Africa overview

Once I heard someone say that once you experience Africa it gets in your blood and you always want to go back. Not having ever been particularly interested in Africa, I really didn't expect that to happen to me. Interestingly enough, I think it has. All of my stray thoughts seem to turn back to my visit there. And I keep doing little things that they do in Africa - like walking on the left side of the sidewalk instead of the right and I've said things like "even me" or "for me" before a sentence. Needless to say, I am very thankful to have had this opportunity to go to a place I may not otherwise have ever visited. Thanks Rachel!

Still I don't have many pictures to share yet but here we are on our way to the Temple in a matatu - a taxi (and taxis in Africa are small 15 passenger vans that you cram into and they are more like a bus system than taxis that take you anywhere you want to go). Even though both of us look quite tired in this picture I think we both look happy so that's good enough for me.

We didn't actually do a whole lot... like tour Africa and see elephants or gorillas and all that... but we had a lot of fun together. I think I probably preferred it this way - it was a completely relaxed trip for me rather than focusing on getting a lot of things done. The first few days were spent going to the office where Rachel finished up some reports - and we went to parliament to drop off some materials for their library - and then heading to the Temple afterwards to see it and hang out with the youth there. Later days were spent touring Kampala and seeing the local sights and going to some of the markets to buy Ayyam-i-Ha presents for the family. And the final days were spent at an international youth conference held in a town called Mbale that is about 3 1/2 hours away from Kampala. Hows that for a skeleton of an outline?

Meanwhile, we visited the Temple almost everyday - amazing. The House of Worship is absolutely beautiful. The pictures do not do it justice. The colors of the outside are specatular and the sound, the way it echoes, on the inside is just awesome. It is so simple and so wonderful. Plus, I didn't realize this, but the Baha'is own the entire hill, so there is so much land! The grounds are really quite expansive. So, in short, amazing.

In addition to the temple, we went paintballing (unfortunately my team lost, but I did "kill" three people who almost reached our flag and so saved our team from losing that much more quickly), we saw the source of the nile, we participated in some traditional wedding events - the introduction and the engagement ceremony, I learned some drumming (can't remember it now, of course), once tried the traditional ugandan dance.. but gave up very quickly, had choir practice and subsequently sang in the Temple during the Sunday service (wow is all I can say about that), rode boda's (motorcycle taxis), drank tea!!, had a birthday, beat some boys at pool, lost at table tennis (Aqsan, really you are great and I'm impressed), watched fireworks on New Year's eve, but the best part was meeting all the amazing people in Africa. I genuinly loved all of Rachel's friends. Oh, and of course, sharing all of these experiences with Rachel - truly a blessing.