University of North Carolina Athletics
Ryan Flanagan Reports In From Uganda: Blog Part 4
October 17, 2010 | Men's Lacrosse
Oct. 17, 2010
After the trip to Jinja, Brown and I headed back to Kampala to relax for a day and prepare for our trip to Tanzania. We jumped on the bus for the 25-hour trip from Kampala through Nairobi, Kenya to Moshi, Tanzania. An old friend and I used to say "I'll sleep when I am dead" after sleepless nights. The statement came to mind around hour 15 while I sat knees to chest on the bus, wide awake. Nonetheless, it was a great opportunity to read a few more books and get the view of rural East Africa at night.
The arrival in Moshi was similar to my first arrival in Uganda. Brown and I stepped off the bus expecting someone would be there waiting to receive us only to learn that we would be on our own. Luckily there was an internet café within sight and I could get on the internet to contact my friend Penny who could straighten everything out. As I got on the internet, Brown was attempting to find the Springland Hotel, where I would be staying before the Kilimanjaro climb, by speaking with the locals. We eventually found our way to the hotel, threw our bags down and headed to the Kilimanjaro Kids School (www.kilimanjarokids.org).
We spent the rest of the day with our new Tanzanian friend, Teacher Edward. Teacher gave us a tour of the school and took us to an orphanage run by Dr. Greg Higgins. Two great programs! Teacher started the school about 10 years ago on his own with a classroom and chalkboard made of cardboard. The teaching staff was made up entirely of his family and friends. They provided free education to many of the orphans and vulnerable children in the area surrounding Mt. Kilimanjaro. After six years of part-time living in Tanzania, Dr. Greg moved to Tanzania full-time six months ago. The orphanage is home to 30 orphans and a live-in matron. Many of the children now go to school at the orphanage after Dr. Greg had a classroom built to make sure they are receiving a quality education. Those that go to one of the local public schools will often re-learn their lessons when they return home to the orphanage to make sure they understand everything covered in class.
Teacher and I headed back to the hotel to have our pre-climb meeting where I would meet the guides and the group I would be climbing with. I lucked out big time and had a great crew of guys to climb with. Teacher would be our chief guide and would be assisted by Adam and Rama. I would be climbing with Jim, the Irish-Canadian carpenter; Thomas, the lawyer born in Norway who moved to Spain; and Matthias, the young financial analyst from Germany. We would become a great team and had a ton of fun together! When you spend six days climbing close to 6,000 meters with someone you get to learn a little bit about them and by the end of the trip we were a tight-knit group. On Day One, the tourists gathered at the front of the hotel and headed towards the mountain where we would meet our guides. Shortly after arriving at the mountain we learned that Teacher came down with a case of malaria (very common) and would not be joining us for the hike. Certainly not the most comforting news to start the trip but we had made it through the front gate and there was no turning back. If you pass through the gate and decide to turn back your $1,500.00 is still hiking the mountain with or without you and you will not be getting any of it back. Adam and Rama gathered up the porters who would carry the tents, bags and anything else we may need over six days, and we took off. The first four days of the trip were all similar and uneventful, though still beautiful. We walked, talked and took in some great views. On the fourth day we got to bed as early as possible because we would start our summit hike at midnight. It would take us about six or seven hours to summit and we wanted to arrive at sunrise which meant the midnight departure was needed. A tent on the ground in close to zero degree temperatures is not very conducive to a good night's rest to begin with but who cares, I'll sleep when I am dead, right? We stayed healthy and the entire team made it to the summit. We took some team photos, enjoyed the view from above then hurried to get out of the very cold weather. We got down the mountain in a day-and-a-half and everyone was eager to get back to the hotel for a shower and a good meal.
While I was hiking, Brown stayed back in town to teach and farm. We caught up as soon as I got back to the hotel and exchanged stories. Jim and Thomas had some time to kill before their flights so Dr. Greg picked us up and we visited the school and orphanage before their flights. The big Arsenal vs. Chelsea soccer game was on that night so after dropping off Jim and Thomas, a few of us headed to a local pub to watch the game. A big W for Chelsea! We got to bed early and headed to the school the next morning to watch the kids in action before our 25-hour ride back to Uganda.
The bus ride would be another sleepless adventure. Dr. Greg was kind enough to give me a book on the history of Africa which I enjoyed but a majority of my time was spent looking out the window on the ride back. The sun was out so I got an even better view of rural Africa and was lucky enough to see some giraffes enjoying lunch. Very rare!
Once back in Uganda, Brown and I hooked up with a welder so we could have the first ever lacrosse net made in Uganda. We showed some pictures and he assured us he could do the job so we left him to work and headed to price out a lacrosse stick. We visited five different plastic companies to get estimates on how much it would cost to make a head and got some decent prices. It was a great opportunity to see what it costs to make a lacrosse stick. For now I will be keeping my lips locked on any plans for the first Fields of Growth International, or affiliate, lacrosse stick.
With only a few days left in my trip I wanted an opportunity to experience college life in Uganda. My friend Moris, a professor at Makerere University Business School, took me to one of his classes then connected me with some of the student so we could talk about our VERY different college experiences. Turns out they do not have a Players Dance Club in Kampala and the closest thing to P-Bobs is the Irish pub, Bubbles, a hot spot for Westerners. The students loved hearing about life in the States, playing with my iPod and talking international business. They provided me with some great feedback on how non-profit organizations can have a stronger impact on life in Uganda. After exchanging contact information we parted ways. It was time for me to get ready to head back to the U.S.
In my last blog I mentioned that if you told me in May that I would soon be standing at the edge of the Nile River, I would have been sure to tell you that you were crazy! One weekend in May I found myself sitting at the airport in Boston trying to decide what to do with months of endless opportunity. The idea to try something totally different popped into my head and I could not be happier with my decision. My trip to Uganda was an unbelievable life experience. In just two months I got to build a school, build desks, build an athletic complex, climb two mountains, go white water rafting, go bungee jumping, hike through the rainforest, build a house, buy a car, coach lacrosse, try TONS of different foods, go to class in Uganda, start an international project and much more. Thank you for all of the support and for following my blog! I hope you enjoyed it!
Ryan Flanagan is a senior business administration major from the West Islip, N.Y. He spent the past two months volunteering for Fields of Growth International in Uganda. This is the fourth and final installment of his blog on TarHeelBlue.com. While Ryan was working and traveling in Uganda, the 2010-11 Tar Heel men's lacrosse team UNANIMOUSLY elected him one of their two co-captains for the 2011 campaign.
