So then, Brazil, first stop Rio for Carnival - it´s just one of those things that has to be done in life - even thought the majority of locals say to go somewhere else for carnival (Salvador for example) - the words ´Rio´ and ´carnival´ are just synonymous, so, against local advice, i landed in Rio, ridiculously excited...but before I get onto that, a quick word is needed about my journey from the international airport after my flight from Santiago in Chile...
Being a penny watching backpacker I opted to take the bus into town rather than a taxi (a difference of about 25 pounds - thats 2 nights accomodation!), but I soon wish i hadn´t. There was a huge traffic jam as soon as we left the airport...and a 15km journey turned into a 5 hour mission, culminating in me violating every lonely planet guideline on how to stay safe in Rio due to my hotel being beyond the reach of the airport bus and, concequently, having to switch to a public bus. The lonely planet clearly states that `most robberies in Rio occur on buses´..and stresses the point ´not to travel alone on buses´..and certainly ´dont travel with a backpack on the bus´..and to ´NEVER travel at night on buses´...so there i was, first day in Rio, sat on a bus, on my own, with my all my bags, in the pitch black (it gets dark around 7pm here), having no idea where i was! Suffice to say, I survived and arrived safely at my hotel in one piece, later meeting up with my good friend - Stella -who was here for work (lucky timing or what)! Indeed for all the warnings I had read and listened to about Rio I didnt actually feel threatened once for the whole duration of carnival. Now obviously I didn´t venture into the ´favelas´ and search out ´little Ze´ (favelas are the ´council estates´of Brazil...except more ´slum´ like and with one hundred times the amount of drugs and guns!), but the worst I witnessed was some pick-pocketing and little kids ripping necklaces off girls - ´touch wood´ nothing happens on my return. I returned to Rio to meet up with two of my best mates from home - Wandy and Scott - who have flown in for 3 weeks of hedonistic pleasure in the North of Brazil. Im really looking forward to it - as much as I love meeting new people, sometimes the ´whats your name..where are you from..how long have you been travelling..and where have you been´ routine can get a bit tiresome. At the end of the day, nothing beats travelling with your real friends.
So, Carnival, Rio, 2009 - waht can I say??! Well, actually, I have got to admit something...it was different to what I expected. Now dont get me wrong here, i had a good time, a bloody good time, but i was kind of expecting more - more parties...more costumes..and, well, more craziness! Maybe I should have done a bit more research but, for example, I thought that the parades you see on TV (the giant floats and beautiful women in ´spangly´ bikinis) were in the streets of Rio...i was wrong - it all happens in a very controlled environment called the ´Sambadrome´ - basically a purpose built ´street´ with stadium style seating for which you have to pay a small fortune to sit in (or get a cheap ticket on the black market as i did!). There are 12 Samba schools (each from a different favela) that parade for exactly 1 hour and 20 minutes down the ´street´ and, to be honest, its all a bit clinical, a bit commercial and, to watch, a bit boring! In other cities such as Salvador, the parade is on the stareets and everyone gets involved, but in Rio irts all a bit proferssion fro my taste and the public are far removed (although tourists can pay a wedge to participate!). The street parties that happen throughout the carnival period (5 days) are where its at for the people - but again, maybe its my ignorance, but I thought these would be everywhere and the city would virtually shutdown during the period as everyone would be on the streets...but instead the parties were fairly localised affairs, happening over 4 or 5 blocks in different parts of the city, at different times, on different days. The parites were cool...but not crazy! People stood around drinking beer, some dancing, some were dressed in random costumes (e.g. Amy Winehouse) and there was plenty of kissing - the Brazilian men were unbelievable - they just grabbed girls as they were walking along, sometimes by the neck(!) and just kissed them, before parting ways!...it actually reminded me of the under-18 discos I used to go to when i was 16 - no talking, just kissing!!
The setting for the city of Rio itself is the most striking I have ever seen. It is lined with beautiful beaches and surrounded by jagged mountain peaks, draped in lush, green vegetation. It really is breathtaking. I have saved all the tourist spots for when Wandy and Scott arrive (hence no pics of Jesus Christ looming over the city), but I still got a sense of the magic and enchantment that the city holds from just walking the streets (and partying!).
After Rio I moved down the coast to a small town called Paraty, which was a welcome relief after the crowds of Rio. Paraty is the type of place that I love to find when travelling - its a small, pretty little town, with cobbled streets and candlelit restaurants and bars playing live music - actually a very romantic little setting. The surrounding scenery was also beautiful, but I am a bit worried that I am starting to get blase about about beautiful scenery - I´ve seen some stunning places since I started travelling 6 years ago, and it does now take something a bit special to make me stand back and say ´wow´...luckily a 40 minute bus ride to a beach called ´Trindade´ provided that breathless moment in Paraty. It was like paradise - a perfect curving beach, with soft white sand, fringed with rainforest type vegetation, hills and clear warm water with gentle lapping waves - just beautiful - best beach i have seen so far in Brazil.
After Paraty I arrived with a bump in the metropolis of Sao Paulo city - it is a huge place and, to be honest, quite overwhelming. Luckily i met up with some Brazilian friends that I had met on my Spanish course in Buenos Aires, and they showed me around the city and took me out in the evenings, including a couple of cool Samba bars/clubs. It it hadn´t have been for them I dont think I would have bothered with Sao Paulo - its just too big and not a particularly pretty city.
One of the places i was keen to get to in the South of Brazil was a vast wetland area called ´The Pantanal´. The Lonely Planet (the backpackers bible) raves about it and, being a nature lover, i was keen to go and check it out. My only doubt was the amount of time it would take me to get there...but sometimes you just have to ´bov´ it up - so I set off from Sao Paulo and, 23 hours later, arrived at my lodge in a swarm of mosquitos! I booked myself on a tour and spent the next 3 days fishing (and eating) piranahs (very little meat on a piranah considering how much they eat themselves!), horse-riding (first time i´d been on a horse since I was 6 years old, and the short trek in ´the Pantanal´ just confirmed that i am definitely not a ´horsey´ person - it just bloody hurts when they start to trot!), trekking after armidillo (hard on the outside, soft on the inside), aligators (completely harmless unless you wander too close to their nest...which i happended to do!) and giant rat like creatures...and of course floating down the river on a giant tube (standard activity around the world in any jungle type environment that has a river!). It was a nice trip, but not really worth the mamouth journey to get there (Brazil is sooo bloody big!) - it took me 36 hours to get to my next destination (Florianopolis) which was a killer!
Florianopolis is a cool surfing island, with beautiful beaches and some laid back live music venues - Im getting into the Samba now - asking the locals to teach you is a great ´ice breaker´!! ;)
The final stop before arriving back in Rio was Ilha Grande - a tropical island covered in dense jungle, with not a single motor vehicle in sight - pretty much paradise and a good place to chill before heading back to the bright lights of Rio. It was while on Ilha Grande that I had one of those magical travelling moments - I fancied a bit of ´alone time´ one day so hiked through the jungle to a near-deserted beach to chill out. Upon entering the water for the seond time that day I was suprised to see a large, reptilian type head pop out of the water right next to me! After a bit of a panic that I was about to be attacked by a monster from the murkey depths of the ocean, I realised it was, of course, a turtle! I followed it for a while as it glided effortlessley through the water, coming up for air every minute or so - magical.
