Uganda - Second week.

Uganda was a tremendously friendly place and the people were by far the most amazing thing about the country.

The children seemed to be intrigued, excited and always very happy to have their photograph taken.

Here Cassandra is making bracelets with the children and I am hanging out with Joviah.

Practising verbs with the P3 class.

During Physical Education. We had around 90 students to teach first period - it was every bit as hectic and crazy as you are probably imagining.

Some of the children were sons and daughters of the teachers or lived with the headmistress so we saw them every evening too.

In the p6 classroom.

The latrine - our lovely toilet for the month. I can feel my bowels tightening just looking at this image.

The shower area.

The yellow jerry cans were our water for each day and to the left of the green bag is a charcoal stove where all of our meals were cooked.

Washing by hand - almost impossible to get rid of the red dirt and you never really get anything clean. It would be another several weeks before we got a proper chance to do laundry though  

Cassandra washing her hair with a little help form her friends.

Shaving by candlelight with a bic razor - can now cross that off of my 100 hundred things to do before I die.

Blowing up the world.

Our table - consisting of food and teaching supplies.

Hanging out with Jonah and Jehoviah - they came everywhere with us.

Here the children had got hold of some jack fruit so look pretty happy about that but still managed to pose for the camera.

Breakfast with J&J.

After a few days on the Ssese Islands, we had been made to feel so welcome largely due to the amazing people who are the friendliest we have ever met, anywhere.

As you will see from the pictures, life was somewhat primitive.  We stepped back a few thousand years - cooking with fire, no running water or electricity and using a long drop.  This let me practice at being an 'outdoorsman' whilst Cassandra was living out her worst nightmares and it certainly provided some challenges. Looking back though, there are so many positive memories from such a short time and this is exactly the experience we hoped for when travelling to Africa.

Week 1: Arrival in Uganda

After another couple of flights via Ethiopia, we arrived in Entebbe and travelled some 5 hours south passing the equator en route to Masaka.

At the Equator as we stopped off on the journey from Entebbe to Masaka.

We then stayed in Masaka for a couple of nights with the director of the organisation with whom we had been in contact - http://www.helpuganda.org.uk/ .

Masaka

A local market.

The local butcher.

As local people sift through the garbage, Maribou Storks fly around looking for food.

The ferry which we had to take from the mainland across lake Victoria to the Ssese Islands.

Arriving on Bugala Island the largest of the Ssese islands.

The teacher's accomodation and our home for the month.

The children outside school on the first day.

Part of the original school buildings.

The original church from which the school was founded.

I learned very quickly that Ugandan children love to have their picture taken.

Visitors at our door, probably wondering why two white people were moving in.

The kids were both excited and apprehensive upon our arrival.

Some were just excited.

Meeting the P1s

In the P2 classroom.

Our arrival in Uganda is now a hazy mix of craziness, exoticism and sheer wonder as the experiences are still embedding themselves in our mind and becoming a reality from which we still feel somewhat detached.

After finally arriving at Kibaale school, we barely had a moment to gather our thoughts before we were taken to meet one of the village elders whose daughter had recently drowned and the funeral had taken place earlier that day.  As we passed rows of people staring, I couldn't help but wonder why we were there or even if we were supposed to be. 

Finally we arrived in front of a man whose years were written in every wrinkle on his tired face and whose blood shot eyes showed both sadness and warmth.  One of the aspects of travel which I find fascinating is being out of my comfort zone but this was something else.  As the man began to speak, we waited for our contact Moses to translate and as we uttered our condolences we were deeply moved by what the man said.  I guess it was a baptism of fire been thrown into such an awkward situation and for the first time I was in the Africa that I had hoped I would experience many years ago reading the National Geographic in the geography room when I was meant to be doing my homework.