Author: dhanya8

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Beyond all words

On By dhanya8In Culture and customs4 Comments

 

As I venture onwards with my travels in Uganda, I find myself continuously in awe of it’s complexity.Yet the one thing that repeatedly comes to mind is this: in a country of many languages, cultures, customs and beliefs, there may be a multitude of difference yet one thing remains – the unity of  communication, beyond words.

Wherever I go here, I have learnt now to be assured that if I smile at a local, they will smile in return. Their wide smiles brimming from side to side, and their eyes shining with happiness, that a mzungu has acknowledged them. (NB Mzungu = white skin.  It is not meant to be derogatory in any way, though it can feel a bit strange at times when you are simply referred to by this term.  Or when children come running from apparently nowhere, excitedly calling out “Mzungu! Mzungu! How are you!” whilst reaching out their tiny hands to make contact with yours, in fascination of who they see before them). Continue reading “Beyond all words” →

Where the wild things really are

On By dhanya8In Adventure, Travel, Wildlife of Africa2 Comments
As the sun rises, so do the Impala.
As the sun rises, so do the Impala.

For my first experience of an African safari, I took the advice of a friend and opted to go on tour with Red Chilli Safari, beginning from their hostel in Kampala. It has quite a spectacular setting given its nearby location to the hecticness of the city. Dinner and meeting new people on my first night there, after watching the sun go down over the hills whilst sipping a cold Nile Special, led me to an early bedtime, ready for an early rise.

Each of the following three days continued in the same manner, with each one beginning around 6am. It is not for those who want to lie-in that is for sure!

Continue reading “Where the wild things really are” →

Tell me a story

On By dhanya8In Adventure, Culture and customs, folklore and traditions4 Comments

It feels like a distant memory already, since I was in Heathrow airport, questioning: if I would be granted a visa to enter Uganda; worrying that my bags would be too  heavy (after multiple re-packing attempts and panics back home) meaning I could receive a mighty fine or be left with the dilemma of what else I could possibly remove from them; and wondering why on earth I was leaving, when I was feeling so incredibly pained to be saying a goodbye in the physical form to people. Continue reading “Tell me a story” →

Family matters

On By dhanya8In Adventure, Travel9 Comments

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The move over here has not been done lightly or without a lot of mental preparation, and I know my self well enough to know that it is not something that will just settle into normality in an instant.  There has been more practicalities to organise than I could possibly have anticipated, and I am incredibly pleased that this process actually began quite a few months ago due to this.

My emotions are strong and my sleep erratic.  Yet my eyes are open, my smile is wide, and my heart beats loudly. Continue reading “Family matters” →

What does time really mean?

On By dhanya8In Adventure, Flora and fauna, Taking time10 Comments

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Only a week ago, I was walking barefoot through the green fields of the South Downs, with people I love dearly.  I am now sat in a tropical garden in Entebbe, Uganda, alone.  Yet with these people and more, in my heart and thoughts.

I arrived here at 5am on Friday 29th July, feeling disorientated, bewildered and curious.  And time has been fluctuating through many continuums ever since.

Whilst at the airport still in the UK, I was struggling to catch my breath due to the enormity of the change I had created for myself, when a tiny, beautiful, little baby walked over to me and just held onto my finger, looking me straight in the eye for a passing moment.  That to him, probably felt insignificant and minute.  Yet for me, caused time to stop, for a while, and my breath returned.

Continue reading “What does time really mean?” →

How magical it would be, if we were able to remember in every moment, that life changes in an instant

On By dhanya8In Adventure, Travel2 Comments

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So here I am, on the crest of a rather large and imminent wave. Over the past few days and weeks, I have watched deep-set fears and insecurities rise up strong and send me into allsorts of spirals. Yet just as I seemed to reach a peak of overwhelm, I received a rainbow-coloured figure sat playing Coldplay’s “The scientist” at Brighton station’s beautifully antique piano, labelled with a sign Play me…

Tears that have been building up and held in over days, weeks, and months, flowed softly and powerfully behind my darkened sunglasses and I released a huge breath of intensity.

Continue reading “How magical it would be, if we were able to remember in every moment, that life changes in an instant” →