Flat Stanlita's Visit

Hello Fellow Blog readers and Adventurers,

This is Flat Stanlita writing you from Bushenyi, Uganda!!! I have safely made the very long trip all the way over the ocean to the Pearl of Africa. I am now sitting in the house of my good friend Bailey Sanderson. It has been nice to rest the couple of days that I have been here because we have gone on so many adventures.

Where Bailey lives is the start of a very long river, the Nile. This river travels north all the way to Egypt! Not many rivers travel north, did you know that? So of course we had to adventure our way over to the source of the Nile in Jinja, Uganda. We then traveled north to a very pretty part of the country and got to see some giraffes, zebras and lions roaming the range in Kidepo National Park. This park is in the most northeastern part of Uganda and I got to look over the border at the countries South Sudan and Kenya. After that exciting trip we went down to the west and adventured in Murchison Falls National Park. Did you know that the most powerful waterfall in all of Uganda is in Murchison Falls and that is the namesake of the park? They even made a movie in Murchison Falls because of the waterfalls! I got a little wet visiting there, but it was so beautiful! After the falls we went further west to hike to the top of the Rwenzorie Mountains. They border the neighboring country Democratic Republic of Congo. It is actually very cold in this part of Uganda. Surprising, isn’t it? I was expecting to be very hot and sweaty this trip, but I was wrong. Parts of Uganda, especially where Bailey lives, can get very cold where you need to wear a sweater! But don’t worry, Bailey kept me warm. We then crossed the Equator to the southern hemisphere for more adventures. I have never been to the equator let alone the southern hemisphere, so we had to stop and take pictures! After stopping at the Equator we went to see more mountains in the southern tip of Uganda, which borders Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. And guess what I got to see there? We went gorilla trekking and saw a whole family of gorillas! There were eleven in the Titus family and this is one of the only places in the world where you get to see gorillas. I got so close to them that I could have touched them! It was very exciting, but a little frightening at the same time, good thing I had Bailey there to protect me.

After all this vacationing it was time to go back to Bailey’s to see her dog Remmy and her new kitten S’mores. She works at an all girls’ high school boarding school. The girls here were so very nice! They taught me some of the traditional songs and dances of the tribe that live in the area, the Bunyankore. It was very exciting to see them dance with their traditional clothes on. I also got to sit in a classroom with the girls while they were learning some Biology, which is the subject that Bailey teaches here.  I was wondering if they learn the same type of subjects as we do in America, and they do! The girls have to take all the same subjects we do back home in Shabbona, IL. I sat and talked to the girls about their favorite things to do here, and surprise surprise a lot of the things are similar to what we do in America. They love talking and playing with their friends, listening to music, dancing, playing games, reading books and playing sports! Then I got to watch them play soccer (which they call football), volleyball and a new sport I have never seen netball.

But now I am ready to come back to you. I miss the farm and being in the classroom with all my favorite friends. I am making sure I come back with a lot of pictures and stories! Thank you so much for sending me on this very fun trip, I will always remember this experience! I will be traveling back home through the capital Kampala. This is a very big and crowded city. It seems as big as some cities back home, like Detroit! There are so many people here. I will make sure I tell them all hi from the students in Mrs. Foster’s Second Grade Class!

Sincerely your friends,

Flat Stanlita and Bailey