Sunday, 29 December 2013

Reflections on 2013

I look back at 2013 and their are many things I think about, what were the big moments and how I will remember them? Usually I say to some of my friends that I will remember it as the three U's. University was the first U; the finals, the celebrations, and some deep thinking after you have finished about what lies ahead, and the fact that up until then you believed that University would define who you are. What I found out was that it certainly hasn't, perhaps for some, but not for me. Certainly it is always a massive achievement to complete your degree and at times it does feel slightly surreal that I received it on that sweltering day back in July.


University is finished for now!
The second U was the United States, the unique opportunity to do a road trip across the world's most iconic and famous country with three of your best mates from school. I salute Rupert, Charlie and Ollie for putting up with my atypical clumsiness and thank them for an unforgettable seven weeks, their alter-egos Sven, Lee-Ki-Wang, and Glen in Vegas should also be thanked. Hopefully we all get the chance to go again in the future, because it is (despite my doubts surrounding the U.S government and their conduct in foreign policy and health care system) quite the treat. Those weeks in California and that college party in North Carolina will not be forgotten nor the kind and epic people we met along the way be it Alan, Jessie J the redneck, David and Christine and David Roe in San Jose and naturally all the people at the college party! So many things to harp on about about the trip but I have already written it.



"This is Papa Dragon. I want this mission high and tight. I wanna be home for dinner."
Thanks boys!

The third and most emphatic U is Uganda and though I never had a chance to finish those couple of weeks in Uganda, it will be etched upon mind for years to come. What an experience and what a new challenge, a lesson well-learnt that being outside your comfort zone, pushing yourself to do new things, meet new people and teach in a remarkably different country is ultimately the most rewarding experience of life. Volunteer Uganda have really left a great impression on me, and I'd like to thank them for everything they have done and are doing. I will really miss Kanungu, the lodge, KPPS and most importantly all the volunteers, team-leaders, lodge staff, VU drivers, school staff, and many others who I had the privilege to meet in a great six weeks away from home. Webele Munonga!

Some highlights:



  •  The biblical football match in the thunderstorm. 6-4 drama, a still-healing knee to remember it by, stones, mud, swimming pool like puddles, the funniest game to watch probably, face paint. What a game. One of many good games.
  • Binyoni: Canoeing, swimming, late nights, nice break away from teaching. It is a shame we didn't go more. Apart from the three hour wait for lunch, the scorching weather and camping made up for it.
  • The opportunity to teach at Kirima Parents Primary School, have a class of forty-five wonderful kids, and awesome teachers like Ambrose and Dennis to work with! Thank you Devon, Nikki and Clare for helping me settle in so quickly!
  • Safari, the animals, losing to Aaron in an eat-off at the buffet, expensive wal.... I mean chimp trekking with Kerry and Stuart, and snoozing on top of the VU vans surrounded by wildlife, and the memories of the group mocking me for my appreciation of bird-watching! Sorry for my attempts at David Attenborough.
  • Bungee jumping killed my fear of heights
  • The VU vans and Apollo's mad driving skills
  • Transporting a machete successfully home without being stopped by authorities!
  • Thanks for the 22nd in Kampala. Kampala 1 Matt 0. What a great day and sad one leaving you all :(
  • Lodge, chats around the fire-place, the banda, breakfasts and all the sleep-talking by Oliver.
  • Kerry, Stuart, Joseph, Cerys, Harrigan, Joanne, Nikki, Robyn, Devon, Georgia, Diesel, Cat, Gillian, Benedict, Maz, Jake, Frances, Aaron, Connie, Claire, Ollie and Clare. Thank you, I look forward to keeping in touch and it was great seeing some of you at the VU Christmas Party! 
Thank you Volunteer Uganda! Best bunch of muzungus and individual bzungus!
These were but a few highlights of many, and I will carry these memories for a very long time. The three U's have offered different challenges throughout 2013 be it the painstaking dissertation, deadlines, and exams to taking a leap at the River Nile, and teaching a class. But almost every person this year I have met has helped me throughout and for that I'd like to thank each and every one of you. It has been a pretty epic year, and it has been rounded off as perfectly planned with a chilled out Christmas with family in Edinburgh, perfect home comforts.  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I prefer this one though! 


Matt Williams

Countries and Cities on the check list so far for Gap Year 2013-2014


England (Nottingham, Cambridge, London, Canterbury) Don't think these really count.....
Scotland (Edinburgh and Stornoway)
U.S.A (San Francisco, Yosemite, Mammoth Lakes, San Jose, Monterrey, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego, Williams, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Dallas, Austin, Galveston, New Orleans, Atalanta, North Carolina, Washington D.C, Philadelphia, New York)
Uganda (Kampala, Entebbe, and Kanungu)
Austria (Lech)
Switzerland (Zurich)

South Africa, Asia, Dublin, Sweden........2014??? Who knows ;)

New Year's Resolutions



  • Standard hitting of the gym and exercise, Christmas and travel have left me in shabbiness.
  • Raise £2000 for Inspiring Futures on a cycle to somewhere in Europe hopefully. Can't to start raising money!
  • Get to South Africa and Asia some way or somehow!
  • Not being conned into taking those 'Vitamin Tablets' again.

















Tuesday, 3 December 2013

Experiencing Volunteer Uganda: Week 1 at the Lodge


Six weeks are past, twelve weeks for some and six weeks for the previous volunteers who left us when we arrived at the lodge and I can say we all had the unique experience of a lifetime as a group. Being back day after day has reinforced that belief, that the sadness that accompanies being home directly emphasizes how special a time we had together as a group and as part of Volunteer Uganda. Okay I'll admit having a slice of cheese pizza, a warm shower and a bacon sandwich is nice after weeks and weeks of posho, but the cold showers, posho and rice plus many other things we aren't used to is part of the story as well. This will be one of my longer posts and I'll try to fit in as much detail as I can to describe what has been a phenomenal six weeks be it the island at Binyoni, the atmosphere at the Lodge, the safari and most importantly of all being at the schools providing education to many hundreds of students in the Kanungu region ensuring that they have better futures.  So as Dr. Seuss would say "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened!"  Lets rewind a few weeks back to the first day driving to the lodge from Kampala.