.....Ok, ok, before I go, I know that all the boys reading this are thinking the same thing ´yeah, yeah, animals, cities, beaches, samba, blah blah blah - but what about the women?!´...well boys, I can confirm that the widely held belief that Brazilian women are ´above the average´ is most certainly true - this country is blessed!!..And yes, the bikinis are very small!!
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Chilling in Chile
I left Buenos Aries with a measure of regret – I had had a great month in the city, and met some great people, but the knowledge that I would return ensured that the cheesy grin I’ve had on my face since landing in South America did not fade. I crossed into Chile via a 20 hour bus ride – which some of you may balk at the idea of – but I actually quite enjoy long bus rides in South America. The buses are bloody comfortable, you get to see some of the country (and let me tell you, the views crossing the Andes mountain range were pretty incredible) and you have plenty of time to think…actually a bit too much time to think – your mind wanders all over the place and you always exit the bus at the other end with more questions about your life than answers…but it’s all good!
I met Oscar, my Chilean amigo, when I arrive in Santiago after a swift ride on the impressive city subway system, and was treated to the same incredible hospitality I received from Agus & Fran in Buenos Aires (mucho gracias to Oscar, Marisol and Pedro!). I kicked around the city for a few days, taking in the main sites, including a park – San Cristobal - I had missed on my first visit to this city 5 years ago. San Cristobal is situated upon a series of large hills and has breathtaking views over the whole city…and the nicest outdoor public swimming pool I have ever seen – Guildford Lido “eat your heart out”! I also visited, purely out of cultural interest (!), one of the institutions in the city of Santiago: a “Café con Piernas” – literally translated “Café with Legs”. They are basically cafes, come strip joints, that are frequented by businessmen for coffee inbetween meetings (they are open during daylight hours only). There is no actual nakedness, but the waitresses wear the smallest bikinis I have ever seen, and are paid to “chat” to you! It was actually quite an uncomfortable experience – there were just two businessmen and me inside the café and the waitress was chatting away to me in Spanish – I didn’t have a clue. I downed my coke, made my excuses and left: “Café con Piernas”: tick!
Last weekend Oscar and I went for tour of a vineyard about an hour outside the city in a beautiful valley. I consumed wild boar (much the same as pork, unsurprisingly!) and drank wine! We then moved on to the coastal town of Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar for the rest for the weekend. Valparaiso is an intriguing port town, with sharp hills rising up from the waters edge, creating some interesting problems for the “town planners” – the houses are stacked on top of one another, coated in metal sheets and brightly coloured, providing lots of photo opportunities. On Saturday, after dinner in one of the smallest, cutest and nicest restaurants I have ever been to (only 6 tables!) we frequented one of the local nightclubs…and immediately felt incredibly old – I don’t think there was anyone over the age of 20 inside! Still, they had a salsa room so I showed Oscar and the rest of the Valparaiso how to dance before retiring for the night! On Sunday we pushed on to Vina Del Mar – a bit like Brighton (in terms of proximity to the capital city) – but with a nicer beach, nicer food, nicer weather and nicer girls…!
For the last week I travelled South to the “Lake District” region of Chile for some hiking and chilling. First stop was Pucon – a popular vacation destination for Chilean families and “hipster” crowds alike…and I can certainly understand why. The town is on the edge of a stunning lake, with a large black volcanic beach, surrounded by mountains and dominated by a large, classically shaped “cone” volcano! This very volcano I set off early one morning to climb…only to be forced to turn back half way up due to ferocious winds and ice…I’m sure we experienced worse conditions on Snowden when doing the 3 peaks for wannabeamazin last year – but the guide insisted we turned back – annoying, but I was still presented with some incredible views of the surrounding area.
It was while in Pucon that I did something that I’m still trying to understand myself – I’ve joined the “over-sized sunglasses” posse! I’ve always silently laughed at people that sport sunglasses that cover half their face – I just think they look ridiculous. They are also one of the cheapest forms of Plastic Surgery – you’re never quite sure if the wearer looks like Nora Jones or Nora Batty! But, on my eternal hunt for the perfect pair of (cheap) aviators, I succumbed and purchased a pair of giant ones – the kind you see in joke shops for fancy dress evenings! I don’t know what came over me – I think it was the fact that they are bloody comfortable and, as anyone with a funny (or large) shaped nose like mine will know, its bloody difficult to find good fitting sunglasses, indeed aviators are about the only style of sunglasses that look reasonable when placed upon my honk. They looked big on the stand – they look even bigger on my face…they look ridiculous…but they’re comfortable, and at $4 I’ll roll with them for a while – if nothing else they give me a laugh everytime I catch my reflection in a window whilst wearing them!
After Pucon I moved another 3 hours South to a pretty, little University town called Valdivia on the edge of a tributary of a large river. Spent a couple of days meeting some nice people, dancing to regaeton and Salsa in a random”local” club and attending a “mini-festival” to gorge myself on local delicacies and watch a display of dancing from all over South America – nice.
As I prepare to depart this land I’ll just give you a quick rundown of my observations of Chilean people & culture…like Argentina, the focus is on family & friends – people live at home until they are in their late 20’s or, more commonly, until they get married. They vacation with their families regularly and even when they move away from home they remain close, returning for family meals most weeks. The racial mix is still heavily dominated by a “European Look” but you definitely notice a stronger mix of indigenous Indians here than in Argentina. The boys all have mullets (Harris – if you weren’t ginger you would fit right in) and, when young, bad moustaches! The girls are nice…but not as nice as Argentina – indeed I’m still confused as to how the girls in Argentina look so good when the diet is so bad (steak, pizza and empanadas (pies) are the staple) – the diet seems better in Chile – more vegetables and salads…but somehow the bodies are not as good…could be something to do with the amount of plastic surgery in Buenos Aires…!
Ok, so if you are feeling down at the moment don’t read the final sentence of this entry…
…On Thursday I fly to Rio. It’s Carnival. ‘Nuff said. Waahhhhhooooooooooooooooooooo!
