Daily Life in Kibale (from Mark)

Our Saturday morning wake-up call found Allison with some time to spare between an afternoon excursion and a gathering with the local villagers. Allison's group were to be entertained by a women's group from a  village they've come to know and then watch as Allison's group put on a Canadian song and dance routine they'd worked on. Glad to see those dance lessons will finally pay off.

Allison's routine this week has been a morning run with friends. With the park about 1590m above sea level (approx. 5200ft ASL) she is happy to have others who want to maintain her field hockey fitness level. While they stretch outside after the run they enjoy the flocks of birds feeding, mainly African Wildtails that dive around feeding on insects along with 3 African Hornbills (http://www.africa-uganda-business-travel-guide.com/Uganda-Birding-Safari---.html) that make their daily visit. A group of Baboons also make the rounds then followed by different varieties of monkeys throughout the day. Allison rattles off the different types of monkeys as if she's tour guide now.
The students have a daily course lecture outside where her biggest concern is keeping sunblock on and trying to stay under the shade of the trees. Obviously still warm there - she didn't ask about our January weather! After lectures they head out on an excursion - she's mentioned neighbouring villages and health clinics that have been an eye-opening experience for her. As part of her Health and Environment course she is working on a research assignment focusing on Human and Wildlife Conflict while looking at the local govenments role as it pertains to this conflict. The local villagers have described serious destructive problems with elephants in the Kibale area. Other reported conflicts have involved monkeys, gorillas and even wild pigs. One local village reported three lions wondering into the village (we've stressed the importance to Allison that during her morning runs that she has to be at least faster than the slowest in the group).
Allison has done a bit of shopping for jewellry and woven baskets all made in the local villages.

On Tuesday Feb.1st the group will head about 200km east towards the western side of Lake Victoria to stay at Lake Nabugabo, Uganda (Google it!). After a few days Allison will head up to Kampala which is the capital city of Uganda (pop. 770,000) for a couple days before proceeding to the next main Ugandan city along Lake Victoria, Jinja.
She's still enjoying the food and based on how fast she talks on the phone, is still loving every minute of it.

Kibale National Park, Uganda (posted by Mark)

Allison has arrived in Uganda after a  flight to Entebbe and a 6 hour drive on Sat. She's now staying at another Research Centre in Kibale National Park (see link from 2nd post) - one of Africa's most biodiverse parks. It's located just near a tea plantation where she's already met the owners and is now partaking in the local teas. The accomodations are "better than cabins", 4 to a room with bunk beds, mosquito nets, showers and flush toilets. She has been enjoying the food and Allison says there are lots of monkeys all around the area.
At 11pm (Ugandan time) it was 20C when she called and had been 26C and partly cloudy on Sunday while they had their lectures outside under the trees! It is now noticeably lush and green compared to the last week in the city. Tomorrow (Mon), after a morning jog with about 10 others around the Centre boundary road, they will be walking to a nearby village. And apparently Allison is up for election as one of the student reps based on a passionate thank you speech she gave in Nairobi after the visit to the Kibera Slum (must get that gift of the gab from her Mum).
She has started her first study course on Health and Environment in Africa. http://www.mcgill.ca/files/africa/GEOG493.pdf

She will not have access to the internet much for the next couple weeks but will be calling again the end of the week. Needless to say she is having a great time so far.

I can't believe this is only Day 3!

      Jambo!  I am going to keep this one super short because it is late, I still haven't written my journal entry for tonight and I am getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and want to return to the refuge of my mosquito net.  We visited the UN today which was absolutely unreal!  It didn't really hit me until we passed a World Food Programme car that we were visiting THE agency of development in Africa.  THE UN which I have read countless articles about and have had many a discussion about.  It was very cool to see it for real and to listen to lectures from the Head of UN Habitat.  The UN Headquarters in Nairobi is one of the three largest in the world, following New York and Geneva.  We also went to the Canadian High Commission, and listened to several really stimulating and engaging lectures, the content of which, I will not bore you.
    I am learning so much everyday, all day. It is such an intensive learning experience.  The people are also amazing!  There is so much diversity in terms of academic disciplines and interests.  Just having discussion at dinner or on the long truck rides through town (goodness knows they are LONG! Nairobi traffic is ridiculous)  I have met some really cool people and I cannot believe that I get to travel with them, research with them, and live with them for the next 2.5 months.  Plus, they let me talk about development a lot!  They even ask me questions, which I am absolutely loving.  I am just so glad that I have something to contribute the this group because I am learning so much from them myself.
     Tomorrow we are going to the largest slum in Kenya, Kabira, and another slum to look at several slum upgrading projects as well as several youth oriented organizations started by youth leaders in the slums.  Should be another tough but satisfying day.
     I might not be able to access this blog for a while after this.  The work load is picking up and we are leaving for Uganda soon.  I will be in contact with my parents though and as you see, my dad will be able to post updates when I do not have access to the internet or the time to write.
     I miss you all!  Have a wonderful day!    

