"Not all who wander...

another adventure

2012-02-09T20:12:00.005+03:00

It's been a long time since I posted on here! That's because I haven't traveled anywhere. Legit. But, now I'm headed off to Uganda and Sudan for the next six months- I think this calls for a blog post :)

I've been running around like a wild woman trying to get everything squared away for this extended absence from DC. People keep asking me - don't you have a list? Yes, I have about 4 lists, and each one is longer than the last. Packing for such a long time away should be pretty straightforward, right? Wrong. If I'm in Sudan, there will be an entirely different set of clothing than if I head to Kigali or Kampala. Plus, it's warm right now - but I'll be in East Africa through the rainy season, which means I need a variety of clothing. And don't even get me started on all the vitamins I'm schlepping over there. I have to keep reminding myself, "Abigail, they have grocery stores there." I haven't even attempted to pack snacks... it's not like I'll be in Gulu where dinner can take upwards of 2 hours.

What else have I been doing with all this vacation time prior to departure, you ask? Doctors appointments, cleaning out my room, suspending memberships, bills, and so much more! There's probably so much that I haven't remembered, but it takes a lot of work to suspend life for several months at a time. I'd post a picture of my empty room- but that's just sad. So, first stop - San Francisco to visit some family, and then off to Uganda. I'm trying to figure out what adventures to have, but that takes some of the fun out of it, right? For now, I'm considering gorilla trekking and another visit to Zanzibar... just some options on the radar. I'm most excited about seeing all my wonderful Ugandan friends again! I'm sure a lot has changed for them in the last few years, but that just means we have so much more to talk about!

the highlights reel

2011-08-28T15:28:00.009+03:00

Winter in Kenya is not quite like winter in the U.S.... it's about 50 degrees every day, and cloudy. essentially, not what I love about Africa. that's ok - every place has its seasons. Here are some of the highlights:

-Visit to an eco-lodge in Elementaita and my first sighting of a real, live, wild flamingo!

-2 kenyan weddings in 1 day

-climbing a volcano (Mount Longonot)

-visiting our field offices in Eldoret and Kericho

-hanging out with my beloved friends at Hekima Place

-oh yeah, and a weekend in Zanzibar... also known as paradise on earth. this picture doesn't belong to me - but here's the sense you get:

OBX

2011-05-31T06:52:00.009+03:00

it's not a new place to me, but a 7 hour roadtrip, 4 bedroom house, and 14 friends definitely deserves its own post.

we went to the Outer Banks this weekend for Memorial Day - took Friday off, and drove down in the morning. It's normally a 5 hour drive, but this time it took about 7 hours due to all the stops we made (how can you resist a sign that says 'fresh corn' and 'fresh peaches'??). we even stopped at Sonic on the way there - love those fried cheese balls and wait staff on rollerskates. Finally we made it to the beach - I put my foot down, and said we would not grocery stop first - first stop should always be the water. What can you even say about afternoons and evenings at the Outer Banks? Every day is hotter than the one before. Every sunset is more beautiful. We were staying in Corolla (pronounced ka rah la, not like the Toyota brand - if you say it that way, people will know you're a n00b).

The first night, our whole group arrived at various times - we were the first bunch, so we went to dinner at this place called Tomato Patch Pizza - it was delish! Then, as people arrived we hit the beach for some late night star gazing - and yes, I saw a shooting star. It was so beautiful. Next day involved a quick run, and then off to the beach. The water was like ice - but I swam anyway. Must have an extra layer of blubber that allows me to do that, because I love the cold water!

That night we went to dinner at this place called Duck Deli, which had the most amazing BBQ I've had in a really long time - it was finger lickin good, for sure! Then we rustled up some of our own fun, by telling the live band that it was somebody's birthday - and they got to perform a version of Joan Jett's I Love Rock n Roll, ha! Inspired, we headed over to the local karaoke bar and sang the night away. Most people were terrible, but my roomie Victoria can really belt it out. Girlfriend always found the right key, even when the crowd was crazy. Love singing duets with you, chica!
The next day we did a little home-church, which was nice - singing & praying & reading the Bible on the porch. Then afternoon was all beach time - never enough for me, but definitely enough to get some people sunburned! Then Sunday evening we watched an incredible sunset - the Outer Banks is a group of islands off the coast of North Carolina, so one side of the island is called 'sound side' and the other is 'surf side' - so you get to watch the sunrise on the surf side, and sunset on the sound side. Sunset was incredible - I can't say that I was ever awake in time for sunrise!

Monday was departure day - but we still got some wonderful beach time in the morning (and a delicious breakfast at Breakfast & Burgers, which I highly recommend if you are willing to wait about 40 minutes for food). Amazingly, we hit almost no traffic either direction - I would say overall, a highly successful beach weekend.

coming home

2011-05-05T20:32:00.005+03:00

there's a song by Diddy called Coming Home, and it says "Tell the world that I'm coming home." This is often how I feel after a trip.

Sometimes, I have been in the position when I thought I would not be able or allowed to come home as soon as I thought (thank you very much Milan insane airports, Vienna snowstorm, and various other crazy people/airlines). This is maybe the only thing that truly upsets me overseas - traffic jams, belligerent grantees, supercilious hotel attendants, horrible food, riots - none of this upsets me like being told I can't go home.

I love walking through the customs line at Dulles, and being told 'Welcome Home' by the Customs & Border Patrol officials. They don't know how much it means to me - but it's wonderful. The land of basketball, burgers, and beer. The birthplace of reality t.v. and the iPhone.

It always makes me chuckle - the things that people miss from home. For me, I want chipotle and a pedicure. One friend wanted to get to a concert STAT, and another said she wanted an eyebrow wax. My boss used to say that she would get smothered in hugs from her kids when she got home - that was her end goal. My favorite (other than that burrito I mentioned) is taking a shower with all my own shampoos & conditioners. That probably sounds like a very small thing - but I bet you would be surprised at the things you miss most from home.

Chicago pics

2011-05-01T11:17:00.010+03:00

here are a few fun shots from Chicago:
Jean & the red wall.

Wrigley Field

chillin at Navy Pier

Showing the world where I'm headed

beautiful Sears Tower

there's this wall with pieces from every great site around the world - I think I'm touching the Basilica and the pyramids :)

Favorite shot of the city architecture

being silly at the great Bean

Chicago.

unpredictability

2011-05-01T11:12:00.004+03:00

So after all that, I didn't go to Gulu... Everything worked as smoothly as possible, until I got to Kampala and found out that there had been rioting and protests in the streets all day. The roads were closed and the party canceled. I guess it's time to learn about longterm perspective. I'm spending the weekend in Kampala - and will see my friends another time.

Am posting a fun picture from the hotel bar in Nakuru - never in all my days have I seen a sign like this.

back to the beginning.

2011-04-28T23:13:00.004+03:00

tomorrow I'm going back to Gulu for the NUTI goodbye party. It's hard to explain how excited I am about this. This is the first place I ever went in Africa, my first and dearest friends (so far) in Africa, and the party of the year. I would trade Christmas to go to this party. So, I'm traveling 9 hours by car and plane and will hopefully make it. I will battle both Nairobi traffic - on a Friday, no less - and Kampala traffic. I'm not sure if I'll sleep tonight!

... update from Nairobi airport - I made it this far! My driver this morning was HILARIOUS. His name is Jao, and he owns 4 businesses: a car hire company in Nairobi, a mobile phone company in Kampala, a hospital equipment supply company in Kenya, and another one which I forgot. He told me that tomorrow, he will be presented to his tribe (the Kikuyus), to become one of the respected men of the clan. To do this, the family gives a goat. Then he will also have to give a goat to the community. I wish I could attend, as it will be a great festival!

I asked Jao about other ceremonies of the Kikuyus, and he said that when the male child is born - you give a goat, also at circumcision - goat. Then also when the man becomes an elder of the clan - you guessed it, another goat. I asked if poor families are able to have their male children gain respect in the tribe, and he said no - there's not a way unless you can provide all these goats.

Anyway - all for now, I will send updates after the weekend. Hopefully someone there will take pictures of the festivities, as I have not brought a camera.

Dinner in Nakuru

2011-04-26T23:55:00.003+03:00

The conference I'm attending is located in a town called Nakuru. In my mind, it's one step above Gulu in luxury - yet my colleagues tell me it's the 4th largest city in Kenya!

Tonight my colleagues Francis and Charles asked me, "So, Abigail, what do you know about Kenyans?" Their sly grins made me think I should answer with only good attributes... so I mentioned how well-educated many people are, as well as their diversity in tribes and ethnicities. They prompted me with athleticism, which we discussed for a while (the Kalengins are typically the most athletic tribe), and I told them of my experience with the Kenyan marathon runners growing up in Richmond. I also mentioned how most Kenyans are very well-traveled - which they loved.

They taught me about the diaspora, which apparently has huge roots in Minnesota, Iowa, and Arizona. Then they asked me, "And what else? Do you think we are patient and hard-working?" I was dying on the inside, but I had to say - you know what, I have not had that experience yet. They told me that Kenyans are truly an industrious people - mostly the Kikuyu tribe. Then we discussed unemployment, the US economic recession, and the poor quality of Chinese roads. Great dinner, and great colleagues.

suitcases

2011-04-25T09:08:00.002+03:00

I think I've written a few times about packing, but possibly never on what makes a good suitcase. Unfortunately, the best way to learn this is by trial and error - but maybe my errors will help you. Last Wednesday, I was going to walk to work with my suitcases- but after all the mistakes which you will read about below - I was too ashamed, and had to hitch a ride. Don't let this happen to you!

I packed all my things into a small suitcase whose handle was too short - miskake #1, and the most egregious. With a short handle your balance will be off, and you will have difficulty not bumping your suitcase into your own feet. Also, if you're wheeling two suitcases- they will be at different distances away from your arms, which makes navigation difficult. On Wednesday, I tripped over my own feet about 7 times.

Mistake #2 a suitcase that does not stand on its own. This particular suitcase is top-heavy, meaning that it topples forward at every possible chance. I've mitigated this by packing heavy items at the back, but it's incredibly frustrating to set your suitcase down and have it fall at every street corner.

Mistake #3 bumbling wheels. Imagine my frustration when the suitcase in question tipped over at the first bump or sidewalk crack. Shameful.

Along with #2, mistake #4 is balance of the wheels. If you do go over a speedbump, the suitcase should not wobble from side to side like an awkward King Tut dance. I don't ever want to turn around and have to steady my own penguin-waddling suitcase.

So, moral of the story - do not be fooled by fancy gadgets like a compas in the handle- cool idea, right? wrong. Stick to the 4 principles of handle length, weight, wheels, and balance - and you should have a smooth ride.

the windy city (part 2)

2011-04-24T16:58:00.005+03:00

So Jean had planned lots of fun activities for our time together in Chicago - she's a great person to visit. Friday, we went out to an amazing lunch at this place called Bakin & Eggs (couscous salad with cilantro lemon dressing? yes.) then we were off to the Cubs game, in the rain & wind & 40 degree temperature. We loved watching the Wrigley Field officials de-tarp, re-tarp, and fold-the-tarp all over the field. They weren't very effective at rolling up the tarp... but I guess that's a lot to remember. It was so cold that we didn't last very long - watched an inning and then took our poor selves home to de-thaw. After a bit of naptime (perfect for a day like that), we made a lasagna and then took ourselves out to the movies.

Saturday was perhaps the most perfect day we could have asked for - 65, and sunny with a nice breeze. Jean and I ate leftover lasagna and then headed downtown to see the sites. First stop was the Chicago zoo - where I saw my very first polar bear. She was precious, and I wanted to take her home. Then we went over to Navy Pier and wandered our way to the very end. We took an architecture boat tour of the city, which was amazing (pictures are interspersed).

Then we decided to walk the Magnificent Mile, hang out for a bit in Millennium park, and generally enjoy the more touristy side of the city. What a great place to live- from the many, many unique restaurants and bars, to the beautiful Lake Michigan, to the totally relaxed attitude of the residents - I loved this visit.

I'll post pictures as soon as I have a good internet connection.

Chi-town (part 1)

2011-04-21T20:02:00.004+03:00

So, off to Chicago for a long weekend to visit my friend Jean. Jean and I have been friends since our freshman year of college, and I've been promising to visit for a while - it's time! My trip started out with one of the more hilarious cab rides of my life. As I hopped in, the cabbie asked me, "Are you republican?" Apparently he's looking for a third wife, but only if she's republican. I turned him down.

So I got to Chicago last night, and we drove straight into west Lakeview, which is the neighborhood where Jean lives. I especially enjoyed the hilarious signboards that we passed on our way back - taxidermy, a prostate clinic, a massage parlor called 'Latin touch.' We got real, true, deep dish Chicago pizza for dinner (which I learned is all about the order of the ingredients). 36 hours later I'm still full - it was amazing. I might move here just for the pizza.

Today I got to go to school with Jean, who teaches middle school social studies. It was both awesome and hilarious to see Jean totally in her element - she's wonderful with the kids, and they adore her. We have lots of plans for the next couple of days - but I'll save the stories for another post.

noah's ark part 2

2011-04-04T05:11:00.004+03:00

I was awakened this morning by the sound of rain. Inside my room. Eyes opened and immediately I'm in emergency mode - there is water POURING from the light fixtures in the entrance area of my room. Called the front desk, and then decided I couldn't wait for them to arrive since the water was already seeping into the carpet and through my suitcase. I guess I knew I wouldn't be heading back for a while - grabbed my computer, phone, & money and fled. This is why you always sleep with such things nearby - our security people would call it a grab bag. It was like running through the rain, which at least provided proof and sympathy to the hotel people. Now I'm sitting in the lobby, soaked, watching them run back and forth with umbrellas to try to figure out the problem. (I offered to help, but they declined) I keep expecting others to downstairs with the same problem - but it seems to just be me at the moment. it's kind of funny.

it's all how you play the game-

2011-03-31T10:23:00.004+03:00

I've spent almost as much time in the Amsterdam airport as at my gym over the past couple of years. Sadly, that doesn't equate homey feelings and comfort when I'm here... it always feels like a battle. me vs. the airport. today, I got here early enough to snag one of the "comfy chairs." these are in a couple of secret locations, so you have to know where to look. 1 point for abigail. turns out the "comfy chairs" are not that comfortable. 1 point for Ams. also, I sat myself next to a loud snoring gentleman. another point for Ams. And how did I forget how cold this airport is? I'm wearing 3 shirts and a sweater, and still freezing. Ams 3 vs. Abigail 1. not great. just 30 more minutes till I board the plane - maybe I'll have more success on the return trip.

time to go.

2011-03-29T04:29:00.004+03:00

finally. I'm breaking out the old suitcases and packing list - and can I just say how excited I am? pretty stoked. My team over in Kenya needs some backup, and I'm getting on a plane in less than 48 hours... of course instead of packing, I'm sitting here like a lady of leisure and typing away on a blog. Foolish. I admit I'm slightly daunted by the idea of getting ready so quickly - it's been 8 months since I've been on a plane, and I'm not sure I even remember how to travel any more. yikes. I'm headed to sunshine, dust, rainstorms, crime, crazy hard work, a mish-mash of horrifying and delicious food, and I can't wait. just get me on the plane already! am trying to avoid thinking about doing my taxes for now... I should be back in time, but you never know. maybe I can wake up at 6 a.m. on Wednesday and do them. so, is anybody out in Kenya right now? I'd love to meet up!

more Spain

2011-01-02T22:18:00.008+03:00

Since we lived out at the farthest northern point of Salamanca, it was great fun to go exploring outside the city. Behind our house there were these little hills (las colinas we called them in spanish), they were somewhere between hills and mountains actually - I know because I used to run up them. It was the perfect run - outside, off roads & sidewalks on dirt paths, no trees, just pass the garbage dump and then you run around these idyllic farm fields, and up a huge final hill. When I made it to the top of the last hill, there was this spectacular view of the city - you could see the cathedrals and the university and the bridge and the river. I was usually running at sunrise or sunset, when all the normally golden buildings would look rosy in the Spanish light. It was almost a honey, or tawny gold- indescribable, but beautiful. My roommates didn't run with me very often (knee problems apparently), so I found it a great place to go and pray.

