Rafting, Jumping, and Bananas

Uganda was just unbelievable. We had the most amazing time. Crossing the border at 630am is a little sketchy but we made it. Africans cut in line a lot so we almost had a rumble in the Ugandan customs office but all was resolved without altercation. I'm so relieved that we were traveling in a group of six and not solo or with one other. We travelled all day to get to Kampala, an enormous bustling city that is quite overwhelming. It took us almost 10 hrs to get there and we were exhausted. we went to red chilli after an amazing indian dinner and passed out. the next morning we were picked up at 8am and transfered to Jinja by our rafting company. Jinja is where the source of the Nile river is coming out of Lake Victoria. It flows north towards Egypt. We bunjeed first. I was terrified but Mona, Erica, and Lakshmy were nervous too so I had to go first and be fearless. to say I had the shakes is an understatement. and then the bunjee guys asked me if i wanted a 'water touch' and i said sure. its not that scary until you are looking over the edge of the platorm and they tell you to let go. but, I jumped upon command and fell almost 200 feet into the nile. I got dunked up to my waist, and then 'boinged' several times. No time to waste, we were immediately put into a boat to raft. Our guide, David from Portland, was awesome. The rapids on the nile are mostly class 4 and 5. There are many 6's (unrunnable) that we carefully manuevered around. They have names like Overtime (15ft waterfall), bugigali falls (another waterfall), sibling rivalry, dead dutchman, and then the big one: Itunda. We ran Itunda through a hole that is called 'the bad place'. I suggested that they rename it. We rafted for 7 hrs down 35 kilometers of the nile. We swam, saw birds and snakes, and almost died several times. Then it was time to return to Kampala. We were bused home and could barely keep our eyes open. We went out to a Thai dinner anyways and were completely asleep minutes after returning to our hostel. We departed from Kampala early the next morning heading back to Kabale, a border town 6 hrs away. We arrived at the bus station at 930 and our bus did not leave until 1230pm. We were swarmed by Ugandans and sold lots of stuff. We spent a total of 10 hrs on a bus that day. Upon arrival in Kabale, we jumped into a taxi to take us to a boat to take us to an island in the middle of Lake Bunyoni. Bushara Island was much like being on safari, we stayed in tented camps and we serenaded to sleep by birds and ate wonderful food fireside. I wish I could have stayed for days but alas, we had to return to Kigali. Uganda was an amazing weekend, a beautiful place with amazing people. I hope it will not be so long before i return.

Missing home.

I miss the strangest things. I miss collapsing into a fit of laughter over some stupid comment made by one of my fellow public health conspirators thats not really funny to anyone else (i'm talking about sam, scottie, and lakshmy), i miss splenda because now i'm forced to use raw sugar so I'm accutely aware of my caloric intake, i miss being ignored (you think i'm kidding but i'm not), i miss TV and movies, I miss english, noise, and air that does not smell like diesel fuel. I miss dogs with wagging tails and laundry that does not dry in the sun but in a dryer (not that i don't really like the sun, it does a great job warming the earth!). Sometimes I cannot remember what driving my car is like, or a frappacino or wall to wall carpet. Did i mention that all floors in africa are cement or dirt? Sometimes the only way to get cool is to lay down against the cold floor. So yes, i'm a little bit nostalgic. I put mom on a plane home yesterday and spoke to some friends in the states and now I miss it. But i'll be home soon enough. We are in the throws of planning our trip to Uganda next weekend. I cannot wait to see the nile and swim with the crocadiles (just kidding mom and all relatives!). My time here is now starting to wind down, we are preparing for the end, ensuring 'sustained benefits', and 'wrapping up'. I'm so grateful for everyone who has been there for me this summer, even when you thought you were just listening to me talk or writing me a note, i needed it. Knowing that people back home believed in me has been crucial in getting through all the ups and downs. And to Africa, I hope I was a gracious guest!

