My Southern Adventure - Day 1

One of my former students from Uganda was getting married this weekend, so he asked me to attend his wedding in Savannah, Georgia. I booked a flight and a beautiful B&B and asked my guy to go with me on a spur of the moment adventure. I am not too familiar with the south, but I have heard a lot of good thing about Tybee Island, so we decided to stay a few blocks from the beach. I met up with one of the groom’s friends in Atlanta and we happened to be on the same flight into Savannah. Steve picked me up and our new friend Pius hitched a ride with us while he figured out his accommodations (I love Ugandans). After dropping Pius off, we headed to our place (Surf & Song Bed and Breakfast) and crashed for the night. I couldn’t see much of the house when I got here at night, but wow, I was stunned in the daylight. The house is older, built in 1898, but completely renovated and gorgeous. We rented the sand dollar room and it looked just like I saw online. The room was a bit small with a gigantic bed, but the tub was nice and large. 

Sand Dollar Room

The kitchen was overwhelmingly awesome with a large built-in breakfast area in addition to a more formal eating area. The owners told us that this area was completed renovated when they bought the foreclosed property two years ago. Although the kitchen was impressive, it was also very functional. 

We loved these cups!

Breakfast was served between 8:30-9:30, so we headed down about 8:45 after getting in so late. The table was already full, so we headed outside to enjoy breakfast while taking in the beautiful scenery. We got out coffee while Cindy and Ann prepared breakfast. They brought us some sort of fruit parfait with strawberries, blueberries, homemade granola, bananas, and whipped crème. It was divine. They also brought us orange juice, cheesy grits, toast, and an egg quiche with bacon, potatoes, cheese, and spinach. Everything was really delicious. 

After breakfast we ordered bikes to be delivered for the day and took a walk to burn off extra calories. The beach was chocked full of shells, mostly broken, but we did find some cool ones to keep as souvenirs. I love the beach and feel so peaceful when I am by it. There were several people out on the beach and the waves were up slightly. 

all these are shells

We rented bikes from Tim's Beachgear (local plug) and a guy delivered them to us around noon. My favorite part of the bike was the coozie on the center of the handlebars. We asked if you could drink while you ride and the guys told us that it was fine as long as used plastic. I also really liked the basket to hold all of our stuff. I am sure that Joseph would say that I look like a wicked witch riding that bicycle and I am sure he is right. We placed our water, phones, snacks, and a jacket in the basket and took off. It took us a minute to get used to the beach cruisers with pedal brakes and no gears. We are used to technical bikes, so these were like the bikes we rode when we were younger. We biked around the island for a few hours, stopping along the way to walk on the beach and have some drinks. 

My favorite picture of our beach walk is this one of the sign with all of the Beach Rules. Notice the rule about "nudity" and "keg" - Steve was disappointed! It is telling that these have to be included in the rules, but we have heard that things are quite different during tourist season. It was also interesting to see all of the signs about turtles hatching, but it seems we missed the season which just ended.

After biking, we came back to the house and took a relaxing nap. It was definitely a change of pace to nap on a Friday afternoon. After our nap, we got ready and headed to the rehearsal dinner for Jordan and Paul.

The rehearsal dinner and wedding is being held at the same place located on an island over from us. It was about a 15 minute drive. The house was surrounded by stunning scenery and Jordan's family decorated everything so beautifully. When we arrived, the wedding party was still rehearsing and Jordan's family were making oysters. After they were finished, we enjoyed a traditional "low country boil" which I did not know what that was, but found out it when shrimp, potatoes, corn, and sausage are cooked together with an old bay seasoning. It was delicious. They also had coleslaw, hushpuppies, and corn/blackbean salsa.

We clean up pretty nice, right? We enjoyed our evening talking with Pius and some of Jordan's family. Everyone was really friendly and we felt welcomed. 

We were welcomed back to the B&B with homemade chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cake, but we resisted the temptation. We decided to instead drank a few beers on the porch while listening to the ocean and watching the moon rise. Perfect ending to an awesome day.

