Update From Uganda by Will Richardson | Jan 9, 2006 | Whitewater | 0 comments January 9, 2006 Week One Please, the next time I complain of not having enough (food, money, time to surf, fresh water or room in my home) material “stuff” please send me back to Uganda. I on a remote self sufficient Island with no running water, lights, or a bridge but there is internet and phone service in the middle of Uganda on the White Nile just downstream from Lake Victoria. I am overwhelmed with my disbelief about the quality of life here. I have never seen poor people with so little and in contrast they are so welcoming to us. I watched a mother, in scarce clothing, sitting in the red dirt, nursing her baby wave vigorously to us as we drove by in a truck loaded with people and kayaks. My head does not know what to think as my culture tells me this is sad, my heart ached for her, but I truly do not know what I am suppose to think. In a country and more so in the continent of Africa where Aids and HIV is so problematic they want to teach safe sex by telling the people of Uganda to practice the ABCs. Abstain, Be faithful, Condoms as a last choice. In Uganda they have a 6% rate of Aids/HIV, which is a lot less than many other countries in Africa. Yet how do you tell the poor of a nation to practice the ABCs when sex is one of the “free” luxuries they can enjoy? I find it heartbreaking that their luxury is deadly. The mother setting in the red dirt does not have money and if she did I do not think she would use it to buy condoms. My head and heart do not know what to think of this problem. Dr. Berger, one of my history professors, once told me that sex during the time of slavery was one of the free luxuries the slaves still had. I found it so sad to think that their children where born into slavery, now I have a whole new scenario to consider; mother and father dying and the child being born with HIV. I want to shut my eyes on the shuttle run. It is amazing how upsetting all of this is when Malaria kills more people in Uganda than Aids/HIV. Jessie Stone, fellow Team Jackson kayaker, is opening a Malaria Clinic here at the put-in for the Nile River. When I was surfing the Nile Special wave today all the children were gathered around me wanting to see how the video camera worked. One small boy was sweating and then wrapping his arms around himself. Wondering if this boy had the fever as the urge once again came over me to shut my eyes. I wonder if we, meaning my culture, do not focus on the Malaria epidemic because we have a cure for it and we can afford the treatment unlike Aids/HIV. The latter gets our financial support because it is a threat to our wellbeing and this threat drives our support, not our good will to help the people of Uganda. The reality is so harsh here it is hard to write about how awesome the kayaking has been. We say “eat, sleep, Kayak, repeat. The waves are similar to Chair Creek at 40K on the Salmon River. There are really big haystacks in all directions. The Hairy Lemon is just downstream form the Nile Special surf wave. It takes about ten minutes to paddle up to the wave, a perfect warm up before dropping in for your first surf in the morning. Each evening Red Tail Monkeys jump and swing from the trees outside of the cabin. Upon arrival here there was a large yellow snake climbing on the fence next to the main cabin. He was soon decapitated with a machete. Jeremy Laucks, another American here, turned to me and said, “I am staying a month?” After our first surf session he said, “I am staying a month, it will be long, but the surf will be great!” Erin and Robin run the Hairy Lemon while trying to keep their three year old boy, Austin, away from the snakes but allowing him to still make decisions. He swims a lot and plays with his sandbox. Most of the crocodiles were killed during the Idi Amin decimation of the people and the wildlife. The main eating area has boards about three feet tall. I am not sure if this is to keep him in or the snakes out. We celebrated New Years Eve with drinking games ( Rob was kind enough to bring me shots of water under the cover of Vodka) as everyone was buying rounds for the house. We had kayakers from Russian, USA, English, Whales, Finland, Canada, and Australia. We awoke at 6am to early morning surf. Uganda is amazing in every way. I wish I was enlightened enough to know what to think. End of the Week- My back stabs are bigger than my front blunts and today I had the best surf session yet. The Hairy Lemon is the first all-inclusive resort I have been to. This all-inclusive package comes with ferry crossings, three meals a day, bunk room, mosquito netting, cricket, and unlimited armbands for the whitewater park. The resort fees include Nile Special beer, battery charging for cameras, laptops, and cell phones from the solar panel, and potable water. Ester is the daughter of one of the workers here. She is ten and speaks proper English but is shy to speak it. Today I taught her how to multiply the 9s on her fingers. Her smile made me happy and sad at the same time. My great friend from home, Megan, will be here to surf with me in a few days and the Jackson Team in a couple weeks. I cannot wait for all of them to arrive. Devon Barker ferry1 hairylemon2 home monkey2 Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