I met Oscar, my Chilean amigo, when I arrive in Santiago after a swift ride on the impressive city subway system, and was treated to the same incredible hospitality I received from Agus & Fran in Buenos Aires (mucho gracias to Oscar, Marisol and Pedro!). I kicked around the city for a few days, taking in the main sites, including a park – San Cristobal - I had missed on my first visit to this city 5 years ago. San Cristobal is situated upon a series of large hills and has breathtaking views over the whole city…and the nicest outdoor public swimming pool I have ever seen – Guildford Lido “eat your heart out”! I also visited, purely out of cultural interest (!), one of the institutions in the city of Santiago: a “Café con Piernas” – literally translated “Café with Legs”. They are basically cafes, come strip joints, that are frequented by businessmen for coffee inbetween meetings (they are open during daylight hours only). There is no actual nakedness, but the waitresses wear the smallest bikinis I have ever seen, and are paid to “chat” to you! It was actually quite an uncomfortable experience – there were just two businessmen and me inside the café and the waitress was chatting away to me in Spanish – I didn’t have a clue. I downed my coke, made my excuses and left: “Café con Piernas”: tick!
Last weekend Oscar and I went for tour of a vineyard about an hour outside the city in a beautiful valley. I consumed wild boar (much the same as pork, unsurprisingly!) and drank wine! We then moved on to the coastal town of Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar for the rest for the weekend. Valparaiso is an intriguing port town, with sharp hills rising up from the waters edge, creating some interesting problems for the “town planners” – the houses are stacked on top of one another, coated in metal sheets and brightly coloured, providing lots of photo opportunities. On Saturday, after dinner in one of the smallest, cutest and nicest restaurants I have ever been to (only 6 tables!) we frequented one of the local nightclubs…and immediately felt incredibly old – I don’t think there was anyone over the age of 20 inside! Still, they had a salsa room so I showed Oscar and the rest of the Valparaiso how to dance before retiring for the night! On Sunday we pushed on to Vina Del Mar – a bit like Brighton (in terms of proximity to the capital city) – but with a nicer beach, nicer food, nicer weather and nicer girls…!
For the last week I travelled South to the “Lake District” region of Chile for some hiking and chilling. First stop was Pucon – a popular vacation destination for Chilean families and “hipster” crowds alike…and I can certainly understand why. The town is on the edge of a stunning lake, with a large black volcanic beach, surrounded by mountains and dominated by a large, classically shaped “cone” volcano! This very volcano I set off early one morning to climb…only to be forced to turn back half way up due to ferocious winds and ice…I’m sure we experienced worse conditions on Snowden when doing the 3 peaks for wannabeamazin last year – but the guide insisted we turned back – annoying, but I was still presented with some incredible views of the surrounding area.
It was while in Pucon that I did something that I’m still trying to understand myself – I’ve joined the “over-sized sunglasses” posse! I’ve always silently laughed at people that sport sunglasses that cover half their face – I just think they look ridiculous. They are also one of the cheapest forms of Plastic Surgery – you’re never quite sure if the wearer looks like Nora Jones or Nora Batty! But, on my eternal hunt for the perfect pair of (cheap) aviators, I succumbed and purchased a pair of giant ones – the kind you see in joke shops for fancy dress evenings! I don’t know what came over me – I think it was the fact that they are bloody comfortable and, as anyone with a funny (or large) shaped nose like mine will know, its bloody difficult to find good fitting sunglasses, indeed aviators are about the only style of sunglasses that look reasonable when placed upon my honk. They looked big on the stand – they look even bigger on my face…they look ridiculous…but they’re comfortable, and at $4 I’ll roll with them for a while – if nothing else they give me a laugh everytime I catch my reflection in a window whilst wearing them!
After Pucon I moved another 3 hours South to a pretty, little University town called Valdivia on the edge of a tributary of a large river. Spent a couple of days meeting some nice people, dancing to regaeton and Salsa in a random”local” club and attending a “mini-festival” to gorge myself on local delicacies and watch a display of dancing from all over South America – nice.
As I prepare to depart this land I’ll just give you a quick rundown of my observations of Chilean people & culture…like Argentina, the focus is on family & friends – people live at home until they are in their late 20’s or, more commonly, until they get married. They vacation with their families regularly and even when they move away from home they remain close, returning for family meals most weeks. The racial mix is still heavily dominated by a “European Look” but you definitely notice a stronger mix of indigenous Indians here than in Argentina. The boys all have mullets (Harris – if you weren’t ginger you would fit right in) and, when young, bad moustaches! The girls are nice…but not as nice as Argentina – indeed I’m still confused as to how the girls in Argentina look so good when the diet is so bad (steak, pizza and empanadas (pies) are the staple) – the diet seems better in Chile – more vegetables and salads…but somehow the bodies are not as good…could be something to do with the amount of plastic surgery in Buenos Aires…!
Ok, so if you are feeling down at the moment don’t read the final sentence of this entry…
…On Thursday I fly to Rio. It’s Carnival. ‘Nuff said. Waahhhhhooooooooooooooooooooo!
Monday, 26 January 2009
New Home?!?
I can´t believe how quickly my time is passing here...a true sign that I´m enjoying myself! Since this is my second time in Buenos Aries (I came here 4 years ago) I have really just been living the life of a Porteña rather than rushing around ticking off all the tourist sites...and the more time I spend here the more I think that I could actually live here. For a long time now I have wanted to live in a different country, one that provides a challenge in terms of a different language and culture...but one where I can still live a life that I am accustomed. As much as I loved Uganda I dont think I could ever live there long term. 6 months without water, toilet, shower, oven, fridge etc was fine...but I couldn´t do it long term. The richer residents in the capital of Uganda do live with more luxieries, however I don´t think I could ever justify living that way in a country where the majority of people live in such severe poverty ( I would just feel guilty the whole time). Now, I know that Argentina has its fair share of people living below the poverty line, but its no where near the scale of Uganda, and when you are in Buenos Aries you really could be anywhere - it has everything that you would find in a large European city (museums, art galleries, parks, restaurants, bars, cafes) with the addition of, in my opinion, a much more favourable culture. So much more emphasis is put on the social aspects of life here - of enjoying a good meal with friends/family, of actually spending time talking to one another and basically doing the things that give you pleasure! This is in contrast, again in my opinion, to the rat race world of London where the majority of people are rushing around trying to earn as much money as possible to buy a flat, or a car or the next iPod...and to spend the weekends in a drunken stupour - the thought of going back to that just bores me. I know living here would be different to what im doing now...and i´d have to get a job...and this city isnt particularly cheap to live in (when you compare salaries)...but it´s a thought at the moment, a serious one...
So, as i said above, I dont have much to report on in terms of ´things´that I´ve been doing as I´ve just been ´living´and enjoying myself! Last weekend I went kayaking on a river about an hour outside the city and chilled on the beaches that line the river banks (its a popular weekend spot for Porteñas wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city). I had a tango lesson (the basic steps are pretty easy...i think!), and of course I have been enjoying the steaks, bars and clubs...a little too much actually - i keep forgetting Im 27, and not 21 anymore!! I´ve met some cool people (as you always do when travelling) and my Spanish is coming along...slowly!
I only have one week left of school (in hindsight 4 weeks is not enough time to learn a language - who would have thought??!) so I´m starting to plan the next part of my South American jamboree. First stop is Santiago in Chile to see Oscar, a good friend of mine that I met in Chicago through work...and then it´s on to Brazil for carnival and beyond! There are quite a few Brazilians at the Spanish school and the more i hear about that country, the more excited I get. If it´s half as good as everyone says, then i´m gonna have trouble leaving the place...and all the time I have put into my Spanish will be wasted, bugger!!
