My Birthday in Uganda

So here's the deal. And I'll just say it. I turned 25 in Uganda. Twenty-five. As in a two and a five. As in, one quarter of a century. As in, shockingly old. As in, my life is so far gone its practically time to retire. As in, I'm being hugely dramatic.

But its true.

I turned 25 in Uganda.

And contrary to my fears of the past several years, I was NOT shockingly depressed on my twenty-fifth birthday. But, then again, how could I be depressed when I was and living my dreams and touring the world and I. WAS. IN. UGANDA!!! (And, mind you, on my way to London.)

And, oh yeah, twenty-five is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful number. =D

So on my twenty-fifth birthday, we took a hike. Chrissy took pictures of herself. And then she took pictures of me.

And what, pray tell, am I doing in this picture? I am in the middle of the African wilderness talking on the phone with my cousin in Wisconsin. Random, no? (Oh, and thats Bambino looking at me like I'm a goofball. Because I am.)

But first, we were in the African jungle. And we got bitten by ants. Ant bites hurt. A lot.


And I was kind of worried. So instead of worrying, I took pictures of my worried face. Because I'm cool like that.

Somehow, though, we survived the ant attack. And, overall, were none the worse for the wear. (Those bites weren't as bad as other African ailments, the details of which I will spare you from.)

Oh! But then came fun times...the Making of The Cake.

Chrissy helped. Or, rather, she FORCED me to LET her help. Something about "only helpers get to lick their icing spoon" or something like that.

But apparently I don't know how to use icing. Or, rather, I don't know the "proper" way of applying funfetti icing. It required me to read the packaging.

I'm lame.

A couple hours later it was time to EAT the cake. Malachi, Andrea, and Chrissy lit candles. They didn't have quite enough for me (I'm old, remember?) so they wrote my age using the candles.

You may not be able ot tell...but it really does say "25" in flames.



And then I laughed because Syd said something goofy. As usual.



And I blew out my candles and that was my birthday. It was over.

The best birthday ever.

Alternative perspectives

Safari.

The word conjures up many preconceived notions. Lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeast, water buffalo, grass, sun, wide and empty savanna, and adventure.

I'd like to offer some alternative perspectives on safari.

Perspective 1: Antelope really aren't that interesting. Even when they have funny nicknames like "the stupid ones."

Perspective 2: 4 km on game trails is harsh on the car. Why hasn't National Geographic ever done a show on "The Roads of Africa"? It could be quite entertaining.

Perspective 3: Warthogs. Are. Ugly.
'Nuff said.

Perspective 4: The animals are not caged. This is no Disney "Animal Kingdom" safari. There is no hospital a couple miles away, no electric zappers for those animals with an attitude, no fence or moat or high-up platform to keep them from you (or you from them). And nothing at all to keep animals from blocking the road while they goof off.

Above is our guide, carrying a gun. And at one point during our morning safari, he laughed at a big bull elephant: "Ooh, yes, I've had to shoot at that one before. He wouldn't get off the road."

buddies

it's amazing how quickly you bond with people after 6 hours in the car with them.

and the things you do entertain little boys while in the car for 6 hours.

London. Summarized.

Not to be a copy cat, but I completely agree with Chrissy. The people we met in Uganda were hands down, by far, over the top, THE highlight of the trip. I love them. And that isn't an exaggeration.

But.

Because copying Chrissy is very unkosher, I won't blog exactly what she already blogged.

Instead...I pick...today's highlight...to be... LONDON.

Now, you have to understand. I have been to and from Africa four times in the past six years. (Those statistics are staggering, even for me.) And each time I've wanted to tour Europe during the stopover. Once, we were moving to Africa...with little kids...and three carry-ons each...so a daytrip wasn't exactly feasible. Next, I was worn out from finals week at college...and traveling on a tight schedule. Last time, I was *almost* spending a night in Amsterdam. But it failed. At the last minute.

This time, we hung out in London.

For three glorious days.

We met up with friends at Big Ben (how cool does THAT sound?! its an epically awesome story). We toured Westminster Abbey. We watched the changing of the guard (epic fail, to be told later). We rode around on The Original Tour Bus. We saw Buckingham Palace (duh - since we watched changing of the guard). We participated in the Ceremony of the Key at London Tower (deserving of an entire post all its own). We saw Trafalgar Square (I still don't know how to pronounce it). We ate fish and chips on Regent Street. Oh, and we took a boat ride on the Thames.

