Things have been outrageously busy here... we had almost 20 students for kayak school every day this week- quite a lot for a small company with only 4 guides... As it turned out, Jared, one of our main guides got malaria right at the start of the week and wasn't able to work the first few days, leaving us scrambling. Fortunately, Sam Ward (founder of Love It Live It) and Pringle were around to help us out, filling in for a few weeks.
We had a group of 9 Irish guys, some of whom had been out here before, and 5 scottish guys, two of which taught my friend Fraggle to paddle 14 years ago in scotland! There were also several others who were around here and there filling it out to make a super busy week. 5 norweigan guys just showed up as well for a three day course.. all good boaters, and ive had a lot of fun showing them the river. Ive been working with Ibra a bunch as well, and its always good to see how other people instruct, the spots they tend to stop on the river, etc... As a result, ive learned a lot this week as well, about the river and about coaching.
Im finding that i really do enjoy coaching, and i hope to continue doing it, and to hope improving. All in all, working out here really is an amazing opportunity.
My friend Soapy from North Country comes out in a few weeks, and im really excited to have the opportunity to show him the river, and to have a friend out here to paddle with in my spare time.
As much as i love living in a posh house with internet, tv, and my own bathroom, ive decided to move back up to bujagali area as it is much more convenient, and cheaper. I really do love living right on the water, so it will be a step down, but easier. Though, sitting on the couch right now with my friend megan, eating smoothies (fruit from the market, ice from jinja... and we have a blender!) and watching the devil wears prada,.. it is about as close to the states as you can get. Weird.
Morgan has posted tons of photos on facebook for those of you on facebook, so check them out, and for those not i will do my best to put some on the blog asap.
cheers!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
TOO HORNY!
is the title of an article in the Ugandan Paper/tabloid "The Red Pepper". I thought it was to funny not to share with you all.. and so you get a glimpse at the quality of ugandan news.
"Too Horny" 'Give Artificial Whoppers to Our Girls in Schools' By Nathan Ngobi in Busia
The amazing sleaze from Busia is that the Women's Council has asked the Government to provide 'manmade whoppers' to all school going girls so that they can use them to quench their sex urge. The women said the girls can use the dildos during different times when their sex appetite rises up to avoid HIV and escaping from schools with men for sex during school time. This was revealed by Buteba Sub-county women council boss, only identified as Margaret.
"We want Government to provide our sex active girls with those 'things' so as to avoid the deadly HIV", Margaret told a gathering during a workshop on HIV/AIDS among young girls organized by the national Womens Council at Busia Community Hall recently. She said that if the Government supplied dildos to girls in schools, this would reduce the chances of girls going out with men and catching HIV. She said the system would consider the age and the size of the breasts before giving the girls the soft whopper.
She added that during their days, parents used to give them egg plants to use at school whenever the sex urge arose. "One could go to the birthroom and plave the egg plant in her Kandahar and the sex urge would go away," she said adding that: "but the eggplants used to rot and since this is a modern world, the Government would give our girls manmade soft whoppers depending on the size of the children." Marvelous, this is! Maggie had earlier asked a health worker, Wanyama, if there were some scientific drugs that would be used by human beings to stop or reduce sex appetite so they could give them to school going girls. According to Maggie, the dildoes would assist girls not to run up and down looking for horny men to shaft them. She pointed out that condoms and abstinenve are not enough for these kids.
The workshop was officially opened by Busia LC5 boss Patrick Wedakule, who said that it would be expensive for the Government to manufacture artificial whoppers for all sizes of girls in schools.