So, as i said above, I dont have much to report on in terms of ´things´that I´ve been doing as I´ve just been ´living´and enjoying myself! Last weekend I went kayaking on a river about an hour outside the city and chilled on the beaches that line the river banks (its a popular weekend spot for Porteñas wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city). I had a tango lesson (the basic steps are pretty easy...i think!), and of course I have been enjoying the steaks, bars and clubs...a little too much actually - i keep forgetting Im 27, and not 21 anymore!! I´ve met some cool people (as you always do when travelling) and my Spanish is coming along...slowly!
I only have one week left of school (in hindsight 4 weeks is not enough time to learn a language - who would have thought??!) so I´m starting to plan the next part of my South American jamboree. First stop is Santiago in Chile to see Oscar, a good friend of mine that I met in Chicago through work...and then it´s on to Brazil for carnival and beyond! There are quite a few Brazilians at the Spanish school and the more i hear about that country, the more excited I get. If it´s half as good as everyone says, then i´m gonna have trouble leaving the place...and all the time I have put into my Spanish will be wasted, bugger!!
Sunday, 11 January 2009
Hola!
I don't know what it is about this continent, but as soon as I land here (this is my forth time in South America) I instantly have a smile on my face. It just 'feels' right, like I belong here somehow. Maybe, as regards to Argentina, it is the amount of incredible meat that is available at ridiclous prices - steak that just melts in your mouth (it really is a meat-lovers dream, especially after 6 months barely touching the stuff in Africa). Or maybe it is the language that I love but, as yet (watch this space), cannot speak! Or maybe it is the relaxed attitude to life...the effort put into family and friend relationships...the music that just makes you wanna dance...and then again maybe it is the number of beautiful girls just walking around (even the ugly ones are pretty here!)...I think it's probably a combination of all these things that just turns my mouth into a permanent cheesy grin!
Ok, so, what have I been up to for the last couple of weeks? First up, a quick mention of my friend Agus, and her boyfriend Fran, that I am staying with. I met Agus at an Accenture training course in Chicago a few years ago and she, and her boyfriend, have just opened up their apartment and friends for me since I have been here. It's been great to stay with them and experience Buenos Aries through the eyes of a 'portena' (word for a person born and bred in Buenos Aries). I went with them to a friends house party in a rich suburb of Buenos Aries for New Years Eve (most locals either leave the city or have a house party for NYE), so while it wasnt quite the wild, crazy fiesta I had envisioned as NYE in Beunos Aries, it was a really nice evening - just relaxing in an incredible house, drinking and making home-made pizza in a proper wood burning pizza oven! The day after we soaked up the alcohol at a bar-b-q at Agus's family 'country house' (it was here sister-in-laws birthday) - this was a great experience in itself...and the amount of steaks cooked was just ridiculous (check the the pic i have uploaded!)...!
I have completed my first week of Spanish school and, although it's not easy, I am definitely improving...and am loving it! It's a small class - just 3 other students (an old American couple and a young guy from Sweden - who, incidently, isn't that impressed with the women here - which just confirms the fact that Sweden really is spoilt in that respect..!). The school itself has over 200 other students and organises lots of 'extra-curricular' activities - which is a great way to meet the other students. So far I have been to an open-air percusion concert (quality), played 5-a-side football (was great until I sprained my ankle - honestly I had 6 months of playing on un-even surfaces in Africa with guys who were indestructable, and I didnt get injured once..then, 10 minutes on an indoor, purpose-built, 5-a-side pitch and I sprain my ankle - ridiculous! ...Luckily it's not affecting my dancing, i can still wiggle my top half!), and, or course, I have also been to numerous restaurants, bars and clubs (you have to, this is Buenos Aries baby!). Next week I'm gonna to do a spot of Tango (assuming my ankle holds up)!
Just a note on the culture of going out here. Clubs and, indeed, bars don't even start to get busy until 2am in the morning - the time when most people in the UK are dragging their limp, weary, alcohol infested bodies home to bed! It's crazy - you go out to dinner around 10pm, finishing around midnight, have a few drinks in the 'warm up' bar(s) of choice, then hit the clubs around 2am (and continue until you drop..!). It's tiring, but great, as you end up having two or three nights in one - you can go to dinner with one set of friends - meet another set of friends for drinks in a bar - then go to a club with a third group of people...all of which means you have plenty of oppotunities to practice your Spanish with different chicas (purely to improve my Spanish you understand!) ;)
Today I am moving out into an apartment with other students - big Thank You to Agus and Fran for being such great hosts and letting me stay for the last couple of weeks. I need to get used to packing and unpacking my backpack again for when I set off on the gringo trail, but the thought of doing it today in 32 degree heat (did i mention that the weather has been beautiful?!) is not a nice one. Anyway, I'd better get on with it, signing off from a city where even the girls that work in McDonalds are cute...!
Ok, so, what have I been up to for the last couple of weeks? First up, a quick mention of my friend Agus, and her boyfriend Fran, that I am staying with. I met Agus at an Accenture training course in Chicago a few years ago and she, and her boyfriend, have just opened up their apartment and friends for me since I have been here. It's been great to stay with them and experience Buenos Aries through the eyes of a 'portena' (word for a person born and bred in Buenos Aries). I went with them to a friends house party in a rich suburb of Buenos Aries for New Years Eve (most locals either leave the city or have a house party for NYE), so while it wasnt quite the wild, crazy fiesta I had envisioned as NYE in Beunos Aries, it was a really nice evening - just relaxing in an incredible house, drinking and making home-made pizza in a proper wood burning pizza oven! The day after we soaked up the alcohol at a bar-b-q at Agus's family 'country house' (it was here sister-in-laws birthday) - this was a great experience in itself...and the amount of steaks cooked was just ridiculous (check the the pic i have uploaded!)...!
I have completed my first week of Spanish school and, although it's not easy, I am definitely improving...and am loving it! It's a small class - just 3 other students (an old American couple and a young guy from Sweden - who, incidently, isn't that impressed with the women here - which just confirms the fact that Sweden really is spoilt in that respect..!). The school itself has over 200 other students and organises lots of 'extra-curricular' activities - which is a great way to meet the other students. So far I have been to an open-air percusion concert (quality), played 5-a-side football (was great until I sprained my ankle - honestly I had 6 months of playing on un-even surfaces in Africa with guys who were indestructable, and I didnt get injured once..then, 10 minutes on an indoor, purpose-built, 5-a-side pitch and I sprain my ankle - ridiculous! ...Luckily it's not affecting my dancing, i can still wiggle my top half!), and, or course, I have also been to numerous restaurants, bars and clubs (you have to, this is Buenos Aries baby!). Next week I'm gonna to do a spot of Tango (assuming my ankle holds up)!
