I'm in Berlin.
London was great. I saw the Tower, the bridge (which isn't falling), Oxford, the Underground, Westminster and St. Paul's, Buckingham Palace and the Royal Mews, Stonehenge, Chicago...the list goes on. It was so amazing to see these famous places. Today's Royal Day Out and Westminster was definately the best day here.
I continue to be amazed at how things run on time, work properly etc. compared to Africa.
I will be in Berlin for the next few days. I have lots to see and have no idea exactly how long it will take. From here, I will travel to Munich for another long stretch, then Rothenburg. From there, I want to take a boat trip up the Rhine River and see a few towns in the north, including a visit to Dr. Siefert's family to deliver a gift and try their world-famous sweets.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
When life gives you lemons...
you make the most delicous lemonade ever! I had great lemonade in Queen Elizabeth National Park due to the abundance of lemon trees. Only, Mary, the elephant liked to pick the ripe ones!
Dr. Siefert was amazing. I had the time of my life with him and learned so much. Everytime I sat near him, I assumed my best sponge pose and tried to absorb as much of his vast knowlege as I could.
He darted a lion to radio collar it. I had my hands in the lion's mouth and got to hold his paws in my hand. Words cannot describe how amazing the experience was for me.
Then next day, we darted an elephant to remove a wire snare. Once again, I couldn't believe I was able to do what I did. I have my hand burried inside the wound, debriding the dead tissue to help this elephant literally get back on its feet. They have incredible ears! Pinch me!
I'm in London with he-who-must-not-be-named. I'm riding a rollercoaster of emotions here. The sites are amazing! This city is crazy busy and there is so much to see. I'm so fortunate to be here. The days have been jam-packed with site-seeing so this has left little time for internet. I will have some awesome pictures to show! The hightlight so far was the War Chambers and Winston Churchill museum.
Don't worry, Mom, I'm still alive and mostly well.
Dr. Siefert was amazing. I had the time of my life with him and learned so much. Everytime I sat near him, I assumed my best sponge pose and tried to absorb as much of his vast knowlege as I could.
He darted a lion to radio collar it. I had my hands in the lion's mouth and got to hold his paws in my hand. Words cannot describe how amazing the experience was for me.
Then next day, we darted an elephant to remove a wire snare. Once again, I couldn't believe I was able to do what I did. I have my hand burried inside the wound, debriding the dead tissue to help this elephant literally get back on its feet. They have incredible ears! Pinch me!
I'm in London with he-who-must-not-be-named. I'm riding a rollercoaster of emotions here. The sites are amazing! This city is crazy busy and there is so much to see. I'm so fortunate to be here. The days have been jam-packed with site-seeing so this has left little time for internet. I will have some awesome pictures to show! The hightlight so far was the War Chambers and Winston Churchill museum.
Don't worry, Mom, I'm still alive and mostly well.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The girls are back in Town
I said goodbye to Bwindi on Friday morning and headed to Lake Bunyoni for a weekend break. The road took us through sections of the park, which were fantastic. The lake was very beautiful, despite the rain. Angela and I shared a tent the first night. It was on a raised platform with a roof, so we didn't get wet, but it sure was cold!
We met 5 medical students (this seems to be an ongoing trend) and helped them celebrate their Independence Day. The next day, we boarded canoes and headed out onto the lake. At one island, we landed and partook in the nature walk around the parimeter. I didn't partake in the rope-swing-thingy into the water though, I forgot my swimsuit (shucks!). After lunch (which took 2 1/2 hours), we paddled to Punishment Island. Legend has it that unmarried, pregnant women were taken here and abandoned as their 'punishment.' They either died to starvation, drown trying to swim to shore, or were rescued by a man who couldn't afford to pay a bride price. We considered leaving someone there, but decided against it after some serious discussion. The next island we came to had an older man, a hut and not much else. We stopped only briefly to have a picture, oogle at the gigantic grasshoppers (about 12 cm in length), and look at the flowers.
Somehow our navigator missed a turn and we ended up paddling several km out into the lake. Before sundown, we came across a man with his wife and 2 kids paddling in the other direction. We asked for directions only to be told we were really far from the hotel. He had someone call the manager from on land to tell them where we were. It was after dark by the time we paddled back to the inlet. Thankfully the hotel lights directed us once we made the correct turn. What an adventure!