Yes... i kid you not. There is the article, word for word. Granted, the Red Pepper is a notoriously trashy newspaper/magazine, akin to the tabloids with composite pictures of woman gives birth to batboy, but still. I think the article raises a lot of interesting questions, esp. after all the family planning work i was doing, and talking with a friend who does similar things with an NGO in kampala.
certainly, "Margaret" has a radical idea. the questions you have to askb though, are many. Will giving dildos to school age girls really satisfy/supress their sex urges? or will it encourage them, and give the many who are at this point embarrased by these urges, the will or the desire to act on them? Using Dildos as a means of preventing the spread of HIV is an interesting proposition. As to the eggplant claim, i havent gotten much response from ugandans other than the all knowning "mmm" with head and chin lift, or laughter. I am also curious what this would been for the percieved "virginity" of these girls, though i am not certain how important that is in ugandan culture.. there are a great many single mothers in Bujagali alone, how typical a village this is, with regard to the transitory nature of many of the workers and visitors (raft guides) i am not sure. I do know from personal experiance, that, 9 times out of ten, raucous laughter occured anytime i removed the soft power dildo from its bag, and that with school children especially, there was avid fascination, opposed to the older crowd, where fascination combined with disgust. I remember one particular session held outside an elementary school where all the kids crowded around during their recess. The kids were fascinated, not only by the dildo, but by the posters and the information on the human reproductive systems. Surely it is better to give these kids a proper sexual education, something sorely lacking in ugandan school itineraries, than to just hand the girls dildos. Are they going to hand lotion or lube to the male students to encourage them to masturbate, instead of having intercourse as well? Perhaps the problem with girls running off for sex lies not only with the girls themselves, but also with the school system, where oftentimes, authority is lax. Students are often milling around the school yards, and teachers are seldom found in the classrooms, but instead, smoking or eating in the teachers lounge. This is beacuse oftentimes, the Government lacks themoney to pay the teachers salaries, so why should they do anywork? They show up, they leave, but not much seems to go on inbetween. Perhaps this system needs revamping before the manufacture of "manmade soft whoppers" is to take place.
on the other hand, you have to credit margaret to an innovate approach to tackling a larger problem, that of HIV/AIDS. however, i still stand by the idea that education, not masturbation, will do a better job of preventing the spread of the disease.
"Too Horny" 'Give Artificial Whoppers to Our Girls in Schools' By Nathan Ngobi in Busia
The amazing sleaze from Busia is that the Women's Council has asked the Government to provide 'manmade whoppers' to all school going girls so that they can use them to quench their sex urge. The women said the girls can use the dildos during different times when their sex appetite rises up to avoid HIV and escaping from schools with men for sex during school time. This was revealed by Buteba Sub-county women council boss, only identified as Margaret.
"We want Government to provide our sex active girls with those 'things' so as to avoid the deadly HIV", Margaret told a gathering during a workshop on HIV/AIDS among young girls organized by the national Womens Council at Busia Community Hall recently. She said that if the Government supplied dildos to girls in schools, this would reduce the chances of girls going out with men and catching HIV. She said the system would consider the age and the size of the breasts before giving the girls the soft whopper.
She added that during their days, parents used to give them egg plants to use at school whenever the sex urge arose. "One could go to the birthroom and plave the egg plant in her Kandahar and the sex urge would go away," she said adding that: "but the eggplants used to rot and since this is a modern world, the Government would give our girls manmade soft whoppers depending on the size of the children." Marvelous, this is! Maggie had earlier asked a health worker, Wanyama, if there were some scientific drugs that would be used by human beings to stop or reduce sex appetite so they could give them to school going girls. According to Maggie, the dildoes would assist girls not to run up and down looking for horny men to shaft them. She pointed out that condoms and abstinenve are not enough for these kids.
The workshop was officially opened by Busia LC5 boss Patrick Wedakule, who said that it would be expensive for the Government to manufacture artificial whoppers for all sizes of girls in schools.
Yes... i kid you not. There is the article, word for word. Granted, the Red Pepper is a notoriously trashy newspaper/magazine, akin to the tabloids with composite pictures of woman gives birth to batboy, but still. I think the article raises a lot of interesting questions, esp. after all the family planning work i was doing, and talking with a friend who does similar things with an NGO in kampala.