It was a groggy early morning rise and I had heard the team had had quite a night at the Jinja bar (skipping ropes and flipping cups), whilst Jo and I perhaps because of the whiskey on the rocks in the pool did not and went to bed. What followed whilst preparing for our trip to Kampala was a catastrophic series of events where laptop cable, mobile phone and watch nearly culminated in my biggest loss of the trip. Luckily all were found. We had our final hot showers (bar an absolutely scalding one at Kampala backpackers), packed our things and made our way to Kampala where we would be spending only one night before a twelve hour drive to Kanungu which we would start at six in the morning. The drive from Jinja back to Kampala was fairly average as was the weather, a bit of smog noticeably had collected over Kampala and could be seen more clearly than the previous day on the cities' outskirts. We arrived at Kampala backpackers and settled down with the girls and boy's sharing a dormitory, opening a few beers and preparing for a night out in Kampala together. Robyn amused herself with the ukulele, whilst me, Aaron, Stu, Jo and Ollie were bemused by all the compliments that they were giving each other whilst donning dress and make-up. We then decided to see if would work with the opposite sex and frankly it didn't when we tested a few compliments on Sam. The night out began and Mish Mash, where we met Andy and Chris the other team leaders, and ended at another club (which considering I had my birthday there on return to Kampala I cannot remember) where we all bonded over shisha, beers, tequila (Cat's particular favorite which was coming to light) and a good dance (Stu being a talented fellow as was Ollie). 

The next morning, after one hour's sleep, was a bit of blur, everyone being a tad hungover. We threw our stuff together and headed out sharply, and were bemused that we lost half hours sleep, the team-leaders having pre-longed their sleep possibly (Sam vehemently arguing against this). For the first time of many we hopped into the Volunteer Uganda vans and left for Kanungu. The first third of the trip was sleep for all I imagine and we stopped at the equator briefly and got a few snaps. In all honesty it wasn't that exciting apart from the fact with were making a transition from northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere which was pretty good. After this those had chosen to see returned to the van and our next stop before we would hit the rough roads of Kanungu and the surrounding regions was to collect food and drinks for breakfast/lunch. Little did we know how much more we should have grabbed! Originally I found the roads to be quite exciting, the unpredictability and being thrown about fun, but this soon changed after increasing rub on the butt, and having your head knocked numerous times against the side of the van, Joe's back taking a bit of a beating on the road likewise and his mood darkened as the trip progressed. Thankfully we shared a bag of bread rolls which cheered him up slightly. We found out that the back was the most worst part of the bus to sit in for comfort's sake. Driving up through the mountains to Kanungu was amazing despite the detox from the previous night. The countryside reminded very much of a tropical Switzerland or Austria at the height of the summer with an array of bright green slopes, plants and brownish roads, the sun occasionally emerging out of the clouds to light up the hills in an array of colors. If investment went into the region, the roads were improved and more the region would have been an even better place to live! We were likewise given a taster of the Ugandan weather. Rain, rain, sun, rain, sun, rain and little more sun, perhaps a bit of cloud. When you are peering over a cliff edge and the van is slipping and sliding down a slope less than smoothly it makes for quite a nerve-wracking ride. 


Views in Kanungu/Bwindi
Forty-five minutes away and Chris received a call from Carla, all the volunteers and herself excited to have us arriving and what followed was yet another corner or mountain to traverse which left me increasingly impatient and grumpy to get there. Finally we turned that final corner and one the hill lay Volunteer Uganda's lodge with some mad mzungu's atop the balcony over looking the road and hills of Kanungu/Bwindi National Forest waving frantically at us, screaming. These were our twelve weekers', the rest of the staff welcoming us and what followed was hug's, handshakes, a flurry of names and the proper beginning of Volunteer Uganda. We met Connie, Jake, Joanne, Ben, Cerys, Georgia, Gillian, Harry (who claimed to be a team-leader), Devon, Niki, Clare, Frances, Rebekah, Luca and then Frank, Mackie, Pricilla, Dennis, Ellie, Muzeey John and more. It was a big occasion, some names had to be revised and remembered, it almost reminded me of the beginning of University, but this time it was better. After dropping off our bags in the banda's, we proceeded to sit around the fire and get to know each other. Sunday's meal comprised of pork which the twelve weekers were very excited about and we were to appreciate meat more often as the weeks progressed and received our official welcome at the lodge by Carla, Chris, Graeme, Sam and Andy.


The Lodge
The lodge itself was very lovely place to stay, the team-leaders with their individual bandas and the volunteers sharing bandas together with a balcony and Nile High bar on the outside that had the most fantastic view of Bwindi National Forest, the Democratic Republic of Congo on a clear day to be seen in the distance and Rwanda a mere three hours down the road. Seat were placed around the fire on the balcony and this made for many a good night of chats, discussion, reading time, catch some rays after school or on the weekend and quiet time gazing at the stars (when it wasn't raining). Let's not forget the basecamp it provided for Dilroop and Joseph to light up. We also used the deck to do our cards routine which everyone got involved in to keep our shape with the overload of carbohydrates. I'd thought exercise would have been a big problem coming out to Uganda. Far from it! :) On our second day we were treated to our first football match in Uganda where we crushed the locals 5-1 and then restarted mixing up the teams. Harry was our keeper who kicked and punched the ball in any direction, Joseph our right winger who attempted foolish tricks sometimes and Ollie was our consistent striker, whilst Georgia was our powerful no-nonsense right back who always had Julius or any other player in her pocket (mostly). Jake was our playmaker and with his token hairband, Andy our very serious player, Devon and Aaron provided necessary muscle and power to our midfield and defense, Ben hunted down opponents with eagerness and tenacity worthy of Carlos Tevez, but in an interesting tank top and sorts and Maz was our fearless Messi-esque dribbler. I was mostly slipping and sliding/ on the floor of the left-wing in the coming weeks. VU F.C was in motion again after a week's slumber whilst Clare, Carla and many others were doing plenty of running, which would come to a climz in the 12km run to Kirima!

Posho, Rice and Beans!

