Karin & Ray

Christmas in Bethlehem

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:51:00 +0000

We were in Bethlehem for Christmas Eve. As we made our way down to Manger Square the streets were crowded with a procession of scouts leading the way for the Latin Patriarch. See the bagpipe players here:

Here is a view of Manger Square, full of people celebrating Christmas.

frisbee golf on the mount of olives

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:04:00 +0000

ready, set

jump!

walking around the old city

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 19:22:00 +0000

View of the Old City of Jerusalem, looking East towards the Mount of Olives and mountains of Jordan, from the top of the Lutheran Church's tower.

On their last day in town I met up with Kelsey and Njuhi, my classmates from Notre Dame who have been doing their internships in Jerusalem for the past 6 months.

Mint tea. Perfect way to end a day in the old city.

kimbap. :)

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:10:00 +0000

Chin-Won indulged my craving for sushi and helped us make some 25 rolls of kimbap (Korean version of sushi). was DELICIOUS.

One of the main differences with kimbap is that the veggies are cooked (even the cucumbers were sauted), the rice is made with sesame oil, and you put a whole lot more in each roll.

its beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:52:00 +0000

My first Saturday back in Jerusalem we had some friends over and baked all day long. Happy to be back to using an oven!

We started the day off right, with ableskiver--- a pancake/waffle batter made into balls of goodness :)

gingerbread cookies in the making

rolling out saffron dough to make delicious rolls

Brit drizzling chocolate on the macaroons

Our finished products. We also made those paper stars and hearts :)

goodbye gulu

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 09:11:00 +0000

So, its been a whirlwind couple of weeks. Some highlights:

-Ray has been approved to be a pastor in the ELCA, meaning that once he graduates next May from seminary he can be called to be ordained as a pastor. He had his final interview via skype, and was unanimously approved.

-I am feeling much better. All signs of malaria and e.coli are gone, and I'm just working on regaining my strength and weight.

-A strange disease, yet to be identified by name, started to spread in the Northern region of Uganda. The disease originated in an area outside of the district we were living in, but a couple of cases had arrived at a hospital in town. Our university decided to relocate us to Kampala (the capital city, 6 hour bus ride from Gulu) and officially end our program, moving up our departure date from Gulu by 10 days. We said rushed goodbyes and packed up our lives in Gulu over the weekend and drove down to Kampala Monday.

-I decided to fly home early, so here I am in Jerusalem. I am happy to indulge the comforts of being home- yesterday I had a delicious steak (helps with my post-malaria anemia!) and fresh veggies. On the menu for tonight is sushi! I am working on my final paper for the semester, due Tuesday and then will be able to really relax.

-Ray is presently in Egypt-- he had a 5 day layover in Cairo on route to Jerusalem. He is staying with a WCC friend and is seeing the sites! He has now seen the source of the Nile in Uganda and the end of the Nile in Egypt, all within a matter of weeks.

We will be in Jerusalem through the new year and then back to the states in January to begin classes. We'll keep posting from Jeru :)

chimp tracking

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:07:00 +0000

Can you see the chimp? I promise there is a chimp in this photo. We went chimp tracking, a four hour walk through a rain forest area in the park (see, I am feeling better). Our guide did a tremendous job finding these chimps.

Thanks to the telephoto lens we can see the chimp that was way high in the branches.

This female chimp hung out for a while closer to the ground before swinging her way to the tops of the trees and joining her male compatriot.

murchison

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:47:00 +0000

The doctor said I needed a change of scenery. What better place to go than Murchison Falls national park for a weekend getaway with friends?

We went on a safari through the park. With our heads popping out the sun roof we were on the lookout for elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo, hippos, giraffe, deer, antelope, jackal, warthogs, gazelle, waterbuck, and birds...

Looks like 2 lions right? At least that's what I was hoping...

Nope, just those warthogs. Despite our efforts to spot lions in the grass and leopards in the trees, we didn't see any cats.

These gals were all over the place. In the background across the lake is the Democratic Republic of Congo. I have so many more photos of animals that will be put in a slideshow for viewing once we are back home and with you in person.