There were other places to work out - our University had a track and a "gym" which was more rudimentary than many of the gyms I go to in rural Africa. Then there was also a park near our house, where my roomies and I did some workouts outside (pushups, jumping jacks, our old cross country stretches) - we scandelized the locals. Working out is not something you do in public in Spain. Ever.

One of my roommates joined a local gym (it was too expensive for me), and she would take the aerobics classes. She always came back with hilarious stories of women in full makeup and street clothes doing these dance moves. Em is such a good sport- it's tough to take jazzercise in a foreign language, but she was totally faithful.

My last run up las colinas was (thankfully) right at the end of my program - it was midday, and I was home early because I had a class cancelled. I was home just before lunch, so I decided to go for a run - not my normal hour for running, but no big deal, right? wrong. After getting followed up the block by 2 policemen (gracias, i felt so safe) - I rounded the corner, ran up the first hill, and immediately was overlooking about 17 shady characters on the next hill below me. I couldn't tell what they were up to, but they did not look friendly. I was sooooo disappointed that my spot was actually miscreant meetup locale, and I never went back.

The other workout memory I have from Spain is when my roommates & I decided to create our own workout routine in our rooms. It was a pretty intense couple hours of running in place, some pilates moves, lots of jumping jacks, pushups, and situps. Sadly, we were discouraged by our Mama (who by the way thought we were loonies) telling us that if we jumped, we would 'disturb the neighbors.' We had to keep quiet, but we were still really good at figuring out exercises to do!

Spain

2010-12-17T22:13:00.005+03:00

since I'm not actively traveling right now - I've been reminiscing about some great trips from ages ago. My junior year in college, I spent a few months in Spain studying at the Universidad de Salamanca. It's one of the oldest universities in Europe, and Salamanca was the perfect town for us to study, explore, party... basically have lots of adventures. I lived with two other girls E & M, and our Mama (Carmen)- we were located at the far north side of the city (Calle Petunias), so the program gave us bus passes to get around Salamanca more easily. Below us lived two other girls in the program (did I mention there were 27 girls and 3 guys? lucky guys) - they lived with Flora, another older mama - total bffs with Carmen. We found lots of ways to get into trouble.... here are just a few:

-missing our stop (and the next 3 stops) on the bus

-taking pictures of every mullet we could find

-the situation game. where one of us would blurt out a situation, and the others would have to make faces and we'd take a quick pic. In looking back at the pictures - all the faces are similar, and we have NO idea what the situations were.

-one night we opened a bottle of wine in our room, but we didn't have a corkscrew (and didn't think to get a twist-off bottle), so we had read that you can use a toothbrush to force the cork into the bottle and then drink. it was so hard to push that cork into the bottle that by the time it went through, we splattered wine EVERY where - including the walls. ooooh we were in trouble.

-technically you're not allowed to drink outside of the bars in Spain, but we had to follow the tradition - it's called botellon (bo-tay-yAWN)

-eating was always a bit of a challenge - the Spaniards don't really have breakfast (or at least not a large one), and then the main meal wasn't till 2 or 3 in the afternoon. by the time we'd get home from school for lunch we all thought we were dying of hunger. our Mama was a FANTASTIC and authentic cook - so the apartment would smell incredible - adding to our mini food depression. then we would chow down for 20 minutes and roll back to school for afternoon classes. Madre Carmen did not make extra food... so this one time, we got in from a late night of dancing and decided we were going to die of hunger unless we had a snack. leftover pasta from lunch - perfect, we thought. oh my gooodness gracious, we have never seen Carmen so angry. She gave us a whole speech about communication, and how it's not right to take what wasn't ours, and on and on. Apparently that pasta had been for our lunch the next day- and we totally messed her up for meals the rest of the week. We apologized, of course, but we felt horrible for weeks and weeks about that. Spanish guilt, go figure.

Oy, there are a LOT more stories... I'll have to do a continuation of this post, so that it doesn't get too long.

the wildest.

2010-12-04T03:59:00.004+03:00

It was my first trip to Uganda. The last week of my trip - I had been running my tiny little world for 3 weeks, and I think I learned more in that time than I learned in my last year of college. I'm sitting in my office, with my trusty (adopted) watchdog at my feet and in walk 5 gigantic men. I mean, they were huge. Each one probably the size of two of my brothers. I had my confident manager self on, so I welcomed them in and asked what I could do for them. They proceeded to begin asking invasive questions about my office.

"Madam, we are from the police department. How many non-Ugandans are in your office?" "One. Me." (surprised faces) "Do you have a work visa?" "No, a tourist visa." "Madam, you are not here legally." "Yes I am, I work for the United States Agency for International Development. The United States Government." "Mzungu, if you don't have a working visa - you will be in violation of the Ugandan immigration rules. We will be forced to report you to the police."

At this point, my dog is barking at the intruders (yes, thank you Tequila!!!), and my driver Big John is standing intimidatingly in the doorway. I realize that these men are not as scary as I thought, and then I raised myself to my full height, and told the men, "Gentlemen, I am on my way to Kampala in the morning. I will check in at the American Embassy and then I will send a copy of the visa to the police office." (that's the police) The men left, and a few staff came into my office to ask me what went down. I explained what the men said, and my team said, "Oh those thugs just wanted Christmas." (meaning they wanted $$$$!)

Of course, I had to report the 'incident' to my boss, as well as our US Government counterparts. it was totally embarassing that I never asked for their names or identification - I was cowed by a few idiot thugs. Can't believe I was so naive! I was grateful for the presence of Big John and Tequila, though. As were my parents when I told them the story. Big John always took such good care of me!

here's the police barracks I would have gone to if I had answered those thugs the wrong answer:

rolling thunder part 2

2010-11-20T22:59:00.007+03:00

My friend Sarah used to work at a school where the kids weren't allowed to say 'cool' 'dude' or 'awesome' because the administration thought kids these days say those words too much without developing a good vocabulary. I tried it one day, and found it next to impossible. so, I do try to use other words in my vocabulary when I remember.... but sometimes a thing comes across my path that can only be described as awesome. today, that thing is my Mom. Maybe many of you haven't met my Mom - I don't need your input. she is awesome.

So, this weekend I decided to take a motorcycle class - to prep if I ever go live overseas (I'd like to have a motorcycle), and to work on my skillz. Anyway, I was debriefing with my mom afterwards - just talking about some of the techniques and things I'd learned. She's great to talk to because she is a counselor - wonderful at listening thoughtfully. She mentioned how excited she was that I was learning this (albeit a bit nervous), and I said, "Well you did something like this, right?" Mom started reminiscing about this time when she lived in Venezuela - and was riding her motorcycle up a mountain range, back and forth on switchback dirt roads... and she wiped out, the motorbike wasn't even hers, and she had to kick start it again on a hurt ankle, but the kickstart was bent. ridiculous.

My mom is a rockstar. Growing up, she had her pilot's license and used to fly a tiny plane back and forth from Baltimore to Ocean City every morning to deliver newspapers. Who even does that? But it goes farther back than my mom - my grandmother gave up her modeling career to go into the airforce during World War 2. There she met my Grandad (she taught him how to fly), then raised 4 kids, and later she took up horsebackriding and real estate sales. Just a snapshot of the coolness factor. I have a long way to go, clearly.

I know other people's parents are similarly cool - so here's to the people who made us who we are.

little did I know...

2010-11-14T17:54:00.005+03:00

It's been almost 2 years, and I think I'm finally ready to tell this story. For a while, I was too embarrassed. Is your interest peaked yet? ha.

It was my first trip to Uganda, first trip to Africa, first everything - I don't know a whole lot now, but I knew even less then. The farthest I had ever gone was Spain, so after two 8-hour flights and a layover in Amsterdam - by the time I arrived, I had no idea which way was forward or backward. There was a driver waiting for me at the airport (an intimidating experience if you've ever been looking for someone who just wasn't there - do I really trust any of these people to take me to where I'm supposed to go?), and he drove me to the Imperial Beach resort. Little did I know there were two Imperial Beach resorts, and he took me to the wrong one! Whatever, I didn't care - there was a bed, and got up to my room and unpacked - still totally overwhelmed by the smells and total darkness. I knew I couldn't go straight to sleep because I was waiting for Hashim (name changed for privacy) to drop off my phone. Hashim had been our driver since the beginning of the program 6 months prior, and I'd spoken with him over the phone many times before. After a couple hours, he finally showed up - explained that I went to the wrong hotel and he had been waiting for me there. Oops. I was too tired and confused to really care. He gave me a phone and told me he'd pick me up the next day to head up to Gulu. We drove the 5 hours in almost total silence, since I was looking out the windows, and he was focused on not hitting any chickens in the road. From that time through the rest of my stay in Gulu, Hashim was back in Kampala - but he'd call every once in a while to make sure I was ok.

Well, it was time for me to go home for Christmas - I'd been running the 30 person office, managing millions of dollars, buying crazy things, and I think this was the craziest learning experience I've ever had. Big John (another driver) took me back to Kampala, and Hashim was supposed to drive me to the airport the next day (mind you, this whole time I had never spent more than 12 hours in the big city - that's for another post). Hashim told me he had a gift for me. He handed me a box the size & shape of a dvd, covered in shimmery-red-hearts wrapping paper plus a card. I wasn't sure what to do - but for some idiotic reason, I thought the best thing would be to open it right there in front of him. Don't ask me why.

I opened the package to find............... a dvd-size plastic box containing black lace lingerie. The box said something like 'Petal soft and ever fresh' and had a picture (of course) of some hot african mama wearing the babydoll & thong. But the best part is the size of the items he got me: SUPER XXXL. Triple Extra Large. triple. I've never been so dumbfounded in my life. In case you were wondering this is not a typical gift between acquaintances in America. I think I said something like, 'Oh you really shouldn't have.' and escaped the car as fast as I possibly could.

So, there you have it - my introduction to the ways of African men and their expressiveness to mzungu girls. To answer your inevitable questions - NO, I never wore the lingerie. But I think I still have it somewhere - it's too funny to let go.

wandering a new direction...

2010-10-22T05:17:00.000+03:00

Hi everybody! So, it's been a few months - I know. This past summer, I went to Greece and Uganda, got my brother all married in California, and got myself a new job. busy summer! I'm working for another USAID contractor called Chemonics International, and loving life so far. My new project is in Haiti and no, I haven't gotten to travel there yet. More posts surely to come, but this fall is quite slow on the international travel front. I just realized that I've passed the 2-month threshold - the longest amount of time I've been in one country since December 2009. crazy! Hasta pronto--

Rugby Club and Ethiopian Restaurant

2010-07-26T13:12:00.004+03:00

The last time I was in the same country as a terrorist attack was Tuesday, September 11, 2001. On Sunday, July 11, 2010 al Shabab attacked the local civilian population in Kampala, Uganda, a group of people watching the World Cup finals. It's a tragedy that al Shabab attacked outside of its own country (let's not even get into the tragedy happening within that country itself). You can read political analysis on NY Times or BBC, but here's my experience of the events:

I'd arrived in Uganda on Tuesday evening, spent a wonderful few days in Mbale and was just finishing a fabulous weekend in Gulu. We finished up our homemade lasagna (a treat!) and headed over to Boma Hotel to watch the game on the only big tv screen in Gulu. We had so much fun watching the game - it wasn't until the next morning that I had any idea what happened: Suicide bombers set off multiple explosions in highly-populated areas inside Kampala- inside the Rugby Club and Ethiopian Restaurant in Kampala (as well as couple other locations where fortunately the bombs did not detonate).

It felt so unfair to be attacked from a source outside the country - for something that the majority of people in Uganda had nothing to do with. Thankfully, everyone on my team was safe - but the number of close encounters is chilling. For my colleague Moses, his brother was at the Rugby Club and just decided to leave 15 minutes before the bomb went off. My friend Sophia, her brother-in-law was going to watch the game from the Ethiopian Restaurant but decided to skip it because they weren't serving pork that night.

People were very sober the following day- not panicked, and not even bothering to check in with all their friends until the list of deceased came out in a couple days. A couple of my colleagues hearkened back to the days of the LRA attacks, when they would hide at night for fear that they would be kidnapped. They remembered hearing the Black Mamba (a heavy metal gun, from what I understand) and said that in comparison AK-47s sound like popcorn. popcorn. Amazing resilience.

I drove through Kampala this past Friday (7/23) to get to the airport, and I found it very interesting to listen to the radio - all the DJs were talking about how nobody would be going to bars in Kampala that weekend. "The latest thing is house parties and office parties, if it's acceptable to party in your office," they said. My driver and I chuckled at this. Other changes that we saw - just in the brief 2 weeks following the attacks include: screenings at all bars - even in Gulu!! We got frisked and even my tiny handbag was searched. inconvenient? yes, but so important for the country to take seriously this risk. Uganda used to be this place that felt very free and open - now it feels a lot like any other country.

Now Somali refugees in Uganda face uncertainty, as well as the nations supporting AMISOM. Countries and people react and evolve based on their circumstances - terrorism is not a new phenomenon in Uganda, but certainly one which we all hoped was finished. The death toll continues to increase - last I heard it was 84 people who were killed. My heart goes out to the families and to the mourning country of Uganda. Already the world seems to have moved on- there are so many tragedies to read about in the news.

Maybe best to end this post with a quote from the hero Nelson Mandela- he says, "To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

travel tip...

2010-07-24T12:28:00.003+03:00

I don't have a whole lot of these because every time I travel, there seems to be some wild and unusual occurance that leaves me both stressed and panicky and full of travel amnesia. Example: on the way to the airport, I passed 7 African Union convoys which made my trip from Gulu to Entebbe not 5 hours, but 7. I tried really hard to get my driver to join one of the convoys (take that, Gaddafi!) but he wouldn't do it. Or that time in Milan when everyone told me I had already flown on this ticket, which was clearly not true because I was standing in the airport talking to them. Or how about when my plane landed in Zambia instead of Zimbabwe? Yeah.

Anyway, back to my travel tip: if you are ever flying through Amsterdam (which I recommend because this airport is very user-friendly and the KLM people are almost always cute and helpful) and you have a long layover, but don't want to go into the city (actually that is quite easy - you just hop on a train)-- Get a yotel booking. Yotel is one of those airport hotels - you get a comfy bed, wifi included, and a shower. it's dark and peaceful and private. basically heaven inside an airport after that 8 hour all-night plane ride from Africa.

Also in the Amsterdam airport- there's this hot cheese pastry that I get every time I pass through (after 3 weeks in Gulu with no cheese - this is also heaven). It's a bar next to the sushi restaurant, and you just ask for the hot cheese pastry and the nice Dutch man will help you out.