The first week at the lodge was spent adapting to our new surrounding and the best part was obviously our five day limited resource teaching training programme (LRTT) where us six week newbies underwent a rigorous crash-course in teaching with the help of Sam and the advice of Frank (who also taught us some basic Rukiga along the way). Breaks were brief, but the lunch of chips and vegetables or g-nut sauce with spaghetti was amazing and the latter in particular was never ever an issue for the rest of the trip. Also have to admit ketchup substitute was actually pretty good to! During the week we were given a chance to visit Kirima Parents Primary School where Niki, Devon and Clare had been teaching the previous six weeks. They taught P4, P6 and P5 and we got our first taste of beans, rice and posho and a chance to watch teachers in action. Kerry, me and Ollie were perplexed by the twenty minutes of singing and dancing and that the teacher only wrote three sentences on the board in the whole lesson! The locals take mountains worth of it, but most of us decided, bar Ollie who went up for seconds, to have a moderate amount! Kirima was the flagship school in Kanungu and it was a great honor to be shown around the place by Teacher Ambrose and the headmaster Dennis. We were also introduced to Kirima's school children, some of us showing off our Rukiga. After introductions of music, clapping and song we were then obligatorily swarmed, swamped and engulfed by a tidal wave of school children who clung on to your arms (Aaron) and dragged you down (Cat). It was mad, but amazing fun and luckily Robyn managed get a few snaps that day of us with the children, a real warm-up (quite literally) of what we were in for in the coming weeks :D


Eventually we were ready to do micro-teaching and though the first attempt by me to teach was a bit of a nightmare, the second attempt went smoothly and really well for everyone on the 25th October. We were split into groups between Grahaeme and Sam and Chris and Carla at Great Lakes Regional College where Luca and Rebekah did their work for Research Uganda which as per usual had some incredible views and insights into how the college was developing, some parts of the new building material taking months to arrive. For the benefits however it was certainly worth the wait! Cat, Kerry, me, Diesel (who was suffering from illness :( ), Ollie and Maz were assigned to the former and all of us did really well, Kerry teaching time, Maz fractions, Ollie proverbs (provebs as he wrote on the board), Cat (sentence structure, her techniques coming handy later for me at Kirima) and myself accidents. Couldn't have gone better for any of us and after a really stressful week of contemplating whether I could teach a bunch of badly behaved kids out to get me, I left the second micro-teaching lesson feeling much more confident about my ability to teach the children and in an active way. Plus it was a sunny day and after our first week at the lodge we were to the learn the phrase from the rest of the group "Thank God it's Friday!" We finished off a great week for all, with numerous Nile Specials, a toast around the fire for the six weekers who were now ready to teach in Kanungu. The rest of the group returned and we had a treat of dinner outside as the sun set in a beautiful array of red, yellow and light purple.


25th October 2013


Meal outside!

At this point I'd really like to thank Sam and Frank so much for taking us through the intensive week and at the same time making it so enjoyable and interesting. As Joe correctly said I feel like a bit of a dick to my teachers now! Graeme's best piece of advice was "You're there to teach them not to be their friend." Obviously I became fond of my kids as time went by, however this particular piece of advice alleviated a lot of personal pressure.

The weekend was a matter of patience waiting for our class to be assigned to us by the team-leaders based upon everything they had seen about us since we arrived and how our performances in micro-teaching had gone. The waiting involved a first trip to Kanungu town and preparation for the lodge's Halloween party. Stuart and Aaron lost a bet in town that I could not eat three three egg rolexes in a row and although the third one required a bit of ketchup to finish the demolition job, I just about succeeded in finishing the task. The cold beer afterwards for everyone went down very nicely We had randomly picked names out of a cup and had to improvise in the market and pick whatever we could to fashion a decent costume. I'll admit mine for Kerry was pretty naff, I could have done better although the bright orange and lime-green sandles was an attempt to go for a sort of 1970s/80s space hero. It just didn't work. Sorry Kerry. Others were pretty impressive, Joe and Joanne were attached together, Aaron, a very fat Friar, Maz and Jake were tigers, Gillian a lion with a pink dress for a mane, Harry some sort of butterfly and Robyn a chav, Andy, Graeme and Chris just had short-skirts, Georgia a werewolf, Claire a pumpkin, Connie a tribal woman, and Stuart a mummy. There were many costumes and it worked out for an absolute belter of a party at the Nile High Bar, some of which I do not recall.  


The next day involved a bit of recovery, lesson planning for our first day of teaching and finding out which class we had been assigned to and which twelve weekers we would be working with in the coming weeks. A dinner the announcements were made, following Graehame's particular favourite of everyone banging the table. I was the first to be announced and I was assigned to Kirima Parents Primary School with Niki, Devon and Clare. I was taking Beth's class, a P3 class of forty-five kids. I was somewhat surprised that I had been assigned such a large class, but hey new challenges are fun and running a class of forty-five provided that :). Dilroop was assigned a P4 class of nineteen with Joanne and Frances at Kindergatten, whilst Robyn (P4, 23) and Ollie (P5,30) were paired up to work with Cerys at Kyeijanga. Joe and Kerry were paired up to work at Makiro, Joe recieving (bar Claire) one of the largest classes at the lodge. Cat and Maz were assigned P4 and P5 with the lively Harrigon Phillips at Model and Claire and Aaron would be teaching at Kiruhinda with large classes of fourty-five and fifty. Finally Stuart would be with Connie and Georgia at Standard Academy, where I'd hear a lot of stories of Stu's class!


The first week was over, it had been an interesting one. We'd settled in at the lodge, been through the rigours of teacher training and the twelve weekers had all been amazing with the advice on how to deal with the kids and teach them well. The dreaded first day was approaching! Shredded nerves of teaching in a new environment would come to provide amazing experience, new friends, and new challenges.


New Teachers!

Things learnt: Harry was not a team-leader and it turns out that I had been conned, Munonga had to be in front of everything, Boy's Banda Rules, TIA could finally be put to use, f**k carrying a large stake around for an entire night! Never play the game 'Pull something from a bag' with Claire, bed dismounts, Ollie's sleep-talking and anger at spiders and Aaron leaving the dorm to go to the toilet.

Highlights: Benedict, Jake, Gillian, Harry, Frances, Clare, Niki, Devon, Connie, Cerys, Joanne, Georgia, Luca, Rebekah and the rest of the team had all been met! Halloween was pretty awesome as well! Teacher training with Frank and Sam.

Matthew Williams



Friday, 18 October 2013

Experiencing Volunteer Uganda

"One who sees something good must narrate it"

Ugandan proverb


To say I'm going into the unknown would be an understatement. I have harped on to friends, family, strangers and anyone within reach about Uganda, Africa and travelling there almost to the point of border-line obsession. Across the U.S.A I devoted plenty of reading time to books (Kindle) on this diverse continent, but lets face it, it is one thing to read about Africa and one thing to experience it, the diversity, the unique cultures that vary so dramatically from country to country and most importantly engaging with the people around you and the organizations determined to lift this developing continent. Uganda is part of this African family, a part of the uniqueness and diversity I elude to and for six weeks (I honestly wish it had been twelve now!) I will be experiencing something completely new and different from Morocco in 2009 and 2010. Winston Churchill branded Uganda "The Pearl of Africa" and where I am based currently in Jinja overlooking the River Nile it is fair to say he was not far off in the slightest in his description.