We went on a boat ride up the Nile towards the waterfall. Along the way the boat stuck close to the coast and so we saw so many animals, mostly hippos, crocodiles, elephants, warthogs, deer/antelope things... You see the elephant in this one?

Apparently keeping cool by keeping its mouth open wide.

Warthogs having a brawl along the water.

I love the way the clouds and shadows practically make this a natural back&white and color photo at once.

Waterfall way in the back. We went to the top of the falls the next day.

This is where the river Nile is the most narrow, making for a very powerful waterfall.

Here we are with our friends Marissa and Ben who traveled all the way from Philadelphia to visit us in Gulu!

Some years ago there was a flood and the second waterfall on the left was created. Imagine how powerful the waterfall must have been before.

sunset from the top of the falls. end to a beautiful couple of days :)

photos in the dark

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 08:54:00 +0000

On our first day in Awere we were welcomed with song and dance that went into the night.

I was able to catch some of the lightning storm happening in the distance.

As the evening grew dark and the moon and stars appeared people continued dancing.

I made this photo at the same time and of the same subject as the photo above. It was pitch dark but I managed to capture this image with a really long exposure and semi-steady hand.

early evening in Awere

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 08:45:00 +0000

sugarcane for sale

We sat just outside of this hut on mats and ate our sugar cane as the sun went down.

clay cameras

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 08:38:00 +0000

A camera! Two weeks ago when I was in Awere I came across these young boys creating small objects out of clay.

The clay object that is centrally located in the photo is meant to be a traditional camera with a lens and all. They even placed a small piece of glass inside the "lens". The other creations include a mortar and pestle.

malaria and e.coli

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 06:49:00 +0000

Ray flew to Geneva last week for meetings with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and I got sick with malaria and e. coli. Now if that's not a nasty combination I don't know what is. After three restless nights in the hospital with endless bags of fluid, antibiotics, and anti-malarial drugs via IV, I was rehydrated and cleared of my various uncomfortable (to say the least) symptoms. Thankfully I have a network of friends that spent the nights with me (helping me to move my IV line in and out of my mosquito net on my trips to the toilet), brought me boiled potatoes (when I couldn't stomach the thought of anything else, particularly not the smoked fish in some brown sauce that the hospital served), and managed other logistics. I have been home since last Thursday and am regaining my strength. Just three weeks left before we head to Jerusalem. Lots of research and some more fun to be had before we are off!

why no power?

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 08:26:00 +0000

Several brutal storms have passed through this week. The combination of wind, rain, hail, lightning and thunder made for quite the show but left a path of destruction in its wake. Electric poles cracked in half, fences and walls were smashed under the weight of trees or blown over in the wind, metal roofs flew off or were damaged... On my walk into work I had to step over several electric lines and duck under other low hanging ones (there is no electricity running through them). Any guesses as to when we will have light again?

An intense clap of thunder last night startled me from deep sleep and had me sitting straight up in bed. Ahmed said he saw its accompanying bolt of lightning strike our wall.

An electric pole cracked in half.

Just enough room for a car to fit under.

A leaning electric pole.

Damaged roof and trees down.

The big pile of mud is the roots of a tree that fell over in the storm. The other side of the street (in the background of the photo) used to be lined with large, old trees. Almost everyone of them fell.

All that is left of the fence around this building is its green gate and (at center of photo). The padlock is also still in place.

This downed power line crosses the main road into town.

muddy foot

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 08:00:00 +0000

power is out

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 06:04:00 +0000

The electricity went out sometime Thursday night, and after some 60 hours managed to make a brief appearance Sunday afternoon. The power was on long enough to cool down the fridge and for me to turn on the hot water boiler for a hot shower. The moon has disappeared again, making the night very dark. We manage to cook, play card games, and get around the house by the light of a headlamp and two lanterns (one battery run and the other kerosene). I'm pretty sure last night Ahmed resorted to his red bike light as his source of light.