Safari

It feels like I should tell stories, about animal chases and fantastic sunsets. And I could. There are stories about adventure and bumpy safari rides and hot air balloons but I just don't think that the stories would do it justice. I cannot even begin to describe what our trip through Kenya was like. I cannot describe the things I saw or the people that I met because they were utterly beyond my imagination. I can tell you that seeing animals in a Zoo or on Discovery Channel is vastly different than sitting silently watching them, watching them watch me, when all you can hear is birds and the wind, on a stunning grassy hillside in the middle of Kenya, far away from everything I thought was important. I can tell you that looking a lion square in the eyes will make everything that has scared me before seem small and insignificant. Few things are more terrifying and thrilling that awakening to a Hippo 3 feet outside your tent, a pack of cheetahs feasting on a kill, or a black rhino staring you down. Safari is magical and Kenya is an amazing place that I will never forget. Other than that, lets just hope the pictures turn out well.

More than I ever knew...

Safari was the best. I recommend it to all. I will begin with some quotes that sum up the trip:

1. "The plane cannot land because there are Impalas on the runway" - Charles
2. "Mom. Wake Up. There is a hippo eating outside our tent." - me at 2 am in the Mara
3. "I give you ten cows and a hut to stay." -Wilson
4. "My rooster has asthma" - Sally
5. "I'm not in charge, here is my credit card." - MM
6. "You can tell this elephant is young by how well he has digested" -Charles (holding a handful of elephant poop).
7. "What do you mean there is a cheetah that LIKES to jump in the trucks?" - me, very alarmed

I saw so many animals, met such interesting people, ate amazing food, and cannot wait to go back.
Lions: saw 7, lovely animals but very scary when they are hungry. suprisingly lazy, just lay around and swat their tale all day long.
Giraffes: saw too many to count, one baby, many young giraffes. Maybe the most stunning animals of the trip. Saw both varieties: Reticulated and Masai. Very good at hiding for being more than 10 ft tall.
Zebras: saw so many, pretty peaceful animals. Very skitish. Much calmer when approached on horse back (did that in Lewa). Saw the classic zebra and Grevy's zebra.
Baboons: many troops in samburu! Hung out at the same place every day and did not look nearly as menacing as they were described. They did not take any of our food.
Wart Hog: Hilarious animals, very endearing, too bad they are really stupid looking. Run around with their tail straight up in the air. They are everywhere in MM.
Cheetahs: Saw 9: three sets of three brothers. watching them hunt is eerie, almost as eerie as watching them tear up and eat a Topi. So beautiful. Watched them for hours.
Topi: Look like they are wearing blue socks
Oryx: elegant looking mountain goats with longer horns.
Thomson's gazelle: Mini gazelle with inquisitive eyes and sophisticated markings
Leopards: saw 2, one in a tree asleep in an uncomfortable looking position, one injured on the ground surrounded by a herd of white minibuses. Scary looking animals, but very beautiful.
Birds: so many beautiful birds including eagles, cranes, starling, bustards, guinifowl, and my fave: the secretary bird. A pleasant surprise.

More stories to begin later! Pictures will go up soon.

HSIIA moments (Holy Shit I'm in Africa).

I really like it here, i actually kind of love it here. My life feels very removed from the US. I don't think of it much. I think of the people I miss, the people I love there. I'm learning more about the people I care about who continue to be on my mind. In some ways, i'm relieved to not have to think about issues that hurt or stress me at home. it is hard for problems to follow you 10,000 miles across the ocean.

Yesterday we took motorcycles through the city to Kisozi to the National Genocide Memorial musuem. It was hard to read and see footage of the atrocities. However, it is important to respect the hardships of the countries past in order to respectfully contribute to building a future for them. I am appreciative of every Rwandan who takes the time to speak with me about their experiences. I will never forget their faces as the relive their stories to me.

Debra was in town this weekend from Ngara, Tanzania. We were excited to see her and we lavished her arrival with extravagant meals and moto rides. We even made french crepes with bananas for breakfast yesterday.

In four days I will leave for Safari. I'm unsure if I've ever been so excited.