Arizona Trip - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

On Thursday night (after I posted the other blog), dad and I took our sunset tour through the canyon. Our first glance at the canyon was really breathtaking. I could not get over the sheer size of it and the many layers to the landscape. It seems like something I need to conquer, but not on this trip. 

Our tour included a lot of fun stops along the way, including some with the wildlife and many different points of interest. At one point, a storm came in, so that gave us a different perspective on the canyon. The storm was so close that lightning struck within a half of a mile from us. That scared the crap out of me!

The sunset was gorgeous, although I don't think the pictures do it justice.

After the tour, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest. On Friday, we headed back through the canyon to take more pictures and stopped at several Navajo stands to buy some art. I love buying local art instead of going to a gift shop. You also save a lot of money and it goes directly to the artist. The drive was really beautiful. Then, we headed down to Flagstaff. We relaxed around the hotel and I did some research. 

On Saturday morning, we woke up and headed down to Tucson to visit my cousin Gary and his family. His house was gorgeous. He owns a landscaping business, so you can imagine his yard is the best in the area. 

My cousin's pool

front of the house

Dad and I in the back

mountains behind the house

On Saturday night, we went miniature golfing and relaxed at the hotel. It was a fun game of competition, but I got the highest score out of all of us, which means I lost. We enjoyed ourselves and even saw some fireworks on the way back to the hotel. On Sunday, we got up and rode a tram to the top of Sabino Canyon and then hiked part of the way back down. Although the canyon was beautiful, it was really, really dry. Apparently the canyon is much more beautiful in the spring with all of the water, but it was still breathtaking.

Gary and I

On Sunday night we went out to dinner and headed to Gary's house to chat a little more before saying our goodbyes. We talked about Africa and dad was able to look at his genealogy. Tonight we are back at the hotel and preparing to head back to Phoenix tomorrow to catch our flight super early on Tuesday morning. We have had a wonderful trip talking with family, seeing the Grand Canyon, and relaxing. All of the important things on a vacation!

Arizona Trip - Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

I had such good intentions to blog while I was in Uganda, but I only took my Ipad and my access to wifi was limited. I did post my pics and will probably post more as I reflect on the trip. I only had about four days at home before we left for Arizona. My dad and I started planning this trip to Arizona back in March/April. We have family in Phoenix and Tuscan and I was interested in seeing the Grand Canyon. When I have vacation time, I almost always travel out of the country, so I thought it was important to see some of my own country this summer. Everybody in the family was busy, so dad and I decided to go to Arizona together. Dad’s sister, my aunt Anna Pearl, is buried in Phoenix, so we knew we wanted to see her grave too and visit with her children.

So, we flew out very early on Tuesday morning and joined up with my cousin Patty on that afternoon. The flight was uneventful and we arrived in Phoenix early and picked up our rental car.  I was impressed with the airport facilities because of the signage and ease of services. There was a huge rental car center where we picked up our car and headed to Moon Valley to meet up with my cousin. The drive was easy and Patty gave us perfect directions. We arrived at her beautiful house and she made breakfast for us. We visited, swam, and tried to catch up on our sleep. Patty is a flight attendance for Alaska Airlines, so we learned a lot about her job and trips. It is my first time meeting her, so it was fun to catch up. She has a beautiful home with impeccable decorations. On Tuesday night we went out to dinner because dad wanted a steak and we were all hungry. I had a delicious homemade chicken pot pie and Caesar salad. It was divine. Then, we went back home and crashed.

 

Patty's House

Patty's House

On Wednesday we got up and visited the greater Phoenix area with Patty as our tour guide. We went to old town Scottsdale and another desert area that I can’t remember the name. Everything was touristy, but it was cool to see some of the souvenirs that they have to offer. After touring around, we came back to the house and relaxed by the pool. I love mixing seeing the sites with a little relaxation and spending time with family. It is the best of both worlds for me.

This morning, we got up and drove to our next point near the Grand Canyon. The view on the drive is amazing as you traverse up and down mountains.We have booked a tour of the canyon for tonight, so we are looking forward to seeing it as the sun goes down. 