Happy travels, people!

uganda again

2010-07-22T09:00:00.001+03:00

I have just one more post for Greece and a post about the Kampala bombings, but in the meantime, here are a couple of memories from the present:
-I taught my first exercise class last week. I was at the gym, lifting weights, minding my own business when a group of 25 women entered the gym. They were in skirts, flip flops, all manner of 'exercise gear' and they started asking me to teach them something (apparently the instructor did not show up). I thought, 'ok what can I show them that won't injure anyone? not kickboxing for sure.' So I took the ladies into the group exercise room (I use this term very loosely) and we did a yoga class-- sun salutations, downward dog, plank- the works! I was a bit worried when some of the women dropped out, but nobody collapsed so I suppose we did fine. After the class, the ladies clapped and everybody shook my hand- it was great.
-I've adopted yet another baby- his name is Ethan and he's the love of my life. I'm on track to becoming his godmother....
-Last night two of my gym buddies told me- 'You are just very fine, please don't reduce (lose weight) or increase (gain weight). It's not good to be too fat or too skinny.'
-there's no power in Gulu at the moment, so we've been having cold showers (yep, this time i get a shower rather than just a bucket of cold water!) and incredibly slow meals, but over the weekend to top it all off- there was no water at my hotel.
-yesterday at lunch, the staff asked me if there were any maize meal or posho in the US - I said, no we don't have those. Nobody could believe it - 'you just eat rice?' they asked me. Well, no, there's bread and pasta. No way, they didn't believe we fat americans could survive on bread and pasta and rice.
-Ugandans know how to SMACK TALK. I've never seen anything like it. On Sunday I was playing pool with a bunch of people and they were all, 'I hope you have gone to church today, because you need to say your prayers.' and 'Please sit and relax, while I take my white ball and win this game.' it's totally courteous and totally hilarious. If you're just starting a game, you say to everybody, "Who am I caning?" (meaning whom am I going to beat?)
-if you have a zit, at least 12 people will ask, 'oh no, my dear! what has bitten you?'
-apparently the baby-doll/empire waist style is not common here in Uganda. Last week, 4 out of 5 days at work I was told, 'Wow, that top would be so nice for a pregnant lady.'
-no matter what you are doing - you always answer that mobile phone. One of my friends at the gym had just arrived, was doing situps with weights, and chatting away on the phone. Another guy was kicking my ass at pool with one hand, and talking on his mobile with the other.
-every time I come back, my friends tell me, "But you were lost." meaning I haven't been around for a long time. I still haven't figured out how to respond to this- mostly I just say, "Yes, but I've come back."
i still love this country- can't help it.

Mykonos Island

2010-07-18T16:36:00.000+03:00

Nowhere will compare with the beauty of Santorini or the beaches of Crete- but Mykonos comes in as my very third favorite Greek island. The buildings are beautiful, the alleyways are winding and curious, and the tourism is at a super high level. Becky and I had adventures all over the island, but I think the best way for readers to see it is to check out the pictures. Enjoy!

Knossos Palace

2010-07-17T16:35:00.001+03:00

sidenote- i knew i should have finished these Greece posts before leaving for Uganda. it's difficult to remember the trip details while i'm far away on yet another continent....

The last day of our visit to Crete, Becky and I visited the ancient Palace of Knossos. This place has been around for over 3000 years - and got covered up by earthquakes over many years. Like many other places in Greece, this palace existed both in ancient mythology and in real life. The king of this ancient civilization certainly did some outrageous things that have made him legendary, but back in the day the Cretans had a well-functioning and incredibly advanced society. You can see evidence of their ingenuity all over the palace - they had store rooms for grain (for when foreign governments came to bring taxes), heated baths, and an extensive piping system that is still studied today by engineers.

The palace is quite extensive, and we got to see the royal living quarters, huge store houses, the throne room, and even a little section for religious ceremony. The place is still under excavation by archeologists, but they have re-made so much of the ancient palace that it's quite a fun and interactive tour. Our tour guide was very entertaining- she made the whole group act out an ancient myth- assigning roles and making sure everybody was paying attention!

For the rest of the day, we got to tour around the port city of Heraklion- although Becky and I decided that the our time would be better spent in Zara and then in finding some incredible greek crepes for our tummies. what a good day!

Peloponnese

2010-07-01T16:37:00.000+03:00

Our final day in Greece was jam-packed with sites and touring. We started out with a delicious breakfast made by Yaya (scrambled eggs with feta & tomatos? yes please), then got on the road to Mycenae, Nemea, Epidavros, Corinth and Nafplion. We visited ancient temples, palaces, spas, theatres, and stadiums, plus the beautiful scenery of mainland Greece. By the time we got to Nafplion, it was night - actually the best time to be in that little town, because you can sit by the water or the main square and just watch the beautiful lighthouse or the fortress at the top of the mountain. Greece continues to amaze me - you can round a bend, and come across an excavation of some site - probably 4,000 years old. and probably filled with amazing innovations that our modern cultures have yet to fully realize. For example, the Greeks had an invention used for the starting line of races - it was a ropes and weights system (similar to a catapolt) that ensured if you started before the command, you would trip. how amazing.

The Peloponnese is so beautiful - rocky mountains surrounded by turquoise water, and
everything is so close- We visited 5 sites in 10 hours! This was a wonderful way to finish our trip - we got a taste of the history of the country and its influence on the western world.

Athens & Delphi

2010-06-25T16:37:00.005+03:00

Day #1 of our mainland tour, Becky and I hit all the hot-spots of Athens in about 5 hours and then hopped in the car to visit Delphi. This day was the culmination of so many things that I'd studied as a kid- ancient mythology, Athens, greek drama and philosophy, roots of democracy, even architecture styles! it's truly amazing what influence Greece has had on the western world.

I will admit that standing outside the Parthenon made me tear up. it is such a majestic building - so old, and such a work of art. Everywhere you go in Greece, there is something ancient - whether it's the origin of a word or a piece of marble toppled from a majestic palace on the side of the road. It's a bit hard to describe the wonder of it all - so here are some pictures to take you back in time with me.

the Gorge

2010-06-25T16:35:00.010+03:00

Becky and I decided to hike the Samaria Gorge, 4 days into our trip- the longest gorge hike in Europe- that's right. It's not that we're hard core, but when you have two options and one of them is called 'the Lazy way' and the other is called 'the Long way' - what would you choose?

The bus picked us up at 5:10 a.m. (still dark in Greece), and drove us up into the White Mountains. It was incredibly beautiful to watch the mountain range shimmer in the sunlight- they went from a dull gray color to pink to white. We had this cute little tour guide, Ingrid, who spoke about 7 languages and told us to look for her on the hike - she would be 'the one wearing Ferari red!' The bus stopped to give us a chance to eat breakfast, but Becky and I were already WAY prepared with snacks, breakfast, and about 2 gallons of water/gatorade. The hike begins at the top of the mountain range, and you climb down a couple miles into the gorge and then hike along the bottom of the gorge until you get to the beach. Pretty much the best way to end a hike. The whole thing is 12 miles, and takes about 5 hours.

Everything was very barren and dry- yet at the bottom of the gorge was a stream of crystal clear mountain water. There would be tiny pink or blue flowers every once in a while - again I could not understand how they survived the wretchedly hot sunlight. The texture of the rocks was also very beautiful - as the water wears down the limestone over thousands of years, it creates patterns and shapes on the rocks. But I think the most wonderful of all was the sheer immensity of this ancient, natural landscape. It was so big - all around us, totally engulfing. We are so small in this big world- just tiny people with so little effect on a planet that doesn't even seem to notice us. That gorge didn't care if we came, went, or just sat on our bums- but we got to appreciate its beauty. They say if you hike the Samaria Gorge, you have conquered the isle of Crete - I don't think that's true.... more like if you hike the Samaria Gorge, you get an amazing 5 hours of nature, crazy sore muscles, and then you get to spend the afternoon on a black pebble beach.

Santorini

2010-06-24T01:45:00.007+03:00

mmm, how do you start writing about the most beautiful island on earth? it's a lot of pressure! Santorini was beautiful from the first moment we drove away from the port - up, up, up the mountains into the town of Fera. It's the Greece you see on postcards - those blue rooftops and whitewashed buildings built into the mountainside. Becky & I arrived on Saturday afternoon, did a quick drop off of bags at the hotel, and busted a move to the bus station where we hopped a bus to Oia ('eeea') for the afternoon and evening. We soon discovered that we had arrived during the HOTTEST part of the day (about 2 p.m.), and there is not one square inch of shade on the island. No matter, we wandered the winding streets, took innumerable photos, and drank in every possible view. There are so many beautiful things - really, everywhere you turn - a door, a gate, a little wall covered in creeping vines. It's the simplicity of the buildings (very simple lines and architecture) and the solo use of two colors (which by the way are the colors of the Greek flag) that makes everything else stand out. I still marvel at the flowers that could survive in such brilliant sunlight - Becky and I almost withered! We weren't sure we would make it to sunset, but what a good thing we ducked into a tiny bakery shop and scarfed down some snacks and sweet treats to hold us over.

The second day we public-transited ourselves to the ancient ruins of Thera. The island is prety compact, so it only took about 15 minutes to get there. We arrived at the ruins at 10:15 a.m. - already the sun was scorching hot, so we did a SUPER SPEEDY tour of the ruins. (I think this was the place where Becky made me give a fake tour-- and then we kept finding signs that told us exactly what each thing really was, and how misleading my tour was. not that my tour group of 1 really cared.) The view on top of Ancient Thera was wonderful, which we very much expected by day #2 in Santorini.

The rest of our time on Santorini was spent wandering the little town of Fera where we were staying (wait for it - our little guest house was called 'Villa Popi'). We stopped by Mama's restaurant (Mama is the aunt of our mainland friend Chris), and she made us some concoction of pasta with tomatos and feta, and all was right with the world.

Santorini is idyllic and timeless. I understand during tourist season, it is pretty much gridlocked (gross), but with good reason. My favorite moments were those hours of sunset, where the whole town was lit up in golden light. It's not possible to describe it fully- I guess you all just need to buy plane tickets and get over there!

I guess my other favorite thing was this Greek gentleman's courtship of Becky from his open window above where we were sitting. It was quite romantic- Apostolos, if you ever read this - you might just want to put out the cigarette next time.

Navigation

2010-06-23T13:38:00.010+03:00

Well, I guess I should just admit it. I know everyone has known this for quite some time now - but here goes: I am American, and because of that fact - there are some things I just don't know how to do. phew.

When Becky and I decided to go to Crete (many thanks to Aunt Chris for helping us find a great place to stay) - we were immediately and overwhelmingly told that we needed a rental car. No big deal, right? Wrong. a. Neither Becky nor I knew how to drive manual transmission, b. we had no maps. However, we were fully confident in our navigational skills and my ability to quickly learn stick shift. My younger brother, Calvin, started giving me lessons on his truck (I think it's a 1990 Ford Ranger Sport - old, rusted, and hence we lovingly call it 'the smuck'). Calvin is a very patient teacher, and I think he should probably go into that business someday. After 3 lessons and many, many stalls - we had done parking lots, neighborhood streets, and the terrifying town of Fairfax - I didn't think I was entirely ready, but Calvin had faith that I could do it. Lots of pep talks - even a pep text at the airport, and I had a do-or-die attitude. Becky, meanwhile, was all prepped - she knew her role was to be 'very, extremely calm!!!'

We land in the port of Heraklion after 20 hours of flying, a few layovers, and a 7 hour ferry ride. It's dark, and we couldn't find our vehicle or our rental company. Panic ensued. But after 45 minutes of searching, we called up our Greek buddy, Chris, who immediately got on the phone and helped us connect with the Sixt people. We signed some papers (who even knows what), got vague directions to the highway (oh yeah, still no maps), put our bags in the car, and got into our tiny, grey Nissan Micra.

I took several deep breaths, put in the clutch, and we were off. I won't lie and tell you that it was an incredibly smooth ride. But we only stalled a couple of times, and this little car was SO much easier to drive than the Smuck. (definitely a good way to learn - start with the toughest, and then everything else is EASY) Well, we found the highway and started driving up, up, up the mountains of Crete. Back and forth, so many switchbacks. Maybe Becky knew that Crete was mountainous, but I had no idea - so that was a fun surprise. Meanwhile Becky is telling me, "Abigail, um, can you see around that bend? Because I can't." subtle. yes, ok, I will turn on the brights. What a blessing that it was dark and we couldn't see the sheer cliffs that we drove on!

Have I mentioned yet how much I was praying? pretty much every second. this was ALL God's grace to us that we were safe on the road.

So, after about an hour we arrived to the area where our hotel was. We drove, drove, drove searching desperately for the street signs or ANY signs. All the signs in Greece are in Greek - can you imagine? They typically have English underneath, but that's really only the case on the highways. We were unable to find street signs anywhere once we had left the highway. Not even one. Well, being smart ladies - we stopped to ask for directions. The locals told us, "Go straight, only straight, very straight." Ok, that sounds easy enough. Nope, the road forks once, then twice, and then we are lost yet again. It's much easier to drive stick on highways than in little towns, so of course I was flustered. Finally an old gentleman told us, "It's just around the corner, come I will ride my scooter, and you follow me." What a blessing. The hotel was literally down a sign-less alleyway, about 500 meters. We might never have found it. Again, God was so merciful.

Finally we are 'home,' and all we can do is fall into bed thanking the Lord for his kindness. The rest of the week we drove only when it was easy to find where we were going- why add extra stress to our vacation by trying to navigate the narrow streets of the tiny beach towns? We took lots of public transportation (which by the way is much cheaper than paying for gas in Europe, and I would say- we navigated just fine. Props to Becky 'the navigator' Verno and Calvin 'instructor extraordinaire' Griffith for their contributions. And really, praise the Lord that we had no accidents. Also praise the Lord that he kept us safe on all those public buses - there were lot of harepin turns, and a few times we thought we were going into the pretty blue water.

Overall, though, I found it quite fun to learn a new skill and adventure our way across the island. I sort of miss driving manual now... maybe Calvin will trade me for the Smuck every couple weeks - how will I ever convince him?

Creta

2010-06-21T04:41:00.010+03:00

I'm standing in water - crystal clear, blue as the sky, the waves are lapping up around my elbows, and the wind is gently caressing my face. I'm on a sandbar off the island of Crete, and everywhere I look is beauty. To my left I see rocky crags of the island - many shades of brown, but they are shimmery in the intense sunlight. There is no shade in Greece - which Becky and I find out to our delight and consternation. To my right, the beach town built into another mountain. Behind me, the combination pebble-and-sand beach sparsely decorated with beach chairs and umbrellas. Becky is asleep in the sunshine, and behind our stuff is a tiny beach restaurant where we ate a giant greek salad for lunch. I think to myself, if heaven is like this - then I am in. In front of me, the water and sky converge in a lovely, confusing mixture of blues, turquoises, and greens. There is not a cloud to be seen.

Becky and I have alternated beach-days with site-seeing and excursions. Each day is its own adventure. We have already hiked the longest gorge in Europe (12 miles, see another post for that story) and tomorrow we will visit Knossos, the 3000 year old palace. Crete is a study in fascinating terrain - it's located on a fault line, and over centuries the island has been crumpled by multiple earthquakes creating beautiful mountains. The beaches switch between rocks and sand, and vegetation pops up in the most surprising places. We have visited the towns of Chania ('hanYA') and Rethymnon, explored the ancient ports, shopped, eaten SO much food, and just generally relaxed. For me, this vacation was the perfect combination of activity and rest - Crete was FULL of places to explore, but when we wanted chillax days - they were easy to come by.

More posts to come, but here are a few shots of Crete: free shots and dessert,

getting on the ferry,

and B exploring the ancient port of Chania

It's a little different this time...

2010-05-11T17:30:00.004+03:00

As I mentioned a few months ago, my friend Becky & I are going to Greece on vacation in June. We have finally started planning (I held off as long as possible, but it was inevitable) - and I'm struck by how different it is to plan your own vacation as opposed to work trips! Here are some things to note:

-that plane fare is a lot bigger deal when you pay for it yourself

-it's not about proximity from hotel to the office, it's about proximity from hotel to the beach!

-I don't have to pack 'culturally appropriate' clothing. meaning that my shoulders and knees will be open air.

-I won't be carting thousands of dollars of equipment - not even a computer

-it's time - I have to learn how to drive stick shift. When I travel for work, we always have wonderful drivers... not so on the isle of Crete.

-we have time to DO things - like tour, relax, walk around, see the sites - rather than work work work.

-we don't get a per diem this trip? what!?

But, of course, some things are exactly the same:

-if you have someone on the ground, things are a whole lot easier. We are using a travel guide, recommended by a friend. He is incredibly helpful in finding good deals and getting us to where we need to be.

-planes, trains, automobiles & ferries - the bottom line is always transportation.