South-western Uganda: Bwindi Region, Kanungu
Malaria tablets have been prescribed to me by the doctor and three days in advance they will have to be taken every morning at 8 am. After plenty of kill-time in London it was finally time to leave for the long anticipated flight, a job and adventure which will offer me more than the U.S did. The sleepless flight was worth it for the landing with a fantastic sunrise emerging from the darkness of night in a beautiful array of colours with navy blue transitioning to red, pink and violet and finally to bright sunshine which broke up the mist hanging over the hills of Uganda. Less roads, no densely grouped buildings (until Kampala), dusty red roads and landing into Entebbe airport just off Lake Victoria; Uganda had finally arrived.


Following an easy bag pick-up, a surprising security scan which prompted a minor delay getting through the airport joining Volunteer Uganda (VU) was close as seen by the red polo-top disappearing outside the airport. Clearly security in Uganda had been tightened in the last few weeks in the wake of al-Shabaab’s terrorist attack in Nairobi last month. Uganda, whose troops are based in Somalia have been the target of al-Shabaab prior to these events. It was interesting though to see a proper AK-47 for the first time. I quickly rendezvoused with Sam, a member of the VU team and we were soon joined by Claire, Dee, and Ollie who had experienced extensive delays in Entebbe airport security.

After exchanging dollars for Ugandan shillings we made our way (in the classic VU van) to Entebbe backpackers (the nearby hostel) where we met Kerry and Stuart who had arrived from Singapore the day before after some extensive travelling (3-4 months) across Asia including Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. A day of chilling was the order of the day in Entebbe in which we settled down nicely at the nearby Victoria Hotel where the group would get to know each other over a few beers and later some chicken and chips fresh of the markets stands at lunch time, after a few backflips of the diving board at the pool. Before that the group was joined by Joseph (from Australia and based at Melbourne University) who had been travelling since June across Western and Eastern Europe. He had left his group to join VU to help out in Central Africa. It was a diverse group of individuals with different aims in life but committed to the same purpose for the following six weeks in Uganda and the ages ranging between 18 and 23. Some of us are fresh out of school, postgraduates who have just left University, people taking time out of normal working life for a different experience in Africa, or travellers on their gap year or simply trying to find some inspiration from an experience such as VU. It was quite the variety of both different and similar experiences to which we could all bond over. So far it seems for courses at university we have an odd mixture of history, international relations and psychology!

After a few snoozes during the day (the flights taking their toll), those who had so far arrived went out for a top meal at a nice restaurant just down the road from the hostel. We were joined by team leader Graham who along with Sam were very content  with a glass of wine after a hectic few days of rounding up volunteers and dropping of those who were leaving after six weeks. A grilled steak cooked rare, with roast potatoes and covered in mushroom sauce and two local beers (The Nile Special) for about six pounds, the great deals for food out here are staggering to say the least. Seventy-five to one pound for a bear (3000-4000 shillings) meant that the Ugandans were not fond of those attempting to break the fifty thousand shilling notes.

Following a long rest in a bed covered by mosquito nets, a first experience for many of us we arose to meet Katrina (another Australian who had arrived at a painful 3 a.m), Aaron, Marianne and Robin who had arrived at a similar time to us the previous morning. Robyn has already been to a few countries in Africa including Tunisia, South Africa, and Ethiopia her parents taking her along as missionaries for the latter teaching and the other for mainly the tourist destinations. Aaron and Marianne had, like Kerry and Stuart, been travelling across Asia for a fair few months. Both graduates from University (Aaron from Liverpool and Marianne from Sheffield) they had similar aims of going into teaching. Most of the group seem to have the intention to go into primary or secondary education whether it be via Teach First, the PGCE or another institution, some of whom, such as Sam were going to re-join on return.

What can I say about Uganda? Well currently I am sitting at a bar overlooking the River Nile gleaming in the late afternoon sunshine sipping the Nile Special while the others are rafting along it so I can simply say it is quite a remarkable place, a stunning natural beauty blessed with vibrant, enthusiastic people. The country is obviously very green, with lush, tropical vegetation and the temperature ranges from a cool 15 C at night to highs of 28-29 C in the afternoons that is expected during the dry season, and it is not as humid as I expected (yet). Obviously there is plenty of wildlife and the best seen so far is the couple of giant matabu stalks nesting in the tree by the roadside in Entebbe. Intimidating and apparently scavengers, that is all I know about these particular birds, I’m a poor man’s David Attenborough at best. Although in the coming weeks I’m sure I’ll get a chance to try my best at my interpretations of mother nature, the lake at Biyonyi is meant to be second to none for bird watching in the next couple of weeks.

Following an official welcome to Volunteer Uganda by Graham on the bus to Jinja, the group started to get a sense of what Ugandan society was like (obviously in Kanungu we will start to really under understand rural Ugandan culture). Transport is similar to the hectic and chaotic traffic in the streets of Marrakech in Morocco that I remember a few years back packed with lorries and buses churning up dust and honking suicidal cyclists carrying excessive loads of bananas on their backwheels and motorbikes keen to give people lifts to get to their destination quickly I didn't realise foolishly that we were travelling to Jinja through Kampala, but the capital of Uganda which we will see more of on Saturday is busy and packed by traffic, but Mish Mash promises to be quite a good night out in Kampala. It is like any city; packed, densely populated and never seems to stop still for a moment. Anyone who stops here faces being squished by some crazy motorcyclist, especially the ones trying to offer you the newspaper through the window at the crossroads! 

The marked difference I have noticed so far is the gap between rich and poor. Modernized building are often positioned next to building built by improvisations, markets selling an array of bright clothing, massive piles of fruit and meat or are sites on which plenty of bricks are made by local workers left to dry in the sunshine. The shanty towns are made with impressive improvisation with wood, scrap metal and whatever the locals can get their hands on.  I did not kid myself though, the poverty at times was eye opening and does seem to contextualize first world problems and your own problems, rendering them ridiculous in the face of people, often desperately, trying to make ends meet.

A vibrant, young population Uganda has been ravaged by the AIDs epidemic in the past, the cases in 1990 a continent high at twenty two per cent and the prevalence among the adult population at one point in Kampala being registered at twenty-seven per cent, the highest in Africa at the time. Uganda nevertheless has tried to tackle the problem of AIDs and HIV more effectively and with more purpose than many other African countries, some of whom ignore the problem or deny it. This has at times compounded deep-seated economic and political problems past and present in Uganda since the reign of Idi Amin. Now a democratic dictatorship under the tricky customer Museveni Uganda is an interesting political climate to work under, but is an atypical example of African big-men holding on to political power and dominating the political landscape of the country (Museveni since 1987!). Nevertheless, the people seem very friendly, and are a young and lovely population to work with. They wear an array of clothing, traditional colourful dresses worn by many of the women, smart school uniforms and formal clothing worn by many of the men. The children wave and smiled at us as the bus past by and just make getting to Kanungu more exciting for us all, bar of course the horrific ten to twelve hour drive to south-west Uganda.

