Here is a little update on life these past couple of weeks.
We have been very very busy traveling back and forth from Kampala to Masindi
these past 2 weeks for different reasons. Last weekend, we headed down to
Kampala on Thursday and stayed until Tuesday. Michael and Newman had some
meetings as usual, and we also had some social gatherings with different groups
of people which is always a lot of fun. We have been very warmly welcomed into
many people’s homes for different functions and it’s been an unexpected
blessing. We also had some nice down time last weekend where I got to relax by
the pool, have some quiet time, and even a nice date night with Newman which
was a very nice treat. We were back in Masindi for just a couple of days during
which Michael and Amanda packed up the rest of their belongings in their home
as it was their last week in Masindi. We had some really great evenings with
them cooking out and enjoying each other’s company one last time. There was a
small gathering Thursday evening at the clinic which was a chance for everyone
to say goodbye to them and thank you. Some of the other Peace Corps and expat
friends in town came as well. You could tell that the O’Neals will be sorely
missed and were very much loved by these people. The staff sang for them which
was sweet and obviously a tear jerker for me and Amanda. They sang “This is the
day that the Lord had made” in three verses. One being “this is the day”,
another “this is the hour”, and lastly “this is the place.” When they sang
“This is the place that the Lord has made” I was really touched, because it is
so true. This whole place (the clinic) was nothing but a big cassava field when
Michael and Amanda arrived, and now it is a beautiful clinic that is still
growing and thriving and employing several dozen amazing people. To be sitting
there in that place, saying farewell to Amanda and Michael where 2 years before
there was nothing is pretty amazing. We are taking them to the airport this
Monday afternoon to send them back home, and I am so glad that they are still
going to be a part of the PMI family. I know Michael will be back within the
next year and hopefully Amanda will too.
Friday, the 4 of us went to this beautiful lodge called
Chobe about 2 hours from Masindi as our last excursion together. It was a
gorgeous day and we sat out by this amazing pool which overlooked the Nile and
also enjoyed a great lunch beside the river. It is set on a very wide section
of the Nile with rapids and small islands dotting it. It’s a very different
looking section of the river than we had seen previously at the other lodge,
Paraa, which we go to with the teams. You could hear and see hippos spraying
water and grunting. There were tons all around us. As if the day wasn’t amazing
enough, we were driving out of the park when Amanda commented that one thing
she would just love to see before leaving Uganda, would be just one more giraffe.
Chobe does not have a game drive yet, and so they are not known for their
animals really, so we were not looking for or expecting to see any. She was
just simply saying that, she would love to see a giraffe one last time. Literally
2 seconds after she said that, we were driving around a curve with some pot
holes and she yells “OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, PULL OVER RIGHT NOW! STOP THE CAR!
STOP THE CAR!!” Newman thought that she was commenting on his driving through
the uneven road and he was about to apologize, but Amanda was insisting that we
back up. He backed up and two our left was not one, but an entire family of
giraffes standing amongst the trees. A big group of them like this is known as
a Tower. There also just HAPPENED to be a road to our left that we pulled onto
and drove up to them. It was so amazing and totally unexpected. We got lots of
pictures and just turned the car off and watched them. There were also some Cob
walking around, which are similar to deer. It was a pretty amazing way to end
our day and our time in that part of the country together.
Saturday, we drove back down to Kampala. Newman and I had an
amazing dinner at this Italian restaurant called Il Patio. I had a craving for prosciutto
and melon, so I was hoping it was on the menu. Luckily it was but here you don’t
know if you are getting honeydew or cantaloupe. I was hoping for cantaloupe, so
I asked the waiter which one it was. He of course did not understand me, so I
asked,” is it green or orange?” He said, “I think its green but let me find
out.” He came back and said, “Tonight, it is yellow.” I took that to mean it
was probably cantaloupe, so then we asked him, “Is it enough to share?” He
said, “no, not really.” So we ordered another appetizer as well. When it came,
it was a heaping portion of melon and prosciutto. He was luckily very wrong,
because we were thrilled at how amazing it looked. And it tasted awesome too.
You never know what you are going to get when you order food over here, but
thankfully it was our lucky night and it was better than we expected. The rest
of the meal was fantastic as well.
Sunday, we had a relaxing morning followed by a really fun
poolside bar-b-que at some friends’ house who are also leaving tomorrow. There
was great company, great food, and it was an overall fun last full day with
everyone before they leave. Tomorrow we
will be helping Michael and Amanda with any last minute errands and then
heading to the airport early afternoon. Then Newman and I are officially left
to live life here just the 2 of us. Thankfully we have met some amazing people
who we will still be able to get together with and get to know better, and we
are excited about figuring out life here just the 2 of us. We will leave you
with some pictures of our day at Chobe.
Thanks for staying updated with us, and more to come soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment