Fried ants and other fun things

So I guess I've been in Uganda for two weeks now. I didn't update a thing since our time in the airport. Oh well!
Here's a summary of our time here in a nutshell:
Spent 1 week in Kampala (capital city of Uganda)
- Met the opposition leader of the federal government (the Ignatieff of Uganda)
- Met with the Canadian official from CIDA
- Spent some time in a few classes at Makerere University
- Went through all the BS that you can expect on a trip like this (hopefully)
Went to Arua - been here one week
- Met with some of the local government officials
- Worked in our compound that is still under construction
- Hired an electrician and a carpenter to get to work on the internet cafe
- Met with more officials
- Spent 2 hours on the radio discussing our projects and another 1/2 hour on TV
- Got promoted to VP of PFAI!
- Ate some fried ants (they taste like fried eggs)
- and some other stuff

All in all, the trip thus far has been an adjustment to the way of life here. Not so much because I am less busy than I was in Canada, but more to the way that people conduct business in these parts. Meeting after meeting after meeting... the way you do things here is to get permission from everyone you can find. Although these meetings have been more beneficial than anything as they provide the pivotal connections needed for ensuring a clientelle and they provide wonderful advice (and boy do they give a lot of advice; silencing a Ugandan is like trying to get rid of the stink from a pig).
It's been amazing how receptive people have been. Not much more to say about that but we await the advice of the master's students who will be joining us shortly sometime next week.
Anyways, I don't feel like writing, I feel like living. Thanks for reading and I'll try to blog soon!


- Reyn in Arua

So I'm going to Uganda finally

Well, here I am at last. Heading to Uganda with a great group of people.

Alas... I am not heading to Uganda yet as I should be. All seven of us sit here in Terminal 1 of the Toronto airport awaiting our time to go. Air Canada, as we know, is a terrible airline. They have left us leaving a little bit later than expected. God knows what this means as Air Canada is apt to huge delays. Nonetheless, it has given me time to reflect on what our journey means.
It has also allowed John to meet a "new friend", a friend who happens to have alcohol. Hooray!

Anyways, I have to say that I am really excited about what we are doing. Nearly 10 months of planning has finally come to an end and the journey has begun. I have to say, I am not really as excited as the rest of the volunteers, although their calmness is certainly a plus and to me, a definite surprise. Nonetheless, I am certainly expecting this trip to open a lot of doors for future projects. An eye opener for sure and an introduction to Africa for myself and for the people who are coming with me.

Let me open up to those who aren't fully sure about where we are going and what we are doing. We are going to a large district in northwestern Uganda; it's name is Arua, which is also the name of the town we will be staying in. Northern Uganda is considered one of the most volatile places in Africa, as their is still sporadic violence, banditry and abductions occurring on a daily basis. It's fair to say that Arua is a sort of safe haven amidst the chaos. It is a sort of hub to the region between the Democratic Republic of Congo (15 kms distance), Sudan (around 100 kms distance) and the rest of the war-torn Ugandan north. It has become a base for all sorts of NGOs and even the UN, so there is plenty of protection for us.

As for the work we are doing, we will be working with an organization known as Peace For All International. I have been doing stuff around with for the last three years. It was founded by the charismatic Ayiko Solomon, who's message of peace and sustainable development has me mesmerized.... sigh. But really, Ayiko and I have become good friends while we both share a passion for development.
The projects themselves, they are a product of the needs that the Ugandan people have identified with Ayiko. In particular they are:
- An internet cafe and education centre with free internet access to school children
- A cooperative chicken farm that will pave the way for a more expansive test farm, that will hopefully encompass an educational aspect. Right now we are just creating it as an economic cooperative.
- A youth-centric sports development program designed to bring groups of youth together who have faced the social divisions that come about through conflict. We want to rebuild community relationships starting with the youth.
- Working with women to develop a dramatic arts and visual arts program designed to rebuild culture and establish social growth for women who are decidely viewed as subservient to men in Ugandan society. One of the mantras of PFAI is to help women develop and grow their own futures.