The next day, we took it easy and drifted out on the lake reading our books and singing 'repeat after me songs.' Thank-goodness Ang used to be a camp counselor. We took the Uganda Post bus to Mbarara; Angela continued on to Kampala to meet her sister.
The last few days have been restless: we don't know really when Dr. Siefert will be able to come get us, if at all. Hopefully tomorrow we will be either 'picked' or we will take public transportation to Queen Elizabeth National Park. I'm excited to start our last project!
I have posted pictures of Bwindi on my Flickr website, please take a peak!
Also, dear readers, after 2 months away from home, I'm feeling a bit homesick...please feel free to leave me some comments.
As I write this in the FAOC office, I heard a thump. When I looked up, I saw a bat had flown into the window and landed on an old copy of National Geographic. I'm all alone here and pretty scared of bats...if I don't write for a while, chalk it up to a rabies bite from this vicious vampire bat who continues to watch me (and listen) from across the room. Seriously though, I'm vaccinated and I likely won't have internet in the park, so once again, my apologizes for the sparse postings.
We met 5 medical students (this seems to be an ongoing trend) and helped them celebrate their Independence Day. The next day, we boarded canoes and headed out onto the lake. At one island, we landed and partook in the nature walk around the parimeter. I didn't partake in the rope-swing-thingy into the water though, I forgot my swimsuit (shucks!). After lunch (which took 2 1/2 hours), we paddled to Punishment Island. Legend has it that unmarried, pregnant women were taken here and abandoned as their 'punishment.' They either died to starvation, drown trying to swim to shore, or were rescued by a man who couldn't afford to pay a bride price. We considered leaving someone there, but decided against it after some serious discussion. The next island we came to had an older man, a hut and not much else. We stopped only briefly to have a picture, oogle at the gigantic grasshoppers (about 12 cm in length), and look at the flowers.
Somehow our navigator missed a turn and we ended up paddling several km out into the lake. Before sundown, we came across a man with his wife and 2 kids paddling in the other direction. We asked for directions only to be told we were really far from the hotel. He had someone call the manager from on land to tell them where we were. It was after dark by the time we paddled back to the inlet. Thankfully the hotel lights directed us once we made the correct turn. What an adventure!
The next day, we took it easy and drifted out on the lake reading our books and singing 'repeat after me songs.' Thank-goodness Ang used to be a camp counselor. We took the Uganda Post bus to Mbarara; Angela continued on to Kampala to meet her sister.
The last few days have been restless: we don't know really when Dr. Siefert will be able to come get us, if at all. Hopefully tomorrow we will be either 'picked' or we will take public transportation to Queen Elizabeth National Park. I'm excited to start our last project!
I have posted pictures of Bwindi on my Flickr website, please take a peak!
Also, dear readers, after 2 months away from home, I'm feeling a bit homesick...please feel free to leave me some comments.
As I write this in the FAOC office, I heard a thump. When I looked up, I saw a bat had flown into the window and landed on an old copy of National Geographic. I'm all alone here and pretty scared of bats...if I don't write for a while, chalk it up to a rabies bite from this vicious vampire bat who continues to watch me (and listen) from across the room. Seriously though, I'm vaccinated and I likely won't have internet in the park, so once again, my apologizes for the sparse postings.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Canada Day in Uganda
CTPH has been a wonderful experience so far. Our days are spent in the Gorilla lab analyzing fecal samples for parasites. The work is very interesting! I even identified a new type of parasite egg (confirmed by my colleagues of course). Once the samples are prepared, there is lots of down time because we have only one microscope. Between my turn to scan the slides, I have been planning my trip to Germany and reading the most fascinating book: Tales of a Female Nomad. I’m starting to get excited and inspired.
Our evenings have been busy. Supper is usually street food. Typically, we order chips (French fries) then walk to the open market where we purchase banana cookies/cakes, a tomato, bananas, corn on the cob, or avacados. Then we cross and buy muchomo (meet on a stick). I’ve developed quite a liking for the goat meat cooked on coal cooking pots. We were half-joking, half-serious about finding a local butcher in Saskatoon and buying an Mbuzi at the auction mart. Once our meals are purchased, we go back and eat at the chip place where the children quiz us on the local language and laugh at our accents. I am thriving in the small-town attitude of the place where everyone is starting to recognize us and all seem willing to help us learn the language.