Just a note on the culture of going out here. Clubs and, indeed, bars don't even start to get busy until 2am in the morning - the time when most people in the UK are dragging their limp, weary, alcohol infested bodies home to bed! It's crazy - you go out to dinner around 10pm, finishing around midnight, have a few drinks in the 'warm up' bar(s) of choice, then hit the clubs around 2am (and continue until you drop..!). It's tiring, but great, as you end up having two or three nights in one - you can go to dinner with one set of friends - meet another set of friends for drinks in a bar - then go to a club with a third group of people...all of which means you have plenty of oppotunities to practice your Spanish with different chicas (purely to improve my Spanish you understand!) ;)
Today I am moving out into an apartment with other students - big Thank You to Agus and Fran for being such great hosts and letting me stay for the last couple of weeks. I need to get used to packing and unpacking my backpack again for when I set off on the gringo trail, but the thought of doing it today in 32 degree heat (did i mention that the weather has been beautiful?!) is not a nice one. Anyway, I'd better get on with it, signing off from a city where even the girls that work in McDonalds are cute...!
Monday, 29 December 2008
Part 2 Begins...
After a whirlwind pit-stop at home, I am off again for part 2 of my 'Big Year Out'. I'm spending the next 6 months in South America - visiting friends, travelling and soaking up the continent that I love. The aim is to come back with a reasonable grasp of Spanish...whilst having a bloody good time!
The rough plan is outlined below - although the only part that is fixed at the moment is the first month in Buenos Aries where i'll be studying hard at my Spanish school...whilst enjoying the delights of an incredible city:
The rough plan is outlined below - although the only part that is fixed at the moment is the first month in Buenos Aries where i'll be studying hard at my Spanish school...whilst enjoying the delights of an incredible city:
- Jan: Argentina (Buenos Aries)
- Feb (first two weeks): Chile (Santiago and South)
- Feb/March/April: Brazil (carnival time!)
- April: Venezuela
- May: Columbia
- June: Panama/Costa Rica
All i ask is that you occasionally drop me an email to tell me whats going on...and that you try not to mess up the economy any more than you have done in the last 6 months...If I can't get a job then I may not come back at all!
Monday, 15 December 2008
Big Year Out - Half Time
So, this is it, the last entry from Uganda, from ‘Part 1’ of my year out – how is it possible?! It only seems like a couple of months have gone by since I set off from blighty to change the world (!) – and yet I have experienced so much, seen so much, learnt so much and, I think, achieved so much!
Ok, before I get all emotional lets update you on the last 5 weeks (it’s been a while since the last entry!)
First up is the visit of my good mate Jez. Jez was over for 10days and it was just quality. It was brilliant to show him around Bajjo, to introduce him to my new friends, to watch his face as he saw small children running around with large machetes for the first time, to put him to work digging the 5-a-side football pitch and to just kick back and laugh, a lot, with a good mate. During his visit we also spent a few days up in Murchison Falls National Park, spying elephants, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles , waking up to giant warthogs sniffing the tent and trekking with Rhinos…and, or course, sampling the night life of Kampala for a bit of well earned party time!! Thanks for coming out mate, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
One thing that I hoped to get invited to while I was here was a local wedding. My wish came true when the brother of Justine (our neighbour) got married last month. We rushed around Kampala the night before buying cheap shirts, ties and trousers and turned up at a gospel church in Kawempe (a slum area just outside Kampala) the next day. Being a gospel church they had a great choir which was definitely the highlight of the day (along with the strange whooping noise that people make when they are celebrating a joyous occasion!..)…waiting 2 hours for the bride to arrive in sweltering heat dressed in thick trousers, shirt and tie was not so fun (I know its tradition for the bride to turn up late…and time has no meaning here…but 2 hours was just taking the piss!) The reception wasn’t quite the crazy, dance fest I had expected…instead it was about 4 hours of speeches from men (only) in the family saying the same thing over and over again, all translated into three languages (‘thank you God for putting these two people together, we have been blessed’….etc…). I did get some booty shaking (and of course pointing!) in at the end, but not enough for my liking! Still it was good day and I’m glad I got the chance to experience it.
On the project side of life we have had a great, if incredibly busy last few weeks (and there I was naively thinking that we would get all our work done early and kick back and enjoy the experience for the last couple of weeks!). In the last 3 weeks we have:
- Built a playground at the school which included; monkey bars, tyre swings, stepping stones, rope ladder climbing frame, parallel bars (for disabled kids) and colourful benches.
- Painted health messages on the school (a requirement in Uganda)
- Attached guttering and bought a huge water tank for the school to ensure the kids have fresh rain water (they currently drink very dirty water from a well close to the school)
- Organized the second village party (a great success with nurses from a local clinic in attendance giving a talk on HIV and providing outreach HIV testing and counseling….along with the ever popular football and netball tournaments)
- Marked out the best football pitch in the district (we have spent the last few months digging a trench to drain a large area of land, which was finally dry enough to be marked and an exhibition match was played at the end of the village party…a game in which my team lost 2-1…after I missed a penalty in front of a capacity crowd…its gonna haunt me months to come!)
- Picked up a wheelchair for a severely disabled kid in the village and took him for his first ride
- Karl completed a week of training with AMREF staff (the whizzkids HIV & lifeskills programme that Karl wrote in South Africa and that we have been running in Bombo is to be used by AMREF as part of their strategy to fight Malaria, TB and HIV in Uganda – a great partnership and one that I feel I can take some satisfaction from having made the introduction between AMREF and Whizzkids following the work I did for AMREF in London earlier this year)
- The ‘Bajjo Craft Makers’ had a day trip to Kampala to meet prospective buyers for their products and were officially formed as a business/organization when they paid their registration fee, signed the group operating rules and received a donation from wannabeamazin to help them with their capital costs (a proud moment for me – its been a struggle, especially with some of the business training I conducted – most of the women in the group hadn’t picked up a pen since they were at school 30 years ago…that’s if they even went to school!!)
- And, finally, we finished writing our wannabeamazin programme manauals for Art, Creative Studies, Junior Academy and Sports. We have printed them and put them together in folders to form a very professional looking set of programmes..and something we are all incredibly proud of.
So, in an ode to my time at Accenture, what were the lessons learnt in the last 6 months:
- Things take a looooooong time to happen in Africa
- Maybe Idi Amin wasn’t all bad
- In a dark bar I look like Michael Schofield (stop laughing)
- Tiny parasites called Jiggers hurt, a lot.
- I can’t live without a shower, toilet or oven indefinitely – 6 months is enough
- Kids in the UK are wrapped up in too much cotton wool – let them play with knives – they’ll soon learn
- Things take a long time to happen in Africa
- Human sacrifice is still performed fairly regularly in Uganda!
