As I write this within 24 hours I will be catapulted, if totally by my own hand, 4000 miles from home to Uganda. Once described by Winston Churchill as The Pear of Africa it has been somewhat over shadowed by Forest Whitakers haunting portrayal of former dictator Idi Amin but I am reliably informed that it is now one of the safest and most flourishing countries in Africa.
I will be travelling with 3 others 2 of who are also Dundee students. We are going as part of a team brought together by the universities DARE society, which to the uninitiated can be translated as the Development And Research Expeditions Society.
DARE has arranged in line with Ugandan charity Little Big Africa to send a team of [some what dubious] volunteers to assist in the construction of water tanks enabling the collection and storage of rainwater for primary schools.
Apparently all materials used in this construction will be sourced as locally as the silt on the river bed and the trees on the bank which will be a novelty when compared with the British ideal of import from as far away as possible.
This project I must admit was a bit of a last minute adventure faced with the prospect of a long summer doing well… not a lot. From one extreme to the other I have volunteered to travel halfway across the world and work long hours for no pay but admittedly I cannot wait! I find myself in the situation where I have been afforded the opportunity to help others while at the same time immerse myself in the most alien environment that I am ever likely to find myself.
I am enamoured that I have found myself in the situation where I can contribute to a worthwhile cause and at the same time have the time of my life encountering a million new things.
Bye Macbook, Iphone, Radio, Car, Running water, temperate climate, INTERNET, cooked meals, the good life….
Hello Mosquitoes, mud, camping stoves, pit latrine, the great outdoors, adventures, and the GREAT life!
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