-get those frequent flyer miles.... any way you can!

-jet lag - Greece is 7 hours ahead of DC, so I guess Becky and I will have a couple days of haziness.

-closed airports, volcanic ash, and oh yes- the riots. Natural disasters still have no respect for vacationers, workers, or people headed home-sweet-home.

my expectations? simple. blue water, white buildings, adventures on the islands, a few days of touring the ancient land that I studied for so many years, and huge amounts of sunshine & sleep.

Snaps from Kenya

2010-04-01T12:41:00.005+03:00

I'll let you in on a secret-- I'm terrible at uploading pictures to this blog. I can never seem to get the spacing right. So, to offset my impatience, here are some shots from Kenya, in no particular order (and your challenge? match the photo to my comment)

Giraffe center

I got to feed the giraffes!

baby elephants

Karen Blixen Museum

Flora n Fauna

Tortoise sex

Prague

2010-03-29T07:51:00.009+03:00

There is something wonderful about an old friend - somebody who has known you for a long time, and still loves you. Something even more wonderful? A whole family of old friends who are friends with your whole family - that is, the Stewarts. Mark, Joanna, Sasha, and Izaak are living in Prague working with World Harvest ministries and blessing lots of people with their warm hospitality.

I've tried to visit the Stewarts a few times, but we keep on missing one another - so when I emailed and they were home - I almost couldn't believe it. Since I hadn't seen them in several years, we had lots to catch up on, and even a new baby to meet! (theirs, not mine)

I arrived Saturday morning, and Mark & Sasha picked me up from the airport - we headed straight home to eat a delicious breakfast of cinnamon buns that Joanna made from scratch. Good start. Then, Joanna, Sasha, & Izaak took me for a walk to 'our castle' as Sasha calls it, through Malastrana, and back home - perfect to wake me up from the long (miserable) overnight flight from Kenya. A bit of lunch, and then back to the Stewarts' for Stitch n Bitch, Joanna's weekly knitting group! (Thank you, Joanna for teaching me how to make granny squares) Afterwards, Mark & the boys took me out for beer at the beautiful Augustinian monastery. There's a brand new Easter beer out, which we had to try. Delicious, of course.

Prague is a great city if you like beer and red meat and long walks-- perfect, actually. The architecture keeps your eyes entertained, and the cobblestones keep your feet guessing. The beer and sausages are so delicious - I think it would be worth dying of high cholesterol to live there.

Sunday was a relaxed day - in the afternoon, Sasha and I went on a date to the 'playground without the one red slide,' and then we took a long adventurous exploration walk. It was so fun! Afterwards, I got to attend their church and see one of my good ole college friends, Betsy. What a small world.

Then Monday, the whole Stewart family took me into Old Town Prague where the Easter markets are open. We walked through the cobbled streets until we got to the Charles Bridge, where you get the most lovely views of the city. Really, every view of the city is lovely - but the bridges are remarkable.

It was such a great weekend - have I mentioned that Joanna is a fabulous cook? I ate and slept and saw a new bit of Europe. The Stewarts get lots of visitors, but they were absolutely happy to give up their free time to hang out with me. Sometimes when I visit a new place, I feel like-- that was great, but I don't need to come back because I've seen all the city has to offer. I do feel like I got a great overview of Prague, but actually Prague is a place that I'd love to visit again - there's so much to explore.

Strong Like Lion

2010-03-22T10:45:00.007+03:00

Imara Kama Simba - that's the Pilsner brand motto here in Kenya - it means 'Strong like Lion.' I think that's my favorite kiswahili phrase!

We've had some fun adventures in & around Nairobi so far. Over the weekend, Mary and I visited the house where Karen Blixen wrote Out of Africa, then we stopped by Kazuri Bead & Pottery factory (see previous post below), and then we went to this giraffe conservancy where we got to feed giraffes by hand! (I'm counting - now that's rhinos and giraffes - whose slobber do I want next?)

On Sunday, we went to the open-air Masai Market. To me, these places have gotten a bit old - the chachkis are interesting, and of course I bought some little things - but agressive vendors physically grabbing you and using every manipulation tactic they know - it's very overwhelming. I think the worst one I experienced was in Victoria Falls - where I made up a fake identity (27 year old Amy from NYC, thank you very much) to avoid the overwhelming-ness of the vendors.

I have started to make a game out of it - how fast can I get through all the stalls without offending or buying anything (Hello sister! Yes please, I will give you the best price - a special price for you, my sister! Please make my day, and be the first one to buy from my shop. Yes madam, these goods are all the best quality - I make them myself. For you, the resident price - I can see you are not a tourist - but your friend, she must be a visitor. It started at 1500, but I give it to you for 1200.) Here you have to be a really tough bargainer -everything gets cut in 1/2 immediately, and you end up paying about 70% what they initially offered. I had a great moment on Sunday, when somebody asked me a ridiculous price for some bracelets, and I just burst out laughing and walked away. The vendor came all the way down to my price (16% of what he offered)!

Then, today my colleague and I visited this baby elephant orphanage where they rescue elephants who have been abandoned by their packs (or orphaned by hunters, poachers, natural causes, etc). The place is only open to visitors one hour each day - so that the elephants don't get too used to humans, and can learn to live in the wild. The orphanage takes them in anywhere from 2 weeks up to 2 years - and feeds them until they are 3 years old, at which time they are returned to the wild to join an elephant family.

Visitor-time feeding takes place from 11-12 every day, and the elephants come into a little roped off area to drink their bottles and play in the mud. If you love elephants, this place is for you. They are so fun-loving and cute! They roll around in the mud, cuddle with each other, and even make friends with the visitors. The elephants' skin is rough and scratchy and wrinkly, but they are just as playful as they can be - one of them even knocked a soccer ball my direction! I shot it back of course. As cute as the animals are, you still get the sense that they are wild and very powerful. Just a little tiny baby elephant could easily knock you over.

That's all so far - I'll be sure to post pictures from these places as soon as I can.

Hekima Place

2010-03-22T07:09:00.004+03:00

I've been having a lovely email friendship with a woman named Kate Fletcher over the past 9 months. Neither of us can quite remember how we first connected, but I have been so curious about what she does, and she has been completely open and welcoming to me. I had the honor and privilege to visit Kate yesterday afternoon:

10 years ago, Kate's husband died - and she decided to move to Kenya and start a home for orphaned or street girls. She started with $30,000 and 10 little girls off the streets. Today, she is the founder and director of Hekima Place, a home and boarding school for 58 precious girls. Kate says, "Anything more than 60 girls, and we start to lose the family atmosphere." The ages range from 2 months old (abandoned on somebody's doorstep) to 22 (a Junior at the University). Each girl gets a sponsor and a buddy from overseas - the sponsor pays for school fees, and the buddy writes letters and sends a birthday present. Kate theorizes that it's better to spend $10 a day for one child than $1 a day for 10 children. You give them a better quality of life that way.

Mum Kate took me throughout the four houses - split up by age group - each house has 2 'House Mums' responsible for the care and upkeep of the girls in that house. The land where they live now is about 5 acres, and they have a little farm to grow beans, corn, lettuce, kale - lots of great things. Kate wants the place to be self sufficient - and knowing her, someday they will be!

Hekima is run by a board of directors - and they have 9 churches that now sponsor them (they started out with just 2). They just purchased 10 acres of land in order to build their own place, and Kate showed me the plans for their new home. It's very exciting! She figures each house on the property will cost about $20,000.

I know I've been mostly talking about the brains & muscle behind Hekima - rather than the girls. Kate says, "I get to live with my blessings every single day." The girls are so happy and so sweet - they love visitors, and welcomed me with very open hearts. They held my hands as we walked throughout the property, and then we played some sort of schoolbus-driver game on a fallen tree trunk.

These girls have been homeless, abused, orphaned, without food, begging, often HIV+. If you think about it - they are the most vulnerable population. After such conditions, they all think that Hekima Place is heaven. And I'm inclined to agree with them. You walk through the green green grounds, and you think that there is no place more peaceful and more full of hope. Kate wants these girls to grow up with an education and positive self-esteem. She wants them to save their bodies not just for any man on the street. Many of the girls have goals to become lawyers, doctors, journalists, actors - and they will do it.

I could have stayed for days and years - you feel like time stands still in a place like that. I'm starting to brainstorm about ways to help Kate raise money for the next few houses on the property. She is coming home in April and then August to do more fundraising - so I have to think fast. Any ideas?

Hekima means courteous or wise in kiswahili - this is 'a place of wisdom' for 58 girls who would otherwise have little opportunity in life. They are well fed, and boy are they loved!!! Kate knows each one by name - and the staff cares for each one like family.

How would you conclude a post like this? The gospel is at work in Hekima Place. When all around I feel like the world is working against development and progress, what an encouragement to see these happy girls who have a chance thanks to God's provision in their lives. Truly, the Lord moves in mysterious ways.

small & beautiful

2010-03-21T10:41:00.010+03:00

Kazuri Bead & Pottery factory isn't small any more, but it certainly is beautiful. My colleague & I got to take a trip out to Karen (a suburb of Nairobi named for Karen Blixen, the author of Out of Africa - you might know it as that Meryl Streep movie). I'll write other posts about our other adventures - but this place deserves its own:

Kazuri means small & beautiful in kiswahili, and the factory was begun in 1975 as a small enterprise to give single mothers a sustainable livelihood. Like that? Keep reading. The factory is now huge, giving work to over 100 people. The artisans make beautiful ceramic beads and pottery - all by hand. We took a tour of the factory, and got to see all the different stages - mixing the clay, cutting & molding the beads, firing 1, glazing & painting, firing 2, quality control, and jewelry production. The pottery side of the factory is a smaller, but still very successful. Artisans throw pots, use molds, and also hand-sculpt the various pieces.

The bead factory has become wildly successful and popular all over the world - so it was amazing to see the home-base of the operations. I could hardly believe I hadn't heard of this place before.

After our tour, Mary & I spent about an hour in the shop - it was like walking into a candy store: bright colors, shiny textures, beautiful jewelry, beautiful pottery. Everything was so tactile and so inviting - I'm surprised I didn't break anything! We justified our (exessive?) spending by the fact that we were purchasing direct from the makers - no middle men or shipping costs.

For me, the best moment was realizing that my boss gave me some Kazuri beads several years ago - and I had now found the origin of my beautiful red necklace.

Nairobi

2010-03-17T18:56:00.006+03:00

Considering that my last trip here was only for a total of 9 hours, I feel like this is actually my first time visiting Nairobi. For all yall who haven't been here - guess what? Nairobi is way more developed than the city I grew up in (Richmond, VA, and proud of it). There are fancy restaurants (Tuesday - Salvadoran, Wednesday - Thai), plenty of shopping, movie theatres, nice hotels (heated pool? check), and yes - even a baby elephat orphanage (details to come as soon as I get a chance to visit!). One of my friends who grew up here said, "I'm so glad I got to live in Nigeria too, because Nairobi isn't like real Africa."

Since Nairobi is so developed, it has become a hub for lots of regional offices - so in addition to the cool places to go, there's a huge expatriate population living here. On the airplane, announcements were made in Dutch, English, and Spanish!

But, some things are the same as other in parts of Africa:
1. overwhelmingly attentive hotel & wait staff. enough said. it's annoying.
2. danger! car jackings, kidnappings, crazy crime like that - people get lulled into this false sense of security because the capital feels safe - awareness is key.
3. getting hit on by married and/or old african men. never changes.
4. i'm still a better swimmer than everybody else at the pool
5. at the end of the day, the food is never quite spicy enough.
6. they serve meat 'n potatoes at breakfast
7. the weather is all i could ever ask for. hot in the day, cool at night, and an occasional rainstorm
8. the people are uncommonly welcoming - I love that about them. Everyone is your friend.
9. I get to the end of every day feeling like I need an extra shower - the dust is so heavy - maybe it's the smog.
10. loads of huge open markets (holding with a thousand things that i will doubtless find irresistable)
11. the only good thing on tv is the adam sandler movie on mnet. ick.

That's all the first impressions I can put together at the moment - more to come when I get pics and stories-

tip #84

2010-03-13T03:59:00.004+03:00

don't travel sick. just don't do it.

I was supposed to leave Thursday night for my Kenya trip - but Wednesday evening found me doubled over, blacked out, bruised, aching, feverish, and generally not ready to travel. Thankfully I have smart coworkers and friends who all told me the same thing - 'Go back to bed, and don't even think about getting on that plane!'

The next day, I felt better - but still not quite up-to-snuff, as they say. Thankfully (again), everyone said the same thing, 'Wait until you're 24 hours symptom-free.' I have such good advisors. They all knew what I had deliriously forgotten - nobody else wants sick Abigail on the plane either. ew.

So now, I am almost back to 100% (although let's be honest - tonight's dinner is sitting like a rock in my stomach) - and I'm supposed to leave on Sunday night. I'm feeling a bit nervous about getting myself through the 21 hour trip to Africa, but hopefully all will go smoothly. Updates to come from Nairobi!

Another N. Uganda video

2010-02-28T20:29:00.001+03:00

I'm so proud of the team in Kitgum, Uganda - they did a fabulous job on the new market stalls that we built - take a look!

fotos

2010-02-18T04:03:00.005+03:00

a few snaps from outside Tegucigalpa--

some little things

2010-02-16T03:44:00.010+03:00

If you pack last minute, here are some things you might forget (based on experience):
-camera
-neosporin
-advil
-vitamins
-ipod charger
-workout shorts
-dictionary
-US dollars
-jeans
-sunscreen (hence the advil)
-swimming goggles

I don't know how so many things managed to sneak out of my suitcase!

deliciomundo!

2010-02-12T19:32:00.003+03:00

That's a word that my brothers made up- but since they don't read this blog, I can take total credit for it: Deliciomundo means a whole world of delight surrounding you, touching all the senses, and lifting your spirit. It's best said in a shout, 'Deliciomundo!!!'

Here are some deliciomundo experiencias of Honduras from my first week:
1. Our first free night, my three colleagues & I went to a 'restaurante tipico' of Honduras (which we found out means that it's completely for tourists). While we ate mountains of food (taquitos, queso, pinchos, cerveza, vegetales, etc) and shielded our eyes from the gaudy decor, a mariachi band serenaded us with 'Que nos deja.' I learned of the dramatic Mexican mariachi music, and we spoke some hilarious mixture of spanish & english. I've never seen so many stereotypes rolled into one location, but it was great.
2. The hotel pool is so small that I can't swim laps back n forth, so I swim in circles... that's right.
3. One of the meetings we had with politicos was in someone's home - it's considered a great honor to host guests, and we were treated like royalty - special lemonade, fruit cocktail, & digestive biscuits. It was a challenge to focus on conversation with such delicacies in front of me - I am having that problem a lot here.
4. Hondurans speak in paragraphs - you ask one question, and it might be 20 minutes before the next pause. I've never seen anything like it.
5. Last night we drove up a mountain to this beautiful restaurant called El Picacho, and ate a fabulous dinner overlooking the city lights. The sprawling hills of Tegucigalpa and the evening air made for a fabulous setting.
6. My two colleagues (Carlos & Olga) and I got mistaken for a family. Carlos now calls me 'mi hija.' And he wants me to marry his son - not sure exactly how that is going to work.
7. My favorite part of being in a foreign country is visiting someone's home - to me, it's the best way to grow to love the culture. Olga, Mary & I were invited to the home of our dear local guide (her name is Andrea) for dinner. Andrea's parents of course treated us like dignitaries - but it was wonderful to see the inside of a home: the walls are covered in central american art - beautiful paintings, frescoes, and woodwork. The home is filled with ornate catholic symbolism, yet it feels peaceful. Moments pass, Mama leaves to check dinner with the cook (yes, cook), and everything feels very measured. Drinks are always flowing, food is delicious, and the conversation (still in paragraphs) is comfortable. You wonder if it's always like this - pleasant, courteous, formal yet kind -the epitome of hospitality. And just as kindly, the hosts usher you gently into the evening - and I guess you will continue to wonder. In Honduras, people welcome you into their home proudly: because they are your equal, it would be their honor to provide you a welcome into their country. What a lovely mixture of hospitality, national pride, and generosity.