Jinja where we are based now provided us with a special treat; bungee jumping and rafting at ‘Adrift’ which overlooks the River Nile which is magnanimous in its size and breadth across Africa and the main source of hydro-electric power for Uganda. Though I did not partake in the rafting I heard it was unmissable experience, a combination of grade five rapids, and extreme exposure to the sunshine and a top of the range experience in Uganda and the world for rafting. It uniqueness is that is grade five and extremely safe for even novices because of the size of the Nile leaving lots of room for the paddlers being flipped out of the boat on occasion. Bar me, Claire, Dee, Joseph and Robin everyone took part while we chilled by the pool.

I had the chance to bungee jump along with Dee, Ollie, Stuart, Sam and Graham from a bird’s eye view of the Nile extending into the distance in the afternoon sun. Not bad at all! Personally I chose to bungee because I have some messed up need for an adrenaline fix. Doing things that terrify me provide me with exhilaration on completion and considering I loathed heights doing bungee was a personal objective to exorcise some particular demons. Doing it was a must and I would have regretted not doing it. Originally Ollie was to go first but the heaviest person had to go first and at eighty-three kilograms that person would be me. This was only communicated to me at the top when turning back was not an option. A decent crowd though, good encouragement from the group and the instructors (who would push me if I didn’t jump) and the precise instruction not to look down helped me achieve it though and some serious mental control not to brick it and bottle it. Free-falling was epic, didn’t say anything after I jumped until I bounced up a second time, realized I was bun-geeing and screamed ‘Holy Shit!’. It was a great experience one that I will remember well for a very long time and the extent to which me and Ollie had burnt our shoulders as seen in the snapshots. Dee made some decent money off of jumping despite her prolonged stand the edge and Stuart managed a ninja style jump whilst Ollie did it in a composed and professional way.

The teams bonding activities have been followed swiftly by a great meal of Spaghetti Bolognese, beer and a few shots in a kayak hanging upside down in the bar/restaurant. Kampala tomorrow and then on to Kanungu where our intensive teacher training course will begin, no warm showers and most importantly meeting the rest of the team. On the basis of the first few days this is going to an epic trip.

Matt Williams

Monday, 30 September 2013

Gap Year Week 16

The U.S.A is history for now. Experiences will live long in the memory though and perhaps despite the fact I may have overspent in the trip, I can satisfyingly conclude that it was worth every penny. Now it just planning, applications, more planning, visiting friends in Nottingham and in Canterbury, more planning, and preparing for Uganda. 

I think I may be more excited for this trip than the U.S.A. But first things first before I started all this. Gears of War Judgement, Gears of War, Gears of War 2 and Gears of War 3 with Rupert Arvidsson. You'd have thought that spending seven weeks with him would kill you, but to be perfectly honest it was a task that had to be done. We only completed one out of four after twelve eye sizzling hours. You'd also have thought we should have been playing the newly released Grand Theft Auto V, but to be honest I was never a fan (idiot). It was great to see James again as well and have a night out in Canterbury. 

University's of choice to apply for the fearsome Masters:

  • School of Oriental African Studies
  • UCL
  • King's College London
  • St. Andrews
There were so many damn topics to choose from you just don't know where to start or choose. This with time will narrow down although to be fair 'Global Governance and Ethics' at UCL sounds like a pretty nerdy topic to pick out all the ones encountered so far. References, Application fees, link after link after link it certainly does strain the eyes staring at screens for hours on end, but I guess it was always going to be a drawn out process. Honestly, can't wait to do the Masters and live in London! Converted from hating the city to loving it, countryside boy turned anonymous urban dweller. 

It is also strange to come home and you live somewhere else. I settled in well to Cambridge and the city is a nice place to live, close to Nottingham and close to London or vice-versa if I want to be in London sometime. The house just reminds me of Chilham house a few years back during school! Spending a cheeky weekend in Nottingham seeing all the friends was also a welcome relief from all the thinking, applications, and organizing places to travel.

- Ugandan Visa
- Malaria Tablets
- A heinous amount of injections for yellow fever, meningitis, typhoid and Hepatitis A that leaves the arm aching.
- Malaria tablets: seventy five to be taken two days before the trip and one month after return.
- First Aid Kit.
- Collecting books together for the kids when I arrive in Uganda.
- Footballs and Sleeping Bag.

Matthew Williams

Tuesday, 24 September 2013

Gap Year Week 15: Final Week + a bit in the U.S.A


My eyes flew open, and I rolled over and groaned in agony. Headache, dry-mouth, room spinning I must say it was quite the hangover and what's worse a supreme lack of sleep as me and Ollie had gone to sleep at 5 in the morning a mere 3 hours ago. We had arranged for Christine to pick us up at 8:30 and after throwing our stuff together, saying a brief goodbye to Dakota, we blundered into the car and set off for our train I myself forced to abandon my shoes, marginally intoxicated but delighted about possibly one of the best nights we had all had. College Party is bloody awesome!


I am behind schedule so instead of lecture and storytelling I'll summarize these few days !

We then did Washington

Summary:



  • You can blitz four museums (The Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Natural History Museum, The Air and Space Museum and the Museum of American History in a day) and all the memorials and the White House. Just be prepared for some painful feet. Try not to wear flip-flops, my feet were grimier than a grimy hobo's feet as Ollie pointed out.
  • China Town, Fast Food, and finding out the horrific cost of the trip. Not bad for four 21 year olds!
  • The Holocaust Memorial Museum was one of the most harrowing, horrible, upsetting, but god damn amazing experience with very important lessons to be learnt.
  • You cannot stuff Pandas! 
We then did Philadelphia:

Summary:
  • Cheese Steak from Philadelphia is great :D
  • We ate at none other than Panda Express to squeals of delight, but came to the conclusion we may have overdone Panda in Vegas.
  • Philadelphia was the last place we had to watch damn American television!
  • Could have seen more, but time constraints and the promise of New York limited Phily unfortunately



and then we did New York 

Summary:

  • Free boat, epic view of the city skyline and the Statue of Liberty = bargain
  • Hostel was amazing, but expensive.
  • Hostel trip to bar with $1 dollar pints of Budweiser, $10 is all you need and putting on Tenacious D in a bar was something I haven't heard every day and it was great!
  • Me and Ollie became far too good at ping pong in New York.
  • Alan! What a guy on his way to San Francisco. Danish and top guy.
  • Selfies on the Empire State Building check....
  • Ground Zero doesn't disappoint. It is humbling but they have overly commercialized it. It is a bit much when you have to buy a 9/11 memorial key ring...
  • American Pub showing Premier League football, different matches on 10 different screens, cider in the morning. Unbeatable.
  • American Eagle had its way with us financially.
  • Abercrombie and Fitch broke Rupert financially 
  • (Rupert) Shampoo 
  • Reminiscing with the guys in the bar and Dominoes after a great trip was a top highlight :)
Most popular group quote of the trip has to be: How jer fand me! and the rest of this scene, goodness knows why...


