Hello, all! It has been a great final week in Uganda. Last weekend the students helped to paint a mural on the gate, plant flowers around campus, and clean up the bore hole. These projects were quite successful and I was glad to see them through to the end. 

I had the best last day at Hope North on Thursday before we left for Kampala for the weekend. I thought that I would spend most of the day packing, but of course that only took me about twenty minutes. Jackie and I went on a long walk afterwards and I realized that that would probably be the last time that I walk down the road leading to Hope North. I have been going on runs up and down that road all summer so it was definitely a bittersweet feeling to be walking on it one last time. It wasn't the last time though. After Jackie and I returned we realized that we needed to walk to the trading post to get some penny candy for our workshop with the children that live near Hope North later that afternoon. During the workshop we played games and taught the kids how to properly wash their hands. We bribed them with the candy afterwards. We were able to showcase our temporary hand washing stations and create a community involvement project through this process. 

The girls signing up for toilet paper

Afterwards I helped Jackie pass out toilet paper to each of the girls in their dormitory. The previous day I helped Jackie buy one roll of toilet paper for each girl at Hope North. We also bought cleaning supplies for the latrines and a trash bin. Hopefully these things will help improve the quality of life for the students. As we got back from passing out the toilet paper our hand washing stations from Bweyale were delivered. Bolton had some stands made for two new tanks for each of the latrines. I didn't think that I would get to see them before I left so that was definitely a plus to the day. I was also able to give some of my clothes that I did not want to take back home to the ladies of the water management team. The water management team (AKA the water smart team) is comprised of a group of elected students that we have been teaching smart water practices to. They have taught me caught a lot more than I would ever be able to teach them. 

After dinner Mama Yunice, Mama Yunice's children, Mama Rose, and Mary (AKA Akiki) performed a number of songs in order to say goodbye. They were all very beautiful and I am so grateful that they did this last final act of kindness for me. They asked us to perform a song for them in return and lo and behold we actually had one to perform. A few weeks ago we become obsessed with the Roots and Miley Cyrus version of We Can't Stop. Jackie plays this awesome instrument from her country (I wish I could spell it, but I am not even going to try) and I asked her if she could play it. So for about two hours Jackie played the chords, Bolton used his deep voice to sing "It's our party we can do we want...", and I sang. Needless to say when we performed for Mama Rose and Mama Yunice they did not know what to think. 

The next morning Chris picked us up and we traveled to Backpacker's hostel in Kampala. That whole process was a little rough, but we went to a pool afterwards so everything was okay. Bolton screamed "VACATION!" and did a cannonball into the pool. Every time we leave Hope North we call it a vacation because it sounds more exciting. We decided to go to bed early because we had to get up at the crack of dawn the next morning to catch the shuttle to Jinja so that we could go white water rafting. 

Zoom into our faces. It's worth it. 

After a three hour car ride we finally made it to the Adrift launch site on the Nile River. We ate breakfast, got into groups, and then got into our raft. For the first thirty minutes our guide explained some safety precautions and practices. The way he did this was awesome because instead of watching a boring video we actually got to perform some of the practices in the water. For example, we flipped our raft and then flipped it back over so that he could show us what to do if we capsized.  During the half day trip we went down four rapids. The first two were class threes and involved going down some pretty big waterfalls (big in my opinion anyway). The second one we capsized which was pretty terrifying. I managed to get under the boat and take a few breaths in the air pocket of our raft, and then I came back out into the open air. The rapid was not very large so it wasn't too bad and gave me a rush of adrenaline. We managed to not capsize on the third rapid and that was awesome because I got to see it as we went over it. The fourth rapid, however, was a different story. This rapid was at the tail end of a class six rapid making it a class five. Class five is the maximum class that you can go over so I knew that it was not going to be good. We had to portage around the class six and then get into the boat where we immediately went down the rapid. Our guide asked us if we wanted to go the safe way or take a 50 percent change of not flipping the boat another way. The three of us were with a group of five German volunteers and they were ready to take their chances. I found out later, however, that there really isn't a 50/50 chance or a "safe way" with this rapid. Pretty much everyone flips and we did not make it very far. It was the most terrifying moment of my life. I have never been under water for that long and I thought I was going to drown. I kept getting pounded by waves and somehow managed to make it through without losing my paddle or hitting my head on a rock. Once I was out of the rapid a safety a safety kayaker found me and I cradled myself like a baby on the nose of the kayak. Once I was able to breath I started to laugh like a crazy person because I somehow managed to not die! After that we pulled up to the shore and ate lunch at another Adrift site. 