Day 1, Tegus

2010-02-09T05:01:00.004+03:00

That's what the natives call it - I'm in Honduras for 2 weeks of business meetings. A 3 a.m. trip to the airport, 2 plane rides, and 3 meetings later - it's 8 at night here, and I'm ready for bed! But first, here are some first impressions for this Central American capital:
-sunny? yes!
-sweaty? a bit.
-Tegucigalpa is in a valley, so to get from one place to another, you literally have to go down one mountainside and up another. Some streets are so steep, I wasn't sure we would make it up!
-narrow, narrow streets- many too narrow for 2 cars to pass one another - to me it is charming.
-flowers pouring over little walls, which are typically covered in politically relevant graffiti
-dudes with AK-47s outside McDonald's (remember the same in El Salvador?)
-the beautiful centro-american courtesy - it is ingrained in the culture, and I am trying to figure out how people get from this beautiful language, hospitality & kindness to kidnappings, drug killings, and hostage situations - maybe the class disparity? I think people have written books about this - I need to get myself to the biblioteca!
-colors on buildings - not gaudy (like I often think of in Africa), but they are a gentle reminder that no, you are not in the United States
-the streets are paved! my colleague Olga said, "Abigail after Gulu, of course Tegus is charming!" but somehow I'm trying to still be objective.
-walking is not allowed (for a gringa like me, anyway). Despite my new dark hair, if people can tell you're a foreigner, you are immediately a target for the moto-taxi gangs. don't worry, Mom, I'm not walking anywhere.

Would you believe I forgot to bring a camera? Hopefully one of my colleagues has one-- I'll post more soon!

check it out--

2010-02-06T00:00:00.002+03:00

My team in northern Uganda makes it to youtube!!

What you might not see in the video is that the kids & professional dancers sent messages of social change through the breakdance skits - talking about domestic violence, skipping school, peaceful coexistence between different religious groups - lots of topics selected by the kids. The grant is finished, but it remains controversial - even among our staff - because of the different (progressive) movements and the fact that girls were doing the dance moves.

Philadelphia

2010-01-19T07:26:00.009+03:00

It's more like the city of sisterly love for me - I took the past weekend to visit Philly and 3 of my wonderful friends from all different stages of life. L & I have known each other since I was born (she had a couple of miserable years before I came along, but let's just skip over that). Emily lived with me in Spain, and Amy & I shared a house with 9 other 'mates in college. I've been to Philadelphia before, so no need for a lot of site-seeing. It was the perfect weekend to my friends in different areas of the city - cute Jenkintown, happenin' south Philly, and quaint west Philly.

If there was ever a city that is filled with hipsters - it's Philly. Skinny jeans, short messy haircuts, flat boots, indie music, retro chic, bicycle riders, organic produce, 'found' decor, and general angst fill the city soul. Public transit is the way to go, Goodwill is the only place to shop. Local coffee shops and even tea shops are the hotspots. Everyone is busy, few are helpful. People from Philly love Philly.

At one point, Amy & I started counting the number of girls who looked like they were copping Anthropologie's style - we stopped because it was every single girl we passed. So I started thinking: what exactly is hipster? And why is it such a big deal? I know my own association with the word (see above description of Philadelphians) - but what does it actually mean? Merriam-Webster says a hipster is: a person who is unusually aware of and interested in new and unconventional patterns (as in jazz or fashion). So there we have it - Philadelphia is filled with unusually aware and interested people.

I'm not sure agree with this definition, because if a whole crowd of people are doing thing X, then thing X is no longer indie or even unusual. I'm pretty sure thing X is now a trend. It is a trend to be hipster. there, I said it. No disrespect to Philly, which I am growing to love, but it's true.

This post has been brought to you by the letters P, E, A, and L. (guess what they stand for? it's way easy)

Greece is the word...

2010-01-06T00:12:00.003+03:00

...it's the word that you heard Becky & me say about 100 times this past weekend. We're working on planning our second international excursion together - and we've decided on Greece. Surrounded by the beautiful blue Mediterranean Sea, eclipsed in the ancient philosophers, and filled with the mysterious mythological folklore - it's a country I have wanted to visit for a long time. Not only did the foundations of the world come from Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, not only was the art there inspirational for centuries of artists, sculptors, and actors, but so many of the biblical apostles traveled through Greece... You could spend an entire vacation just visiting the sites where Paul traveled. Our tour advisor Chris told me, "The beauty of Greece is that you're never more than an hour away from the beach." I think this is going to be a good vacation.

Becky teases me because I know more about ancient Greece & Rome than I do about America, but these societies laid the framework for the western world. What philosopher do you know who has not studied Plato? What artist do you know who hasn't studied the Discus Thrower? and has anybody missed the Olympics for the past few centuries? Drama, art, music, storytelling, and let's not forget those amazing greek specialty foods - spanakopita, baklava, and feta cheese baby.

So, who has been to Greece out there and wants to send me some recommendations? We're looking for places to stay, favorite things to eat, tour ideas, beaches, adventure-filled activities - anything! As we say around the office, gracias antemano!

Cry, The Beloved Country

2009-12-28T15:29:00.003+03:00

If you haven't read this book - go to a bookstore right now and get it. (it's very possible that I missed the boat on this one, and everyone else has indeed read this. If so, just enjoy the quotation below) Alan Paton's book is beautiful. To give you a small taste, from the 1987 Scribner publication:

"There is calling here, and in the dusk one voice calls to another in some far distant place. If you are a Zulu you can hear what they say, but if you are not, even if you know the language, you would find it hard to know what is being called. Some white men call it magic, but it is no magic, only an art perfected. It is Africa, the beloved country."

a little help?

2009-12-26T14:36:00.004+03:00

it's 6:37 a.m., and i've been awake for 2 hours. I always have great ambitions of reading history books, going to the gym (ha), or getting work done with these extra hours given so generously to me by my good friend Jet Lag.

You might think this is a golden opportunity: my disgusting cold has diminished to the point where I can almost breathe comfortably again, I have several new books to read (thanks, family), and loads of free time. But somehow I find myself unable to work; unable to redeem these 8 hours' difference between what my body accepts as daytime and what the world says are correct operating hours.

I find jet lag (as one small part of the larger thing that is travel) to be very isolating. During the wee morning hours you're bright and chipper - but nobody else is awake. Then as everyone starts to wake up, you are ready for action - but it takes hours for people to get ready. You're thinking, people get moving already- I have been awake for 5 hours and am waiting for you! You get a couple good hours from 11-2, where you are alive and so is everyone else. But then the afternoon looms and you start to fade, fade from sight. Nobody can bring you back, and you find yourself asleep on the leather couch, while everyone else is watching that NBA game. Even the shouts 'Come on, Ref!' don't awaken you. Then it's morning and you're awake at 4 once again. Just when you thought you were getting over it. This goes on for about a week, and as you finally just resign yourself to only having 6 waking hours' overlap with normal human beings each day, you are back. And you wish that you had savoured the early morning magic and the ability to wake up without an alarm.

what I'm really saying here is this - does anybody have good tips for what to do with those morning hours? I know all the rules about recovery - get exercise, don't nap, drink water, give yourself 1 day for every hour of difference... but what do you do with yourself?

Christmas in Vienna

2009-12-22T18:16:00.010+03:00

It's been said (mostly by me)- that nobody does Christmas as well as Europe. This past weekend, I met up with my dear friend Anna for a quick visit to Vienna. Anna is living in Bratislava, an hour train ride from Vienna, so we made plans to stay at her friend's apartment and wander around the city on my way back from Uganda. (I know, try to keep up! The flight pattern was: Uganda-Amsterdam-Vienna-Amsterdam-DC)

Anna & I had a little less than 48 hours, so thankfully Anna had been to Vienna several times before - plus I had some great recommendations from Ian (thanks!). I have such internationally savvy friends! We started hitting a micro-brewery called Salm Bräu - let's just say Vienna is the place to go for meat & beer lovers... it was delicious! I ate this potato-ham-pasta thing, and Anna & I tried various beers of course. Then we wandered through Karntnerstrasse and Karlsplatz, hit up the Kuntschalle cafe - it was time to re-caffeinate and de-thaw. No, everything in Vienna does not begin with the letter 'K,' but you would be surprised at how fun it is to make up fake German words and pretend like you're a local! We wandered through Naschmarkt - the largest 'Kriskindlemarkt' in the whole world. Vienna is famous for these outdoor markets at Christmastime - many many stalls ('stallen') with lots of trinkets and potential Christmas presents.

Saturday evening, Anna & I attended a concert by the Vienna Residence Orchestra - hosted inside a palace, and complete with dancers, opera singers, and full period costumes. If you ever go to Vienna, this is my highest recommendation. The music by Mozart and Strauss, in the city where they composed and performed these masterpieces - music that kings & queens danced to, it speaks to the soul. After 300 years, the music is still genuine. The first violinist played on an instrument from Mozart's time period - can you imagine a 300 year old violin making such beautiful sounds? For a taste - see here, although filming this was against the rules..... no respect, people. and the dancers were annoying & detracted from the music. just my opinion.

Sunday morning, Anna and I traipsed over to the Hotel Sacher for a taste of brunch and the world-famous Sacher Torte. Needless to say - delicious, and worth every single calorie. Next we visited the Art History Museum - inside yet another palace. We wandered amongst the ancient art from Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Europe, and then sat and talked about life. By dusk we wandered around the beautiful buildings, all lit up for Christmas surrounded in lovely snow... only in Europe. It felt like magic. We walked over to Ratthouse, the new-ish municipal building. The Ratthouse is turned into a giant advent calendar at Christmastime, with one of the windows opened up for each day in advent. Ate some bratwurst, drank punzch, and got ourselves lost in the city.

Anna was sweet to wake up with me at 3 a.m. and make sure I got to the airport on time. It was a wonderful time to get into the Christmas mood and have a European rendezvous with Anna. Thanks to her friends Nasstassia & Tina for letting us stay at their place, and Merry Christmas everybody!

Snaps from Milan

2009-12-12T11:08:00.016+03:00

finally some pictures from Sarah & my Milano trip-- captions below, but no apologies for some of the silliness that you're about to witness.

First, a vespa ride - Chris said, 'You can't be in Italy and not ride a vespa.' so we did. Chris took each of us to the metro individually!

Next, the three ladies - Jelena, Sarah, & me

an artistic moment - Sarah in the Studio. I love this shot.

Day 1, our trip to il Duomo - Sarah & me atop, Sarah pretending to be a toy soldier, and me amazed at the interior intricacy of the floor.

Roasted Chestnuts - I finally understand the hype. A Milano specialty!

another shot of the glorious Maison Sabbatini studio. Sarah & I kept saying to ourselves - we get to sleep here?!?

Sarah & Anna checking out the town. Anna was way cool for meeting us in Milan - just for the weekend!

Jelena prepping us to be italian models

So, so much wonderful food.
Sarah & me eating gallons of gelatto, and then the scrumptious meal that Alfredo made - eaten by Chris, Jelena, Seba, Sarah (not pictured) & me

and what documentary wouldn't be complete without a shot of us heading off into the sunset? yes, we are ridiculous - but wouldn't you be too?

MEAT

2009-12-09T23:26:00.004+03:00

it's very important in Africa. In Uganda, there are two types of things to eat: food and meat. I'm not kidding.

tonight I ate a catered Christmas Party dinner for my Uganda office - this was hosted in the capital city, Kampala. There were 5 types of meat served: beef, chicken, pork, beef, & fish. Additionally, the catering company served rice and potatoes. My poor boss is vegetarian... not sure she had a wonderful Christmas dinner, but what else do you expect if you're veg. on this continent?

In the northern part of Uganda, I don't think people have figured out how to chop meat yet - so many times you will get bits of bone in your mouth. My recommendation: chew carefully!

In Zimbabwe, the attitude is very similar. Although you can get salads as entrees, it's unusual to find them without meat on top - and especially red meat. One time I got pizza for lunch (cheese, pizza sauce, crust, basil, something like that), and one of my team told me, "Oh Abigail, it's not real pizza unless it has meat on it." And then showed me her pizza which had not 1 but 2 types of red meat on top.

It's not that the meat is always terrible, but honestly - where are all the fruits & vegetables? Well, fruits are served as breakfast or dessert (ok, cool). Vegetables are definitely a side dish only. Sometimes you might get beans n rice as an entree, but that is considered a poor man's dish.

at least people are getting their daily/weekly iron needs fulfilled.......

back to the future

2009-12-03T22:31:00.001+03:00

This Saturday I leave for Uganda again. It will be 1 year and 4 days since my very first trip to Africa - talk about coming full circle. I'm really excited to go - this will be a short one, just 2 and a half weeks. On the way back, I'm going to visit my dear friend Anna in Vienna!

I've been thinking about the past year, and the many many ways that God has blessed my travels. Here goes:

-will have visited 8 countries, 3 continents, and traveled for 26 weeks
-stood mere feet away from both evil dictators and wild animals.
-was on Ugandan radio twice and quoted in the local newspaper (yikes) once.
-purchased bulls, goats, & sheep, and selected timber, telecom, and security service providers
-was the face & voice of an anti-corruption campaign
-received a number of marriage proposals (I stopped counting) - even one on a scrap of paper
-managed a 'household staff,' adopted a mutt, and am now an honorary auntie
-saw all the 'Big Five' (rhino, lion, leopard, elephant, & hippo)
-had a child named after me. not my own child, but thanks for asking.
-got to be VIP at an italian nightclub.
-out of 34 plane rides, only lost bags one time
-met up with my way-cool-also-a-traveler Aunt Chris in the Amsterdam airport
-learned how to bucket shower
-saw 2 World Wonders
-jumped off a waterfall into the pool below
-had a wild weekend in Milan with Sarah, Chris, & Jelena
-bungee'd over Victoria Falls
-fed a baby rhino
-swam in the Pacific ocean (for me this was a first)
-zip lined through the Mexican jungle
-got picked up & dropped off at the airport more times than i can remember by my wonderful family (and a couple late nighters by Martha - thank you!)

To wrap up this random post, I want to say - thanks to everybody for praying me through these travels, and always being willing to hang out in between trips. Hope I'll get to see more of you all in 2010!

tame safaris & generally Zimbabwean

2009-11-12T12:23:00.009+03:00

Hey folks - here are some fun stories from my Zim trip-- we've been working pretty hard, but also playing a little bit too-

(pictures are interspersed for fun - there are no rhinos outside my office door)

1. outside my office they are cutting down a tree - one of our power lines rests on the tree branches, so I am watching as we are about to lose power for a few days. amazing that you can talk to people about it - beg and plead, and they will listen to you, but they won't do a thing - maddening, really.

2. the air zim flight a couple of days after mine hit a herd of wild warthogs on the runway. all the people got out ok - the pigs, not so much.

3. the power went out at my hotel the other night. My colleagues & I had just sat down to dinner - and asked if we could possibly order some drinks, as we waited for the generators to get started. We were told absolutely, positively nothing will be ordered without power.

4. this past weekend, I went on a very tame safari at Imire Ranch & Conservation Park. Many animals in Zim have been so decimated by poachers that this conservancy was set up to protect the animals. Because of that - the elephants & rhinos have armed guards 24 hours a day. How sad - but also how wonderful that people would do something drastic to save these animals.

The animals are somewhat tame - although you should never trust that completely. We got to feed the baby rhino's by hand - they are so cute. Their mouths are like some alien Star Wars character - and somewhat slobbery too!

5. of course my favorite was the baby elephant - he put on quite a little show for us - rolling all around in the mud. I'll post the video as soon as I can get it - pretty much the cutest thing in the whole world.