Before I depart, many things must get done. Monday is the first dry run of linkage analysis on samples. I also must write a proposal to the ethics committee of Rwanda for access to other blood samples on the premises that have restricted access. Tuesday I will learn a new lab technique: PBMC extraction (Peripheral blood mononuclear cell extraction) which is a part of ELISPOT immunological testing. Wednesday I will administer a training to several people. We will also observe Ajanta's birthday on Wednesday. I will pack up my trekking pack and leavev for safari on Thursday!

Hopefully the prop planes and the rhino's won't interrupt our plans. I'll share more stories when I return.

La guerre

Before coming to Rwanda, it was very important for all of us to learn about the genocide that happened in 1994. I read books and articles and wikipedia and I thought I knew. I was prepared to ask questions and be a sympathetic ear. I was ready, nothing could affect me, ten foot tall and bulletproof going to africa. Nothing could have prepared me.

The effects of the genocide are quiet, they flow silently below the surface with a strange look or veiled comments. Two tribes, one who on three different occasions overthrew the government and slaughtered millions of the other, attempt to peacefully coexist. At first I assumed that everyone who believed in slaughtering millions of Tutsi's must have been gone and everyone left has just banned together to rebuild. That is fairytale bullshit. In reality, Rwanda is held together by a very delicate balance. Many of the active Hutu genocide participants are under investigation for crimes they committed 13 years ago and cannot be vocal, but operate now as sleeper cells in the community surrounding the area that I live. Periodically, stock piles of guns and knives are found in school buildings and libraries. War crimes trial proceedings occur every weekend. And amidst the choas families attempt to rebuild.

Last night, 10 of us sat around the dinner table with our director, Dr. Susan Allen who shared her experience of having two sons and living in Kigali throughout the beginning of the genocide. Having half of her staff murdered, by the other half of her staff, who still work at the project. Killing not because they were killers but because they themselves would be killed if they did not participate. I had not thought much about the genocide since arriving, assuming it was like politics or religion, impolite to bring up. However, it is simply too painful for many to speak of. Rwandese people divide their life into avant la guerre and apres la guerre which means before the war and after the war. Dr. Allen pointed out several members of our project staff who lost most of their immediate family. Tutsi women beyond childbearing age were left alive, and all of their children and family killed so that they could suffer more and carry the message of terror. I did not know that the house I stay in now has had people die in every room, bodies burried in the yard, and down the street, and all around me. In the room that I sleep, there were bullets and mortar shells and blood and death.

One thing is for sure, each and every rwandan man woman and child who gets up and goes to work today is a miracle for their persistance to live their own life, their choice to return and rebuild. And when you mean them, if you didn't know better, you would dismiss the moment of pause where you sense fallout or misery, as nothing. Its also terror. Its also the assumption that killing and war will inevitably return to their country, many of them lay in bed at night and wait, jumping at every noise, looking over their shoulder, ear to the ground, just waiting.

This is definitely Africa

Well, hard to believe its thursday already. I must review the week. After 4 other interns arrived in the past week, our project is now at maximum capacity. I have now been here over 3 weeks and people ask me where to get things and to run errands for the project. Imagine that. Most of the staff is out of town in Mombasa this week and will return tomorrow with the big boss, Susan Allen. Luckily I have nothing but great progress to report. My projects and training materials are moving along nicely. The only hold up now is waiting for the immunology folk to vacate my prep room so that I may perform all duties with proper technique.

On a more interesting front, I leave for safari two weeks from today and I don't know if I can stand the excitement. While I'm gone, my comrades will venture into DRC to Goma to see the ACTIVE volcanoes. Lava could never move slow enough for me to peer into an active volcano, so i'm okay with missing that trip. We are also planning an adventure up to Kampala, Uganda for some Nile white water rafting and a bunjee jump over the falls. Its going to be amazing. Africa really is an adventure.

Unfortunately, our house is not suffering from some technical difficulties, we mostly have no hot water, sometimes have electricity in the kitchen, now do not have any propane for our stove, and definitely don't have enough room to dry our clothes outside (so everything i own including my person smells faintly of mold or algae). We are hopeful that this is a temporary problem as I do not want to adjust to smelling of mildew and then not be able to tell when i stink or switch to a raw food diet eating in the dark. But, this is Africa right? Got to go with what works!