Me bungee jumping! 

After lunch we got on a bus to the Adrift resort in Jinja and it was time for me to bungee jump. I found out about this towards the beginning of the summer, and I knew that it was something I had to do. I am turning 23 on Tuesday and my thought was, "There is no better way to end my 22nd year of living than by going bungee jumping"". I had told several people that I was going to do this so I knew that I couldn't back out. I climbed to the top of the launch pad with three other German guys from our rafting group. I wanted to go first because I could not stand the anticipation, and I wanted to get it over with. I managed to not freak out until I hopped over to the edge of the launch pad. My body started to go numb and I couldn't feel my fingers. I told the bungee master that I couldn't feel my body and all he said was, "That's beautiful, Mary". I was told to do a sort of swan dive off the platform. I did not do that. As soon as the bungee master and his assistant yelled "ONE, TWO, THREE, BUNGEE!" I jumped off the platform and it was not very graceful, but it was one of the coolest things I ever done. The jumping off was awful, but the jump was awesome. Once I was pulled into the boat waiting for me below, I started laughing again. I guess the fear of dying causes me to laugh after I actually don't die.  

We went white rafting and I bungee jumped over the Nile River. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my time in Uganda or better people to spend it with. It has been an amazing summer. I am going to miss this country that is filled with lush landscapes, unique cultures, and beautiful people. I want to thank the University of Arkansas Honor's College and the Clinton School of Public Service for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity. I also want to thank my travel companions, Bolton, Jackie, and Dani, for putting up with  me and doing some amazing work. I also want to thank my family for supporting me through this journey with all its rewards and challenges. Lastly, I want to thank all of you for reading my blog! 

With love, 

Mary Nell 

Jackie would not let go of the raft

This picture. 

The painters of the gate mural

The ladies of the water smart team 

Hello, all! I have decided to dedicate a blog post to our recent trip to Murchison Falls. Here are a few facts about Murchison Falls for your reading pleasure. Murchison Falls features a gigantic waterfall on a portion of the Nile River that flows across northern Uganda. It is also Uganda's largest national park and is known for its wildlife. It features four of the "big five": buffaloes, elephants, lions, and leopards.

The Hope North Gang: (left to right) Joe, Dani, Bolton, Jackie, Mary, and me

We were granted the immense pleasure of visiting this majestic national park. We were also surprised to hear that our little friend, Mary (AKA Akiki), was going to accompany us. Mary is the daughter of Mama Rose, the sweetest lady in the entire world that prepares our meals for us at Hope North. Mary hangs out with us almost every night, and we were more than delighted to have her join us on this adventure. Our trusty driver, Chris, picked us up from Hope North at 8 o'clock in the morning on Thursday, July 10th. We traveled 45 minutes to one of the gates into Murchison. That, apparently, was not the correct gate so we traveled another 2 hours to the proper gate. Once we entered the park we drove about 50 kilometers through the game reserve where we saw giraffes and a variety of antelope. We finally reached the ferry that runs across the Nile River. Once we finally made it across we made our way to Red Chili Hideaway, a campsite for visitors of Murchison Falls. There we had lunch which was quite a treat. I normally don't eat beef in the United States, but I have been craving a cheeseburger for some weeks now. Why? I have no clue. It was not what I was expecting. Cheese is not really a thing in Uganda which in my opinion is a darn shame because cheese is amazing. Anyway, the cheeseburger tasted more like a Philly cheese steak than a cheeseburger, but you take what you can get.

