At the end of our first week on the project we were given a reminder by a well spoken local Ugandan named Simon that we met at a tea house than we ought to see his country from beyond the confines of our project. I had mentioned that essentially we arrived into Uganda and hit the ground running in terms of getting right down to work on our project. In a way I was proud to be able to say that I was not simply a tourist and was here to contribute and do ‘important’ work. Yet Simon had a different perspective. He was concerned that too many ‘Muzungos’ (foreigners) come to his country with similar, altruistic objectives and so are often exposed only to what he deems as the uglier side of Uganda – poverty, HIV/AIDS, ect… . When these expatriates go back home they report of their experiences, and as a result, Simon explains that Uganda is too often portrayed to the rest of this world only in this negative image. Simon encouraged us to remove our heads from the dirt and go explore the beautiful parts of Uganda that he and his countrymen are so obviously proud of. Not that we were going to forever ignore the fact that there are Parks teaming with African flora and fauna within a short drive of our base here in Mbarara, but there is nothing like a little local encouragement to help us appreciate Uganda for all that it has to offer.
So, this weekend we visited Lake Mburo National Park to get our first exposure to the wilds of Africa. You know you are in Africa when zebra and impala are darting across the red earth road on which you drive! In the park we met up with Dr. Siefert (wildlife vet) and the Global Vets crew who were working on projects such as tracking down and trapping an injured Leopard. We spent the night tenting in the park, but unlike Hershel and Pam, I came unprepared with only a flimsy blanket (courtesy of Air Canada) - I was to learn the hard way that African nights are starkly chilly compared to the day. Aside from trying to make my miniature blanket stretch across my shivering body, I spent much of the rest of the night listening to warthogs snorting outside the tent and to branches snapping and rustling, wondering whether each rustling bush might shortly turn into a lion visiting my tent. But surprise, I made it through the night with no lion induced injuries. We had a blast in the park and are now ready to get back to work here in Mbarara.
So, this weekend we visited Lake Mburo National Park to get our first exposure to the wilds of Africa. You know you are in Africa when zebra and impala are darting across the red earth road on which you drive! In the park we met up with Dr. Siefert (wildlife vet) and the Global Vets crew who were working on projects such as tracking down and trapping an injured Leopard. We spent the night tenting in the park, but unlike Hershel and Pam, I came unprepared with only a flimsy blanket (courtesy of Air Canada) - I was to learn the hard way that African nights are starkly chilly compared to the day. Aside from trying to make my miniature blanket stretch across my shivering body, I spent much of the rest of the night listening to warthogs snorting outside the tent and to branches snapping and rustling, wondering whether each rustling bush might shortly turn into a lion visiting my tent. But surprise, I made it through the night with no lion induced injuries. We had a blast in the park and are now ready to get back to work here in Mbarara.
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