6. But the funniest story was of this elephant who was raised by buffalo, and thinks - wait for it - that she is a buffalo. She's one of the pack - the guards have brought her around other elephants, and she's afraid of them!

7. have you ever seen a giraffe eat off the ground? for a graceful animal, it looks entirely out-of-character awkward

8. also the closest I've ever gotten to lions - you can see Ruby looks nervous!

shooting stars over Z

2009-11-04T17:37:00.005+03:00

After 27 hours of travel, a stop in the wrong country (Zambia), and some very turbulent plane rides, I have arrived safe n sound in Zimbabwe. Here are some things that I love so far:

1. The hotel gets hot water, and actually has a gym! (it's about 20 years old, and I'm pretty sure I'm the first one to ever use it) Also, it has a pool. I'm so happy.
2. The weather is sunny and warm during the daytime, chilly at night. The flowers are in full bloom, even though people tell me now is the dry season.
3. There's lots of fresh fruit & salads to be had - a huge improvement over my last visit. Additional improvements include: a lot of fixed potholes, trash piles cleared off the streets, and all my team members look just a bit fatter.
4. Outside the plane window I saw two shooting stars. The first one, I didn't believe my own eyes - but after the second one I knew that blaze of fire in the sky was either a missile or a shooting star.
5. I get to attend the Marine Corps Ball on Friday.
6. Every morning, I drink rooibus tea (that I filter myself - it's made from tea leaves) and eat a scone with marmalade. Questionable as the colonial legacy is, I love this morning ritual.

All for now - pictures to come after the weekend perhaps.

bella italia!

2009-10-20T14:01:00.003+03:00

You would think three days in Milan would easily fit into one blog post... I will try:

Sarah & I met up in the Milano airport Malpensa, and rode the shuttle bus into the city. A 40 minute drive was exactly what we needed to begin debriefing on our oh-so-different lives over the past 2 months. We landed at Stazione Centrale, which is both a bus and train station - and oh yes, it was built by Mussolini. People say this is one of the most beautiful train stations in the entire world, and they are right: the station towers above the little piazza in glistening white marble. The structure is intricate and also imposing.

Christopher & Jelena ('Yelena') picked us up in their little BMW, and took us to the Studio. Christopher & his dad Alfredo are internationally-acclaimed photographers, which I knew - but maybe I didn't realize how cool that was until I walked inside their Studio. Beautiful black and white pictures cover the walls of this huge apartment. I've never felt so totally engulfed in the world of an artist. Sarah and I slept right in the middle of the action - on a pullout couch next to the black set, and underneath some cool nude photos. It was great to get the artists' perspective on a lot of their paintings, and of course Jelena had a lot to add since she works as a model.

The first afternoon, we mostly hung out at the Studio - drank espresso and talked about life. We went out for panini's, and Sarah & I kept saying to each other: "We are in Italy!"

The next day, we all woke up around noon (don't question - just embrace it) and Chris & Jelena took Sarah & me all around Milan. We started at Armani's house (which is above his store, above his restaurant, above his hotel - he owns the whole block). Sarah & I took a few moments just to breathe the same air as Armani. Then we walked down the high fashion street - past Prada, Gucci, Fendi, and every other designer you can remember. Jelena told us that the window displays in Milano are considered even more beautiful than the ones in Paris. The streets were full of lovely Italians - little kids, old people, the middle aged - everyone has that smooth skin, and the italian phrases rippling from their mouths. I'm going to speak for Sarah too - because we agree that we could listen to people speak Italian for the rest of time.

We came upon the Duomo from behind - the church is breathtaking. The white marble sparkles in the sunlight, and the intricacy of the spires has a dizzying effect. We jetted to the top of the church, where we wandered on the roof for an hour - the best view of the city is found on top of the Duomo. We basked in the old-ness and wonder of the sculpture and architecture. You can look out onto Piazza Duomo, where there is a fountain and a beautiful archway dedicated to Emanuelo Milano. We trudged down the winding staircase, and went inside the church. Like so many cathedrals, the building has beautiful rose windows and an altar that you would really like to get married at, but what struck me was how much of everything there was - not just 3 rose windows, but 5 or 6 - not just 1 statue or 2, but multitudes. Also the floor is this beautiful and complex tiled pattern - made it hard to walk around - as I kept looking at my shoes. Finally, we went outside to see the front of the building - breathtaking again, even after we had seen the outside & the top!

Next we met up with Anna (who is living in Switzerland and decided to pop up for the weekend - love Europe). We all wandered across the piazza through the archway toward my first real gelatto experience - wow. I got Stracciatella mixed with something else delicious - it was so, so good. Then we wandered through the local castle, down some other streets, and generally got a taste of the city.

We got back to the studio in time to get ready for our night on the town - Jelena had vip passes to Club 71, which was very fun & very full of italians dancing to trance music. Sarah hadn't danced in months, and I hadn't danced anywhere near Sarah in months - and I am not sure Italy was ready for those moves, but we broke them out anyway. awesome (see here)

The next day Jelena & Chris told us that we 'had pretty much seen everything,' so Sarah, Anna, & I decided to wander the streets where the poor people shop (poor as in 150 euros for a pair of cheap boots), eat gelato, and get ourselves lost. We passed an old European car show, and checked out the various Ferrari's & Citroen's. Sarah bought italian leather boots, Anna bought everything else in sight. Just kidding - it's hard to resist the fashion!

Sunday evening, after an unbelievably tasty homemade dinner by Alfredo (Papa Sabbatini, as I like to call him), Sarah & I were models in a super fun photo shoot. This was a very new experience for me - so it was really helpful to have Jelena doing hair & makeup, Seba setting the lights, and Chris yelling 'be a monkey!' Just kidding. I loved it - every minute. For the results - see here and here.

Thanks to Chris, Jelena, Seba, Alfredo - and all of Milan - for such a fun weekend. Pictures will be uploaded eventually - until then, ciao bella!

Mountains of the Moon

2009-10-13T09:26:00.006+03:00

This past weekend, I visited Fort Portal - a little town in western Uganda. It was great to get out of Gulu and see another part of this country. It always amazes me how small my mind is: I was constantly surprised at how different this area of the country is from the northern region that I'm used to. Western Uganda is very, very green and hilly. Actually the Rwenzori Mountains (located right near where we were staying) are some of the tallest in Uganda. They are called Mountains of the Moon because they have so many beautiful craters and crevices.

Since the roads in Uganda are bad, we had to drive 4 hours south to Kampala and then 3 hours northwest to Fort Portal. On the way down, we split the drive and spent all Thursday night partying in Kampala. Let's just say an Irish club called Bubbles O'Leary, a casino called Simba, and the big city factor got the 11-person group home around 6 a.m.

The next day we drove up to Fort Portal - round the winding roads, through the foothills, and past the blazing sunshine of the north. I was in a group of 7 expats (3 from Britain, 1 Scot, 2 Irish, plus me), and we met up with about 8 other Irish folk. I don't I've ever been around so many redheads drinking so much beer and shouting 'ye man!'

Fort Portal (Kabarole district) is filled with crater lakes - leftover volcanoes that have filled with water. For the most part the lakes are free of bilharzia - the dreaded still water disease you get from swimming recklessly in Africa, but you can't be entirely sure. Despite the possible disease & definite bacteria, the lakes are really beautiful - green reflecting the mountains surrounding them. And the fact that you are standing where volcanoes used to erupt - how cool!

Saturday we spent bumming around the crater lakes. We visited Ndali lodge, which is at the top of a mountain overlooking a deep valley on one side and a crater lake on the other side. The air is so clear I wanted to breathe it forever. We also ran across some Calabash Monkeys, who were very entertaining... We swam at the lodge's pool, ate a huge lunch (including honey lemon pancakes - who knew?!), and then escaped down the side of the mountain in a torrential rainstorm. Down to the security of the little town, and the next day allll the way back to Gulu.

Anyway - a great weekend, and props to my friend George for driving the entire 15 hour trip!

*Disclaimer: I was lazy the whole weekend, and didn't take any of these pictures.

10, 9, 8....

2009-10-05T16:54:00.012+03:00

The days are getting shorter, the weather chilly - the wind bites your nose as you walk out the door... oh no wait, wrong introduction. The days are still long, the weather perfect, and the only thing that bites are the cruel mosquitoes. I'm getting ready to leave Uganda in 9 days (remember how it took me 2 weeks to mentally prep for this trip?).

I haven't figured out how to deal with leaving foreign countries, really. I say bye, give giant hugs, and hold back the tears. At least for Uganda I will probably come back, but I never know how soon that will be. Goodbyes are tough.

I'm normally so tired that I konk out during takeoff on the first plane ride, no meds necessary. By the time I wake up, the flight attendants are serving food I haven't seen in weeks - cheese, crackers, chocolate pudding (I never eat the chocolate pudding - it is disgusting).

Anyway - part of what's making me ready to leave Uganda is this: on the way back, I am meeting my girl Sarah in Milano, Italia for a wild weekend of italian fun. Uganda, Milan, DC? Oh yes.

Here are some pics from this trip - some of my favorite memories all around:
Breakdance for peace & positive social change

little kids, about to receive baseball caps:

Faith: my favorite

Local Dancers - fierceness personified:

a letter from Sarah-- Spain to Uganda

how do I even begin to explain----

rolling thunder griffith

2009-10-04T17:50:00.000+03:00

As you may already know - I've been wanting to learn how to drive a motorbike for a few months now: Sunday was my golden opportunity.

I cajoled one of the engineers I work with, Frederick, to teach me on his own bike (the keys to the program bikes were hidden away somewhere). We drove over to an open field where 'you won't be able to hit anybody or anything,' said Frederick. I told him, 'I will be the second woman in my family to drive motorbikes - my brothers will be totally impressed.' He thought that was just great.

As soon as we got to the field, a crowd of 20 kids gathered to watch the mzungu make a fool of herself. Frederick said, 'They are so impressed with you.' Not so much. Here in Gulu, most kids learn to ride around age 17, so for them it ain't no thing. I was a little worried about hitting them - but they all managed to scurry away in time...

Since I don't know (entirely) how to drive a manual, it made learning a bit more complicated - but after many stalls and an hour of jerking poor Frederick around the compound - I think I might be a pro. At least I can get into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears. Frederick said to me, 'you are now so perfect!' what a good teacher :)

I definitely landed us in a giant, and I mean giant puddle on the way back to the office - but between the two puddles, and I definitely chose the smaller one! Next steps: learn to drive without Frederick on the back of the bike telling me to 'go slow!' and figure out how to kickstart - that is tough stuff.

9 things that make me giggle

2009-09-26T10:52:00.007+03:00

1. picking your nose in public is 100% appropriate and accepted here.

2. cell phone calls are of paramount importance- meaning that you answer your cell phone no matter what you are already doing. Last week I was at a ceremony opening a new hospital, when the speaker's mobile rang mid-speech - of course, he whipped it out, answered it, and had a brief conversation before continuing his speech.

3. I'm often greeted in one of the following ways: "Mono, hello how are you i am fine." "Mzungu, marry me." "Madam, give me your dog."

4. Nobody is ever described as having a bad personality trait here - they are just 'so stubborn.'

5. word pronunciation- z's turn into j's, and people just throw h's into words wherever they want: organization = organijajon; however = ow heva; social change = shoshal chan

6. last week i was introduced as 'a visiting dignitary.'

7. when you break out new dance moves, it's called 'pulling queer strokes'

8. when you want something ready immediately, you say 'now now' - as if 1 now isn't enough.

9. today i walked into my kitchen to find my fat little 'niece' Faith lying on the floor, wailing because she wanted a potato. this girl will eat anything and everything, and woe to the fool who comes between her and her food.

the expanse of the heavens

2009-09-26T07:48:00.008+03:00

One time a friend told me that Africa is big sky country. That's putting it mildly. The african sky is so beautiful that it sometimes takes my breath away.

Let me try to paint a picture for you:

-you wake up with the dawn - the sun is already so strong that it burns through the curtains and plays with your morning dreams. The sunrise is mild hues of pink and corral, and it passes quickly into regular morning sunlight.

-during the morning, very few clouds mar the sky. It is blue as far as the eye can see - a deep azure like Longfellow's poem. Even if the morning air is cool, the sun begins to beat down in waves of dry heat.

-in the afternoon, the clouds begin to gather for their evening performance. They are magnificent - cirrus on top of cumulus and stratus. They look like varied brush strokes on a canvas of sunlight. The sun sometimes outlines the clouds or streams through them. The light turns orange and fierce, but the expanse of the heavens stretches far beyond what two eyes can take in.

-by sunset, you are eagerly anticipating what the sky will provide tonight: streaks of deep orange or pink, a flaming globe hanging low. no one can predict the glory of sunset in africa - some days it is understated, with lilac tones gently making waves across the world. other days you think the sun has disappeared, and then it rounds a foothill to blind you in its fierceness.

-dusk passes, and the moon arises - talk about your star performer. Every night the moon is beautiful. Last night it was a waxing crescent - soon it will be full, hopefully before I leave. It shines brightly enough to lighten the dark street where I live. The darker the night, the more brightly it shines - I could stare for hours.

-the night sky is littered with stars: so many that you want to throw your head back, let your jaw hang open, and just gape. I get in trouble for doing this while walking...

Not just in Uganda is the sky painfully beautiful - Kenya and Zimbabwe are the same. A colleague once told me, "There is something magical about the birds and the sky in Africa, take deep breaths and drink it in."

workin here in Gulu

2009-09-22T22:04:00.003+03:00

Maybe it's about time I explained more of what I do over here in Africa. I'm sure most people have heard the boring spiel I always give ('I work for a US government contractor and manage 3 of our international programs. What I do isn't glamorous, but the projects are really cool.') - but here are some fun facts:
-USAID is a government agency paid for by your tax dollars. (thank you) It's not allowed to advertise in any way, which is why you may not have heard of it.
-My organization is a private, for-profit contractor for USAID - not an NGO.
-In Uganda, we are trying to help increase people's confidence in the Government of Uganda (with the underlying theory that this will help bring stability to the war-torn region of northern Uganda). To do this, we have various types of projects based on our funding: media, infrastructure rehabilitation, & reconciliation.

Those are the basics - the program out here does everything from rebuilding schools to installing new water pumps, to reburial ceremonies, to break dance competitions, to hiring war affected youth to build furniture for government offices. Everything we do is purposeful & strategic - including the way we award grants, the timing, the locations where we work. Because of the way the program is set up, we are able to implement projects a lot faster than most other contractors - which makes us the favorite of the politicians, the darling of the local media and the envy of other programs.

In a typical day, I get to the office by 8, and already have a stack of papers to sign. Every thing that comes to my desk is urgent and should have been signed yesterday. Most days I don't know where to begin (don't tell my team!). By nature of my position out here (Operations Coordinator), I get asked a lot of advice: this afternoon I had my door shut to conduct a phone interview for an hour and was interrupted 6 times.

On fun days I get to go on field visits - to see what we are actually accomplishing and monitor progress. Two weeks ago, I went to a small town 3 hours away in order to do an assessment of timber suppliers in the area. Please somebody go find my diploma in timber. I have no expertise here, but I went and gave the program spiel and talked about anti-corruption. This is the kind of thing that I love - I get to see the local towns, learn about a new area of procurement, and be a part of the action.

Tomorrow I'm going to visit our the site where we are filming a documentary of traditional Acholi dance, then in the afternoon I have to interview two candidates, and of course a thousand approvals to sign.

My favorite field memory is this time in January we had a drama competition, and my team asked me to pick out a nice prize for the winners: a bull. I trekked out to the town corral with one of my team (literally over a stream, through long grass, and across a field). Lydia showed me the bull she thought was best, and then we proceeded to rank the bulls based on health, age, fatness, ability to pull an ox plow, and beauty. Lydia kept telling me, 'Abigail - that is not a male,' but by the end I was an expert.