Jackie and I on the water cruise

After lunch we made our way back down to the shores of the Nile in order to catch our water cruise to the falls. We were the first ones to arrive on the boat that reminded me of a very large party barge. We were unpleasantly surprised to find out that we were joined by about 30 other tourists who were from a myriad of countries. The water cruise was a bit of a snooze fest, but we did manage to see some hippos, (a lot of hippos in fact) crocodiles, elephants, and a variety of birds. There were a number of avid bird watchers on the water cruise as well.

Crocodile regulating his body temp

After about two hours we finally reached the falls. We signed up to hike around the base of the falls so the boat captain dropped us off at the trail head. This was by far the best part of the trip. We got to see the falls from a number of different views. I was so enamored by the enormity and intensity of this water fall, and I have seen some pretty awesome water falls in my lifetime. Pictures definitely do not do it justice.

We made our way to the top of the falls, took some pictures, and took off for Red Chili in Chris' van. That night we dined on chicken pasta and banana cake. Red Chili was abound with tourists around a bonfire. Our accommodations were rather nice. Jackie, Mary, and I stayed in a tent that was potentially surrounded by wart hogs throughout the night. What's up, Pumba?!

We woke up at 6 the next morning in order to catch the ferry and take a game drive tour. The ferry was delayed for about thirty minutes because some hippos were too close to it. I think hippos are so adorable, even though I know that they can be very aggressive. To me they were a very welcome sight. Once we made it across the Nile we met our game drive tour guide, Simon. Simon informed us of the history of the game reserve in Murchison National Park and the different animals that reside there. We saw some elephants, giraffes, and a variety of antelope. We did not see any lions, however. Simon noticed that the antelope were acting as if a lion might be around, but we never saw it. This was rather disappointing, especially to Mary. She probably had never been farther than her school, never been on a boat, or never seen giraffes or elephants. It was very rewarding to share this experience with her.

After the game drive, we made our way back to Hope North. I have eleven days left here and thus, I am trying to get as much work done as possible before I leave. I am planting flowers around campus with some of the students this Saturday and am quite excited about it. I will post a reflection piece on my work and time here before I leave.

Thanks for reading, friends!

Mary Nell

The sunsets here are to die for

I have been at Hope North for almost three weeks now, and I am pretty accustomed to my life here. It is somewhat isolated, but if I am looking for noise all I have to do is look outside the curtain of our hut. The first morning after we arrived, I was sitting in our common area and all the sudden I could hear something banging, rather loudly I might add, on our door. I was terrified. Come to find out the three goats that roam around campus (including a baby goat, or kid to be more appropriately correct, which is the cutest thing you've ever seen) were responsible. Apparently this activity of banging against doors is one of their favorite past times. Around five o'clock in the afternoon you can hear the students of Hope North playing futbol or dancing and singing in Acholi (the main language spoken at Hope North and in the surrounding community). I have been told that Acholi is the easiest language to learn and that if I try hard enough I could learn it in two months. I was not so convinced seeing as it has taken me about ten years to become somewhat proficient in Spanish. Also, let me tell you that the dancing and music here is pretty legit and very beautiful. The girls have tried to get me to learn, but I am willing to let them look good doing it without me (HA).

The front gate which has since been repainted

Every day I get up around 8:30 A.M., drink a steaming cup of instant coffee, eat two pieces of chiboti (which is basically pita bread but waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better), and read a book. Around ten we start working on whatever tasks we have to accomplish for the day. One of the things that I have had trouble getting used to here is managing my levels of productivity. Our project director, Joe Schafer, has said previously that if he manages to get one thing done a day then he is doing alright. I would feel very lazy in the US if I only accomplished one thing per day, but that is just how productivity is measured here. I am working on a number of projects which currently include: determining the placement and design of hand washing stations, redesigning the Hope North gate, and eventually designing an overall campus plan. We have set up two temporary hand washing stations so that the students can become acclimated to using them.

Our temporary hand washing station! 

