New Bloggie @ tha Hammer!

Not gonna bother explaining it here...but let's just say that I'm finally ending the chapter on 'Swiss Bound!' and moving on to something closer to home.

You can find me alive and kicking at my new humble homestead...



And if you can't make that out, it says, "tha Hammer".

And if you're not quick enough to click on the picture, then you can access the new bloggie via the following link: tha-hammer.blogspot.com

Hope you'll all join me at the new homestead!

Past Year Milestones

Dearest faithful blog visitors...

Although this is not my final blogpost, it will however be the last blogpost regarding my time in Geneva and Europe. When I look through the near countless number of photographs that I took in the past year, I can't help being overcome by a wave of nostalgia. And I can still remember each photograph clearly...where it was taken...even the surrounding smells. And more often than I'll care to admit, I'll still chuckle and smile at various amusing moments on a trip or during a typical get-together at someone's apartment, Mr. Pickwick's Pub or Les Brasseurs.

Aside from all the mushy nostalgia...I've compiled a list of notable milestones over the past year...and here they are in no particular order...

June 10, 2005 - May 8, 2006: No fastfood hamburgers.


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June 10, 2005 - the present day: Lost 20 lbs, and reduced waistline by 5 inches.


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July 15, 2005 - the present day: Downloaded on average up to 1.5GB of media files each week. You do the math. That's alot of downloading.


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July 15, 2005 - June 30, 2006: Downloaded and watched every episode of 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien'.


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May 18, 2006: Willingly (on my own accord) finished reading a new book/novel for the first time almost 6 years.


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February 4, 2006 - May 15, 2006: Drank 33.5 litres of orange juice.


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Finally just a few notable mentionables...

I present to you all my wok. 25 CHF and numerous dishes later, it is now my "war shield" in the kitchen.



Over the course of 14 months, I managed to organize 20 dinner parties. My reason for going to such an extent was partly to show my appreciation for my friends, but also to encourage me to experiment with new recipes and improve my cooking skills. Specialty favourites include: beef w/oyster sauce; dumplings; pasta salad; potato gratin; garlic-ginger shrimp; baked salmon w/soy sauce; tofu-mixed-vegetable curry. If you can remember these, please take the time to fall back into nostalgia and savour the moment. But I can't take all the credit...part of the thanks must go to Epicurious.com. This is easily one of, if not, THE BEST recipe websites available.
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Alas my sacred slippers.



These Saucony runners took me across the world and back. I traversed the floors of the Vatican...hiked through the Sierra Nevada mountains...took in the electrifying atmosphere of the Torino Olympics...crept to the edges of the Aran Islands...solemnly experienced the Nazi concentration camps in Auschwitz/Birkenau...walked up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower...and stomped the ground to the beat of a traditional Ugandan song and dance.
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My Nikon Coolpix 4500 finally bit the dust.



But to my count, I've taken approximately 14,000 photos since I first purchased the camera 3 years ago. It's paid it's dues and has earned itself a well-deserved retirement.
_______________________________________________________________I'm not entirely sure what will become of this blog of mine...but rest assured that I will continue to post up something of interest whenever it should arise. And so I bid Geneva and my fellow interns farewell (a 2.5 month late farewell...but who's really counting) and leave you with a final farewell toast...

...To the Coalitionites...may all our dreams and desires come true, except for one...so that we may always have something to strive for.

Take care and farewell my friends!

Backtracking Part 3 -- Understanding Uganda

Okay, before I begin this post, I really do have to say again that this was perhaps the most difficult post that I've ever produced since starting this blog. And I'm not even sure why that is. Already this post is ridiculously lengthy...and I don't think that it would be appropriate to add anything else. Partly because I'm not sure if all the stories really fit with the flow of the journey. Or perhaps it's the fact that this isn't a journey that I can so easily document in a blog like in the past travels. Perhaps it's a conflict of telling a sequential story and including my personal thoughts and observations into one. Regardless of the possibilities, for the following blogpost, I intend to just simply write. Release my thoughts into text...and allow the photos to follow accordingly...

I honestly never really took the idea of actually traveling to Africa very seriously at first. Partly because I never really thought the trip to be a realistic idea, nor was I actively researching for the trip like a crazy man.

But when my friend Moses had told me that Uganda was one of the last places in Africa to really get an authentic taste of 'true Africa', I was instantly hooked.

And Moses really wasn't kidding. Welcome to Kampala...




Yes, Kampala is the capital of Uganda. Gritty, bustling, dirty, urban and over-crowded, this is apparently a true representation of Africa as it has been over the past decade...and maybe moreso with Uganda. A typical day in Kampala always begins with sitting in traffic for at least 30 mins on a good day...and indefinitely on bad days.

Over the past year, I have felt like a tourist wherever I went across Europe. But it wasn't until I came to Uganda that truly felt like a foreigner. I'm not entirely sure if it's perhaps that Uganda isn't a country that receives alot of attention and tourism, but I did feel as though I was being watched wherever I went. And even moreso when I traveled out to one of the smaller and more rural towns...

...so allow me to introduce you to the town of Kabale...



After spending 9 hours driving through pothole riddled roads, in a 25 year old bus, that was rammed packed with 30 other local Ugandans, luggage, cornhusks, and a couple of live chickens...I made it out the south-western border of the country to do some hiking in the hills, but moreso to experience Ugandan culture in a less metropolitan region.

And with no exaggeration, Kabale was easily the most lopsided experience that I have ever had as a visitor to another country. Whenever I walked through the town, eyes were drawn to me like magnets. Children would just stop what they were doing and just run up to me and greet me with, "Hi! How are you?!" Thankfully I'm not an egomaniac and had embellished thoughts of grandeur, but it was an odd yet fascinating experience. Take this girl for example...



...she followed me for a kilometer down the road, until I paid her to stop. Yes I realize that it could've drastically backfired, but it was a chance I was willing to take.

As rural as Kabale may appear, and as much dust as there was that was flung into the air by passing transport trucks, it was incredibly beautiful.



And part of the attraction was the nearby Lake Bunyonyi which was surrounded by majestic terraced hills and mountains...



And without a doubt the best moment of the hike up to the lake was the elementary school that I stumbled across while taking pictures of the lake. As it turned out, the school was being sponsored by a non-profit organization, and each student attending had their own sponsor. I felt truly honoured to be welcomed to the school with open arms, to meet and make acquaintances with the volunteer and regular school staff, and even play around with some of the kindergarten kids.



But of the trek up to Lake Bunyonyi, I do have to say that the following two events of the visit really did put life in Africa into perspective for me. First off I was saddened by the fact that there was a young boy who was suffering from malaria, being treated at the school clinic. In Africa, malaria just happens to be part of daily life, and it pained me to see just how harsh the reality of living with it can be.



The second event was a very special school performance of a traditional song and dance. It was by no means as a result of my coming to the school, but more appropriately for a couple of sponsors that had come to visit the school. The performance was the most touching and perhaps fitting (but not immediate) end to my journey.



Things I must touch base on before I conclude this blog post:

1) The food is fantastic. Keeping in mind that electricity is an inconsistent and unreliable commodity in Uganda, nearly all food is bought and eaten fresh. Of the pictures of food that I did take...

I feasted upon talapia and cassava...



...goat, beef, pork...



...and tons of fresh fruit...



2) I have a firm belief that the strength of the country lies in its people. I had the good fortune of meeting and speaking with alot of locals that I probably wouldn't have done had I opted to travel with others, or take the touristy route. As a result, I was able to learn alot about the cultural customs and the typical way of Ugandan life. And so I would like to acknowledge the amazing people that I met along the way...


(from left: Moses & his trusty Toyota Land Cruiser; Phillip & Kitty Amanya; Martin; Liz)

And in no particular order:
Moses Kayondo, Fiona Amanya, Phillip 'Prince' Amanya, Elizabeth 'Kitty' Amanya, Liz Bahemuka, Moses & Solomon, George & Ibriham, Martina, Hannah, and all the volunteers and staff at Bufuka Primary & Edirisa Nursery School.

Now there is probably about a dozen or so stories that I've left out regarding odd and interesting things that occurred along the way. And I know for a fact that I've purposely left out my personal observations about the country's politics, gender norms, and various other social issues...primarily because I would probably be writing for the next 2 months about it...and that's especially the reason why this post has taken so long to get it just right.

After being back in Canada for the past 2 months, I have found that Uganda is a country with so much potential. And perhaps its because Ugandans choose to not take life for granted...but even moreso they are unable to take life for granted. It hasn't been until returning home that I am able to see and understand the two extremes in the world...where the privileged people under-appreciate the gifts they have been blessed with, and where the under-privileged live their lives with an appeciation and happiness that others are unable to understand.



I am grateful for having the opportunity to have traveled to Uganda. It is an experience that will stay with me forever. And it is unfortunate that the majority of North Americans will never have the opportunity to visit Africa...but I believe that for the few, who are able to visit and truly the appreciate the beauty of the land, culture and its people, it should be in our best interests to take what we've learned and help others understand just how damned lucky we are.