The Adventure Begins!

Hello!

We (Dr. Giordani, Dr. Boivin, James, Tory, Ronak and myself) arrived to Mama Riba’s safely and have had a very full first week here in Uganda! Before I go into the details of all we’ve done this past week, I want to explain a little bit about this blog and the research I’ll be doing while here.

I decided upon the title “Anyplace” and the quote by Augustine of Hippo with the hope of sharing some of my heart with the readers of this blog. Since high school, I have developed a passion to go where there is need and serve however I can. This is why I chose to pursue nursing, why decided to continue my education with a PhD and why have found myself in Kampala today. I plan to use this blog to document my research experience, but also (and maybe more importantly) to communicate my personal experience of being in a new country. Please feel free to comment or send me questions about things I blog!

The research project is based out of Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. This study is looking at the use of a computerized cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CCRT) to improve cognitive outcomes of children who have survived severe episodes of cerebral malaria, causing impairments to certain areas of brain functioning. I’ll offer more details later on!

Before setting us to work, our professors thought it was important we have a few days to experience Uganda at its finest. So on May 25^th we went to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. It was quite the choppy boat ride across Lake Victoria, making us rather damp upon arrival, but it was well worth it. We were able to arrive for the chimps’ feeding time and that was quite the sight. They were smart little ones, using sticks to get food out of reach and raising their hand when they wanted more!

May 26th we started out for Ziwa rhinoceros Sanctuary. This was too cool. We were driven out into the fields and went on a walk with the guide where we were able to get quite close to at least 6 of the 14 rhinos there. Turns out, however, that would not be the closest we get. While eating lunch, two young female rhinos decided to join us! We also made friends with a little warthog who loved our attention.

May 27th we made our way to Murchison Falls National Park. We had just enough time to ferry across the Nile and hop on a safari boat cruise. The view of the falls and animals was absolutely incredible. That night we had a little bit of trouble finding our hotel, but once there, we found beautiful little huts with a great view of the sunset over the Nile. The 28th we went on morning and afternoon game rides through the park to see the big animals (lions, giraffes, elephants, water buffalo, etc.) and we took a short hike up to top of Murchison Falls. The creation we were able to experience that day was truly indescribable.

May 29^th we drove back to Kampala from Murchison. Before dinner we were able to get in a quick walk to see the Baha’i Temple and a local soccer game. After dinner we went to see a cultural singing and dancing show. It was a really fun way to see a few of the differences among tribes.

It has been a very full week with many hours spent on very bumpy Ugandan roads, haha, but so far this country has done nothing but win over my heart. From the people to the scenery, I see beauty at every turn and I feel so blessed with the opportunity to be here!