Day 5

Today was one of the best I've had in a while. The past few days consisted of meeting people and office work. No complaints, just nothing enough for me to write about. I had a one on one with my supervisor (I guess that's what you'd call her) Hala and she really put things in perspective for me about my life and how I should personally handle things. She gave me advice for me and to me, and I appreciated that. I also went to a few really nice restaurants that will put to shame a majority of the restaurants I've ever been to in the US.

When I woke up at 4:30 am today, the sky looked gloomy. We were expecting one of my father's colleagues to come for breakfast before we started on our day around the town. My dad woke up late so I took over making breakfast after I finished getting ready, his friend, who happened to be one of the most chill out of anybody my dad's introduced me to, came through, and we ate and decided what the plans were for the day.

"We can do a calm little lunch in the city, and I can show you around. Or we can be a bit more adventurous and go kayaking down the nile."

Is that even a question?

We made a move on towards the source of the River Nile, Lake Victoria, one of the largest rivers in Africa. The ride was 2-3 hours long but it was very much so a nature ride so I did not mind at all. 

A part of what makes life here so beautiful is the scenery and weather. I was speaking to my our driver and he was telling me how "rain now, shine later;" the showers do not last long even though it is the rainy season. Luckily, the overcast cleared up by noon and by the time we got to the source of the Nile at noon, the sun was shining high, temperatures at a smooth 83 degrees most with a cool breeze.

A group of orphaned students greeted us with dance and song. The girls seemed to be having so much fun and were so happy that I was thoroughly enjoying their welcoming act. I blew them a kiss and donated some shillings for school supplies before moving on. Their happiness was infectious. They, like almost everyone I have met here, were so visibly appreciative and happy for life. Their brightly colored dresses and the echoing of the bells played by the boys behind them rang in my memory for the remainder of the day.

We sat and ate fresh tilapia on a dock sitting right over Lake Victoria while waiting for our 4:30 reservation to kayak down the Nile. After lunch, we took a guided boat ride around Lake Victoria and saw what is considered the direct source of the Nile, a bubbling of waters where the White Nile starts. This region of the Nile is where Mahatma Ghandi requested to have some of his ashes spread. I paid respects to his statue before leaving.

It was nearing 4:00 and we were still at the source of the Nile, so we had to hurry out or we'd miss our reservations. Unfortunately this meant that I could not purchase the cute orange dashiki that I saw coming in. 30,000 shillings thats... $12 US dollars if my math isn't wrong. It's alright though I'm sure to find more cute things to bring back home, even though I'm learning more each day how much things don't matter.

"Things" will never satisfy me the way the wobble of my legs hitting dry land post 3 or 4 hours of kayaking did. They will never do for me what watching the sunset in the middle of floating water plants and aquatic life in the Nile did. I will much rather feel the burn of my shoulder blades from rowing the kayak than feel the sensation of fresh material on my skin; certain things just don't add up. The closest thing to living these moments that I can possibly get is capturing photos of them, some of which I won't even post online because I honestly deem them too personal to get mixed up in the black hole of the internet.

To make a long story short, today was definitely one for the books, and the pictures are soon to follow.