Week 2: Gap Year

Week 2: Gap Year

Three celebratory nights out of four, seven in total since exams have finished, several careers meetings  and several cycles later and the re-establishment of a much needed routine. The possibility of following through the ambitions of journalism were re-visited at a careers meeting, the first meeting suggested several pointers. Having decent weather in the UK for a change is a great relief and chilling and playing football in the park with friends is welcome relaxation to both the late nights and de-stressing after a horrendous couple of months!

- That I don't belong behind a desk all the time necessarily. 

- Constant activity.

- The question of journalism. 

- The gap year is the crucial time out for gaining experience in relatively different job spheres

- The weeks following exams are a time of reflection on the qualities you may have for a job, what makes you function on a day to day basis and essentially what you are good at the end of the day I found more about what I want to do.

The Bwindi Region: South-West Uganda :D

Trips in planning mode (possibly conceding some of the trips organization to Charlie), lots of medical injections for the trip to Uganda for rabies, hepatitis A + B, typhoid, yellow fever, meningococcal meningitis and of course malaria tablets. Malaria tablets I will have to triple check after that incident in which an employee of Tullow (The company Dad works for) died of malaria in Uganda last year. I don't want to take any chances on that obviously. Flights for both Uganda and the domestic have to be sorted quite soon to keep the price down. I still can't wait for the trip though despite some concerns, so much history in Uganda and such opportunity to learn things that I don't know. All we hear about is Idi Amin and Uganda's role in Africa's World War which emerged out of the back-drop of the Rwandan genocide. The volunteering projects are based in the Bwindi region of south-western Uganda, so a fair distance away from the conflict-ridden northern regions of the country. It is quite close to the borders of the notorious Democratic Republic of Congo though. Apparently Bwindi is a beautiful rural area around 300 miles from Kampala, the capital. That is the equivalent of getting off a plane in Stuttgart and doing one of our classic family drives all the way back to Canterbury. Long hours but so much to see on the way there and the equator to stand on. I can ask the people how they are doing in the southern hemisphere come 17th October and then the northern hemisphere on the way back.The nearest town on the tourist map is Rukungiri. It is a mountainous zone, 6,000 feet above sea level. The altitude keeps the temperature comfortable by African standards, an average of 18-28 degrees centigrade so not too bad in terms of heat. Exercise will be interesting at this altitude no doubt. Volunteer Uganda will be good fun, but the remoteness makes life a real challenge for the villagers in the region, far from facilities which we take for granted, including electricity and water, with a bonus for the kids having to run three or four miles to school. So a big challenge personally and with a great organization firmly established in this particular region, with a great hands on approach. Can't wait! 

But before that the U.S.A which draws ever closer and the special Golden Gate Bridge moment that me, Charlie, Rupert and Ollie have all been looking forward to. It will be epic. Festival of Colors was great shout this week as well, invited by Greer and we are seriously missing out on the Festivals happening in India. Colored powder everywhere, it is safe to say I have come out this with a more colorful personality and a slightly hulk-ish colored chest beneath the once white-shirt. Getting the powder in the eyes, mouth and nose isn't the most ideal thing and my Morocco expeditions bag looks a bit more pink and girly than it used to. Green, yellow, red, pink, violet, blue there were lots of different ones, that  my walk back perplexing passers-by as I strolled home and even stopped by humanities to the dissulsion of some professors. Alas poor Greer had to get the bus with her beloved friend Gordon. I seriously recommend more people go next year. It was a fantastic and colorful mess on the Downs among 150 +  people who attended. Thank you Hindu society! That is something on the bucket list: go to a festival of colors in India at some point!

Nottingham University's Festival of Colors

Matthew Williams