               

The hand washing stations are a very important piece of this project for a number of reasons. I am about to get pretty real with y’all so if you are not in the mood to hear about the conditions at Hope North, I suggest you skip over this paragraph. There are six latrines here for 300 students; three for the girls and three for the boys. When I say latrines I mean a hut with two partitions between three holes in the ground. No toilet paper, no satisfying flushing sound at the end of doing your business. Moreover, there is no medium for the students to clean themselves with after using the restroom so they use their hands. There have been several cases of typhoid here and this is most likely the main reason and why it is so important that hand washing stations be installed. Two of my travel companions and me have been working on developing a hands free system in order to prevent more germs from spreading. I am rather excited and hopeful about this project.

My favorite tree in all the land

Apart from that, the students of Hope North are incredibly happy individuals. About two weeks ago we were able to sit in on the prefect campaigns. This is kind of the equivalent to student council in American high schools or if you have ever read Harry Potter you have some idea. After witnessing the elected students come up and give their speeches with an entourage that was putting glasses on them and wiping the sweat off their brows, I knew that high school is pretty much the same around the world. It reminded me of being at a Hot Springs High School pep rally.

We have managed to travel off campus and explore the surrounding area. About two weekends ago we walked nearly two hours to the nearby town of Bweyale to see what it was all about. Somehow though, we ended up pushing the Hope North tricycle down the main street in Bweyale so that a different mechanic could repair it. If Bweyale has a newspaper I am sure that the next day’s headlines would read “Muzngus Push Bike through Main Street” (Muzungu is the word for white person in case you were curious).  We were quite the spectacle, and even though it was strange to be laughed at by a bunch of people, I am glad that I could put a smile on their faces. Okello Sam was also nice enough to take us on a trip to Gulu which is about two and a half hours away from here. We had the best time and are very excited to return.

Dani and Bolton modeling our mouse traps

Even though I love living here and experiencing the culture, it does not come without its challenges. I have never been very skittish about bugs in the States (except for spiders), but here is a different story. I have no idea what any of the insects are here, and as such I am terrified that one of them might kill me. Call me dramatic, but it is how it is. I could also play connect the dots with all the ant and mosquito bites on my body, but like I said it is what it is. We have also experienced an infestation of rats and mice that are currently living in our ceiling. I have also been rather dramatic about this because I have a fear of rats. They have been getting into our food, pooping everywhere, and just causing a ruckus while we are sleeping. Mr. Ray, the superintendent of Hope North, managed to get us some mouse traps. Let me preface this by saying that mouse traps in Africa are not the same as mouse traps in the States. Dani, Bolton, and I had quite the laugh attempting to set them (see adjacent picture).

I hope to be posting more often now that we have wifi. Previously I was using a thing that I like to call an internet stick. It is very slow so I could really only check my email while I was using it. Ericsson, a Swedish technology company, came last week and fixed the wifi and installed a number of new systems in preparation for the arrival of Forest Whitaker. Forest travels to different organizations to manage workshops that encourage peace building. Ericsson works in conjunction with his foundation, the Whitaker Peace and Development Foundation. It was an awesome experience to meet Forest Whitaker. He is very tall and has the most joyful smile you have ever seen.

I have about five weeks left in Uganda which is insane to me. Time has flown by since I’ve been here. Hopefully I will be able to post more about my experience. Thanks for reading, friends! 

We have finally arrived in Uganda! It is so beautiful here. I never would have expected it to be so lush and tropical. For the time being we are staying at Okello Sam's Eco Resort outside of the capital of Uganda, Kampala. Okello Sam is the founder of Hope North. He is a pretty amazing person and it has been an honor to be able to talk with him about his philosophy and hopes. 

Mizizi Ensemble practicing

Yesterday afternoon, we traveled into Kampala and watched Okello's dance team perform at the Uganda Cultural Center. The performance was held outside and it could not have been any better. The weather is perfect  here. It has been a rather pleasant change after experiencing the heat of India. 

We leave for Hope North on Wednesday. I will be spending the first week or so acclimating myself to the environment and spending time with the students. I am excited to start work and see how Landscape Architecture can benefit this community.

