Holiday Break

School is out for two weeks – and I realized this is the only break teachers have for the entire year!  (Because classes are on a rotating basis.)  And in typical Ugandan fashion, the plans for Christmas came together at the very last minute, giving me only 1 day to get ready.  I have decided to take advantage of the time off from school and travel to the southwest region of Uganda to visit the PCVs there.  About 20 people from my training group are getting together for Christmas - we’re going to have our own lunch menu prepared at a local restaurant on Christmas Day.  I’ll be staying at hotel (with electricity and hot water - pretty swanky) in a town called Rukungiri, which is near Mbarara (the closest ‘big’ city).  Since it is a 2-day journey from Arua to Rukungiri (and then another 2 days back), I decided to make it worthwhile and go on a safari at Queen Elizabeth National Park!!!  My friend Tomas (who works at Ugandan Safaris) put together the complete itinerary of 2 ½ days and 2 nights.  It’s going to be an awesome African Christmas!!!

For New Year’s, I’ll be back in Arua.  (The nursing school resumes classes on January 2^nd.)  I hear New Year’s is just as crazy in Arua as it is anywhere else in the world: people in the streets, fireworks over the golf course, music, partying, etc.  So I’ll meet up with the West Nile PCVs to celebrate!

I’m not taking my computer with me on the southwest trip (so no more blogs or emails for 2 weeks) but I’ll be sure to post lots of pictures in January!

Happy Holidays everyone!