Well, that is the definite barebones of what we are doing but I am certainly interested in learning about a new culture and meeting new friends. So keep an eye out on here and I will update as often as possible.

- Reyn stranded in YTO

Child Soldiers and Ways You Can Help!

A child soldier in Liberia

Thanks for all of you who were listening tonight on my episode about child soldiers.
I have put a bit of info on them below and some organizations dedicated to making a difference.

- reyn

"any person under the age 18 years of age who forms part of an armed force in any capacity and those accompanying such groups, other than purely as family members.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, in 2000 when addressing the UN Security Council

But you can also add to the definition children who are:
Cooks and cleaners
Porters
Sexual slaves and forced wives
Spies and reconnaissance agents
Human shields
Slaves related to supporting combat in indirect ways

There are no perfect estimates on the amount of child soldiers worldwide, but the number is between 200,000 and 300,000.


If want to help, there a number of great organizations you can work with or donate to:
UNICEF - http://www.unicef.org
Warchild International - http://www.warchild.org
Invisible Children - http://www.invisibilechildren.com
Peace For All International - http://www.peaceforallinternational.org

For more information on child soldiers, please visit:
http://www.child-soldiers.org - The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers

This is an excellent example of how children are brainwashed into being soldiers from the movie Blood Diamond

Nepal Broadcast - February 8, 2009

Thank you all for listening to my show this evening! I have linked the Lotus Children's Home for you here. I would love to have you each donate something to the cause because every little bit helps. If you are interested in going to the Lotus Children's Home to volunteer, please contact me.
I will post photos of the experience soon.
Thanks again for listening to No Clouds, Only Reyn.

The Free World Traveller

When I was a young boy, my family moved from Southern Ontario to Nova Scotia. It would be the start of my life of movement. I love to go to new parts of the world, and outside of my current North American home, I've been to Asia, the Middle East and Europe as well as living in the Caribbean for a short period of time as a child. The travel bug hit my sister too. She has picked the other continents where I have not been, having gone to Kenya to volunteer and most recently Guatemala for three months. I can remember when we were first driving to Nova Scotia in 1994, we developed a family moniker: The Free World Travelers. I have let the name stick as I feel it suits me today.
I have always been one to want to travel the world and I consider myself exceptionally lucky that I have these opportunities, which is why I am now deciding to travel with a purpose. My travels have helped shape who I am as a person and have formed the international values that I live my local life by. That being said, I would like to share some of my travels for you as a prologue to my future posts regarding the volunteer work I will be doing in Nepal, Uganda and Rwanda coming this summer. I have posted some of my favourite traveling shots here for you!

The Red Light District in Amsterdam
The celestial presence of a nighttime Swayambuth Stupa (aka Monkey Temple) in Kathmandu, Nepal

The touristy Lake Pokhara, at the base of the Annapurna Himalayans

The opulent (and hazy) skyline of man-made Abu Dhabi harbour
The nighttime reflections in elegant Hamburg

And daytime in the city with the most bridges in the worldThe quaint town of Osnabruck, in northern Germany

But it is always nice to be home in Nova Scotia

January 25th, 2009

Join me tonight on No Clouds, Only Reyn at http://www.live365.com/stations/wlurtv at 10pm EST where my guest will be Kory Preston. We will be discussing how to make social changes using the Canadian political system. We will also be talking about student lobby groups and the tactics they use to lobby the government for education funding. Kory has worked in an Ontario provincial constituency office and with the Ontario Undergratuate Student Alliance, with whom he has been lobbying with for the past two years. Join us tonight for an engaging dialogue about working against bureaucracy to make things happen. Don't miss it!

For other links to OUSA and their Blue Chair Campaign, please follow:
http://www.ousa.ca
http://www.ousa.ca/bluechair/

No Clouds, Only Reyn - January 18th, 2009

Tonight my guest will be Nick Lachance. A Nova Scotian boy who is also a mature student. We will discuss the difficulties and experiences of going to school thousands of miles away from home as well as the merits of being a mature student. Tune in at 10pm EST at http://www.live365.com/stations/wlurtv