Of course there are also days like today when I feel beaten down - I know so little, I am not a part of this culture, I can't keep up with the workload... such is life. I have to pull myself out of the weeds to appreciate the big picture again. Like I said - not glamorous, but awesome results.

I'm really grateful to be a small part of what we are doing out here - every day I can go home and say, 'today, I made northern Uganda a better place.' cheesy, but actually true.

musings & echoes

2009-09-13T12:16:00.005+03:00

One of the things I love most in the world is languages - not just the language of words, the dialects of body language, music, food, emotions, art - there are so many. The past couple of nights, I've gone to see this Congolese band play at one of the hotels around Gulu.

The Pearl Afrique band plays everything from La Bomba to Celine Dion's heart rendering Titanic theme song (this one is more ear-splitting than anything else), but their specialty of course is Congolese music. The music is quite complex - it involves guitars, a bass, keyboards, two types of drums, singers, a mandolin, and a sax. As I was listening last night, I was struck by how similar the rhythm is to some latino music. I could very well have been listening to a merengue band in El Salvador for all the similarities - it was beautiful.

Then I started thinking about how some languages sound similar, even though they have little or no relation to one another. When I hear people speak Farsi, I feel like I should be able to understand them - because it sounds so much like French. Even though our languages got scrambled at Babel, we are still given hints of a universalism - things everyone appreciates, even if they can't communicate through words.

So, how did the congolese culture pick up this carribbean music - or vice versa? How come the dance moves look so similar to cubano salsa? I think these are echoes; reminders that at one time human beings spoke one language. We are united by more than just similar dna - our souls come from the same Creator, who endowed all of us with an appreciation for beauty.

Since these are sort of random musings, I'd love to hear anybody's thoughts on this...

Weekend highlights

2009-09-06T09:39:00.000+03:00

In no particular order, here are some moments to relish from a typical Gulu weekend:

1. There was a frog in my downstairs toilet last night. I chose the ‘avoidance’ strategy and found another bathroom – still am not sure if he was alive or dead… Am going to let my maid handle that one.
2. Attended a break dance practice that my organization is sponsoring – the performances start in 2 weeks, and are going to be slammin. Later met up with the instructors in a nightclub, and got to see two of the top break dancers in Uganda show off their moves. I think there might be a class this week? I will so be there.
3. Somebody cleaned the Gulu pool – as of Saturday afternoon, I could actually see to the bottom – very exciting.
4. Tried out a new church today, and felt so blessed by communion and singing familiar songs (Glorious things of thee are spoken, Onward Christian soldiers). It’s considered quite strange to cry in public here, but God’s presence was so present during worship – I couldn’t help it.
5. No internet or power for the past few days – was unable to check my work email, and now feel refreshed.
6. Ate spaghetti and watched the men’s 3rd round at the U.S. Open at a friend’s place last night. Yum and yum.
7. Sunday afternoon rainstorms from the balcony.

reading, reading, reading

2009-09-04T14:03:00.008+03:00

I typically try to buy lots of paperbacks to haul across the Atlantic and leave them for the little mini-library I started over here. This time I found myself with a number of hardbacks (thanks to a used bookstore that Becky & I found in Fredericksburg)... Martha - in response to your request for my Africa reading list, here goes:

-Confessions of a Spy, Pete Earley
-Theodore Rex, Edmund Morris
-I know why the caged bird sings, Maya Angelou
-The early writings of John Gerstner (borrowed from Mom -thank you, and I will not donate this one!)
-Know your Christian Life, Sinclair Ferguson (also borrowed - thanks Mom)
-For whom the bell tolls, Ernest Hemmingway
-To the Lighthouse, Virginia Wolfe
-Imperial Hubris, Scheuer

I might not have lugged quite so many books if I had realized that Amazon actually ships to Gulu!! nice to know for next time...

Wang Oo

2009-08-29T11:33:00.009+03:00

Friday night, I had the privilege of attending an acholi cultural ceremony called a Wang Oo (pronounced 'wahng oh'). This is one of the events that my program is sponsoring here in Gulu - in order to help preserve the cultural practices of this region. Wang oo is defined in Luo as a fireplace - a place for to find warmth and refreshment (especially for those in need, like orphans).

This event took place in a town called Bobi - basically the people sit in a circle around the outdoor fire, with the Rwots (the cultural tribal chiefs) at one end. Every 30 minutes or hour has a different theme for discussion, and the local people (youth, women, anyone is welcome to speak) come up to the microphone and ask protocol questions and discuss issues that are relevant to them. The Wang Oo starts with a meal around 5 p.m. and lasts the entire evening until 6 a.m.! We discussed everything from the problems facing women in rural settings, land rights, education issues, compensation for killings, alcoholism, problems of orphans, and appropriate dress code. The elders in the tribe are happy to give loads of advice to the youth. The whole meeting was in Luo, so my colleague and I had translators helping us understand the action.

I found this so helpful to understand the family structure and the local culture better. For example:

1. Ugandans have little tolerance for ambiguity - this makes so much sense, after having attended a forum where all their queries are answered on a weekly basis - this is the way their culture rolls.

2. Women's issues are also prevalent: one lady mentioned how women are marginalized, even from birth - because the family sees them as 1. a source of income and 2. a person who will eventually just join another tribe through marriage. For this reason, their education is neglected and they have fewer opportunities than men, even though many men spend their paychecks on alcohol (another issue we discussed) to the detriment of their families.

3. We had a lot of discussion on dress code: girls should not wear skirts high enough to show their knees, or tops that show their shoulders - this is considered flirtatious and perhaps 'like they are trying to attract a sugar daddy.' boys should also not try to attract 'sugar mamas' who buy them nice things while their families have no food.

4. Respect for the elders is completely ingrained - little kids grow up attending Wang Oo's every single week, learning and learning the traditions of their tribes from the Rwots.

5. People are not shy about correcting one another - one guy stood up and flatly contradicted something that the Rwot had previously mentioned. Everyone is free to express an opinion - but I realize as I type this, that freedom does not mean that someone will act based on their opinion - African culture is very much like this.

I realize these observations are stream-of-consciousness, but that is also largely how the event happened...

Between segments the MC would play cultural music, and everyone would get up to dance. It was so fun!

gummy bears & tequila

2009-08-27T20:03:00.004+03:00

it has definitely been one of those days: out too late last night, up late this morning. walked out to leave for the office to find my car being involuntarily washed (making me even more late). forced to take a long lunch because my colleague wanted to do some tourist shopping. snapped at my driver for asking me to take responsibility for yet another dog. can't find the security lights in my house. am supposed to purchase sugar for my guards? visited a house for rent that had two graves in the front yard. refused to give a beggar part of my lunch, and had him removed from the restaurant porch when he got aggressive. was asked 4 questions by my client to which I did not know the answers. probably chipped my teeth from eating rice with rocks in it.

Tequila is the dog I'm pet sitting, and tonight we are hanging out. To add insult to injury, she is entirely high maintenance, and refuses to eat the gourmet dinner prepared for her. I still love her, but honestly...

my cure is normally to go out for a beer, but sometimes that involves too much cultural & human interaction. tonight, I'm breaking into my stash of gummy bears (1 bag down, 3 left) - heading upstairs, and going to sleep.

il Palazzo

2009-08-24T12:32:00.010+03:00

The Lord has blessed me in many, many ways - the following is the most recent, which I'd like to share: For the next months, I’m house-sitting for my boss while she is out on vacation (blurry work/personal life lines? yes.) Actually, Amanda’s house is the largest in all of Gulu and the newest, circa March 2009 – I have entitled it the Palace.

The Palace is already furnished, so all I have to do is live here. I think there are 11 bedrooms, including a master suite complete with jacuzzi/bath. The house has a wrap-around balcony on the second floor, which lets me watch the sunrise & sunset, as well as any passers-by (this is the highest point for at least a mile, so I get a good view). I have a dear maid named Kety (who brings her adorable daughter to work – Faith is 2, and possibly my favorite person in Gulu). I also get a gardener named Ronaldo.

Before you completely write me off due to housing jealousy – remember I won’t get to spend many waking hours here…

Here are some snaps of the wrap-around balcony, views from the balcony, and the upstairs sitting room:

Renewed impressions

2009-08-18T15:50:00.005+03:00

I've been here 3 days, and here are some first (but really 4th time around) impressions of life:

1. we lost power in the airport twice while I was standing in the visa line - everyone got nervous and I could hear the mumbling crowd, but I'm a pro by now and had my headlamp ready.

2. I forgot how funny some of the phrasing is over here - for example: my driver picked me up from the airport, and accidentally rolled one of my suitcases over some dude's foot. The guy says, 'My friend, why are you trying to break my foot?'

3. Also forgot about generators - the one outside my hotel room whirrs into action every 6 minutes and turns into this buzzing that I think might be inside my head, and then magically it stops, and I think maybe I'm going crazy.

4. It's not rainy season (yet), but the rain is pouring down in sheets.

5. Oh yeah, the hilarious forward-ness toward mzungu gals - this morning, my chef asked me, "If I go to America, will I find a nice girlfriend like you?" I said, "You just try it and see."

6. The long speeches. Africans have this unbelievable speech-making ability - even the most unlikely suspects take one subject and turn it into a 20 minute speech. This morning my teammate Stephen (still hungover from last night's party at The 4 Turkeys) stepped up to give a recap of yesterday's discussion (which I was having trouble remembering in my non-hungover state). This guys talked, preached more like - for 45 minutes. He kept using these platitudes like, 'If I'm wrong I beg somebody will correct me' and 'Who is with me? If you're not with me, you must be asleep.' He wasn't even finished when we started pleading for mercy, so he made a 15 minute conclusion and sat down. And of course we all clapped - in true Ugandan style.

7. And finally, the african booty - it is so big. ask anyone who has been here - it's like a separate appendage. Sometimes I wonder if it's even connected to the rest of the body... it makes certain legendary American booties pale in comparison.

Sorry this post is devoid of pictures - I'll 'take some snaps,' as they say here, very soon.

ps. special thanks to Em for your editing assistance at 6 a.m.

Ready, set...

2009-08-14T15:55:00.007+03:00

This Sunday I leave for Uganda again - two months this time, unless my trip gets extended (which is always possible). So, for the last weeks I've been mentally preparing, of course, but now it is time to pack. For shorter trips to Africa, I have this down to a science - I know exactly how many interchangeable outfits I need, what types of drugs, even how much toothpaste.

I mentally divide packing into three parts:
1. throwing lots of clothes on the floor in organized (but only in my mind - you would never know it) piles
2. shopping for various snacks & gathering the equipment I'm supposed to take to our field office
3. sorting/jamming into my suitcase.

My girl Maggie always says she can't believe the amount of stuff I fit into a tiny suitcase - it used to cover an entire room in our old apartment. We called it 'the loading station.'

This time it's a little different - I'm taking the big suitcase. I know, that fact in & of itself overwhelms me. Secondly, I am taking options for what to wear - highly unusual... Anyway, this website is normally what I use to create a sweet packing list: http://www.onebag.com/ - the guy's theory is that you can pack everything you need for 3 months of travel in one carryon size bag. Amazing. The most important rule is to not pack anything that is not on your list - that's the hardest for me - I mean, what if I end up needing that extra headband?

I won't burden you with the endless details of my packing list (it involves a big trip to Trader Joe's), but here's what my room looks like in packing stage #1:

Fredericksburg

2009-08-10T16:10:00.008+03:00

This past Sunday, I wandered about an hour south to the old timey town of Fredericksburg to meet Becky for lunch and get in some good, quality time before I head back to Uganda. Fredericksburg has lots of cool Colonial history, but most tourist things are closed on Sunday - that was just fine, since we were not about to spend all afternoon in the Not so current currency exhibit. It was about a thousand degrees outside, so we escaped into as many air-conditioned antique shops as possible... it was even too hot for ice cream, believe it or not!

We walked down by the Rappahanock river and befriended this homeless hippie lady, who gave us a running commentary as we took a self portrait (something about how cameras are so high-tech these days, and no one knows which button to press). Of course, the heat didn't hold us back from being totally vain - we climbed around underneath this decrepit building and did a fun photo shoot... fun until Becky noticed the trappings of a homeless dude's temporary shelter. We decided to leave it in peace and walked back through Old Town.

Fredericksburg is a great place to spend the afternoon - as I was driving back to DC, I noticed a bunch of people swimming in the shallows of the Rappohanock - how fun! Next time we are definitely getting in on that action.

Results of our photo shoot:

Becky, the model

I may have climbed through poison ivey for this artsy shot

Last one...

updates

2009-07-24T21:04:00.005+03:00

Couple of updates:

The goat (named Johnny G) has now been eaten. May he rest in peace and give no one indigestion.

My boss received another letter from her suitor- here are some highlights:

"...I have no bad intentions against you, but I want us to be more than just friends, very good friends indeed. Is it a sin if we become friends? I know you're a very busy girl in terms of work, but having friends is much more important. Am not a golddigger, am not fooling you around, am very serious Amanda. I also gave you my number but you never bothered to call me, maybe you think am an animal with a tail, a pair of horns, dirty, ugly, too hairy, without a home, and with a bad odor."

----he has still had no interview, but stay tuned for more from this guy!

a fresh perspective

2009-07-24T15:53:00.009+03:00

So, I was wandering around my apartment on Tuesday night - lonely and a little depressed about moving, trying to finish off a bottle of merlot (did you know it's illegal to 'move' alcohol?)-- and I started thinking about some of the differences between the U.S. and where I've been recently. Here goes:

Shower: my first morning back home, I waited for 10 minutes for the shower to warm up - and then realized that I was in America and the shower had been hot for 9 minutes already, and would stay hot as long as I wanted it to. It was great.

Driving: my little car is like a ladybug compared to the monstrous landcruiser I've been driving in Uganda - it literally swallows me - you can barely see me inside. I've had to readjust to driving on the right side of the road - I keep catching myself thinking left, and then saying, "No, Abigail - right, right!!" Also it's a little strange to have to park in designated areas - in Gulu, I could literally park in the middle of the street - and maybe an hour or two later, a lazy policeman would walk by and say, "Madam, this area is not for parking." I could probably convince him to let me stay though...

This is the vehicle I drive in Gulu - on the left.

Feet: it is impossible to keep feet clean in northern Uganda. It doesn't matter what shoes I'm wearing or where I go that day - when I get home there will be a layer of fine, red clay dust from my ankles down. Here, I can wear open-toed sandals and by the end of the day - I can still tell what color my toes were in the morning.

Humidity: Each evening, since being back, I have opened up my screen door and windows to let a little fresh air into the apartment. Immediately, I'm hit with a wave of oppressively hot, humid air that makes me run to close windows and start the A/C. I don't think I was ready for Virginia in July.

Smells: no, not my smell - the smell of my surroundings. The scent Uganda always reminds me of some weird combination of BO, goats' milk, and dust. In the U.S. I'm sure there is a different smell, but I don't notice it - probably because I'm already accustomed to it.

Speed: I am doing a little more eating-out than usual (due to the move and to the fact that I prematurely packed all my kitchen items), and it is unbelievable to me that I can order a meal, and the food will be ready within minutes. In Uganda, I've waited hours for a meal. I often want to offer to go out back and kill the chicken myself, but I think that would be considered rude.

Eating is surely a lesson in patience - unless you are prepared and take snacks, which I do - no patience for me!

Dance: well, every single weekend - all night long, we are out dancing - the Africans love it, and they love teaching me new moves. Thankfully, they don't care about my already-learned crazy 'strokes' as they call them. Not so much, in the US.

Me trying to shake it like the Acholi ladies

My colleague Joel (r), showing Telex (l) how to dance Shakira.

What's in a name?

2009-07-23T17:50:00.004+03:00

Everywhere I travel, my name sounds different. In Spain and Central America, me llamo Abigail ('Ah bee guy eel') - truly the most beautiful pronunciation of my name.

