Feel like I should change my blog's name this week...

So yea, I kinda feel like a weirdo typing this from Tanzania when my blog address is jamesinuganda...oh well. SO, dont know why that post didnt go thru last night...prob a bad internet connection at the motel i was at in entebbe, uganda. Frustrating. Well, it wasn't a very long one anyway...it was pretty much just tellin you about my plans or the next ten days.
First, I know I am behind by more than a week on my blog, but maybe if i get some time on here tomorrow, i can catch up up on some stuff from the first full week (sun-sat). If not, then I'll just start telling you abou t what im doin now and we'll get back to that week.

So yesterday afternoon i left kampala uganda, my home base, with my good friend and fellow unc nursing student jenna woodruff, who i've known for almost 3 years now. She has actually been here as a part of the same nursing school trip thing as me, but she came long before anyone else, back in midmay. So she has been here for over 9 weeks. Crazy! AND she has been travelin since ive been in uganda, so i just got to see her this tuesday (yesterday). The two of us have had this little side trip planned for several months, before she got here, for us to backpack and explore tanzania on our own, just us two. Well, let me tell u, working at mulago is very rewarding, but also very draining. After just our first three days there, we were pretty burnt out on it, just because of the bad sterility practices, the sad cases, and our feeling of not knowing what boundaries we can cross and how we can help. For instance, we will know that a certain way of putting an NG tube in is wrong...completely, and then the ugandan nurse will do it, and miss and go to lunch. We want to help the patients, of ourse, but we dont really have the moral authority to tell these full nurses how do to their job in their country and workplace. Draining is the perfect word. It doesnt make us want to ive up, i promise, but it does make you realize you have to take a break, you cannot work 5 days striaght there and stay sane. We have done our best to find the small things we can do and say to start making a little difference to some, even tho theres so muh to change we dont know where to start sometimes.

Anyway, back to this trip. I got to thinking about mulago hospital bc this trip is going to be good for both me and jenna, to get away from those draining things we've been around. Mulago for me, and a tough housing situation for her. Anyway, i was very ready for a change of pace, and we're gonna feel like collegiate backpackers for a few days!

As I write this, I am in Arusha, Tanzania, the safari capital of tanzania. Its a pretty neat little city, still dirty, and even poorer looking than the larger kampala. BUT, all up and down the streets are safari companies, obviously, and the are like piranhas looking for prey, tring to spot the foreigners who haven't yet booked their safari. The companies actually hire men to walk around on the street to talk to foreigners, give them their company card, and hastle us visitors by following like a shadow, talkin talkin talkin, until we agree to go to their company. They call them "flycatchers". Well let me say it was very overwhelming once we got into town and as soon, i mean as soon, as we stopped the car, ppl were already handing their cards to our driver to give to us, and when we stepped out we were swarmed. TIP: if you are looking for a safari and want to avoid this, tell them you've already booked and they'll prob leave you alone if they believe you.

BUT, we left kampala yesterday afternoon for a 45 min or so drive to entebbe, where the airport fot uganda is, and spent the night at a motel in that town. we needed one hat would be able to gie us a shuttle to the airport at 3am, sine our flight left at 5am (thats how they do it here, and these early flights are cheaper sometimes). The motel was sophies motel, and i recommend it if you just need one night stay in entebbe before a flight, especially if you want a free shuttle to airport. The rooms were basic, with comfortbale beds, a large curtain like mos net, that went around both beds, and bathrooms were ensuite and decent. The showerhead was more of a fast drip, but enough to wash under, and rooms were pretty clean.

anyway, we woke up early and caught our flights, first to nairobi then onnecting to kilimanjaro int'l airport, where we arrived, in tanzania at 9am! I saw Kilimanjaro from my window seat, on m side of the plane, and its tip was above the cloudl evel! so cool.

we had to take an expensive taxi to arusha town bc it was the onloy option, and then checked in at arusha backpackers, the cheap option but good enough loding for two nights. there are TONS of rooms here and tons of americns, euros, etc all staying here for about 8 bucks a person before they catch a safari or hike kili or mt meru (te slightly smaller mt. that is a little closer than kili). u can ataully see mt. meru from town, bc its in arusha national park, and kili is several kms away, east of here.

SO te best way to tell you our itenerary is to copy and paste an email i sent my parents and girlfriend detailing each day's plans, with a slight modification with what we've learned today.

So here's the email copt and paste, and hope to check in soetime on here tomorrow! Pray for us as we travel and that we keep allour valuables safe (not worried, just always hesitant in a new african city).

P.S> if oyu are from muirs chapel and your'e reading, i found out from world vision that i will be able to take a day trip to kasangombe on july 28th when i get back to uganda. so exccited. if you want me to deliver a message to your kid, comment on here.

email with itenerary in tanzania:

So, for both of ya'lls sakes, here's what i have planned as far as booked and set for the
trip:
July 15th - (tonight) we are here at Sophie's Motel in Entebbe, Uganda, a short 7 min
ride from the airport. which they have a shuttle booked for us for 3am.