View of Okello's Eco Tourism Resort

There are the most awesome butterflies here

The Matt Devlin showing off
our mountain of water bottles

We are about to leave India, and I have been spending some time reflecting on my experience here. One of the things that I will not miss is the heat. It has gotten as hot as 111 degrees Fahrenheit with a low of about 84 degrees Fahrenheit. I have definitely taken air conditioning and water for granted.  I believe that every day I drink about 5-8 liters of water. A cold bottle of water is also a luxury. I don’t think I have very been more excited to retrieve a bottle of water that is frozen. As they say it’s the little things in life that bring the most happiness.

 I am definitely going to miss the food. I have never been a big fan of spicy food, but I anticipated that I was going to have to get over that before I came here. At Barefoot, they serve basically the same thing everyday: rice, roti (which is kind of like a delicious tortilla), and some type of curry. For breakfast they serve parratas which is basically a fancier form of a roti. I could eat parratas everyday for breakfast if I had the option. The food at Hope North will not be as authentic as the food here so I have been savoring every bite. 

One aspect that has been the most enriching about this experience is that I have gotten to meet other volunteers and visitors from all over the world. The first day we arrived we met two men from Nepal who had climbed Mt. Everest at least three times. No big deal. We were able to take a tour with them to see the city of Pushkar. On a side note, Pushkar was absolutely beautiful and I am so glad that we were able to go. I have also met volunteers from France, Vietnam, Italy, and South Africa. They are all awesome people and I have learned a great deal from all of them. 

I am beyond thankful that I was able to attend this leg of the trip and hopefully we can take some of things we have learned here and apply them at Hope North. Our train leaves at 4:00 o'clock today for Delhi. From Delhi we will fly to Dubai and then to Uganda! I am excited for some cooler weather and to start our next journey! In the meantime, here are some photos from our trip to Pushkar featuring the emphasis Pushkar Lake and a really cool camel. 

Panorama of Pushkar Lake

My travel amigos! 

Gotta love this tree

A mosque on top of a mountain overlooking Ajmer

May 24th: As soon as we arrived at Barefoot College I could tell that there was definitely something different about this place. Everyone just seems to have this light surrounding them. It is truly beautiful and inspiring. Barefoot College was founded by Bunker Roy in 1972. For more than 40 years they have been empowering women from rural communities all over the world to bring about sustainable change through education and solar electrification. Barefoot College brings women from villages that are typically dominated by men and trains them to become solar engineers, parabolic solar cooker engineers, and day and night school teachers.  They also employ sustainable practices throughout the campus such as rain water harvesting and solar electrification. As soon as I learned of these practices, I was astonished by how sustainable this rural community actually is. It is a truly unbelievable sight. I think that because I am a Landscape Architecture major, I was overly excited when I learned about their sanitation systems. In general, they use plants to purify sewage water before it is reused.  I was in awe and could not think of a better case study for how Landscape Architecture can be implemented in the developing world.

A parabolic solar cooker in the making!

As soon as we arrived, we took a tour around the old and new campuses. We were able to meet with the women who were becoming solar engineers. After 6 months of training, they are expected to return to their home country and are responsible for providing solar electricity for 50 homes in their village. What is truly amazing about this process is that these women speak many different languages and there is a defiant communication boundary. Some of the women do not understand the training at first, but through repetition they learn and then teach others in their community. Some of these women also build mosquito nets and sanitary napkins that are available for sale. After meeting these women and spending time with them it is very easy to tell that they are gaining a sense of empowerment through this work. They are making a difference and creating a voice for strong women across the globe. My time here has taught me that being women does not mean that you are weak. It only makes you stronger. 

