First Day - Welcome to Uganda!

Oh, what a day !! Today was our very first day in Kampala and what a full and fantastic day it was! Knowing that our friends and family back home are more than eager to see photos, here are lots of them from today along with captions  - Enjoy!

 AM Briefing and Orientation with Jeremy Philips of Empower African Children (at the ARA where we are staying)



Kampala Traffic - lots of Boda bodas or motorcycle taxis - don't worry, we ride on the bus!

Pizza Lunch at the Speke Hotel in Downtown Kampala with our city guide, Jonathan

Ms. Nipp with Agnes Kasule, UA 2001 grad and Director of EAC in Kampala

Enjoying tropical juices at the Speke Hotel

On the steps of the Cathedral, all of Kampala is beyond the statue of our Blessed Mother - a gorgeous view! 

Ms. Obranovich and Ms. Houston relaxing in front of the Cathedral

Touring the beautiful Cathedral of Kampala

On the grounds of the residence of the King of Buganda (a subnational Kingdom within Uganda - The Baganda are the largest ethnic group in Uganda) - Bugandan tradition demands that women wear skirts... 

Mary Ann greets Bugandan children

A short hike overlooking lake Victoria

Maddie does the Happy Dance in front of the Bugandan King's residence

Ally admires the rosaries in front of the Cathedral

Our group with the local staff of Empower African Children - at their office



Shopping in the Nakasero market - here we are in the Spices section

As you can see, it was a busy and eye-opening day! I asked the girls about their first impressions of Africa and they mentioned being surprised at the traffic, the amount of people outside walking around and the amount of cell phones. They are also enjoying how much people immediately mention their admiration for President Obama when we say we are from the USA. Our students are greatly amused at being quite the celebrity- like sensation as they travel around and receive all sorts of attention from everyone - waves, hugs and lots of greetings welcoming them to Africa.

We are very proud that Jeremy (from EAC - he is working on the EAC school and is living here in Kampala with his family) has told the group that they are tops in energy level, enthusiasm for speaking and learning the local language and in being on time - woo hoo! We love to hear that praise for our student delegation! 

Goodnight from Africa!