The Lion Sleeps Tonight-The Tokens

I awoke at 5:40 to the sound of a morning prayer call.  While most of Uganda is Christian, there is also a large Muslim population as well.  I tried to go back to sleep as we had only been to bed a mere four hours earlier-but couldn’t sleep because of the munching hippo outside the hut.  I woke up Michael and we peeked out our front door to see a hippo lumber into the bushes just ten yards from our hut!  That security guard patrolling at night makes sense now…

We quickly assembled with the group for a 6AM breakfast before heading out on an early morning game drive.  It is so interesting to me that everyone assumes all of Africa is hot.  While it can certainly get warm, because Uganda is on the equator, the sun comes up at 6:30AM and goes down at 6:30PM so the temperature can be quite comfortable in the mornings and the evenings.  As the sun came up we headed out in two safari vans to explore Queen Elizabeth National Park.

We stopped for our entrance passes and then drove to the Kasenyi Plains, an area full of game and known for active lions.  Immediately out of the gate we saw a large bull elephant on the side of the road.  Many people moved to the roof of the safari van as we continued on, watching bushbuck, waterbuck, cape buffalo,and Ugandan Kob (a type of antelope).  About forty-five minutes later, we came across a male and a female lion walking through the grasslands.  We continued to search for animals for awhile before taking a short drink break at a souvenir stand where Michael negotiated for a carved chimpanzee for only $5.

We continued to watch for animals as we made our way back to the lodge.  It was fun to see what the grounds looked like during the daylight hours.  We are staying right along the Kazinga Channel and can hear hippos and frogs all day long.  Most people napped as it was a late night and we'd had an early morning. 

We had a big lunch of soup and spaghetti (luckily I brought plenty of rice cakes, peanut butter, and gluten free granola bars!)  Then we drove about an hour to Mweya Safari Lodge where we were leaving for a boat safari.  On the way we came upon a larger herd of about 15 elephants-they were so beautiful and much, much larger than I remembered!

Because of our elephant delay, we were running a bit behind so it was a mad frenzy upon our arrival to get everyone checked in and boarded on the boat.  As we started, our guide mentioned we might see some elephants, hippo, and buffalo.  Maybe if we were lucky we’d see a crocodile or monitor lizard.  It is safe to say, we were not disappointed.  We immediately came upon three elephants playing and wrestling in the water.  We then sailed around the corner to a larger group of about fifty cape buffalo and soon discovered that mixed in were a number of hippos and additionally some elephants.  We watched these animals closely for awhile and as we were watching, more and more elephants kept arriving at the watering hole.  Eventually there were over 40 elephants and many of them were lined up right in front of us drinking.  It was amazing to see and our guide told us it was quite unusual to see that many elephants all in one place.  Our boat ride continued for another hour and as we cruised the coast of the Kazinga Channel toward Lake Edward, we saw more hippos, a crocodile, more buffalo, elephants, and all kinds of beautiful birds.

 

Our boat ride came to an end and then we spent an hour on the grounds of the Mweya Lodge relaxing with some cold beverages and an amazing view.  This was the first time we’d had any wifi in days so everyone tried to check in with family and friends and, as a result, no one could actually get on the wifi.  It is almost liberating to be unable to use your phone or access email so after a few messages to check in with mom, I switched back over to airplane mode.

Around 5:30 we drove back to our lodge, adding baboons to our list of animals seen on the way.  I finally took a turn riding on top of the van, it was a lot of fun to ride as the sun was setting over the horizon.  Uganda is a truly beautiful country.

We arrived back, just in time for another four course meal.  They had pulled tables out into the courtyard and we ate by lantern light.  Not only is it fun to learn about new places when traveling, but it’s also fun to talk with all kinds of different people in our traveling group and we spent a lively dinner discussing travels, school, and life adventures.

Michael had arranged for our hut to have some hot water so after dinner we were able to take some semi-warm showers in the outdoor shower of our hut.  I tried to look through pictures but was too tired to keep my eyes open and drifted off to sleep to the cackling of birds, frogs, and hippos.

The outdoor shower

Open Road Song-Eve 6

We picked up some sack lunches and then all 19 of us packed into a van and a pick up truck loaded with our luggage to drive to Uganda.

The Rwanda countryside is beautiful.  It is called Land of 1,000 hills and it definitely seemed that way.  The hillsides were covered in little patches of crops, everything is green, the air is full of smoke due to fires built to cook, and along the road are people walking-always ready with a wave, whistle, or smile as you pass by.

Hitching a ride on the way to get water

After about two hours, we reached the Rwanda/Uganda border.  Our initial stop at the Rwanda immigration window led us to believe we would have a smooth border crossing.  However, we ran into some trouble getting the vehicles and our Rwandan truck driver across the border.  We all walked across the border and had our passports tamped in Uganda but we ended up waiting a total of two hours before we were finally on our way.  First our driver needed one stamp, then he had to go to a different window for something else, then we needed some paperwork for the vehicles, then a fee must be paid.  After several rounds of “fees” and stamps, we were finally back on the road.

It is an interesting comparison to think about how complex our society is and the anxiety that breeds.  It makes one long for the simplicity of life in a developing country.  However, when you witness firsthand the complexity and inefficiency of bureaucratic agencies and how it’s part of daily life to use bribes and  charge extra fees, it almost makes you appreciate our own (also inefficient) but fair and impartial bureaucracy.

Once we were finally back on the road, we headed into Uganda on our way to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a few days on safari.  At first the countryside seemed to similar to Rwanda but as we drove the soil turned from a deep reddish-orange to tan, the crop covered hillsides began to be covered in more trees, and the hills became flatter grasslands.