My Kitgum Visit and journey back to Kampala

I'm seriously thankful for each an every moment I have here from observing amazing teachers to meeting their families. I take nothing for granted and I am soaking it all in over these two weeks. I had an opportunity to observe two of my favorite students in Kitgum on Monday and Tuesday. These students are in the bachelor's program at UCU and I had them in Writing and Study Skills. They are older than the tranditional student and often have many years of teaching experience. Kitgum is about 9 hours by bus from Kampala and very close to the South Sudan border. The people there have been through quite a lot and there are still many effects from the war. It is seriously my favorite place in Uganda. The streets are quiet and there are not many cars. It is far removed from the hustle and bustle of Kampala. I also feel people are friendlier. 

I observed Eric on Monday morning while he was teaching an English lesson. There were about 60 students in his class for senior 3 (like our 9th grade). Y.Y. Okot is a pubic, all girls schools with so much history. If you have read much about the LRA and Joseph Kony, this is the school that would house kids at night to protect them from being kidnapped. As I walk the grounds, I try to never forget the number of kids that were saved because of the heroic people who risked their lives to save others. Russell Crowe starred in the movie, Machine Gun Preacher, that featured this story. Eric is an amazing teacher and has an uncanny ability to connect with the students. His girls love him and he freely interacts with them. 

For the first time in my life, I saw a student being "caned". I've been to a lot of schools in Uganda and know they punish students, but this is the first time I've seen it live. If you look carefully at the picture, you can see one of the teachers holding up a stick (switch) in the air and the matron yelling at the girl. You can't see the girl because she is lying on the ground, face down. The teacher swatted her several times on her butt and broke several of the sticks on her. It wasn't awful, but he definitely made his point. This all took place in the teacher's lounge for all to see. The teacher talked with me afterwards and I told him it took everything I had not to stop him, but he explained this is the way they discipline students here. Despite my opinions, I have to respect the culture and allow it to happen. Many teachers here think that American children misbehave because they are not disciplined. He might have a point, but I will not cane any of my students. 

I also got to meet up with the guys' families and I feel in love with this sweet, 6-month-old named Karin.  Usually babies cry when they see me because of my skin color, but she embraced me and I soaked up all of her love.

I also had the chance to observe Patrick, again one of my students with his senior 3 class. This class was huge, like 200 students with one teacher. Patrick works at a private, mixed school just across the street from Eric's school. He taught an English lesson about giving instructions with a demonstration of tying shoes. I wish he had a projector to display the lesson, but he did a great job improvising.

I had a chance to catch up with my parents on wifi at one of th hotels. I know they worry about me, so I think it is better when they see my face and talk with my friends here. 

On Wednesday, I made it back to Kampala (which took nearly 10 hours). This is the first time I have traveled across country on a bus and I was a bit nervous. I wasn't sure how I would do, but people went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. My first seat mate was Beatice and she was traveling to Gulu for some business (about 2 hours). People get on and off the bus at different points along the journey and I enjoyed talked with her. I love the hospitality because when people buy food along the roadside, they share it with you. I tried palm fruit for the first time and it was delicious.There was also a woman across the aisle from me who was a primary teacher at Kitgum public. We conversed while she openy nursed her baby. I love how that is not a crime here like it is back in the U.S. 

When we reached Gulu, Beatrice got out and I looked for newspaper. People come up to the bus and try to sell things and one of the passengers helped me get a newspaper from the store. All of a sudden, I heard someone yelling my name and it was Beatrice. I had a casually mentioned to her that I wanted honey (you can often find it on the journey) and she had seen it in the store by the bus stop. So, I got out and bought some pure honey and comb. I'm hoping I get it through agriculture when I go back home. My second seat mate was an Indian guy who had a thousand questions for me. He had never really sat and talked with a "white" so he too full advantage of our 8 hours together. He bought me several things along the way, such a maize, water, etc. He was very sweet and I tried to be patient with his curiousity. 

We arrived in the bus park about 10 p.m. and I was picked up by my friend Daniel and taken to a gorgeous hotel in Kampala. I'm coming back here later this weekend, so I will post pics then. Love to you all.