Day 31 - Rafting & Bungee Weekend

This weekend was awesome.

Around 30 of our USP students took a bus down to the source of the Nile in Jinja, Uganda for an incredible white water rafting and bungee jumping experience.  I didn’t go bungee jumping, but I was allowed to take pictures from the top of the jumping platform, which was just as good (for me anyways!).  Rafting was incredible.  Some parts were awful- the moments when we were thrown from the raft & trapped under high-grade rapids, and some parts were exhilarating- conquering the final grade 4 rapid after the boat was completely vertical.  Somehow, each time I fell out I ended up close to my friend Aleda floating along the river.  Somehow floating doesn’t describe it… it was more like:

“Paddle. Paddle hard. GET DOWN! This water is…! Underwater. Dark. Need air. AIR. Air... Break the surface. Air. Where’s the boat? We’re still in the rapids. Underwater. Break the surface. ALEDA. Reach out with my paddle.  There’s SO MUCH WATER.”

And then the rescue Kayak came over to recover us.  I think every boat flipped on that turn.  It was the outer rim of a grade 6 rapid… It was pretty awful in the moment, but we didn’t flip the boat again after that.  And I was able to order pizza at the bar back at the resort! So goood.

Our team of USP is wonderful.  We’re forming great relationships, & for the most part everyone is getting along.  This weekend was a good bonding experience for those of us that went.  A couple of people are planning a Safari trip sometime in the next couple of weeks, but I’m not sure that I’m going to go.  It would be good to go for the community aspect, but I don’t know if looking at animals is worth 3 to 4 hundred dollars.  I’ll keep you posted.

I’ll try & blog more often as well, it’s just been a busy week.

Thank you to everyone who is sending me letters! They’re super encouraging & really fun to receive.  I’ve had 4 so far (more than anyone else? J )! I love you all.