Ze Guest House

May 20th to May 24th: Well my adventures for the summer have officially begun. One of my travel companions, Bolton Kirchner, and I experienced some very interesting times trying to make our connections in order to eventually end up in Delhi. I can officially say that I have run through an airport in order to make a flight on time! We also missed our flight from London to Delhi because of flight delays, but thankfully they rerouted us to another flight on India Air (which is rather fancy). There was basically no one on the flight so I was able to properly lie down and sleep. Eventually we made it to the Delhi airport, only to find out that our luggage was lost. Literally everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, but we made the best of it and tried to tell ourselves that things could be worse. We were also able to meet up with our other travel companion, Danny Folks. She traveled from her home town to London and was able to make the flight that we could not. She was nice enough to wait for us in the Delhi airport. Danny and Bolton are both Clinton School of Public Service graduate students. They are awesome people and I am excited to see all of the amazing work that they accomplish in Uganda.

                It was about 1 o’clock in the morning when we finally made it to Delhi. As soon as walked out of the airport I knew that the heat was definitely going to be something that I would have to get used to. We got a cab and made our way to Bunker’s house. Bunker Roy is the founder of Barefoot College in Tilonia, India. He was kind enough to let us stay at his house in Delhi before we traveled to Barefoot. Matt Devlin, another Clinton School student who is spending 6 months at Barefoot College, had already arrived at Bunker’s house and showed us to our room.  It was very difficult for me to sleep that night most likely due to jet lag. For the longest time I thought I was immune to it, but I realized that no one is immune to jet lag. The next morning, I drank my first cup of Indian chai tea. I am not a huge fan of chai in the States so I was a bit hesitant at first, but this stuff was sent from Heaven (the coffee here is also pretty amazing). After we drank our tea, we decided that it would probably be best if we got a hotel because Bunker’s house was pretty crowded. We got a cab and made our way to the Legend Hotel. This place was very nice and only cost about 1100 rupees per person a night which is equal to about 20 dollars American.  This was pretty exciting because it was a four star hotel! We had air conditioning, wifi, and a large amount of coffee and chai from room service. What more could you ask for? The only catch was that there was not a western shower. However, I have become quite accustomed to the bucket shower. I can honestly say that they are rather refreshing.

The Red Fort

                The rest of the day we traveled by rickshaw. If you ever manage to travel to Delhi, you should experience the city via rickshaw. This was incredibly thrilling but terrifying at the same time. Traffic in India is unlike any other traffic I have ever experienced. For one thing, Delhi is the second most populous city in the world so there are a ton of people on the road. Another thing that I have noticed is that no one really bothers to use road lanes. Sometimes we would be about a foot away from another car because our driver had either managed a way to make another lane or the other car had. Honking is also a tool for communicating here, rather than for making people angry. It is definitely something to get used to. We made our way to the Red Fort which is a major attraction in Delhi. I was amazed by the detail that was apparent in all of the structures inside the Red Fort. Indian architecture is purely beautiful. Apart from that, we didn't bring enough water and the heat was a bit stifling. It is very important to remain hydrated here because the temperatures reach about 106 degrees Fahrenheit. I keep telling myself “agua es vida” which is translated as “water is life.” It’s amazing how much we take water for granted in the United States. It is a depleting resource in India so I am very aware that I should not waste it. After the Red Fort, we walked around a nearby market. It was a very intense situation due to the fact that the streets were so crammed with people. Not to mention, we were dehydrated and suffering from jet lag. We decided that our best course of action was to get back to hotel, order room service, and take a well-deserved nap. After we slept for about five hours, we went to a nearby restaurant called the Boom Room. It was catered towards Americans, and even though the food was delicious I still felt like I hadn't experienced authentic Indian food quite yet.

                We had planned to make a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, but it was a holy day which meant that it was closed. I was kind of disappointed, but we booked a tour to see all of Delhi so it seemed like a nice trade off. The only issue was that I got a stomach bug that morning at breakfast and was not able to attend the tour with Bolton, Danny, and Matt. I was upset about it, but it was completely out of my control. So there is not much to report on that day.

                The next morning we got up at 4 A.M. in order to catch a train from Delhi to Kushinagar where someone from Barefoot College would pick us up. We found out, however, that the train was sold out so we opted with Plan B which was to take a car to Tilonia. After a pretty brutal and very cramped 8 hour drive, we finally made it to Barefoot College. 

A structure inside the Red Fort