Gangster's Paradise

(tea fields and teaching this little girl how to use a camera)
(our campsite)

(Don't you hate when you can't fit it all on the page)

I did two things that the typical Ugandans does not do- go camping and celebrate Valentine’s Day. As part of my internship, the other interns and I get to go on a mid-term retreat. For our retreat, FSD decided to take us to Ssezibwa Falls which is about 11/2 from Jinja. Apparently, Ugandans do not like to hike or camp, and in an effort to please the mzungus the office staff agreed to do both. We arrived late at night to a campfire and kerosene lamps lighting an open, covered platform where our dinner awaited us, with the assuring sound of the falls in the background. (Bear with me, when I tell you it really did remind me of Survivor.) When I awoke in the morning I was pleasantly surprised to see that falls were literally 50 yards from our campsite. They aren’t gigantic but are beautiful and mesmerizing. As the sun rose I ran along the back roads behind the campsite. I am pretty sure I frightened some poor villagers as they sleepily began their day with a random white girl running down the path by their house. After a cold, jerry can shower, we spent the day hiking around with a guide, sleeping on the cool cement of the covered bar and eating African bbq.

The next day being Valentine’s Day I decided to celebrate with my host family. Ever since I was a little girl and received a bag full of candy on the porch from my Aunt Peggy and a new pink and red outfit from my mom every year, I have loved Valentine’s Day. It is easy to overhype and reject this unknowing little holiday. But sometimes showing you care needs a little encouragement. So I decided, despite my family’s lack of interest in celebrating that I would do at least something small. So I made each one of them a ghetto card out of paper and crayons and then made sugar cookies with pink frosting. I ended up with enough left over that I could deliver a few to friends in the neighbourhood and take some to my co-workers. There was no lacy underwear or declarations of love by a secret lover for the holiday weekend, but Coleman tents and delivering cheesy cards seems like a pretty good way to celebrate any holiday.