We had a LOOOOONG drive in a 15 passenger van on some very rough roads.  You know there are a lot of potholes when there is a small dirt road next to the road.  After several hours, we finally arrived at our safari lodge around 10:30 at night.  Eager to accommodate us, our hosts got us settled into our Bandas and tents (we were escorted by a security guard with an AK-47 in case we ran into any hippos) and then hosted a four-course dinner.  We started with potato salad, then spinach soup, a traditional Ugandan meal of  rice and chicken stew, and chocolate cake for dessert.  As we ate in the outdoor tented area, bats flew in and out to catch a snack of mosquitoes.

Welcome to Uganda

By the time we were done eating, it was after midnight-who has time for jet lag anyway!?  Michael and I made our way back to our hut and as were finally getting ready for bed we could here animals walking and eating outside our hut.  We tried to see them but didn’t want to surprise them by peeking around the fence so we headed off to sleep with the sound of hippos grazing in the background.

Please Remember-LeAnn Rimes

Our first day in Rwanda began with an open air breakfast at our hotel.  We then took a taxi to the Genocide Museum.  Kigali is a city of 2 million people.  One of the things that struck me immediately was the constant state of haze-it reminded me of August in Montana during forest fire season.  Everyone builds fires to cook their morning breakfast and dinner so the haze is everywhere.  It was fascinating to watch the activity on the streets out the windows as we drove.  SO many people walking on the sides of the road, such interesting roads and buildings-it was a sensory onslaught as we smelled food cooking over fires, dusty roads, ripening fruit, and more.

Memorial and Survivors-

We arrived at the Genocide Museum and it was a profoundly impactful experience.  Beginning in April of 1994, the Hutu majority began massacring the Tutsi minority in Rwanda.  Over one million people were killed in just 100 days.  Of those 1 million, over 250,000 are buried on site at the genocide memorial-including the family of our guide, Serge.  He told us about the significance of the memorial to survivors and mentioned that many of them come to the memorial to process their grief and seek support and camaraderie.  They have developed families of survivors when their own families were killed.  These groups are called Ibuka, which means “remembrance”.

The bodies buried here are often combined into one coffin per family.  They are covered in gray and white cloth which signifies the ashes that remain after so much killing.   Rwandans and their government have made a concerted effort to reunite and overcome the genocide.

After touring the grounds, we visited the museum which discusses Rwanda before the genocide, how propaganda and culture were used to begin and perpetuate the genocide, and the international community’s lack of intervention. There is a somber memorial to the victims of the genocide where family members can bring in photographs and hang them on paneled walls,  There is also a room of skulls and bones, and a room of clothing and possessions left behind.  Upstairs there was information about other genocides throughout history.  The hardest part of the museum for me were the children’s room where they had the stories of some of the children who were killed in the genocide.  Fortunately, it ended in the peace room with hopes that the more people who make a visit, the more likely something like this will never happen again.

Education

While Serge was talking to us, I was reminded of the importance of education in preventing such atrocities.  Serge mentioned that culturally Rwandans have a strong respect for authority and were not taught critical thinking in school.  As a result, when the government ordered people to turn in their Tutsi neighbors and friends, they did so, or risked being killed themselves.   However, three years after the genocide, in 1997, a group of militia entered the Nyange Secondary School and asked all of the Tutsi’s to stand.  The students replied, “There are no Hutus and no Tutsis, we are all Rwandans here.”

Aftermath of the Genocide

One of the reasons I have always been interested in visiting Rwanda was to learn more about how the country came back together after the genocide.  As soon as the capital was liberate, in August 1994, the country began working to restore stability and seek reunification.  I can’t imagine that process.  There were 300,000 orphans and 85,000 children who became the head of their households.  Over 2/3 of the population was displaced.  A UNICEF report indicates that 80% of children lost a family member and 70% witnessed a killing firsthand.

Justice

One of the most interesting programs implemented was the Gacaca courts.  The goal of these courts was to promote truth, peace, justice, healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation.  These courts are reported to be one of the most comprehensive efforts at post-conflict justice worldwide.  These court systems bring community members together, perpetrators confess their atrocities and the community determines the proper punishment. 1.9 million cases were handled in over 12,000 community Gacaca courts.  The government also began targeted efforts to expand access to education and healthcare, promote women’s empowerment, and boost economic growth.

Under African Skies-Paul Simon

While I’m way behind on my semester two day to day updates, I thought I’d pick back up with a kick off to summer.  I’ll be spending three weeks in Rwanda and Uganda through a program called Global Education Allies.  This program brings together teachers from the U.S., Finland, Rwanda, and Uganda in order to connect educators and students through partnership programs that develop global awareness and foster innovative learning environments.

Because the program was organized, and because my job was so hectic this spring, I spent very little time preparing for the trip aside from planning my packing and making sure I had enough diabetes supplies, gluten free food, etc.  In fact, I have never left for a big international trip with such a lack of preparation beforehand.  Lesson learned-plan ahead and be flexible!   After traveling over 30 hours, we arrived in Kigali, Rwanda a little bit after seven at night.  One thing I love about landing in developing countries is the line of people holding signs with names on them at the airport exit.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t a sign with our names…so we waited…and waited….and waited.  Finally after over two hours, nearly ten o’clock, Michael made friends with some hotel shuttle drivers and found us a room at a local hotel.  Of course, by the time we got there we had an email from our program but at that point we decided to just go to bed and meet up with them in the morning.  It felt so good to finally get to sleep-all cozy in our mosquito nets.