certainly, "Margaret" has a radical idea. the questions you have to askb though, are many. Will giving dildos to school age girls really satisfy/supress their sex urges? or will it encourage them, and give the many who are at this point embarrased by these urges, the will or the desire to act on them? Using Dildos as a means of preventing the spread of HIV is an interesting proposition. As to the eggplant claim, i havent gotten much response from ugandans other than the all knowning "mmm" with head and chin lift, or laughter. I am also curious what this would been for the percieved "virginity" of these girls, though i am not certain how important that is in ugandan culture.. there are a great many single mothers in Bujagali alone, how typical a village this is, with regard to the transitory nature of many of the workers and visitors (raft guides) i am not sure. I do know from personal experiance, that, 9 times out of ten, raucous laughter occured anytime i removed the soft power dildo from its bag, and that with school children especially, there was avid fascination, opposed to the older crowd, where fascination combined with disgust. I remember one particular session held outside an elementary school where all the kids crowded around during their recess. The kids were fascinated, not only by the dildo, but by the posters and the information on the human reproductive systems. Surely it is better to give these kids a proper sexual education, something sorely lacking in ugandan school itineraries, than to just hand the girls dildos. Are they going to hand lotion or lube to the male students to encourage them to masturbate, instead of having intercourse as well? Perhaps the problem with girls running off for sex lies not only with the girls themselves, but also with the school system, where oftentimes, authority is lax. Students are often milling around the school yards, and teachers are seldom found in the classrooms, but instead, smoking or eating in the teachers lounge. This is beacuse oftentimes, the Government lacks themoney to pay the teachers salaries, so why should they do anywork? They show up, they leave, but not much seems to go on inbetween. Perhaps this system needs revamping before the manufacture of "manmade soft whoppers" is to take place.
on the other hand, you have to credit margaret to an innovate approach to tackling a larger problem, that of HIV/AIDS. however, i still stand by the idea that education, not masturbation, will do a better job of preventing the spread of the disease.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Townie
So i have officially moved out of the campsite, and into a room in a house in town. Its a similar but different lifestyle, and i don't quite know how i feel about it yet. Thus far (i've been in town for about a week) it has been largely inconvenient, as i am based (workwise) up in bujagali. So now i have a longer commute ,which adds on costs, and time. Living in town doesn't change the fact that the largest social scenes still happen at the campsite, or at adrift, the other rafting company. Which means unless you want to hangout by yourself, you end up at the campsite anyways, and then just wait around to hire a taxi with other "townies" or take a boda back. I do think that once the busy season picks up i will be glad to not be living in town, and once i figure out a rhythm. i'm not even fully unpacked yet. i will say, i love having a fridge and kitchen, though i haven't made great use of it yet. i finish my day from kayak school at the campsite, hang out for a little, and often order food. oh well.. what can you do?
kayak school is going really well. i forgot how much i enjoy coaching and teaching. Most of the students we get are beginners, and to see someone feel like they have really accomplished something is great. I had a group of peace corps volunteers the other day, and they were having so much fun, that i couldn't help but have fun as well. I had another woman who has been struggling to get comfortable in a kayak and learn to roll for years who came out with me, and had so much fun, got her roll, and now wants to kayak all the time. So while i'm not helping the locals in need of mozzie nets or family planning education, when your students have such a good day, you cant help but feel like you accomplished something.
i think that kayak seems like such an intimidating sport to so many people, especially women, and it really shouldn't be. It is absolutely a sport that you do at your own speed and comfort level, whether that is scenic float trips or terrifying whitewater runs. I will admit to sometimes getting bored of kayaking- especially when, doing beginner trips, you aren't challenging yourself in the same way. I think i am going to need to step up my game a little bit with my own personal kayaking to keep from getting bored or burning out. Though going back and working on basic skills day after day can really only help. plus i am getting much stronger from emptying out boats! Either way, i am excited to have a bit of a winter season next year, do some hiking, and make use of the tele skis that are sitting in my parents basement. (thanks for the storage space!!!)
ive been going to the gym here a bunch with davey, which is a really nice change of pace -getting some cardio, some time on the treadmill- funny- i think i had been on a treadmill twice in my life before coming out here- and just generally trying to get back in shape, change up the routine. can't say i wasn't inspired in part by my track ladies.. who have had a great season- well done erin- prs all over the place, and i wasn't even there to push her butt in practice. Part of me does miss the organized sports aspect, and of course, the great legs all that running and jumping gave me. ill do my best to keep up out here, though davey kicks my ass as a workout partner. Still- its fun.
