Because Everyone Needs a Break ... Not a Breakdown

Greetings from Uganda and yoga or "hello" in Ateso spoken by the Iteso of Uganda! This post is meant to be short, but reflective of the experience we had during our two day stay in Sipi Falls. Sipi Falls is located in Eastern Uganda very near to the Kenyan border. There are three major waterfalls, all situated in various points on Mount Elgon. The pictures below are just a snapshot of our stay in which we received 2 course lunches and 4 course dinners overlooking perhaps the most beautiful view in all of Uganda. We also hiked to the different falls and took a "coffee tour,"learning how to grow and make coffee from scratch! While most of our trip has been characterized by research training and project implementation (with more than a healthy dose of unfortunate events and just plain bad-luck), this little treasure was both rejuvenating and inspiring. Because "everyone needs a break" is why we took this trip. In fact, we almost did not make it to Sipi Falls due to (another) car breakdown in which I believe we all reached our point where we were going to make this "break" happen or just physically breakdown! I've been exposed and have witnessed the lived experience of people caught at the intersection of health, structural violence and politics in rural Uganda. It's been a growing and insightful experience, but Sipi helped me to see that beauty and serenity can exist too as backdrops to extreme hardship. And this contradiction is one that is symbolic of our trip where we've had complex and competing experiences that have brought challenges as well as unforgettable moments. *** photos courtesy of Madeline who is featured by herself ***