The Continuing Adventure: Monkey Business and Matoke!

Agandi Everyone! (It means "What's the news?")Finally I have found a moment to sit down and continue this blog and I am very excited to tell you all about Africa. This may be a long entry, so much has happened. My time here already has been nothing short of spectacular...really a dream come true for me, just goes to show that you really can do anything if you put your mind to it!! Uganda is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen however the wonderful scenery, people and wildlife is the backdrop to serious issues of poverty, wildlife loss, poaching and environmental degradation. The first time I stepped onto the street in Entebbe I could still clearly see the scars of civil war and the reign of Idi Amin, the president that brutalised the nation during his 8 year term. But Uganda is healing and has come so far.
Wednesday began with my real first day in the office and it was great despite still being so tired. For the morning I began work on the animal welfare factsheets. These are sheets that JGI Uganda hands out at schools and different events to inform people of issues surrounding the three pillars of Roots & Shoots: animals, the environment and the human community. The last volunteer make alot of sheets on the environment and human community so I am focusing on animals. I am looking at different issues such as habitat loss and how it affect Ugandan animals as well as fact sheets on identifying Ugandan wildlife.
It is great to work with the team here everyone is really nice and passionate about all that JGI stands for. On Wednesday afternoon Jacque took me into town, wow was that an adventure and culture shock big time. She showed me the post office, the UN base (there are UN trucks everywhere) , the centre of town. I finally exchanged my money (although I am still trying to figure out the Ugandan shillings!! We got on a matutu (a taxi van) to head down to the market. Imagine climbing aboard a van with about 14 other people, the music blasting and people yelling in foreign languages driving as fast as they can while weaving in and out of traffic! It was quite a funny experience but I am sure I will get used to it in time. The market is just as I would have pictured it, people yelling, dancing, singing, loud African music, children playing, people holding fresh produce out to you asking "you buy??" "Mazungu, you want??" I did buy some of the produce and had it for dinner, it was great!! Jacque told me that that wasn't even Market day (that's on Tuesdays). It was another one experiences that was drastically different from anythingI know, but the place had such atmosphere, I loved it. We then stopped in a carpark which was rediculously packed with matutu's. Jacque then took me to the " Americanized" shop, which really wasn't Americanized, I still had no idea what anything was. It has been interesting trying get food here and what to cook but I am sure I will get the hang of it. We eventually made it back to the office with food and then I beelined it to the Ugandan Wildlife Education Centre. It is basically a zoo which is literally a 2 minute walk down the road from JGI. Of course I sure you all know where I beelined it from there...straight to the champanzee compound!!! I approached the exhibit which is basically an island surrounded by a moat, I must have waited 15 minutes and was ready to give up and leave when I saw this hairy being that I swear what a human swing gracefully through the trees and out of sight. It may have been nothing to some people, but it was a pinnacle moment for me. After reading about these amazing beings for years I finally saw one and I left the zoo beaming...