Uganda Journey

As I sit and write this I am on day three of a pretty bad cold that has confined me to my house. Much of my time has been spent on the couch sleeping and binge-watching recorded shows of The Voice that I missed while I was in Uganda. I went through the typical guilt associated with having to cancel my yoga classes (especially after being gone for almost three weeks). I was quickly reminded that I was being dramatic as the replies from my students and colleagues rolled in with wishes to rest up and get well. It’s not a big deal. So I settled in and rested. My body was craving it.

Today I enjoyed a lavender epsom salt bath (amazing!) and finished off a book that my friend lent me last Halloween (that’s how I roll with books). I came out of the bath with renewed energy. A mucousy renewed energy albeit, but an amazing improvement in comparison to the past few days. The gears were turning in my mind and inspiration began to flood in. Maybe this downtime is exactly what I needed after all.

Given that my mind is buzzing but my body is still is in couch mode, I thought it to be a perfect time to share some pictures with you from my trip to Uganda. A trip in itself that I felt guilty about taking. I would be away from my students for the second time this year and from the studio that I just opened. I also had things in my personal life that I felt like I was putting on hold. But it was such a great opportunity to do Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training while supporting and learning about Shanti Uganda‘s amazing work to improve infant and maternal health in Uganda.

I recently read a post by Danielle LaPorte where she talks about guilt being inevitable as we push through to create the life of our dreams. It’s part of our conscience. Instead of giving myself a hard time about feeling guilty, I could accept it as part of the process. I could choose to wallow in guilt or breath and keep going.

“The guilt of following your heart is a weight you can bear if your dream is strong enough. It’s the price of admission to fulfillment.”

So I followed my heart. I saw. I learned. I laughed. I cried. I grew.

Below is a collection of pictures from this amazing journey. You can read the captions in thumbnail view below and click on it to see a larger image.

First day at Shanti. Flora greets us.

Flora cooked our lunch while at the birth house. Traditional Uganda food. Massive servings!

Practice teaching with Kaoru. Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

Being diligent students as we sit in the shade of a big tree.

Sanyu, the head midwife, giving us a presentation. Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

Trying to negotiate smaller portions with Flora. Not successful. Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

Matoke in the center. Then starting at the left going clockwise: casava, pocho, rice, beans and cabbage. Standard serving at lunch! We were never hungry.

A Gomesi is a traditional dress still worn by some women. Others just wear them for more formal affairs. Flora had fun dressing us up.

Preparing Matoke.

Really hard to peel!

Mamma means business. Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

This little girl stole my heart.

An old bicycle wheel makes for a perfect toy.

Standing outside Shanti grounds.

Day trip to the Rhino sanctuary. Yes we were that close!

The white rhino (and black rhino) were wiped out in the early 80’s. The Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary’s goal is to build up the population.

Enjoying a cold Nile beer after an afternoon in the sun.

Mamma pumping water.

Kids often lightheartedly sing out Mzungu to white (or lighter skinned) passersby.

Shanti grounds

Water tower with art painted by Bobby and her mom last year.

Bead making with the Women’s Income Generating Group (WIGG). Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

WIGG lady making beads for a necklace.

Three daughters of Robina, WIGG’s Textile leader, who cooked us dinner one evening. They entertained us with singing and dancing and loved to model for the camera.

Baby Miracle.

Teaching expectant moms on our last day of training. Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

It was so nice to teach after being away for more than a week. Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

The kids joined in too! Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

Had so much fun with these ladies. Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

The gang with our certificates of completion! Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

Bonfire on our last evening at Shanti. Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

Kids pitching in.

Man carrying Matoke on his bike. It is a staple in their diet.

Lady balancing water. Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

Ladies tending to the garden. Look at those gorgeous forward folds. Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

Baby being weighed.

WIGG lady making me a yoga bag.

Twins born while we were there. Photo credit: Bobby Bessey

Twins wearing hats knitted by one of my students.

Only a few days old.

So precious

Expectant mom in a locally made dress.

My bed with mosquito netting.

After the training, Bobby and I went on a journey, stopping at the equator on the way.

Countryside on our way to Bwindi Impenetrable Rainforest.

We kept taking pictures, but they just never did the scenery justice.

Volcano in the background.

Gorilla Trekking! We hike through the rainforest to see these guys. We only had to hike in about 30 minutes. We got lucky!

Mamma feeding a baby. Once we got word from the trackers of the location of this family we got off the trail and followed our guides into the jungle. They used a machetes to cut away the vegetation.