June 20 & 21: Yesterday was the day of the Color Run. For those of you who have not organized a running race before, let me tell you, a lot of work must go into it. We woke up at the crack of dawn, and Natalie, Noortje, and I piled the supplies into Noortje’s car. Then, we drove to the Mbarara University of Science and Technology’s soccer pitch, and James followed behind in another car. At the field, we set up registration and met with the volunteers, who then headed out to their separate stations at each of the kilometers. We sent the volunteers off with buckets filled with paint powder and water bottles to squirt the powder on the runners.
As the sun began to rise, runners started to show up and sign in (a member from the parliament came!). I was in charge of registration and handing out t-shirts to participants. People came in their jeans, skirts, and with their babies (I think there was a mom who came just for the free shirt and left. . .shhh). We made the race free of entry, and it was a walk-in, not pre-registration.
I had never run a color run before, so I was not entirely sure what to expect. Natalie and I took the "caboose" of the run to make sure that everyone was okay (and so that our shin splints did not murder us). After the first two kilometers, we were covered from head to toe in orange and pink paint. The third kilometer took place on a dirt road in a valley, and because of the recent rain that Mbarara has received, the road was more like a mudslide. Runners and boda bodas were sliding all over (so long for my clean-ish shoes). At the end of the third kilometer stood the red station, and the volunteers at the red station literally dumped buckets of powder over our heads (I am told that the paint is non-toxic, and I pray that it is true because I inhaled a whole lot of paint powder throughout the morning). The red station was at the bottom of an imposing hill, but with our mud-caked shoes and newly-dyed, red skin, Natalie and I began the haul up the hill. We ended up having to stop half way because we were laughing so hard: our shoes felt as though they weighed around ten pounds each, and when the red dye mixed with sweat, it created a mixture that looked like wet blood (we were covered in sweat and red dye aka it looked like we were bleeding all over).
The rest of the run was filled with laughter and the occasional panting that running brings. We finished the race in a cloud of yellow powder. My time may have been the slowest I have ever run a 5k, but thank goodness I will never have to see the time because in Uganda, they do not time races. Besides the fact that I finished at the pace of a tortoise, I had such a fun time, and it was a special event to be a part of (not many people can say that they have participated in a Color Run in Uganda).
After the Color Run, I performed the daunting task of washing off my paint-soaked clothes, while attempting not to ruin my bathroom. Because the shower curtain only covers half of the shower and the drain is in the middle of the bathroom, red water ended up flooding the room (great, so now someone is going to think there was a homicide in my bathroom).
I had never run a color run before, so I was not entirely sure what to expect. Natalie and I took the "caboose" of the run to make sure that everyone was okay (and so that our shin splints did not murder us). After the first two kilometers, we were covered from head to toe in orange and pink paint. The third kilometer took place on a dirt road in a valley, and because of the recent rain that Mbarara has received, the road was more like a mudslide. Runners and boda bodas were sliding all over (so long for my clean-ish shoes). At the end of the third kilometer stood the red station, and the volunteers at the red station literally dumped buckets of powder over our heads (I am told that the paint is non-toxic, and I pray that it is true because I inhaled a whole lot of paint powder throughout the morning). The red station was at the bottom of an imposing hill, but with our mud-caked shoes and newly-dyed, red skin, Natalie and I began the haul up the hill. We ended up having to stop half way because we were laughing so hard: our shoes felt as though they weighed around ten pounds each, and when the red dye mixed with sweat, it created a mixture that looked like wet blood (we were covered in sweat and red dye aka it looked like we were bleeding all over).
The rest of the run was filled with laughter and the occasional panting that running brings. We finished the race in a cloud of yellow powder. My time may have been the slowest I have ever run a 5k, but thank goodness I will never have to see the time because in Uganda, they do not time races. Besides the fact that I finished at the pace of a tortoise, I had such a fun time, and it was a special event to be a part of (not many people can say that they have participated in a Color Run in Uganda).
After the Color Run, I performed the daunting task of washing off my paint-soaked clothes, while attempting not to ruin my bathroom. Because the shower curtain only covers half of the shower and the drain is in the middle of the bathroom, red water ended up flooding the room (great, so now someone is going to think there was a homicide in my bathroom).
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| Lake Buyoni with James and Natalie |
The evangelist in town has resulted in a massive crowd in Mbarara, and Natalie, James, and I decided to escape for the weekend (it is also their last weekend before they leave Uganda). We piled into the van and drove down south, close to the Rwandan border, to a haven called Lake Bunyoni. Here, the weather is cooler, and the views and scenery are sublime. The lake is surrounded by green, forest-covered hills. Many of the residents here are involved in agriculture, so many of the facades of the mountains serve as farms.
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| Natalie and Maggie on the Canoe |
After a full-night’s rest, the three of us (along with Katie who accompanied us on our excursion) set off in a canoe to explore the 27 islands within Lake Bunyoni. Out of the 27 islands, only one is equipped with electricity, and there is another island that has a school and hospital. We visited the island with the school and hospital and hiked around the island. A church service was taking place as we passed the island’s church, so we poked our heads into the sanctuary. The entire congregation was singing to the rhythm of the drums.
When we arrived back at the hotel, it was time for lunch, and then we set off back to Mbarara.
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