UGANDA 2010 ARRIVAL AND DAY 1 - Marie Goulding
We left Heathrow on the 25th March at around 11.30 am and after an uneventual flight arrived in Entebbe at around 10pm. Passport control and customs was pretty seamless and we were met by Safari Tours who escorted us in several mini buses to our hotel "Centre Inn" in Entebbe for our first night.
Friday morning we set out for Kampala, mostly to change money and pick up some water and set off for Mbale via Jinja where we had our lunch and gave everyone a sneaky view of where they would stay the following weekend for a short rest period - I think it was a hit!
After lunch we set off once again for Mbale where we are scheduled to stay for 6 nights. We were assured that the journey would be one and a half hours and three hours later we arrived!
The proprieter at Kaddo greeted us all and we shown to our rooms - the first real African experience for at least half of our team. No electricity, some decidedly dodgy wiring above the showerhead, a door which wouldn't close, cold water, no towels etc. etc. but it was clean and everyone was exhausted so we had dinner and a fairly early night.
Saturday morning, after a leisurely breakfast we sorted out some of the gifts we were taking and set off for Kavule School for the Deaf where we all experienced a warm welcome and were shown around the campus by the Headmaster. Everyone had a great time trying to communicate with the children and teachers and spent the next couple of hours playing games and making things. It was great fun we played football, rounders, frisbies, egg and spoon races, balloon modelling, making name badges, parachute games, story telling and generally being silly, getting hot and creating an atmosphere of friendship and support for this amazing school and equally amazing children, all of whom were deaf but full of enthusiasm for these new activities, most of which they would probably have experienced for the first time.
Day one came to a close and the group returned to the hotel, tired, a bit sun burned but everything feeling that it had been a really worthwhile day which I am sure gave them as much pleasure as the young people they met.
Marie Goulding
Friday morning we set out for Kampala, mostly to change money and pick up some water and set off for Mbale via Jinja where we had our lunch and gave everyone a sneaky view of where they would stay the following weekend for a short rest period - I think it was a hit!
After lunch we set off once again for Mbale where we are scheduled to stay for 6 nights. We were assured that the journey would be one and a half hours and three hours later we arrived!
The proprieter at Kaddo greeted us all and we shown to our rooms - the first real African experience for at least half of our team. No electricity, some decidedly dodgy wiring above the showerhead, a door which wouldn't close, cold water, no towels etc. etc. but it was clean and everyone was exhausted so we had dinner and a fairly early night.
Saturday morning, after a leisurely breakfast we sorted out some of the gifts we were taking and set off for Kavule School for the Deaf where we all experienced a warm welcome and were shown around the campus by the Headmaster. Everyone had a great time trying to communicate with the children and teachers and spent the next couple of hours playing games and making things. It was great fun we played football, rounders, frisbies, egg and spoon races, balloon modelling, making name badges, parachute games, story telling and generally being silly, getting hot and creating an atmosphere of friendship and support for this amazing school and equally amazing children, all of whom were deaf but full of enthusiasm for these new activities, most of which they would probably have experienced for the first time.
Day one came to a close and the group returned to the hotel, tired, a bit sun burned but everything feeling that it had been a really worthwhile day which I am sure gave them as much pleasure as the young people they met.
Marie Goulding