I made a friend with Immaculate, a local school teacher. I lent her my copy of Anne of Green Gables (a testament to how much I like her). One evening, we ‘picked’ Immaculate and bought ingredients at the market for dinner. She taught us how to cook cabbage and Irish (potatoes) in the local way. Her neighbour kindly shared his bean stew so we had a complete meal. Later in the evening, he was not-so-subtlety hitting on me: I forgot my ‘wedding’ ring. We danced the Eclipso, which is a local children dance involving shoulder shrugs and simple steps, for the first time in the shelter of the yard. It was so fun to delve into the local culture. I feel so fortunate to have met her and even luckier she is an English teacher. Yesterday, we went to her school and danced for her students. We first attempted the Eclipso. I’m the only one who seems to do it reasonably well, but we all enjoy laughing at the experience. The children were thrilled when we taught them the chicken dance. That’s right, the best we could do was the chicken dance. They did a local dance for us involving drums, stomping, jumping and beautiful lyrics in a language I don’t understand. I continue to be so fortunate to have these experiences.
We celebrated Canada day with our usual supper, some dancing in the streets for the Boda drivers (apparently everyone heard about our Eclipso performance). At our hotel, another Canadian, Der, Missy, the American we are working with, and 2 English Medical students all drank a beer with us and visited. There were no fireworks, but it was very fun.
My time here is almost finished, but I have been very content here and I will be sad to leave. I have not seen the gorillas, my sore throat made my decision for me (you shouldn’t treck if you are sick), but I will be doing a walk in the park this afternoon. I’m excited to experience my first rainforest in all its gory. I should be able to see the Congo and Rwanda from the trail, places I never imagined I would ever see first hand. For now, viewing the Congo from Uganda is close enough!
Our evenings have been busy. Supper is usually street food. Typically, we order chips (French fries) then walk to the open market where we purchase banana cookies/cakes, a tomato, bananas, corn on the cob, or avacados. Then we cross and buy muchomo (meet on a stick). I’ve developed quite a liking for the goat meat cooked on coal cooking pots. We were half-joking, half-serious about finding a local butcher in Saskatoon and buying an Mbuzi at the auction mart. Once our meals are purchased, we go back and eat at the chip place where the children quiz us on the local language and laugh at our accents. I am thriving in the small-town attitude of the place where everyone is starting to recognize us and all seem willing to help us learn the language.
I made a friend with Immaculate, a local school teacher. I lent her my copy of Anne of Green Gables (a testament to how much I like her). One evening, we ‘picked’ Immaculate and bought ingredients at the market for dinner. She taught us how to cook cabbage and Irish (potatoes) in the local way. Her neighbour kindly shared his bean stew so we had a complete meal. Later in the evening, he was not-so-subtlety hitting on me: I forgot my ‘wedding’ ring. We danced the Eclipso, which is a local children dance involving shoulder shrugs and simple steps, for the first time in the shelter of the yard. It was so fun to delve into the local culture. I feel so fortunate to have met her and even luckier she is an English teacher. Yesterday, we went to her school and danced for her students. We first attempted the Eclipso. I’m the only one who seems to do it reasonably well, but we all enjoy laughing at the experience. The children were thrilled when we taught them the chicken dance. That’s right, the best we could do was the chicken dance. They did a local dance for us involving drums, stomping, jumping and beautiful lyrics in a language I don’t understand. I continue to be so fortunate to have these experiences.
We celebrated Canada day with our usual supper, some dancing in the streets for the Boda drivers (apparently everyone heard about our Eclipso performance). At our hotel, another Canadian, Der, Missy, the American we are working with, and 2 English Medical students all drank a beer with us and visited. There were no fireworks, but it was very fun.
My time here is almost finished, but I have been very content here and I will be sad to leave. I have not seen the gorillas, my sore throat made my decision for me (you shouldn’t treck if you are sick), but I will be doing a walk in the park this afternoon. I’m excited to experience my first rainforest in all its gory. I should be able to see the Congo and Rwanda from the trail, places I never imagined I would ever see first hand. For now, viewing the Congo from Uganda is close enough!
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