- Malaria, TB and HIV really do kill a lot of people every day in Africa (I’ve seen it first hand)
- We really don’t appreciate how many opportunities we have in the UK – we can do anything if we really want to – anyone moaning about their situation needs to just look around at all the possibilities and grasp them
- Kids don’t need expensive toys – a bottle top can keep them amused for hours
- Termites are bloody destructive creatures
- Things take a long time to happen in Africa
- I can happily live without a TV…but I do miss watching major sporting events (still gutted I didn’t see Bolt break the 100 and 200m records at the Olympics…and the recent Joe Calzaghe fight..)
- Experiences are enhanced when shared with a loved one…finding someone that you love, that you truly love, who is in the same place as you (mentally and physically) is a near impossible task
- Fried grasshoppers are really quite nice…fried white ants are not so nice
- I still love travelling and meeting new people – but friends and family are impossible to replace
- Things take a long time to happen in Africa
- Change in Africa has to come from Africans
- Education is key to a countries development – it really can affect the mindset, culture and development of a country
- Working in a culture that has no concept of time is at first interesting, then annoying and ultimately incredibly frustrating!
- Things take a bloody long time to happen in Africa!!
- I can kill a chicken.
I have had a great weekend to finish on - we invited around 40 people to our house on Friday night to have a big Christmas party and gave out presents to many of the people there –seeing the kids faces as Vinny (our local employee) came round the corner dressed up in a Father Christmas outfit was priceless! We followed that with a meal on Saturday at the local chairmans house, and another one yesterday with SPAU (the charity we have ‘officially’ been working under here). I left Bajjo yesterday and it was hard, really hard. I have become so close to the people there, especially our immediate neighbours...I’m not ashamed to say that a tear was shed.
And so, I fly home today. Looking back at the goals I had for my time in Uganda – to have an adventure and to do something ‘good’ – I can say, hand on my heart, that they have been achieved…and I am just so thankful that I have had this opportunity, and that I picked this option over a couple of others that I had. This has been an incredible experience, one that has helped me to develop again as a person, as a human being. And, as I leave Uganda, I know that Uganda and the people of Bajjo will never leave my heart – I’ll be back, that’s for sure.
Ok, before I get all emotional lets update you on the last 5 weeks (it’s been a while since the last entry!)
First up is the visit of my good mate Jez. Jez was over for 10days and it was just quality. It was brilliant to show him around Bajjo, to introduce him to my new friends, to watch his face as he saw small children running around with large machetes for the first time, to put him to work digging the 5-a-side football pitch and to just kick back and laugh, a lot, with a good mate. During his visit we also spent a few days up in Murchison Falls National Park, spying elephants, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles , waking up to giant warthogs sniffing the tent and trekking with Rhinos…and, or course, sampling the night life of Kampala for a bit of well earned party time!! Thanks for coming out mate, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
One thing that I hoped to get invited to while I was here was a local wedding. My wish came true when the brother of Justine (our neighbour) got married last month. We rushed around Kampala the night before buying cheap shirts, ties and trousers and turned up at a gospel church in Kawempe (a slum area just outside Kampala) the next day. Being a gospel church they had a great choir which was definitely the highlight of the day (along with the strange whooping noise that people make when they are celebrating a joyous occasion!..)…waiting 2 hours for the bride to arrive in sweltering heat dressed in thick trousers, shirt and tie was not so fun (I know its tradition for the bride to turn up late…and time has no meaning here…but 2 hours was just taking the piss!) The reception wasn’t quite the crazy, dance fest I had expected…instead it was about 4 hours of speeches from men (only) in the family saying the same thing over and over again, all translated into three languages (‘thank you God for putting these two people together, we have been blessed’….etc…). I did get some booty shaking (and of course pointing!) in at the end, but not enough for my liking! Still it was good day and I’m glad I got the chance to experience it.
On the project side of life we have had a great, if incredibly busy last few weeks (and there I was naively thinking that we would get all our work done early and kick back and enjoy the experience for the last couple of weeks!). In the last 3 weeks we have:
- Built a playground at the school which included; monkey bars, tyre swings, stepping stones, rope ladder climbing frame, parallel bars (for disabled kids) and colourful benches.
- Painted health messages on the school (a requirement in Uganda)
- Attached guttering and bought a huge water tank for the school to ensure the kids have fresh rain water (they currently drink very dirty water from a well close to the school)
- Organized the second village party (a great success with nurses from a local clinic in attendance giving a talk on HIV and providing outreach HIV testing and counseling….along with the ever popular football and netball tournaments)
- Marked out the best football pitch in the district (we have spent the last few months digging a trench to drain a large area of land, which was finally dry enough to be marked and an exhibition match was played at the end of the village party…a game in which my team lost 2-1…after I missed a penalty in front of a capacity crowd…its gonna haunt me months to come!)
- Picked up a wheelchair for a severely disabled kid in the village and took him for his first ride
- Karl completed a week of training with AMREF staff (the whizzkids HIV & lifeskills programme that Karl wrote in South Africa and that we have been running in Bombo is to be used by AMREF as part of their strategy to fight Malaria, TB and HIV in Uganda – a great partnership and one that I feel I can take some satisfaction from having made the introduction between AMREF and Whizzkids following the work I did for AMREF in London earlier this year)
- The ‘Bajjo Craft Makers’ had a day trip to Kampala to meet prospective buyers for their products and were officially formed as a business/organization when they paid their registration fee, signed the group operating rules and received a donation from wannabeamazin to help them with their capital costs (a proud moment for me – its been a struggle, especially with some of the business training I conducted – most of the women in the group hadn’t picked up a pen since they were at school 30 years ago…that’s if they even went to school!!)
- And, finally, we finished writing our wannabeamazin programme manauals for Art, Creative Studies, Junior Academy and Sports. We have printed them and put them together in folders to form a very professional looking set of programmes..and something we are all incredibly proud of.
So, in an ode to my time at Accenture, what were the lessons learnt in the last 6 months:
- Things take a looooooong time to happen in Africa
- Maybe Idi Amin wasn’t all bad
- In a dark bar I look like Michael Schofield (stop laughing)
- Tiny parasites called Jiggers hurt, a lot.
- I can’t live without a shower, toilet or oven indefinitely – 6 months is enough
- Kids in the UK are wrapped up in too much cotton wool – let them play with knives – they’ll soon learn
- Things take a long time to happen in Africa
- Human sacrifice is still performed fairly regularly in Uganda!
- Malaria, TB and HIV really do kill a lot of people every day in Africa (I’ve seen it first hand)
- We really don’t appreciate how many opportunities we have in the UK – we can do anything if we really want to – anyone moaning about their situation needs to just look around at all the possibilities and grasp them
- Kids don’t need expensive toys – a bottle top can keep them amused for hours
- Termites are bloody destructive creatures
- Things take a long time to happen in Africa
- I can happily live without a TV…but I do miss watching major sporting events (still gutted I didn’t see Bolt break the 100 and 200m records at the Olympics…and the recent Joe Calzaghe fight..)