July 16th - get up and after they give us a very early breakfast (their bringing it all
out for us at 230!) we get to airport shortly after 3, and our flight leaves at 510am our
time. we connect through Nairobi, Kenya, just like i did on the way into africa, and we
land there sometime around 6am. Then leave there and another short flight down to kili
airport (mom and dad know all this, but just for repeating's sake). Then we land in
Tanzania (both flights are only about 1 hour long) and get a short taxi or shuttle to
Arusha, some 30 min or so away i think. That day we explore arusha, find some cool places
that i think i might take Nikson on friday, and maybe get to visit the Rwanda genocide
criminal tribunal which is going on there and its free! SLeep that night at Arusha
Backpackers.

July 17th - this day is pretty free. don't have anything planned for sure, but we'll
probably get a short ride over to arusha national park or maybe the slightly longer ride
to kilimanjaro nat'l park, and do some short day trip things and get back to arusha for
the night. staying at arusha backpackers again.

July 18th - wake up a get picked up by compassion int'l at 8am at arusha backpackers to
go meet nikson! they tell me that we'll go see the student center first, where all the
kids are schooled and everything by compassion, and then we'll go see his home. I have
all his gifts with me in a bookbag that im giving him, and in fact, thats gonna be my
carryon tomorrow, so that im sure i dont lose it. Then we go to lunch and maybe an
afternoon trip in town. Then we'd like to be done around 3pm so that jenna and i can
catch a ride to Tarangire Nat'l park, one of the "smaller" in tanzania's standards parks
in the north whcih is usually onlg given a one day trip. I met the lady who owns a ldge
here, so we're hoping for a discounted tab.

July 19- wake up in Tarangire and see some sights, maybe pay for a safari vehicle if we
can find ppl to go in with us on it, bc they're expensive and we want to save most of the
money for a safari in Ngorongoro Crater. Try to make it up to Ngorongoro Crater
Consevation Area for the night this day and sleep in a tent there in a secure campground
(mom and dad).

July 20 - nothing is planned beyond this point (in fact, i haven't booked a spot at that
last campground either, but you usually dont do that in advance, and there should be
opeinings in one of them. SO we could choose to stay an extra day at Tarangire lodge, or
to go somewhere else, but right now we both think we'd like 20th, 21st, and 22nd in
Ngorongoro park bc its bigger and supposedly one of best places to go this time of year
for wildlife and hiking stuff.

july 23 - probably use this day as travel day, getting on a busline like dar express or
scandinavian express and drive down to Dar es Salaam. Or, we might get to Dar, and if
there's enough daylight, get a ferry to Zanzibar, and island of the coast in the Indian
ocean, which is a big tourist spot because of its beautiful beaches. spend night either
in dar or on zanzibar.

24th - probably most of the day in zanzibar, maybe some in dar

25th - get back to dar is we're not there, see the city in the daytime, get to airport
before dark, and wait for flight out which is pretty late, dont know the time right now.
get back to uganda around 1130 or midnight, prob at same time as the large group from
duke (neurosurgeons and meg and other nurses and docs). in fact, we found out we might
even be on the same flight as them for the last leg from nairobi to entebbe. Cool!

SOOOO the only changes from that email are that19-22 we have actually booked thru a safari company (actually booking tomorrow morning) , bc even tho i think theres a way you an organie your own transportation and food and everything, it prob ends up being cheaper (i know i didnt believe it either) to go thru a company, bc its all inclusive. If we did it on our own, we would have to get lodging every night on our own, food and water on our own, and pay for a vehile almost every day (bc they dont let you walk in any park, except maybe one, so you hae to hire a vehicles, which is expensive already. anyway we're looking at a four day three night safari over those dates, sat morning to tues evening, and we'll join another group of 2 or 3 to filla car, and all epenses paid. We'll be taking the camping route, so its a little cheaper and we stay in tents that are provided for us with sleeping bags that are provided. I'm really excited. Jenna has already seen some wildlife since being here, but since Ive just been in kampala, the huge city and jinja, ive only seen maribu storks (big 4 foot birds that eat meat, like vultures) which COVER the city...its weird...and some small monkeys in jinja. SO im excited that i coulod see all the big 5 animals. we'll hit lake manyara national park on 19th all day, sleep there that night, go to serengeti inthe morning after breakfast (the cook travels with you) and spend the day, night, and the next day in serentgeti (20 ad 21) ten spend nght of 21 in ngorongoro crater conservatiopn area, and all day 22 in ngorongoro and return to arusha that night (tues). so im excited. then we'll pick up the shecule with traveling on 23 and so on.

SO pray. I got my luggage, no problems (hakuna matata, which really means no worries here). p.s. its reeeealy cold here. we're in africa, not too far from equator, but the elevation is around 1300m so its below 60 here, ...im cold. but ill be fine in my blanket tonight.

Miss ya'll. Try to update some this next 9 days, but cant promise much, aespecially arond 19-22. Asante Sana!