I'm sure there's more.

But we're supposed to be recapping our trip. And sharing pictures. And I'm tired of you people bugging me for more pictures. :-P












But here's the deal: I. Finally. Went. To. London. After six years of trying to stop over, there we were. Freezing our toes off. Drinking bucketloads of belgium dark hot chocolate. And testing every coffee shop in The City.

New Friends

Probably the best part of our trip for me was that we met so many amazing families. The missionaries who staff Camp Musana are incredible and a real encouragement to hang out with for 10 days! I learned a great deal about marriage, parenting, and missions while interacting with them. And I'll tell you what, if you ever have a chance to meet these folks, jump at it!

So without further ado, here is a brief introduction to each family:

The Jacksons
They moved to Uganda this past summer with their son John, just completed their training, and are preparing to move to Musana...pending the birth of their daughter in just a week or so!

The Bouffards
Dave and Andrea have been working in camp ministry for their entire marriage (plus prior!)--what a fun way for their kids to grow up! They've been in Uganda about a year, having moved to the camp in June 2010.

The Sparks
The Sparks moved to Uganda in mid-2008, and to Camp Musana in early 2009. At first, they were the only staff at Musana, basically starting the camp from scratch. Jennifer spent two months with them at the very beginning of the camp, helping cook for all the North American teams that came through as the camp site was surveyed, designed, and built.

Now the Sparks have a home, with indoor plumbing, a hot shower, and solar electricity, as well as other staff (both Ugandan and American) living and working at the camp. And they were so kind to let Jennifer and I be a part of their life for 10 days! Here's their blog post about us (with a cool picture!).

Plus, Syd and Andrea now have a kid--the most adorable blonde boy ever, Malachi! He was born last year in Kampala. And if that boy grows up to be half as amazing as his parents are, then he'll be one pretty awesome dude.

Pieces of Safari

As if finally meeting Malachi wasn't enough, my trip to Uganda was full of exciting adventures...including...my favorite...SEEING AN ELEPHANT!

I keep talking about this. On my blog, to my friends, to the stranger on the plane. Everyone. They all have to know. I. Saw. An. Elephant.

As you can tell, it was monumental.



(Check out that grin! Can you see the elephants in the background?)
But thats not all we saw on safari. We saw my other favorite animal: the giraffe.

And apparently Malachi loved the giraffe, too. He was happiest when watching for giraffe...and liked to talk to them, too. (Aside: why does giraffe look so much like a gaffe? the word, I mean. the WORDS look alike. Don't they?)

And we saw more elephant...and he was less-than-enthusiastic about seeing us. I even have a picture where he was shaking his head...so much that it distorts his look and my mom and sister couldn't tell what on earth was happening. Hm. I should find that picture and share it.

We saw fighting male Jackson antelope. The female was just out of frame. They would lock horns, wrestle for a bit, take a step back, and then do it again. It was fascinating. And the posts that you see are NOT to pen them in. Its actually to keep them out. They're on the airstrip (you know...the way that rich people get into the game park to take their cushy vacations in their swanky hotel and their snobby butlers) and apparently the "fence" is fruitless.

Oh, and we saw human wildlife. Apparently even out on a lazy day of animal-watching, some people can be ridiculously hurried...almost to the point of Washington, D.C. road rage when they get blocked behind a enjoying-the-experience tourist. I dunno folks. Some people just don't know how to take a vacation.

We also saw a leopard. But I just realized I haven't seen the pictures of the leopard. I wonder why. Its not like I have a ton of pictures to sort through or anything.

I Want a Hippopotamus for...

You know the end to that phrase.

And in case you don't, here's my favorite video of the song.

While we weren't singing that song on our safari (something about 90 degree weather while floating down the Nile seems to preclude Christmas songs), I definitely was excited to see hippopotami. And I knew we were destined for hippo-sighting heaven when there was a hippo popping up and down by the ferry landing, just watching the goings-on there.

I needn't have been worried. Murchison Falls National Park apparently has the densest population of hippos in Uganda. A friend with super-awesome research skills told me that.

Hippos are such unique animals. They're huge, yet when they're mostly covered by water, with just their eyes, noses, and ears sticking up, they look rather like timid mice. They're only found in Africa, yet they've made it into Western popular culture through phrases such as 'you're as big as a hippo!' or songs such as "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas." Hippos have even been used as a selling point for high speed internet!