- Experiences are enhanced when shared with a loved one…finding someone that you love, that you truly love, who is in the same place as you (mentally and physically) is a near impossible task
- Fried grasshoppers are really quite nice…fried white ants are not so nice
- I still love travelling and meeting new people – but friends and family are impossible to replace
- Things take a long time to happen in Africa
- Change in Africa has to come from Africans
- Education is key to a countries development – it really can affect the mindset, culture and development of a country
- Working in a culture that has no concept of time is at first interesting, then annoying and ultimately incredibly frustrating!
- Things take a bloody long time to happen in Africa!!
- I can kill a chicken.
I have had a great weekend to finish on - we invited around 40 people to our house on Friday night to have a big Christmas party and gave out presents to many of the people there –seeing the kids faces as Vinny (our local employee) came round the corner dressed up in a Father Christmas outfit was priceless! We followed that with a meal on Saturday at the local chairmans house, and another one yesterday with SPAU (the charity we have ‘officially’ been working under here). I left Bajjo yesterday and it was hard, really hard. I have become so close to the people there, especially our immediate neighbours...I’m not ashamed to say that a tear was shed.
And so, I fly home today. Looking back at the goals I had for my time in Uganda – to have an adventure and to do something ‘good’ – I can say, hand on my heart, that they have been achieved…and I am just so thankful that I have had this opportunity, and that I picked this option over a couple of others that I had. This has been an incredible experience, one that has helped me to develop again as a person, as a human being. And, as I leave Uganda, I know that Uganda and the people of Bajjo will never leave my heart – I’ll be back, that’s for sure.
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Change is coming...
The end of my African adventure is in sight, less than 5 weeks left…where has the time gone?! We are busier than ever trying to finish writing our recreational programmes, building the sports pitches, train a group of budding business women, launch the outreach clinic and get everything in place to ensure that what we have started will continue long after we have left the place I have come to call home for the last 6 months – Bajjo!...
Last week was Annas birthday and she decided a trip to Kampala for the night to sample some meat, wine and a hot shower was in order to celebrate – I certainly wasn’t arguing. We took Vinny (our local programme manager) along for the celebration. Now, although Vinny is reasonably well educated (he almost finished secondary school) and his English is pretty damn good (he’s even using a bit of slang now!) he is a true village boy, and rarely travels into the city (this was his third time in 2008 and the second time was when we took him to watch Uganda play football last month!). It was truly a night of ‘firsts’ for Vinny – his first ever hot shower, his first ever pizza and his first ever time on the internet (I have been giving Vinny regular computing training sessions on our laptop so he can send us reports when we are back in the UK but this was the first time he had used the internet and email!). When I told him that the internet was like a giant book with pages about every conceivable subject he could ever imagine I don’t think he believed me…but an hour sitting on Google typing in anything that came in to his head convinced him and, to be honest, blew his mind a little bit!
My rare mid-week internet access is due to the fact that I am preparing myself for the impending arrival of Mr Jeremy Katz tomorrow morning. Jez is a good mate of mine and I’m thoroughly looking forward to the next couple of weeks. I shall be ensuring he earns his keep with some hard graft sorting out the five-a-side football pitch, constructing a climbing frame and painting the school…but will also take in one of the highlights of Uganda – Murchison Falls National Park (includes the worlds mast powerful waterfall). And yes, for those that have requested it, I will try and sort out some pictures of the locals stroking the body hair of my furry friend (see earlier blog for those who are confused)!
The big news item last week, that no doubt didn’t go unnoticed where you were(!), was of course the US election. It’s amazing how the election has gripped Africa as I’m sure it has everywhere else. Food stalls have re-named themselves to ‘Obamas outlet’ and ‘Barrakcs Buns’ (ok I made the second one up, but you get the idea!) and on the lead-up to the election locals in Kampala would regularly call out their support for Obama as you walked past (we muzungu are all the same – American, English, whatever!). The night itself coincided with Annas birthday so we were in Kampala and thus had access to TV’s – indeed the hostel we were staying in had an all night election party for all the ‘Peace Corp’ in Uganda (can never say ‘Peace Corp’ without using an American accent…or smirking afterwards…not sure why!). The reaction the morning afterwards was even more amazing – as we walked through Kampala locals were constantly coming up to us shouting the name ‘Obama’ and enquiring as to whether we supported him. There is a real feeling that because of his African roots he is gonna directly help every individual here in some way. Now, while I think that Obama is a great choice, I’m not sure American policy towards Africa will change that much and ,indeed, one of the things that people don’t necessarily give Bush credit for is the huge amount of money he has ploughed into Africa over his 8 year term (albeit with a number of conditions attached...). At any rate, if change is going to really happen in Africa then it will have to come from the people that are here, not a leader from some ‘developed’ country overseas… Right, before I get into a really deep political rant, lets talk about eating bugs!
So, when I am travelling I always like to try and sample the local foods. For me it’s part of the experience and living here in Uganda has been no different. One of the local delicacies that has only recently come into season are flying ‘white ants’. They are about an inch long and are similar to the flying ants we get in England in the summer – the ones that all of a sudden appear on a summers day and start flying around in swarms (how the hell they all coordinate and synchronise when they emerge from their nests is one of lifes great mysteries!). It’s exactly the same here – although it seems to be every couple of weeks that is designated as ‘flying day’ and the little beasts decide to take to the air...and the locals love it, especially the children! They run around catching them as they fly from their nests (they are quite sluggish in the air) and pop them straight into their mouths! Now, whilst I like to try everything, I haven’t quite brought myself around to eating them ‘raw’. Nope, being a sophisticated fellow, I wait for Justine next door to wash them, then fry them before I sample the little blighters! And what are they like, I hear you ask…’crunchy’ is all I can say – they are neither good nor bad, just kind of crunchy!
Idi Admin, the name in the West conjures up images of mass graves, of oppression and of evil dictatorship. But the impression of Idi Amin here in Uganda is not the one that was portrayed in ‘the last king of Scotland’. Indeed I have spoken to a number of people now about Idi Amin and what they think of him and have received the same view from people of different tribes, from different areas of Uganda and with different levels of education – that Idi Amin was not such a bad guy, that he didn’t commit all the atrocities we are led to believe in the West. Indeed the general feeling is that he was a good, honest leader who helped to develop the country in many ways. The stories of mass killings that we are told in the West are said to unfounded, unproved or the work of the opposition who then blamed Idi Amin for the atrocities. It is interesting that this view is repeated across Uganda and you start to wonder who has been fed propaganda…is it us in the West, by Governments that had fallen out with Amin and were not comfortable with his relationship with Colonel Gaddafi and so led a huge smear campaign assisted by Amins opponents in Uganda…or have the Ugandans been brainwashed into believing that one of their former leaders was really a hero and that the meddling of foreign governments prevented him from fulfilling his dream of developing Uganda into a great developed nation…who knows!?
