After rafting we hopped right back into our service work, which was, as always, filled with amazing people and loads of inspiration. The first morning we got to tour the Soft Power headquarters which included a library, a clinic, a theater, one of the only biogas projects in the area and many other art projects that tie in with the typical Ugandan school curriculum. The added creativity is always great to see. I’m thankful that creativity has been encouraged all throughout my life. It really adds some life. Later that afternoon we started priming the two classrooms which were our project for the next few days. Our schedule basically consisted of painting in the morning till around 10:30 when we had a lovely popcorn break then painting again till 1 when we had lunch. The afternoons were essentially free and we spent them catching up on journaling, reading, making friends with the people who lived around us and taking pictures of kids in the afternoon sun. All in all, I really felt like we were making a difference. Small things can bring great change and I know that if my classrooms in school were cream with Wildcat Blue waves I would have been more entertained.
I must say that one of my favorite parts of being there was the last afternoon when it started raining and I was overwhelmed by a desire to dance in one of the nearby fields. Naturally, I got soaked so washing my hair after seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea to Josh and I.
So, our last service project ended and we spent a few days relaxing at the Nile River Campsite which was a lovely regrouping spot before we jumped into the world of coffee.
We arrived at the coffee co-op outside of Mbale after a little trouble with our matatu (what’s new?) and were instantly greeted by many children and the amazing JJ, the man who started the foundation. He told us about himself and the co-op that first night (cool story, more on that later, perhaps). One of the many nice things about the co-op is that the two missions are to promote peace and to fight hunger, poverty and disease. The next day we followed the path that the coffee beans take from the moment they are picked till the time before they’re shipped out to be roasted. We actually got to help pick the beans ourselves which was an amazing experience. It makes much more of an impact when you actually participate yourself.
Everyone here was truly wonderful as were the views. We found this giant rock formation that became the perfect spot for looking over the land and reflecting, watching the sunset, and making leaf hats with the kiddos. I definitely could have stayed there for a while.
As always, we had to leave the kind people here, but not after they put on a singing and dancing show for us on our last night. That was a once in a life time experience for sure. Our next stop was Sipi falls where we spent Thanksgiving. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL. More on that soon.
Love always,
Ellie and Biebs (Emily)
P.S. Sorry this one is a little rushed.