First week

Jambo!  Habari Gani?
      We arrived two days ago and I cannot believe it has only been two days.  Since then I have come to the realization that I have a very limited vocabulary.  There are only so many times that I can use the words Wow! and Amazing! before they become obsolete.  I am referring in this instance to the game drive we took yesterday.  We arrived on Sunday, late at night and so we started the program on Monday.  We took a game drive through Nairobi National Park and had our first "bush" lecture (a.k.a a lecture outside in the "bush").  I could write for days about the experience but for now I will say that I took a gazillion pictures, give or take, and was completely blown away by the context of the park and the conservation efforts towards the entire ecosystem to which the park belongs.  I sat beside a couple of students studying wildlife biology, which was possibly the best decision I made that day.  I learned a lot.
      Today we went into the city of Nairobi to the University of Nairobi where we met with some students from the university.  We had a lecture on Kenya and the city in specific and then we went out into the city in groups with Kenyan students as our guides.  What a sweet, and effective, way to learn.  We walked around the Central Business District and talked with the students all afternoon.  Despite a few issues with a lost bank card, a lost group member and a fun story involving a crazy lady, the day was great.  Our guides were so friendly and very willing to answer our questions. 
       I have some work to finish up before bed and it is already 10:45, so I will leave it here.  In addition to the daily learning experiences, we are keeping academic journals in which we record our observations and reflections on what we are learning.  Seeing as this will not only make for a great momento, it will also be graded. 
     I do not know when I will be back on but my dad has my new phone number and he may be making a few updates on this blog to keep you informed when I cannot. 
     Lala Salama! 

Update called in by Allison (posted by Mark)

After 2 long and uneventful flights Allison arrived to the warm air of Nairobi on Sunday night. Her group is staying at a Research Centre in a large guest house with a large covered but open-air dining area. It is a gated compound that Allison and a small group have already explored with a couple of morning runs. The highlight of Day 1 was a long game drive in the Nairobi National Park in the outskirts of Nairobi. Allison mentioned seeing numerous large animals such as hippos, crocodiles and lions (one that was watching the group while they were out on a guided walk -with armed guides).

Today (Day 2) involved a visit to the University of Nairobi where they learned about the city itself from the staff and students. They were given a tour with the students. When asked by the Kenyan students about life back home with snow, Allison was quick to pull out one of the few pictures from home of the backyard ice rink her Mum provided her detailing Canadian rink building techniques. She's quite sure that she will be keeping that picture handy from now on.

Tomorrow (Day 3) will involve a visit to the UN as well as Canadian Embassy.  Allison will be getting online in the next few days to provide more details and excitement.

The day before

      It is the night before we depart.  I am sitting in the living room of my benevolent hosts reflecting on the week, what to expect for the next couple of months, and the rush of emotions I am currently experiencing.
      The week has been an interesting combination of classes from profs enthusiastically promoting their courses and telling us what a wonderful experience we are about to have, coupled with information classes on the variations in which we can be injured, jailed, attacked or killed.  The general sentiment amongst the other 37 participants is one of impatience.  There was certainly excitement when I left the final reception with the group this afternoon because the wait was almost over.
      We had a discussion today led by several students who participated in the program last year.  They offered us key insights into what to bring, what not to bring, and which profs were the first ones to pass out at the bon fire.  Their stories and travel tips gave us all a greater sense of what we can expect and how best to prepare our packs.  It was also a chance to hear about a typical day in camp and the workload of the courses.  I will not bore you with such details now because I am sure you will hear my accounts either during the trip or upon my return.
      At this point I have reached an excited calm.  I am prepared and there is not much else to do.  All I can do is sit and wait until tomorrow afternoon to come.  Luckily, I will not be spending the whole day waiting by the door, watching the clock.  Dad is trying to fly up tomorrow morning to see me off.
      I will sign off now and the next post will be made from Nairobi.

Tracing the journey

       Jambo!  I have completed two days of my orientation.  I have had two lessons in Swahili, an intro to Rutooro, seen presentations on risk management and internship possibilities, and I have met and heard from several of the professors who are teaching sessions of the field studies.  I have also had more of my itinerary explained, for which I am thankful.  However, it is not a complete itinerary and it does not include all the exact dates for how long I will be staying in places.  I will explain it as best I can. 

We will be flying into Nairobi late on the January 16th and beginning our activities on the 17th.  We are spending just less than a week in Nairobi visiting Nairobi National Park, the United Nations, and the Canadian High Commission.  We will also have the opportunity to visit one of the slums.  During our first week we will also learn more about our context courses the discriptions of which you can find at www.mcgill.ca/africa/courses.  

After our time in Nairobi, we are flying out to Entebbe, Uganda, which located just outside Kampala.  We will be leaving immediately by truck or bus for Fort Portal, which is in west of Kampala near the border.  We will be staying at the Makerere University Biology Field Station in Kibale National Park.  The Kibale National Park is a rainforest and will be a stark contrast to the week in Nairobi we will have just experienced.  Kibale is famous for its primate population.  Monkeys everywhere!  That is where we will be starting the first session of courses.  As of right now, I am registered in GEOG 493: Health and Environment in Africa.  I will find out more about that course Thursday when Prof. Lea Barrang-Ford presents her course.  When we leave Kibale I believe we split into two main groups and the Ecology and Primate classes go to Lake Nabugabo while the Health class goes to Kampala.  We then have several days to work on a context course module in Jinja, which is a town on the banks of Lake Victoria where the it meets the Victoria Nile.  From there, we leave Uganda and return to Kenya en route to Kisumu.  We will spend a total of 19 days in Uganda.  At least that is how long my Ugandan visa says I am allowed to stay.  

