Bududa lies on a main dirt road, about 30 miles off the main tar road, that ends in 10 mile circle around the region. The region sits in eastern Uganda in the foothills of Mt. Elgon, an extinct volcano, that marks the border with Kenya. Bududa sits at about 4,000 feet above see level and Mt Elgon tops out at about 15,000 feet. We are very close to the equator, just to its north, so each day is remarkably similar with about 12 hours of daylight, 6:30am-6:30pm, and 12 hours of darkness. Being in the center of the ball of the earth, sunrise and sunset occur quite swiftly and one always has to be prepared, especially to be blunged into quick and complete darkness.
Our day begins from the school's guest house as the sun rises. The guest house is about a 45 minute walk from the school, about 2 miles. It sits up on a hill overlooking the main road and the hills across the way. Each evening, two Crested (Gray) Cranes, the national bird of Uganda, come to roost in a large tree by the road. With luck, they stay in the tree until after sunrise so we can see them again to start the day. The guest house is a very comfortable spot that has room for as many as 14 people. It has a small amount of electricity, but no running water. It also has a pit latrine. Most homes in this area have no electricity or running water, and also have pit latrines. We use headlamps and candles for light in the evening to better save electricity. Electricity does come into the area, but is used mostly by businesses or wealthier home owners, and on a good week shows up just three times per week. Our small bit of electricity comes from solar panels on the roof which is rare here. Uganda built a second hydro-electric dam about 8 years ago, but sells much of that electricity to Kenya. Understandably, this is a sore spot for Ugandans. The guest house is run by Justine, and she provides food and some cleaning for us---she is a wonderful host and person. Sitting on the front porch before and after each day is a simple and wonderful treat.
After breakfast, we walk down to the school, which begins at 8:30am. Once at school, we are busy getting to know the staff, students, and program. It is an energetic, earnest place that is giving real skills to the students delivered by teachers that are well trained and dedicated. During the next week, Karen and I will get individual time with each faculty to hear from them about their joys and challenges in teaching at the Bududa Vocational Academy. We will send more information about this as we complete the interviews.
Once school ends, about 4pm, we make the return walk home greeting folks along the road and watching for any bird we can spot. We are trying to find someone from Bududa who can help us with birding here, but have yet to make that connection----stay tuned on that.
Back at home, we relax, watch the birds from the front porch, bathe, prepare for the night, have supper together, enjoy some good social time, charge our various devices, and head to bed. We've already had several invitations to visit folks in their homes and that will also become part of our routine in days to come. Most weeks in Bududa, we will be working Monday-Saturday at the Bududa Learning Center, with Sunday off for relaxation, visiting friends, hiking and birding.
This is a simpler life style while still having all the complexity of helping in a school and joining into a community. When the quiet arrives, it is deep, and nature breathes more fully here.
Post Script: It looks like downloading photos into our blog from Bududa taxes the system too much. Our plan will be to add photos when we can get to Mbale, or a center that has a stronger wifi connection. So, please forgive us if we get too poetic in our verbal descriptions as, until we load photos into the blog, we will try to paint pictures by words.
For all the birders out there: An African Pygmy Kingfisher, a migrant to Bududa, visited the guest house this morning!!! Look him up on the internet. You will be delighted!
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