A Much Needed Break

The nature of our research is exhausting. Both the process of data collection and the substance of those data we obtain can, over time, leave a physical and emotional toll. Our trips to the field require long drives along dirt roads peppered with bumps and ditches. The in-depth interviews are long and conducted under the unrelenting Ugandan sun. And the stories people share - their experiences during the war, the lingering suffering felt in the community, and the sense of abandonment so prevalent - are impossible to hear without feeling at least part of their pain. So last weekend we took a welcome trip to Murchison Falls National Park, the largest one in Uganda.

The park's namesake is a beautiful waterfall formed by the Nile bursting through the rocks of a cliff face just east of Lake Albert. The beauty of the falls is only rivaled by the diverse wildlife found in the enormous reserve surrounding the river. Below are a few of the scenes from our brief and much needed retreat.

Sunrise over the game reserve

Two elephants munching on some grass

Two giraffes posing in the midday sun

Lions...doing lion things

The beautiful Murchison Falls

View from the top

Obligatory waterfall selfie

Obligatory warthog-trying-to-eat-my-lunch selfie