       We will be working on another module in Kisumu for a couple of days which relates to the Jeffery Sachs Millennium Village and the projects there .  From there we go to Mbita which is another town along the banks of Lake Victoria.  There we will be working on another module related to health being taught by the medical doctor that is traveling with us, Dr. John Geddes.  He is from Queen's University and the module will relate to health and development somehow.  The next stop is the Masai Mara where we will officially be beginning session two which we will mean new courses.  For session two I am currently registered in GEOG 404: Environmental Management, though this could change.  We have four field sites for session two although I only know the rough locations.  The first is the Masai Mara, there is another near Mount Kenya, another is south of Nairobi and will include a home stay for one night, and I am unsure of the last one.  For this session I am particularly interested in land disputes and tenure theory because land use is such a hot topic for development and politics in East Africa and I do not fully understand it.  

      At some point around this part of the trip we will be going back to Nairobi I believe to learn in an urban context but this is an area of the trip that is pretty vague.  Quite frankly the rest of the itinerary at this point is rather vague because it is a while off, at the end of our trip.  For session three I am registered for course ANTH 345: Prehistory of Africa, which is a archeological course on human origins and Stone Age chronology as well as archeological method and theory.  I have heard from students who have taken this course in the past that it was the highlight of their trip.  For this session we will be traveling out to the coast to Malindi.  We are traveling through Tsavo National Park but I do not know if we are stopping anywhere for any length of time there.  I have read in some travel guides that Tsavo National Park is a great place to see wildlife and is less touristy than the Masai Mara, which is the infamous place to safari.  The ruins of Gedi, which was a thriving Swahili town can be found near the coastal city of Malindi.  I am hoping that the prehistory course we be making a field trip to this site.  We are ending our expedition in Zanzibar and it is my understanding that we reach the island via a ferry from Malindi but I cannot say for sure.  Zanzibar will be really interesting because of the rich blending of cultures.  Swahili on the coast has had heavy Arab influences but has maintained much of its African cultures from my understanding.  I am looking forward to learning more by visiting the island.  

       Zanzibar is where our expedition comes to an end.  I will be flying from there to Nairobi where I will be taking another flight to Amsterdam to enjoy another adventure in Europe.  Although it will be much shorter and less academically intensive.  

      The expedition is going to be a 24/7 intensive learning experience.  It will be challenging at times, I have no doubt, but it is the kind of personal and academic challenge that I have been looking for.  Learning through experience and field research is a kind of learning that I have lacked so far in my academic career but it is a form of learning that I believe is vital to understanding any field of study.  The interdisciplinary nature of the expedition is also an asset that I believe I will benefit from.  Global Development Studies is an Arts course on paper but I believe that development studies incorporates disciplines that range across the arts and the sciences.  For this particular field study I am looking forward to learning more about the ecology and environmental determinants of development in East Africa.  Plus, as Calvin's dad would say, it builds character!  I believe that stepping outside one's field of study will certainly build character.  

     I realize that I have now spent an hour writing and I still have to review both my Swahili and Rutooro lessons from today.  I will leave you with several links that I hope will can provide you with further information about some of the sites I will be visiting.  I have tried to upload the map we were given online but it does not seem to be working.  If you are interested in tracing my route on a map, I would suggest looking at Google Maps if you do not have a good atlas on hand because it has all the destinations mentioned above.  Until next time, lala salama! 

http://www.kibaleforestnationalpark.com/

http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/mv/index.htm  -- Millennium Village in Kenya 

http://www.masaimara.org/

http://www.africanmeccasafaris.com/kenya/mombasa/excursions/gediruins.asp

http://zanzibar.net/ 

and so it begins!

       It has been almost one year since I submitted my application to the Canadian Field Studies in Africa Program at McGill University and five years since the idea of going to Africa first materialized in my head.  I started my adventure today.  I boarded a train at Union Station in Toronto and have made my way to Montreal, where I will attend five days of orientation at McGill University.  Starting tomorrow I will be meeting the other students and staff of the CFSIA Program and begin my introduction courses.  My time in Montreal has also given me the perfect opportunity to reconnect with my high school friend Nurin, who has very generously offered me a place to stay for the week.  

      With the CFSIA group we will be traveling through Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania over 2.5 months.  For more information about the program, you can visit www.mcgill.ca/africa.  The itinerary is rather vague at the moment and I am hoping to learn more as the week goes on.  I will also use this first week to write several posts with information about the areas I will be visiting, including several information links.   

       What I can say right now is that I am very nervous and very excited.  I am looking forward to meeting a whole new group of people tomorrow and I am anxious to start learning.  The trip is finally starting to feel real!