Personal Top Three Cities: San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas
Personal Top Experiences: Yosemite Park, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Route 66, College Party, Venice Beach, Wendy's, Ihop.
Never visit: Atlanta, downtown L.A or the edge of Austin, the latter consists of nothing but highways.
P.S. A particular apology must go to Ollie and Charlie who had to put up with innumerable film quotes from me and Rupert which I imagine must have been pestering and perplexing and most probably unnerving. 




Signing out for this week with my favorite song of the trip and it was played going into Yosemite Valley. One of the best days I won't forget! Been a good trip boys and I'll miss all the laughs! Good music, good food, good times.

Matthew Williams



Gap Year: Week 14: U.S.A Trip

Back for a week and a bit but updated what I wrote on the plane

We are above the Atlantic, seven weeks are up and it is time to head home. It is the 16th September and since my last entry in Atlanta so much has happened, so much has been done and so many things have been seen. What a trip the group can reflect on as the plane set off from New York in the cliche evening sunset with the Big Apple's skyline to be seen in the distance, the nearly complete Freedom Tower looming above it.

After a late night in Atlanta updating two weeks of the blog, the first thing we did was set out to find Ollie's Holy Grail Wallmart to pass the time in Atlanta. In all honesty the city is a transport hub, a place where people change flights, a commercial city centre mainly composed of TV and media stations. This was certainly not a place where Peter Parker or Bruce Wayne would strive to defend. They rightly preferred New York/fictitious Gotham. It was a fairly dull place only satisfied by Wallmart and a trip to the Waffle House; the latter delivering waffles glazed in chocolate chips, maple syrup with side orders of bacon and eggs. Wallmart provided T-shirts for around $5 and me and Charlie did not pass off the opportunity to seize some T-shirts to replace some old and well-worn tops. Interestingly as well Wallmart also sold machete's for $6.95, a tempting purchase just so I could say 'I brought a machete at Wallmart, what the hell!?'. Guns also lined some of the shelves albeit not in numerous numbers. They were mainly for hunting and a bit pricey to purchase. The kill-time for the remainder of the day was Internet, T.V, gym and a venture out to 'Noodles' for some large and tasty portions of Asian food (a refreshing change to the seemingly endless conveyor belt of burgers). The Premier League transfer deadline also provided some excitement . We needed less time as summarised by 'In Time' Justin Timberlake's rather dull movie.

The next was a drawn-out drive to North Carolina which had to be done in good time so that we could drop off the car successfully at the Alamo depot and be available for pick up. Added to this was that it was our final car journey we wanted to simply get on with it so that thousands of miles of driving could finally be complete. South Carolina was where we stopped off for our final Wendy's of the trip before the state border to North Carolina was crossed. After the car was dropped off Ward Procto picked us up on the edge of the roadside in the grass (His family we would meet briefly in North Carolina). North Carloina was quite different to all the places we had been before and proved that the trip could keep throwing up pleasant surprises. Though humid (90.F) their were plenty of things to see that could help us cope with the heat. North Carolina provided beautiful pine forests, fields of soy beans and tobacco and vineyards aplenty in the sunshine, a welcome relief after the rather average time in Atlanta. I commented to Rupert that it was very similar to Sweden with the familiar scenery of lakes, trees and surprising degree of variety in weather.


Christine and her boisterous husband David were there to welcome us and straight away proved extremely hospitable in helping us settle down into their home, a lovely white house situated in the countryside of North Carolina that was very similar in part to Forrest Gump's house. Added to the fact three dogs were there, family pets something we had not seen in a while it was a great place to sit back and relax after some severe mileage with us lucky devils being provided with home-made lasagna, plenty of salad, the first home-made food since San Jose, which was pretty amazing. It was starting to hit us all how far we had come. We were given great accommodation, a bugalow laden with watermelon, banana's, poptarts (basically like eating cake for breakfast), cereal and savory snacks. Me and Charlie took the beds whilst Ollie and Rupert made do with floor and sofa.


The following day was largely composed of visiting Wallmart (again), visiting a typical comic book store (nerds) and Ollie and Charlie investing in some more technological equipment to pass the time. We returned to after a pint at the Aviator with the mosquito's feasting on us and relaxed the rest of the day playing worms, fruit ninja and Pokemon. I did not play the latter, but it would prove for the other three competitive, ruthless, amusing and angry (particularly Ollie) up until New York. I was lambasted by the other three for not investing my time when I was a child in the game and understandable upset Rupert and Charlie when I called 'Mewto' Meatron. After dinner we had a chance to speed around on a golf car until darkness fell and pushing the floundering vehicle buckling under the weight of five men reduced us to sweating wrecks. 


The next day was divided into three parts. We awoke and had agreed with David to do some shifting of wood across the road from Scott's house to his. In all honesty it was a good way to earn our stay because David and Christine had been so good to us. It was a very hot day and we drove David's truck over and start shifting large logs onto the truck, branches onto the piles equipped with gloves to do the job. Scott, an atypical red-neck appeared chainsaw in hand and their probably wasn't a person in the group who didn't think we were in trouble, but Scott proved to be a funny guy. He has a large build, slightly racist and ignorant, but we managed to overlook that as we talked about our times in California and his massive truck which consumed many gallons of gas per mile. After we had completed our work at noon, he invited me and Rupert in to consume some of his homemade rye whiskey to ease our suffering in the heat. It was well-made but as I took the shot glass, looking at the clear liquid I secretly contemplated saying goodbye to my eye-sight, fearing that it would largely be made of pure ethanol. Scott the red-neck has some kittens believe it or not as well which rubbed up against our ankles as we consumed the whiskey. After this he dropped us off back at David's and we spent a few hours cleaning up our scratches and washing the dirt from our faces and arms, nursing our increasing amounts of bites (Charlie and Ollie getting ravaged). This was all done after we blitzed it around David's land in his truck each taking a go, trees whipping those in the back in the face and those in the back also being flung around by some Charlie and Ollie. 