In Entebbe, a store vendor called me Mirembe meaning peace. I'm not entirely why he gave me this, as I was frazzeled-ly hunting through his shop for trinkets... Probably a ploy to get me to buy more, but I like it anyway.

In Gulu, my team gave me the Acholi name Nyapa Rwot. To have an Acholi name means you have been accepted and welcomed into the culture - my name means Chieftan's daughter, which makes my dad very pleased. They do treat me like a princess - why do you think I keep going back?

The most recent name I received was in Kenya, where our Masai friend Amos said he could not pronounce Abigail. But, he said, since it sounds like happiness (Abi/happy) - he would call me Nshapai. And he did - the whole weekend. "Nshapai, how are you this evening?"

I'm glad I don't have to choose among these names - I like each one.

the Great Migration

2009-07-19T20:47:00.022+03:00

(this is a long one)

'Twindelé,' says Jonathan, our Masai guide. Dave continues driving across the rough road while I carefully scan the grassy plains for signs of life. It is day #2 of our 52-hour Kenyan safari in Masai Mara National Reserve. 'The Mara,' as Dave coolly calls it, is located in the Great Rift Valley, and is home to thousands of animals. We are here to see the Great Migration - one of the 7 wonders of the world. The Migration takes place every year when wildebeests, gnu, and zebras head south in search of food. Because these animals are so tasty, it's an ideal time to spot lots of interesting predators.

So far, we have seen 4 out of the Big Five --see if you can guess what we missed: Lion, Elephant, Hippo, & Leopard

Leopards (or as Jonathan says lee-oh-pards) are extremely difficult to spot, but thanks to Dave's safari driving skillz, we had a great sighting.

Cheetah are also rare - but we came across a total of 13!! Amazing. We were literally 10 feet away from the animals - just grabbing an afternoon siesta.

On day #1, we had already seen a herd of elephants (including a tiny, adorable baby!) - so on day 2, we are focused on lions and getting a view of the river crossing of the migration.

We drive as far as the border of Tanzania (props to Dave for this artsy photo), and then find a great spot to watch the gnu (pronounced here ga-new) cross the Mara river.

The banks are quite steep, but more dangerous are the crocodiles awaiting lunch.

All we can see for miles are zebras and gnu- they are marching skittishly toward the river, and any sudden movement by the truck will spook them. 'Polé, polé,' says Jonathan- we slow down, and turn off the engine, joining other safari trucks awaiting this amazing event. We wait. And wait.

Finally, one brave, dumb soul decides to make a break for it. It's go time.

Thousands of gnu rush down the steep embankment, wade quickly through the water, and storm up the other side to where the already-brave gnu are waiting. The noise is so loud, we can barely hear one another - all the animals are rushing, rushing down into the water - they are crowded so closely together.

Fortunately for the gnu, no crocs caught wind of the crossing (bet they were splashing themselves later). After a while, one car's movement spooked the animals, so they stopped moving across the river and went back to grazing. We yelled some encouragement ('Just do it!' 'You know you want to cross!'), but the gnu were finished for the afternoon.

And so were we! We drove back to camp and took a couple hours' break from safari and played with the weird birds around our campsite (the one pictured was my fave). We stayed on the banks of the Talek River, just ouside the park gates. This was a great locale - not just because they had toilets and frigid showers, but also because of the animals lurking nearby. One morning, Dave told me not to go wandering off alone - he had heard hippos wandering around the campground all night. I followed instructions.

That evening: 1. we found a pride of lions, 2. I got all black and blue from popping up through the sunroof while we were driving, and 3. we introduced some nice Masai friends to our extremely spicy chili.

The next morning (day 3), we packed up camp into the rockin (and only 1 week old) safari truck,and headed back through the park in search of rhino. Elam, topi, zebras, giraffes, lions, warthogs, and a cheetah later - we never spotted the rhino. Next time, definitely next time.

3 hours later (once again due to Dave's driving skillz) we landed back safely in Nairobi - this was record time. I kept saying - it felt like we were in a video game - how fast can you drive/swerve without hitting any of the following: potholes, trucks, buses, that police barrier, goats, or cows. Without being stopped even once by the police. And as far as we know - zero casualties.

This post has been brought to you by the letter S (like Safari truck), the letter M (for Maasai), and the letter D (for Dave). Thanks, Kenya!

Smattering of photos:

(This is the Great Rift Valley - which houses the Mara National Reserve park)

If you like, see here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/allkindsoftime/sets/72157621825201438/ for about 300 more pictures.

Ain't no sunshine...

2009-07-16T18:05:00.007+03:00

like African sunshine - that is certain.

I left Gulu this morning - always too soon for my liking. Last night my team took me out for dinner, drinks, and dancing - of course - I can't get away from it anywhere. We started at Diana Gardens, moved to Kyero-kyeri for dinner, popped over to 'Da Pub,' and then hit up 'Green Valley' and 'Herms' (rhymes with germs). I think we probably got home around 2 a.m., and then were all up for an early and very busy Friday.

It is difficult to say goodbye to my Ugandan friends, and also to Africa. I will miss the glaring sunshine, that freaking rooster crowing at 5:30 a.m. outside my window, the breezy nights where 60 degrees is considered 'too cold,' and especially the starry night sky. In Gulu there are very few street lights, so the stars are abundant. I will miss the morning greetings, being told I am most welcome to northern Uganda, the blinding smiles, and some of the outrageous outfits. I might even miss the yells that follow me down the street, "Heeey mzungu!" And of course, I will miss the dancing.There are some things I'd like to learn before my next trip to Africa, though: how to play pool, how to drive a manual car, how to build a fire in the middle of nowhere...

All for now- I'm off to Kenya and the Masai Mara for the weekend - I get to see the Great Migration of wildebeests. I am so excited! If I don't get eaten, I will post pics.

Proposal #657

2009-07-13T15:07:00.007+03:00

In general the African men declare love more freely and more quickly than any other culture. Maybe that's because they are allowed multiple wives, and they are looking to add a white girl to their repertoire... That is my judgment of charity.

Today, my boss received one such proposal in a handwritten letter. Here is an excerpt, "Am not asking you for an appointment so that we may discuss jobs and contracts, what I have in mind is something quite different. You look so marvelous, young and so pretty... You happen to not know me, but am Kidega Isaac by nomenclature. Anyway that's just a brief introduction of myself, and there's plenty to know about me when you need to."

Sadly, our reception turned this fellow down for a personal interview - but maybe there's hope for other eligible bachelors.

National sports champions!

2009-07-11T20:49:00.007+03:00

For the last three days, Uganda's national track and field championship for high schools was held in Gulu. My program sponsored the event and fixed up the stadium so that it would be able to handle the thousands of spectators who came to watch. It's very exciting that this event took place in Gulu - this is the first time that it has ever been hosted here, because of the violence that has been in the north of Uganda for the last 20 years.

Anyway, I finally got to watch some of the events today - some very exciting 4x400 relays, which the Gulu district won in the last 100 meters! The whole stadium was cheering and dancing - it was like the best high school pep rally you've ever been to multiplied by a thousand. I took some pics of the amazing runners who still run in bare feet - check out the stride length on these ladies--

back to basics.

2009-07-11T13:42:00.006+03:00

I have long ranted about the uselessness of blogs and how no one should think that the whole world wants to read their every thought.

But recently a lot of my indignation has been transferred to Twitter (don't get me started), and I have decided that some of these stories from my trips are too good not to share. I know - this is just the beginning, soon I'll be tweating with the best of them... ick. Anyway, I'll try to keep these stories updated just for the entertainment of anyone who might want to read, and I promise to limit the social commentary that nobody's interested in anyway.

-Abigail

There's a goat in my office

2009-07-11T13:15:00.005+03:00

Seriously! So, I was going to give an intro to this blog (and try to excuse myself for caving in to this online society), but I have to share this first -

Someone donated a goat to one of my colleagues up here in Gulu, and now the goat has been designated our office pet. That is, until we decide to roast him and have a feast. But this goat is wreaking havoc everywhere he goes - he will wander into our office building and butt his head into things. He's broken countless cups and we always have to chase him back outside! A few days ago, we found him curled up under one of the desks, all entangled in the computer cords. This morning, the goat escaped our compound and our guard had to chase him back inside.

In answer to your inevitable questions - yes, the goat has plenty to eat - he is chomping away on the grass in our compound right now. And we actually named him after one of my colleagues - they seem to have similar personalities.

El Salvador

2009-05-17T17:03:00.002+03:00

Since I'm in the business of backdating some of these posts... Here's a snippet from my time in El Salvador.

I traveled to San Salvador in May, in order to open an office for my company. I'd been to Central America before (Mexico & Belize), but never for work - it was very exciting. We were in meetings most days - with little time to explore, but some of my favorite memories are:

-watching my friend Martha eat live snails (below)

-discovering the amazingness of pupusas

-the hilarious danger signs

-the moment when one meeting had dragged on & on, and cute little Maritza leans over and says to me, "You should be shopping right now."

-the formality of the Spanish, and the different accent - it took me a whole week to adjust.

-Looking across the boardroom and seeing our venerable, senior adviser asleep during our meeting with one shirt button popped open, and his fat belly button hanging out.

I'd love to go back - you can actually hike around the volcanoes, go to the beaches, and participate in the fiestas - hopefully next time I'll get some salsa dancing in too!!

This is my friend Martha, and her son Roberto - they were great hosts.

Vic Falls

2009-03-14T10:46:00.001+03:00

I took a long weekend to visit my first World Wonder, Victoria Falls. My boss insisted on me taking an extra day in order to really enjoy it...

I took a tiny plane on Zimbabwe Airways - the plane delayed, but whatever. This driver picked me up to go to the lodge where I was staying (I'm pretty sure I remember he proposed to me on the way there - I had to pull out the 'My parents will not let me get married in Africa' card).

The lodge I where stayed was completely open-air: when I first walked in, there was a little monkey playing in my room! The warthogs and baboons wander freely around this campground - that's the reason I chose to stay there, actually. There are birds and bugs and snakes and all sorts of creatures all around, and the breeze runs straight through the little lodge.

I had arranged a river cruise down the mighty Zambezi river. Not until a loud group of flirty South African businessmen explained it to me, did I know this was actually a booze cruise! It was totally fun - we saw hippos and crocodiles (my first time for both!). The sunset was so beautiful it made my heart ache a little. Plus, I got to drive the boat. Sound familiar?

That night, my South African friends invited me to the Boma restaurant but I slept through the night and totally forgot about them!

The next day, I woke up early enough to watch the watering hole from the breakfast buffet - saw all sorts of deer, birds, buffalo, and monkeys passing through. It was very peaceful. Then it was time to go to the falls.

The Falls are an amazing display of power and beauty - they're so gigantic, I couldn't believe my eyes. The spray from the falls rises 1.7 kilometers in the air - you can see it from miles around and it rains down on the whole park. Of course, with my i-don't-need-a-raincoat attitude, I was soaking, dripping wet by the end of our 2 hour hike. It was hilarious - i know all the locals were thinking, 'That silly american girl.'

In the afternoon, I decided to go on a couple of ziplines and a free fall swing into the gorge. I am writing this 8 months later, and my heart still pounds to remember the 75 meter drop! The guides kept telling me to scoot closer to the edge of the platform (read: cliff) so that I could jump off, and I kept saying, "No thank you." I think that was the strangest experience to have all by myself - I still don't know why I decided to do it without any witnesses :)

Sunday night I went to the Boma restaurant where traditional dancers and drummers played all night. Some of us ended up dancing on stage... and by us I mean me, but the dancers were quite insistent! I kept thinking to myself - how could anyone not love this? a traditional Zimbabwean dance party and the music sung by the band had such beautiful harmony.

Monday I wandered around the little town of Victoria Falls - there are lots of little touristy shops, and so much beautiful southern African art to look at. I wanted to buy it all.

I also went to the open-air market, thinking I might pick up some trinkets... not so much. The sellers harassed me in such a frustrating manner: I started making up fake names & ages for myself (I think I was 28 year old Amy from New York - just what came to me in the moment). I always think of my dad in those moments when salespeople really frustrate me because - even though salespeople sometimes frustrate him, he finds a way of telling them so firmly and politely. I pander, and then get annoyed and create a fake self.

Despite the annoying market vendors, I had a fabulous weekend. It was a time of renewal fo sho.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

2009-03-06T09:10:00.001+03:00

Since I've been backdating a few posts, I figured I should cover my Zimbabwe trip from a few months ago--

My trip to Zimbabwe followed closely after my second 3-week stint in Uganda, so by the time I got on the plane I was ready to take those sleeping drugs and knock myself out for 20 hours. The flight is brutal: 8 hours to Dakar, an 2 hours sitting in the plane on the runway, 8 hours to Johannesburg, layover, and 2 more hours to Zimbabwe. I was pretty nervous about going through customs - I'd been instructed to say I was there on business, but my business in Zim at that time was pretty undercover - so what if somebody started asking questions? I was also nervous about getting all my luggage - certain that little blue suitcase wouldn't make it. God was very gracious - no problems at customs, and all my luggage came through.

My boss met me at the airport full of smiles - he was so happy to finally get some support at our office, I think he would have welcomed Cruella DeVille. We walked out to the parking lot where someone had put a boot on his tire (actually puncturing it)-- we drove home on a leaking tire. My boss told me, "Abigail, here you don't stop at night - no matter what. Also, we don't follow any traffic laws." Ok, I thought - I can do this... maybe. On the way home, a gigantic rat crossed our path - literally the largest rodent I've ever seen. Otherwise, the streets were eerily deserted.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Harare - a strange and almost claustraphobic-feeling hotel. By the end of my visit, the staff all knew me by name. They would greet me in the morning, welcome me back at night, and always call my room during my post-work siesta to ask how I was finding the hotel. I was like - fine, just as fine as I found it 10 minutes ago when you saw me in the lobby. The word supercilious comes to mind.

I went for a couple long walks through the city - and was always struck by what I saw: the infrastructure of a glorious city, past its heyday, and moving into decay and disrepair. I wonder if Ancient Rome had a similar feeling during its decline?

The roads had once been beautiful, but now there are giant potholes which no one bothers to repair. There are traffic lights and gardens and plumbing and bars, but the traffic lights have burnt out, the gardens are overgrown, the pipes get no water, and shelves in the bars are empty. The food is greasy and expensive. I think there was once a beautiful side to this city, but I never found it. I was more impressed by the piles of trash and huge 'cholera puddles.'

Most people who had not fled have this 'hunker-down and survive' attitude. You can tell people are used to an opulant lifestyle - everyone has a car, everyone shops at the upscale markets, loves fresh fruit; they even fly to Johannesburg for shopping weekends. But where were they when the country needed resistors and rebels?

I don't have any pictures to add here because if someone sees you snapping photos, you can get arrested or show up in some scandelous newspaper. I'll add some Victoria Falls photos soon.

Mexico

2009-01-20T23:21:00.005+03:00

Just backdating this blog slightly - ok, to January, as suggested by Becky.

This past January, my good friend Becky & I took a vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This little seaside town is super touristy, but we went off-season and (thanks to my Aunt Chris's rockin timeshare), we got to stay at a lovely resort right on the Pacific Ocean.

Each day we had various activities planned (everything from lounging by one of the pools and watching water aerobics, to zip lining through the Mexican jungle), but every moment was great.

Lots of adventures to talk about - that day we took a tiny boat to a seaside town called Yelapa, and the guys who offered to be our tour guides, and subsequently let me drive the boat partially back to the mainland! Or the time we took a bus to the sleepy little surf town of Sayulita - and laid on the beach looking for surfer boys all day.

Some of the greatest moments were zip lining through the Mexican jungle and the relaxed walks through town.

I think it was the perfect vacation- the best mix of rest, activity, and total fun. B & I are good travel buddies - and are hopefully planning more exciting trips in 2010!