Annie comes back next month, which is exciting... bringing out a new camera for me- which should mean some new pictures for all of you-
- if anyone knows anyone from the states who is thinking of heading out this way, let me know, because i have some friends who want some stuff brought out.
cheers guys! (one example of my changing vocabulary thanks to all the uk kids around)
kayak school is going really well. i forgot how much i enjoy coaching and teaching. Most of the students we get are beginners, and to see someone feel like they have really accomplished something is great. I had a group of peace corps volunteers the other day, and they were having so much fun, that i couldn't help but have fun as well. I had another woman who has been struggling to get comfortable in a kayak and learn to roll for years who came out with me, and had so much fun, got her roll, and now wants to kayak all the time. So while i'm not helping the locals in need of mozzie nets or family planning education, when your students have such a good day, you cant help but feel like you accomplished something.
i think that kayak seems like such an intimidating sport to so many people, especially women, and it really shouldn't be. It is absolutely a sport that you do at your own speed and comfort level, whether that is scenic float trips or terrifying whitewater runs. I will admit to sometimes getting bored of kayaking- especially when, doing beginner trips, you aren't challenging yourself in the same way. I think i am going to need to step up my game a little bit with my own personal kayaking to keep from getting bored or burning out. Though going back and working on basic skills day after day can really only help. plus i am getting much stronger from emptying out boats! Either way, i am excited to have a bit of a winter season next year, do some hiking, and make use of the tele skis that are sitting in my parents basement. (thanks for the storage space!!!)
ive been going to the gym here a bunch with davey, which is a really nice change of pace -getting some cardio, some time on the treadmill- funny- i think i had been on a treadmill twice in my life before coming out here- and just generally trying to get back in shape, change up the routine. can't say i wasn't inspired in part by my track ladies.. who have had a great season- well done erin- prs all over the place, and i wasn't even there to push her butt in practice. Part of me does miss the organized sports aspect, and of course, the great legs all that running and jumping gave me. ill do my best to keep up out here, though davey kicks my ass as a workout partner. Still- its fun.
Annie comes back next month, which is exciting... bringing out a new camera for me- which should mean some new pictures for all of you-
- if anyone knows anyone from the states who is thinking of heading out this way, let me know, because i have some friends who want some stuff brought out.
cheers guys! (one example of my changing vocabulary thanks to all the uk kids around)
Friday, May 9, 2008
living the life
i have written several posts already about the leisurely lifestyle here in Uganda, but sometimes, the full force of it takes you by surprise. Living here, you sometimes acquire a system of "runners" - people, (usually locals) who go and run your errands for you, either because you are busy working, can't be bothered with the hassle, it is something a local can handle more easily, or you are just being plain lazy. For example, Hip hop star Akon was supposed to play in Kampala last Saturday. Unfortunately, the concert was postponed until the next Friday (today). According to the local radio , Akon never left the states, and just decided not to show, similar to how he behaved for a scheduled Kenyan concert a few weeks ago. It sounds as though the concert organizers have now gone to fetch him from the states to force him to preform. But that is all an aside.
American gossip mag, hip hop fan that i am (yes, i partly blame my colby education and the fact that i lived in a house with Mtv jams, and a roommate who loved the stuff)- clearly, i was super excited by akon coming to kampala while i was here. So i sent Davis, a local who owns a restaurant just outside the campsite, to buy tickets for me. (you could only get them in kampala, and i was busy working at the time. Davis picked up a bunch of tickets for me and a few friends, and i paid him for his time, etc. (he was going to buy tickets for himself anyways).
After they postponed the concert, i am the majority of my friends who i purchased tickets for ended up being unable to go to the concert. After trying to get other people to return them, if they had time running their own errands in kampala ( which is a two hour trip from jinja on public transport) i decided to go and refund the tickets myself, but ended up sending Mohammed, Davey's runner. Davey employs mohammed, pays him a salary, and mohammed runs Davey's errands, does what he needs him to, and gives Davey free transport on his boda boda whenever Davey needs it. (note: Davey paid for the boda boda that Mohammed uses).