We spent Friday evening at a cafe in town that runs a generator, taking advantage of their grilled cheese sandwiches and electricity outlets. Luckily my office has a generator, so we can all continue to work and power up our laptops, phones, batteries. I made odi again on Saturday with Lucy, meaning we roasted, skinned and cleaned 3 kilos of ground nuts and 1 kilo of sesame seeds. But it still needs to be ground into paste. So I'm waiting for another window of light to take my bucket of g-nuts and sesame to the grinder. :)

not tonight, honey

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 05:45:00 +0000

Some honey maker somewhere has a sense of humor :)

the statue

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 06:41:00 +0000

At the center of the roundabout at the intersection of Kampala road and Market street is a statue with two young kids and a pile of books.

downtown at noon

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 06:02:00 +0000

Downtown Gulu is a buzz with activity around lunch time.

simsim

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 05:47:00 +0000

Ever wonder where sesame seeds (or simsim as it is called here) come from?

Sesame flower.

Sesame drying out in the sun.

Lillian opening up a pod so I can see the seeds within.

coaching the hawks

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 07:29:00 +0000

The Hawks other coach is out of the country for a month so Ray has taken on more coaching responsibilities. The team came out strong on Saturday and held their lead, beating the number one team and assuring their place in the playoffs.

Team huddle at the start of the game.

Tip off.

Hawks were up 30 to 28 at half time.

Making plans.

1-2-3. Go Hawks!

Driving to the basket.

Our player banged his head on the poles of the basket. Near collisions with the metal poles seems to happen constantly. The condition of the courts is very poor.

Coaching from the sideline.

The crowd grew as the game went on, and enthusiastically cheered on their home team to victory! And, thankfully the impending storm held off long enough for the game to finish.

hawks beat the number one team!

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:03:00 +0000

On Saturday, Independence day here in Uganda, the Gulu Hawks played the Rhinos from Kampala. The last time these two teams met the Hawks lost by 25 points. But this time around the Hawks came out on top. This woman sat near the end line of the court for most of the game, cheering and commenting as the play went on.

more bball photos to come...

Rwanda's landscape

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 08:13:00 +0000

Ray and I arrived traveled from Gulu to Rwanda via Kampala. The landscape changed dramatically as we entered the central part of Uganda and then Rwanda- the road hugged the hillsides, following the curves of the mountain range. The hillsides, terraced to make farming possible, lead into green valleys which were busy in the morning hours with groups of people farming collectively. The farmland appeared utilized and productive right up to the the city streets of Kigali.

Sunrise at the border between Uganda and Rwanda.

Rwanda is much more hilly and forested compared with the landscape of northern Uganda.

A fountain in downtown Kigali. Almost all of the roads appeared paved in the city and all of the major roads connecting cities were paved.

Best mode of transport around the city (and the use of helmets is enforced).

The cities and countryside were noticeably trash free. Plastic bags of all shapes and sizes are prohibited countrywide (and there must be effective trash collection/removal of some kind). Plastic bags are literally considered contraband at border crossings. Can you imagine a plastic bag free US?

On the drive to the south of the country.

On our drive back to Kigali.

In this beautiful landscape it is hard to imagine what happened here 16 years ago.

chapati

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 07:46:00 +0000

In the early morning in Calon all is prepared to make the perfect rolex (egg omelet rolled in chapati): steam rises from the pan heated by charcoal, balls of dough sit ready to be flattened like a tortilla, eggs rest in the tray before being cracked, and of course heaps of oil are on hand. Its a greasy, but tasty start to the morning, or snack, lunch, and even dinner (but not all on the same day).

water

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000

Along the road in Pader/Agago districts...

the Hawks play at home

noreply@blogger.com (karin) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 06:34:00 +0000

The Hawks needed to win both games this weekend to move into the playoffs. On Saturday they played a team from Kampala that they lost to the last time they met on the court. (The Hawks are in white and light blue).

The team took a time out when the score was tied at 34-34.

In the last 4 minutes of the game the Hawks pulled ahead with a couple crucial baskets.

The crowd gathered to at least a hundred by the end of the game, lining each side of the court. As those last few minutes ran down on the clock, the crowd grew with intensity: shouts of support erupted when the whistle finally blew.

Final score: 55 to 47

Hawks win!