The Last Post

so i thought it would be a great idea to blog while i was away on both of these trips,l and for the most part i think it worked out, but the lack of internet access(as can be expected when at best there is intermittent electricity in Uganda) didnt help out too much.  I havent written since sept 28th… a lot has happened.    After Nairobi, I stayed in an area near the coast south of Mombasa. It was amazing. well that is aside from the fact that it was so humid that i couldnt take out my video camera, and the pages of my books began to curl. Something else that was less than desirable was the fact that the electrical wiring in the hut where i was staying wasn’t quite up to snuff. It was just by bad luck that i figured that out sopping wet while in the shower; not the best place to be electrocuted. I had to run around and turn off all the lights. i really shouldn’t have got back in the shower, but i thought that id solved the problem and with no fear grabbed the faucet… it jolted me so hard that I slipped, nailed the wall and nearly split my head on the tiling. I eventually found the breaker and shut down the power, then i got good and clean.   We headed back to Uganda, but this time by air so as to avoid being lined up and executed by Kenyan authorities at the checkpoints like I managed to convince myself was going to happen on the way in. We spent a day in Kampala getting organised and prepared for the interviews and meetings that we had set up in a village called Kitengesa. The village is in the South West of Uganda and YouLead has been involved with the community there for 5 years.  The town was great, the people were friendly, and the food was good. well… it tasted good…and it looked good… I was deceived . I was foolish and ate like a madman, only to wake up scrambling to find my headlamp(there is no electricity) in order to get to the bathroom without purging my digestive systemin my bed or the hallway. My mosquito net was the main obstacle as i couldnt manage to escape from my bed and almost tore the thing down. I did make it though and we did have running water at the time which was a very good thing. It had been going on and off for days and considering that three of us got sick, and the other two had it coming out both ends the plumbing gods were smiling down on me.  The time there was good. We were able to meet with the school, the womens group in town and see how aid can have a positive impact on not only providing for communities, but in helping them create sustainable economic growth.  As it turned out we were never able to make it up to Gulu. Im disappointed but what can you do. All in all the trip was very good. I was able to see a different part of africa, much different than those that id seen before and also a more corporate side of aid. Im not really in the mood to get any deeper than that at this point but give me a call and  we can talk about it.  cheers. -B