I realized, after i sent Mohammed in with specific instructions on where to refund the tickets, and what to do if they don't take them, that i had another Ugandan in Kampala for me today as well. Emmanuel, who is the KTN accountant, is in Kampala sorting out the special pass i need to live and work here. While it is part of Emannuel's job, needles to say, i felt slightly ridiculous.
For Davey, who owns and runs the videoboating company at NRE, it is crucial to have runners like Mohammed, and others, to help his business function properly. They are his staff. Emmanuel also works for Jamie, and as part of his job, is dealing with immigration. Both Davey and Jamie and most of the mzungu owned and operated businesses here have a series of runners that they need to function. but for me, who just lives here, and takes advantage of the system, especially when i am used to doing most things myself, it still feels a little extravagant.
There is definite worth to the expression if you want something done right, do it yourself. As convenient as the runner system is, it often doesn't work out as you planned. It can also end up complicating the situation, where doing something your self would be more cost effective, and easier. But thats not always the point is it?
I just read a great book called "Where we have hope" by Andrew Meldrum, an American journalist who lived and worked in Zimbabwe for 23 years, from 1980-2003. The book is a memoir of his time and experiences there. Soon after his arrival in Zim, Meldrum is talking to a white "Rhodesian" who says "S &S, sun and servants. Thats why we love our lives here". Not quite the same, but not so different either. - Its a very worthwhile read, esp. in light of the recent election drama in Zimbabwe.
On a side note- THANK YOU!!! to Miriam, who sent me a care package of chocolate and gossip mags, exactly what a girl needs.
Check out Flickr, because i added a few photos from Murchison and elsewhere.
thats all for now,
a
American gossip mag, hip hop fan that i am (yes, i partly blame my colby education and the fact that i lived in a house with Mtv jams, and a roommate who loved the stuff)- clearly, i was super excited by akon coming to kampala while i was here. So i sent Davis, a local who owns a restaurant just outside the campsite, to buy tickets for me. (you could only get them in kampala, and i was busy working at the time. Davis picked up a bunch of tickets for me and a few friends, and i paid him for his time, etc. (he was going to buy tickets for himself anyways).
After they postponed the concert, i am the majority of my friends who i purchased tickets for ended up being unable to go to the concert. After trying to get other people to return them, if they had time running their own errands in kampala ( which is a two hour trip from jinja on public transport) i decided to go and refund the tickets myself, but ended up sending Mohammed, Davey's runner. Davey employs mohammed, pays him a salary, and mohammed runs Davey's errands, does what he needs him to, and gives Davey free transport on his boda boda whenever Davey needs it. (note: Davey paid for the boda boda that Mohammed uses).
I realized, after i sent Mohammed in with specific instructions on where to refund the tickets, and what to do if they don't take them, that i had another Ugandan in Kampala for me today as well. Emmanuel, who is the KTN accountant, is in Kampala sorting out the special pass i need to live and work here. While it is part of Emannuel's job, needles to say, i felt slightly ridiculous.
For Davey, who owns and runs the videoboating company at NRE, it is crucial to have runners like Mohammed, and others, to help his business function properly. They are his staff. Emmanuel also works for Jamie, and as part of his job, is dealing with immigration. Both Davey and Jamie and most of the mzungu owned and operated businesses here have a series of runners that they need to function. but for me, who just lives here, and takes advantage of the system, especially when i am used to doing most things myself, it still feels a little extravagant.
There is definite worth to the expression if you want something done right, do it yourself. As convenient as the runner system is, it often doesn't work out as you planned. It can also end up complicating the situation, where doing something your self would be more cost effective, and easier. But thats not always the point is it?
I just read a great book called "Where we have hope" by Andrew Meldrum, an American journalist who lived and worked in Zimbabwe for 23 years, from 1980-2003. The book is a memoir of his time and experiences there. Soon after his arrival in Zim, Meldrum is talking to a white "Rhodesian" who says "S &S, sun and servants. Thats why we love our lives here". Not quite the same, but not so different either. - Its a very worthwhile read, esp. in light of the recent election drama in Zimbabwe.
On a side note- THANK YOU!!! to Miriam, who sent me a care package of chocolate and gossip mags, exactly what a girl needs.
Check out Flickr, because i added a few photos from Murchison and elsewhere.
thats all for now,
a
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