the same now that he is back. Liz
During our 4 and a half hour drive to Kidepo National Park, we stopped at a church with a friend of Father Daniels. While we stretched our legs before taking off again, Bill went to pick up a cabbage that had rolled underneath the van. He noticed we were leaking transmission oil. We had put a hole in the oil pan underneath probably when we hit a stone. The ride is very bumpy. We called a mechanic and fortunately we were close to an area where everything could be fixed. In a few hours everything was fixed and we were on our way. |
The UpdatesEach week there will be a new post to the blog, that will highlight our students and there projects. It will also give weekly announcements. Archives
May 2019
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