 
After this we made for the coast with David after packing a small sleep-over bag. Cramped legs and butts for a few hours and the car pulled up along the North Carolina beachline where we were treated by David to a few beers, relaxing in the warm evening sunshine setting in typical crimson fashion. This was then followed by not sea food as expected by most people who go to the coastline but by steaks and burgers, Rupert taking the oppurtunity to crush the cockroach scuttling around the restaurant. It was a hygenic place though don't get me wrong, and we left the restaurant to stay at Rosie and Bill's holiday house which was located two minutes walk from the beach. Before we stacked up on a few beers for the beach the next day. Rosie and Bill were both very kind, the former particular in pointing out her love for BBC, British television and specifically Luther. Let's just say after the shit we've seen in the last couple of weeks spewed out by American television it was a pleasant surprise. After a heavy session of Pokemon and me reading the old Kindle bed beckoned and I rose early and made my way to the beach. The beginning of quite a remarkable day which would involve beach, driving, Bojangles and a college party.

The Atlantic was reasonably warm, matched the Pacific water, nice and relaxing although after recent stories of sharks, the Jaws effect I did not swim out to far and was relieved as Christine mentioned later Tristan very nearly at a young age had his toes nibbled by a curious and probably ravenous shark. Could have been me this time. I was joined by Rupert and Ollie and finally Chalie, David and Bill morning chilling, swimming and throwing stones or alternately skimming them along the surface of the ocean. After a beer we left our final beach of the trip and made our way back to David's house after a extremely good time by the beach under the good graces of Rosie and Bill. We naturally stopped by Bojangles on the way back, where chicken and biscuits were consumed? The biscuits were in reality scones amusingly. In England you can get scones and jam, in the U.S.A you can get scones and fried chicken.

On arrival back, Dominoes, finalizing packing for staying at Dakota's at North Carolina University and numerous pictures to be taken were done in the 'big house! as Rupert called it: "In the big house?!?!" 1:32 onwards in video.

The house was very similar but not with 19th century attitudes thankfully and fter that Christine drove us very kindly to North Carolina University. Driving into the University was quite upsetting for me and Rupert as it reminded us loud and clear that we were no longer at University. We groaned and wailed whilst Ollie and Charlie reflected on the fact that University awaited them on return it with a great deal of satisfaction(third year though so we'll see whose laughing later in the year when dissertation and exams pile up). The campus reminded me of Nottingham University alot but on a much larger American scale, but really cool campus and many a few building that reminded me of Hugh Stewart Hall, the dreaded Hallward Library and more. We eventually drove past the fabled Frat Party ongoing and considered whether or not to crash that specific party but refrained from doing so. Still the college had a major streets full of restaurants and bars that were easily accessible from Dakota's. In the end one bar was all that was needed to make the night epic.

Firstly though Christine showed us into Dakota's flat where we made camp and then quickly head out to a bar to pass the hour while we waited for Dakota and all shared a final drink with Christine. The bar was situated on a nice balcony overlooking the main street where all the students hang out. After several beers which had blueberries in them (pretty tasty) we said our goodbyes to Christine after we had joined Dakota.

Matthew Williams



Monday, 2 September 2013

Week 13 Gap Year: Week 4 and a half in the U.S.A




Now sitting in Atlanta, one of the more plain cities that the group has been to since arrival a month ago. I say this because I walked around it at twenty minutes at night and a long drive. 2nd of September and arrived on the 29th July. It seems quite unimaginable it has been that long and how quickly the time has gone by especially after arriving in Texas. After the ferocity in which we embraced Las Vegas it was at first depressing, but now slightly
unsurprising that the trip slumped for a few days. Scant sleep in Vegas, long distances travelled in days and relentlessly filling in a tight schedule and on a constant high on the west coast, Dallas and Austin (the latter of which we were all gutted about) were spent recovering and shifting from Dallas to Austin.

Dallas as expected we did not see in great detail, virtually seen in darkness on arrival at Dallas/Fortworth airport in a pricey taxi and then rushed to the train station in the morning. That was not surprising. At the train station things took a slight dip when our train scheduled to turn up at 11:15 turned up fifty minutes late. Never have I witnessed a train go so agonisingly slowly as our second Amtrak train journey to Austin. How can a train go that slowly. Countless delays and endless technical difficulties. Drive or take the plane, the public system of transportation is scandelous bar San Francisco and San Diego. Amusingly the group also failed to check the location of our hotel in Austin, the location in the fourth largest city in the U.S.A coming back to haunt us. We had forgotten that Austin was an urban sprawl and it turns our we were stuck in a Bosworth Hotel at a major junction on the Northern Interstate Highway, one full-hour bus journey away from Austin and 6th Street, a city and place well-known as the most liberal city in Texas, full of bars and showcasing plenty of live-music. For Ollie inparticular I felt particualarly bad because we all knew how much he had been looking forward to Austin. It was a bad mistake not to check location and one that shall not be repeated. We struggled to find anything to do in the three days we were there! Applebees and 7/11 provided our much needed food as there wasn't even a mall nearby, but we drowned our sorrows on several cheap but very good pitchers at Applebees' bar and were lifted by the Texas waitresses going 'Hey y'all!'. Our two days there was extended to three as Rupert needed a day to recouperate after being struck down by sickness brought on by a variety of factors (still Charlie managed to get quite a good impression of the dire straits Rupert was in for that day). Lots of TV, a dodgy swimming pool, bites on Charlie's leg from a likely invested mattress and a gym with no air-conditioning in the humid air of Dallas, and not much good food nearby to get to, it was a plunge from the highs of the Elara Hotel. However now I look back on it, those three days recovery were quite important especially after two days of intense travel from Vegas to Dallas and Dallas to Austin. I guess it all caught up with us.

