Rafting on the Nile

Chady, Laura (a new addition to the CLD team), and I decided to go white water rafting on the Nile this week. So exciting! Eunice, another of The Girlz from CLD, was our guide as we made our way to crazy downtown Kampala, found our taxi, and headed off to Jinja for a day and a half of R&R. We arrived in Jinja in the late afternoon and hung out at a local coffee shop, shopped a little, and then had a very nice dinner sitting outside with the cool breeze soft on our skin. I found that I could take a deep breath and start to relax after the constant chaos of Kampala/Nansana. Even though I enjoyed the people and place that we were staying in Nansana, I found that the constant noise, crowds, feeling of being on defense for the unexpected was very tiring for me.

As Eunice headed back home to Nansana, the three of us found our way to the campground where we were to stay before heading out for rafting the next morning. The Nile River is amazing! Wow! And we were able to see the source of it. God has made such beautiful things…as well as people. All those that we met while in Uganda were wonderful and friendly. Even most strangers, after greeting them with a smile, were ready to chat and share a smile in return. Rafting was an experience of a lifetime. Not only to be on the Nile, but the first of five class 5 rapids that we came to, we flipped and hit rocks. The thought ran through my head, “I am going to die.” But, fortunately, it was not my time (or anyone else’s) to go. After some time in the first aid boat, we continued down the river. Not five minutes later on the next class 5 rapid, we flipped again. That was enough for me. We finished the trip, but some of us opted to walk a few of the remaining class 5 rapids. Fortunately, there were no broken bones or permanent damage, but Chady and I are still recovering from some pretty large bruises and bumps.

We made it back to Nansana that evening, but I was kind of out of commission for the last few days of the trip since my knee was pretty banged up and I couldn’t bend it without pain. I ended up going to the doctors to have it checked out. Chady, the amazing trouper, hardly complained and continued working at the kids house finishing painting and also spending another day working with the kids in the Katanga slums. Part of me felt bad to be laying around on our last few days there, but another part of me was thankful for the rest. I decided that since I couldn’t do anything physical, I could spend my time praying.
Tanya