I have to admit, I wasn't a big fan of hippos until this trip.

But now, I think they're rather cute. Despite that hippo that came within yards of tipping our boat because he thought we'd passed already...haha, was he ever surprised to come up and see humans staring him point-blank in the eye!

And in case you are still on the fence about hippos, I present my final piece of evidence. Examine this picture closely and just in front of the big hippo-mom, you'll see a baby hippo.

Le swoon.

Dear Santa: Owning a hippo might be a bit much, but someday, can I go back and see more?

pardon the pause

dear world,

going from self-portraits in sunny 80 degree weather

(hanging out the roof of the Land Cruiser while on safari...gotta love the gangsta face, Jen)

to self-portraits in snowy 20 degree weather

(Buckingham Palace...we're acting dignified here)

seems to have caused a bout of near-bronchitis.

posting will continue as health improves. ;)

sincerely,

the world travelers.

Malachi

Just in case you're wondering, I have a super cute cousin. His aunts and grandparents and friends are all waiting to see pictures of him...and they have...and they will...but for now, try these on for size.

Ain't he cute?

During the whole time we were in country, he was quite wary of me. He liked Chrissy moderately well (she is a charmer, apparently), but avoided me like the plague. So. When on the last day we were all out walking, I was so surprised when...

He wriggled out of his mom's arms.
Waddled over to me.
Held up his pudgy little arms.
And let me carry him down the path.

My heart melted. A lot. And I might or might not have kissed his chubby little cheek.

Are you related to Mr. Bean?

Confession: my favorite stuffed animal has taken every international trip I have. This includes: Kenya, Germany, Mexico, Uganda, Canada, Austria, Britain. But. I have an excuse. He makes a perfect neck pillow. No need to buy a $30 airplane pillow when you have owned an even better option since you were four.

Up until this point, my stuffed-animal-flights have remained a secret. I like it that way. But now its public. In a British accent, our steward informed the entire cabin that I have a teddy bear. (Which, its not a teddy – its actually a dog. But that is beside the point.)

Teddy (we’ll keep his true name and identity a secret) wasn’t as well hidden as I wanted him to be. I had just gotten back to my seat, so he was on my lap instead of around my neck. And his head was peeking out from under my blanket.

Steward was coming by with the drink cart as he saw teddy, announced his existence, and then offered: “I’ll get teddy a drink, too.”

“I’d like orange juice, teddy would like water.”

“Half a cup of water for teddy?” he asked, as he handed me the extra cup. “We wouldn’t want teddy to spill it.”

“Oh, and Sarah,” he yelled across the middle section of seats, “do you have an extra sandwich for teddy?”

The other stewardess giggled at me. I probably blushed.

He moved on, I took a sip of the orange juice, thinking myself safe from his ridicule.

“Oh, by the way, are you related to Mr. Bean?”

The orange juice almost ended up on Teddy.

Infrastructure

(on our way to Entebbe, flying between night and day)

I've always taken pavement (or "tarmac," as it's called in Uganda) for granted.

Not anymore.

(Kampala traffic--this is supposed to be a two-lane road entering a round-about...)

Pretty much the only time we saw tarmac was in Kampala, where it was buried under masses of cars, bodas (motorcycles), and pedestrians. And of course, the obligatory "In your face Chicken-Place" salesmen.

We also drove on tarmac on our way to Murchison Falls.

Otherwise, the roads looked like this:

(on the way to Kasana Children's Center)

Well, not exactly like that. That's actually a really good road.

In fact, I lied. Most of the roads we drove on looked like this:

(A two-lane road, undergoing "repairs," in Murchison Natl Park)

Or worse. On our way to the camp and during the game drive while on safari, we were pretty much four-wheeling the whole way.

I have some pretty awesome bruises from bouncing along the roads of Uganda.

But infrastructure is not completely kaput there! In fact, they even had a ferry across the Nile.

(fairly empty Nile ferry...which spewed waves of black smoke...)

Plus, they do have signs warning you to drive carefully on the really bad roads.

(The way down to see Murchison Falls)

I knew I was growing acclimated to Africa when I heard my first reaction to this sign:

"Who drives a sports car in Uganda??"