The bright side was that last Tuesday was a good day, the group had decided after recommendations from locals that Galveston on the Gulf of Mexico was a preferable destination to Houston and still close to the Space Center/NASA coveted by Charlie. We booked it up and after shifting a few dates forward after the extra day in Austin and picking up our rented car from Alamo in Austin airport (Hyundai Genesis, our best car yet) we set off for the coastline. A fairly long drive but that was helpd by some passing by what seemed like the whole Galveston police force surrounding a particular district and passing by NASA and Houston signs and arriving at the Gulf of Mexico sparkling in the late afternoon. It was cool to think we had another chance to surf and catch some sun and sea for the last time before we get home. The Gulf of Mexico was really, really warm. I don't think any of us have ever been in water quite that warm. The Pacific coast water was decent at times, but still quite cold, the Atlantic untouchable in my eyes and the Mediterrenean okay. Waves and just pulling pranks on each other in the warm evening sunshine was a nice relief after a long drive and a long couple of days. It really felt like the trip was back on track. Me, Ollie and Rupert stopped by 'The Crow' in town, Rupert the designated driver as we checked out the bars in Galveston. We met our geniune first red-neck Jesse James who was quite the character who told us of New Orleans and the promises ahead, not to mention his occasionally extreme views. The bar was really cool though, a standard American bar which has on its wall a Jeager Meister surfboard. I wish I could I have had that but alas I am a poor surfer.

This day proved to be my most glutenous of the trip so far. A breakfast and a half at Denny's  (which included scrambled eggs, pancakes with creamed butter, bacon, sausages, hashbrown, water, coffee, Charlie's hashbrown, Charlie's eggs, Rupert's sausages and Charlie's muffins) was followed by a watermelon challenge in Galveston were I managed to eat half a watermelon. This was shortly followed by all-you can eat buffet which culminated in the devouring of several salads, four small steaks, chips, a large Dr. Pepper and some chocolate cake. Pig. All I can say what followed the night after made me glad I had packed myself with food.

Another day spent by the beach and surfing (which was not as good as California in all honesty) and some shopping for food in the local mall and Charlie delaying his trip to the Space Center for the next day. First things first though was a much-needed haircut, my conversation got me a student discount which was pretty awesome (I still tipped well though). It was refreshing considering I had start to slik back the hair and had been reminded so often by the group that my hair needed a cut to prevent a mullet or a certain stupid look emerging. I accidentally fell asleep by the hotel pool to awaken to a somewhat charred face but after a sandwich, a shower and paralysing the group with laughter on an unfortunate dropped towel we went back to 'The Crow' for a few more beers than the previous night. Ollie and Charlie made do with the pool table whilst me and Rupert chatted about gap year and Rupert's potential plans to travel Asia, work in Austrailia for a few months and possibly visit Japan whilst he was out there. I spoke mainly about cycling and Uganda and it was a pleasant evening in general and we were ready to go to New Orleans

That night though 'The Night of Sorrows', as the Spanish at Tenochticlan called it, I joined Rupert on the illness front, violently sick four times during a sleepless night out of nowhere to be honest. Poor diet, perhaps too much sun or fatigue? I don't know but it was first time I was sick from illness and quite frankly I was not missing out and hope it was my last time. It was karma I guess and it had been coming as I had jokingly been talking about leaving the sick and wounded behind in Austin and proudly talking about my 'perfect immune system'. Funnily enough and fittingly probably the tables had turned the next day asking to the group if we were 'still cool' and that they wouldn't leave me behind. I have to admit though it was a pretty wretched morning for myself, 7-8 hours travel ahead and stomach wreaking all sorts of havoc and pretty horrendous heat. We also had to skip the Space Center as well for time, another destination that we had wanted to see scribbled out to make for time. We crossed from Texas into Louisiana and I slept most of the way to compensate for a dismal night before and when we arrived the hotel, it was a few slices of pizza, nectarine and bananas and then bed. Still New Orleans at first glance was visually quite the drive through highways poisitioned on first swamps, rivers, lakes and finally ocean. It was hardly surprising however to see why the city has flooded courtesy of Hurricane Katrina a few years back, it is quite the spot for a good flooding.

It was good to be back in a big city surrounded by skyscrapers and what was best was that we were one left and two blocks away from Bourbon street. The timing of my recovery was perfect, ill on Thursday and raring to go again on Friday for a night out on the best street in New Orleans. During the daytime we visited the street and were drooling at the amount of bars, clubs and shops to chill at for the day. How do you describe New Orleans and Bourbon Street? One massive party and just like Vegas but without casinos. People were clubbing, drinking and committing all sorts of tomfoolery as we did and then collected our laundry that afternoon. We could scarcely comprehend what awaited us from the evening to early morning. Charlie was hit by illness at a bad time but he managed to make a few hours out, but we started in the hotel bar with some quite lethal cocktails one of which was called the 'Firecatcher' and the other, a particular contributor to Rupert's eventual demise, 'The Freight Train' which had to be the strongest cocktail I had ever had,  a combination of something called 'Diesel' and some other ingredient which simply gave it a little colour. When we reached Bourbon Street following some spectacular street dancing, we headed for an array of bars and one which served us the 'Hand Grenande' and people showering from above with bead necklaces and an cheeky pouring of beer meeting some interesting characters along the way. Many hours later we returned early morning to the hotel  Rupert Arvidsson take a bow. It was a great night and it was a shame we couldn't do anymore nights. Our final day left us all feeling worse for wear and a hangover in which only endless episodes of 'Ink Master', Popeye's and two Mcdonalds in a row could cure. The latter was regrettable . After nearly 5 weeks you do grow frustrated with the lack of fruit in the damn country which eventually forces you to go to fast-food places which after a while become repetitive and inedible. When I get home I won't be touching fast-food for a while. Still if you go to the U.S.A, go to New Orleans and go to Bourbon Street, it was simply unforgettable and if we could of had more time there we would have stayed longer. Any city that reduces Rupert to religious conversion and rocking backwards and forwards on his knees in prayer to Mecca for a hangover cure deserves credit!

Today we awoke in Louisiana, filled the car with gas in Mississipi, ate lunch in Alabama and after this blog is finished sleep in Georgia after a fantastic meal at Noodles in Atlanta. It has been quite the day and quite a drive but still awesome and the Kindle has provided me with some great reads along the way. Two weeks to go and so much to do when I get home!

Quotes of the Week:

  • "Oh look parachutes for the both of us" "Whoops not anymore!"
  • Alejandro
  • How jer fand me!
  • "Weirdos!!"
  • "Where are you guys from?" "England" "England?! DAMN me and the Queen gat something goin OWWWN!"
  • "That's raaaght baby!"
  • "Feeerrreeeeky"
  • "Love that chicken from Popeye's!"
  • "We're going to die"
  • "Noooo, I clean"
  • "Housekeeping" (so many damn times)
  • "So give us a call, you'll be glad you did! Cannon Box!"

Matthew Williams