Finally a quick word to all the accenturites out there reading this – have a few leaving drinks on my behalf this Friday! For those not enclosed in the dark world of accenture you probably won’t be surprised to find out that the current global ‘credit crunch’ (that has barely made the news over in Uganda) has hit accenture hard and they have been through a big process of cost cutting and redundancies. The process has, apparently, been a long one, although I only heard about it last Wednesday evening when HR rang me informing me that the deadline for applying for voluntary redundancies had passed! I managed to get an extension considering my circumstances (complete and utter ignorance of the whole process!) and, after considering the package on offer, had my mum submit the appropriate forms on Thursday (lack of internet needn’t be a blocker in these circumstances when you have supportive family!). By Monday this week my application was accepted and that is pretty much that. After a little over 4 and a half years of working for one of the biggest consultancy companies in the world I am out of there. It’s a strange feeling, but I think it is definitely the right decision – I have been thinking about leaving for a long time and this provided me the perfect ‘get out’! It feels good, I can go into the second half of my year out with a clear head and can think about what I really want to be do with my life, hmmm…
Last week was Annas birthday and she decided a trip to Kampala for the night to sample some meat, wine and a hot shower was in order to celebrate – I certainly wasn’t arguing. We took Vinny (our local programme manager) along for the celebration. Now, although Vinny is reasonably well educated (he almost finished secondary school) and his English is pretty damn good (he’s even using a bit of slang now!) he is a true village boy, and rarely travels into the city (this was his third time in 2008 and the second time was when we took him to watch Uganda play football last month!). It was truly a night of ‘firsts’ for Vinny – his first ever hot shower, his first ever pizza and his first ever time on the internet (I have been giving Vinny regular computing training sessions on our laptop so he can send us reports when we are back in the UK but this was the first time he had used the internet and email!). When I told him that the internet was like a giant book with pages about every conceivable subject he could ever imagine I don’t think he believed me…but an hour sitting on Google typing in anything that came in to his head convinced him and, to be honest, blew his mind a little bit!
My rare mid-week internet access is due to the fact that I am preparing myself for the impending arrival of Mr Jeremy Katz tomorrow morning. Jez is a good mate of mine and I’m thoroughly looking forward to the next couple of weeks. I shall be ensuring he earns his keep with some hard graft sorting out the five-a-side football pitch, constructing a climbing frame and painting the school…but will also take in one of the highlights of Uganda – Murchison Falls National Park (includes the worlds mast powerful waterfall). And yes, for those that have requested it, I will try and sort out some pictures of the locals stroking the body hair of my furry friend (see earlier blog for those who are confused)!
The big news item last week, that no doubt didn’t go unnoticed where you were(!), was of course the US election. It’s amazing how the election has gripped Africa as I’m sure it has everywhere else. Food stalls have re-named themselves to ‘Obamas outlet’ and ‘Barrakcs Buns’ (ok I made the second one up, but you get the idea!) and on the lead-up to the election locals in Kampala would regularly call out their support for Obama as you walked past (we muzungu are all the same – American, English, whatever!). The night itself coincided with Annas birthday so we were in Kampala and thus had access to TV’s – indeed the hostel we were staying in had an all night election party for all the ‘Peace Corp’ in Uganda (can never say ‘Peace Corp’ without using an American accent…or smirking afterwards…not sure why!). The reaction the morning afterwards was even more amazing – as we walked through Kampala locals were constantly coming up to us shouting the name ‘Obama’ and enquiring as to whether we supported him. There is a real feeling that because of his African roots he is gonna directly help every individual here in some way. Now, while I think that Obama is a great choice, I’m not sure American policy towards Africa will change that much and ,indeed, one of the things that people don’t necessarily give Bush credit for is the huge amount of money he has ploughed into Africa over his 8 year term (albeit with a number of conditions attached...). At any rate, if change is going to really happen in Africa then it will have to come from the people that are here, not a leader from some ‘developed’ country overseas… Right, before I get into a really deep political rant, lets talk about eating bugs!
So, when I am travelling I always like to try and sample the local foods. For me it’s part of the experience and living here in Uganda has been no different. One of the local delicacies that has only recently come into season are flying ‘white ants’. They are about an inch long and are similar to the flying ants we get in England in the summer – the ones that all of a sudden appear on a summers day and start flying around in swarms (how the hell they all coordinate and synchronise when they emerge from their nests is one of lifes great mysteries!). It’s exactly the same here – although it seems to be every couple of weeks that is designated as ‘flying day’ and the little beasts decide to take to the air...and the locals love it, especially the children! They run around catching them as they fly from their nests (they are quite sluggish in the air) and pop them straight into their mouths! Now, whilst I like to try everything, I haven’t quite brought myself around to eating them ‘raw’. Nope, being a sophisticated fellow, I wait for Justine next door to wash them, then fry them before I sample the little blighters! And what are they like, I hear you ask…’crunchy’ is all I can say – they are neither good nor bad, just kind of crunchy!
Idi Admin, the name in the West conjures up images of mass graves, of oppression and of evil dictatorship. But the impression of Idi Amin here in Uganda is not the one that was portrayed in ‘the last king of Scotland’. Indeed I have spoken to a number of people now about Idi Amin and what they think of him and have received the same view from people of different tribes, from different areas of Uganda and with different levels of education – that Idi Amin was not such a bad guy, that he didn’t commit all the atrocities we are led to believe in the West. Indeed the general feeling is that he was a good, honest leader who helped to develop the country in many ways. The stories of mass killings that we are told in the West are said to unfounded, unproved or the work of the opposition who then blamed Idi Amin for the atrocities. It is interesting that this view is repeated across Uganda and you start to wonder who has been fed propaganda…is it us in the West, by Governments that had fallen out with Amin and were not comfortable with his relationship with Colonel Gaddafi and so led a huge smear campaign assisted by Amins opponents in Uganda…or have the Ugandans been brainwashed into believing that one of their former leaders was really a hero and that the meddling of foreign governments prevented him from fulfilling his dream of developing Uganda into a great developed nation…who knows!?
Finally a quick word to all the accenturites out there reading this – have a few leaving drinks on my behalf this Friday! For those not enclosed in the dark world of accenture you probably won’t be surprised to find out that the current global ‘credit crunch’ (that has barely made the news over in Uganda) has hit accenture hard and they have been through a big process of cost cutting and redundancies. The process has, apparently, been a long one, although I only heard about it last Wednesday evening when HR rang me informing me that the deadline for applying for voluntary redundancies had passed! I managed to get an extension considering my circumstances (complete and utter ignorance of the whole process!) and, after considering the package on offer, had my mum submit the appropriate forms on Thursday (lack of internet needn’t be a blocker in these circumstances when you have supportive family!). By Monday this week my application was accepted and that is pretty much that. After a little over 4 and a half years of working for one of the biggest consultancy companies in the world I am out of there. It’s a strange feeling, but I think it is definitely the right decision – I have been thinking about leaving for a long time and this provided me the perfect ‘get out’! It feels good, I can go into the second half of my year out with a clear head and can think about what I really want to be do with my life, hmmm…
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