The Mighty Nile

Hey everyone! Hope everyone’s week is going well!
I just got back to Mukono after spending the weekend rafting in Jinja at the source of the Nile!

Last week was a really fun week in terms of work. I taught a bunch of health seminars in the primary schools and while they were exhausting, I think they went really well. When I get frustrated with how the kids are listening or talking I just have to keep in mind that it probably wouldn’t be any different in a class full of fifth graders at home! Once the kids open up and feel comfortable being asked to participate and play games, versus just repetition and copying, we have a good time and hopefully, they learn a lot. I also went around with our boss Leonard to one of the new schools that KWDT is building a tank at and met with the headmaster about starting a school health committee. Its incredible to hear how much a rain tank will change the quality of education for the students at the schools. The headmaster explained that now (before the tank) the kids have to walk down a hill for about 2 km to a creek when water is needed for the school, since its their duty to collect water for all the school’s functioning. That’s a ton of class to miss and energy that could be spent learning!

In health club at St. Joseph’s Secondary we got into some really good discussions about some pretty sensitive subjects. We talked a lot about HIV/AIDS and homosexuality this week, both of which are huge stigmas in Uganda and have tons of rumors circulating about them. Its interesting but really disheartening to hear some of the things that people have told these kids about those issues. For example that HIV was a plot by a white scientist to kill Africans, and that homosexuality also came from white westerners because there are more gays in America and Europe. From those, we jumped into a discussion about the biology behind disease and how they jump from animals to people, and then from people to people so that they spread, and about how homosexuality probably any more common in the West, just more accepted. I could write for hours about our talks this week…I’ll really miss meeting with these kids in a few weeks.

As for the weekend, Rhea and I met up with the rest of the group in Kampala on Thursday for a tour of Parliament. We even got to sit in on a debate! Then on Friday the rafting company picked us up and took us to Jinja to hit the Nile. It was INSANE! After a pretty in depth safety briefing (I know mom will appreciate that..), we spent 2 days on class 5 rapids, I’ve never done something quite that intense. At night we stayed at the company’s campsite which was overlooking some of the rapids. I’ve never been in water that intense. When we tried to “surf”, which is to keep the raft in the middle of a rapid with water rushing around I even got the face sucked right out of the band of my watch…a huge bummer actually. Our guide Moses was incredible too, he was from the area and had some really funny and terrifying stories about kayaking the Nile and even riding over some of the falls floating on a jerry can. We’ve got a video of the trip so you guys can check it out when I’m back.

At the end of the second day we went during sunset on a boat ride up to where Lake Victoria stops and the Nile begins, so at the source of Nile. It was beautiful and another reminder of how crazy it is that I’m actually here!

Well that’s all for this week. I can’t believe there are only 2 left…time has flown by. See you all soon!

Love,
Kate