The pursuit of happyness.

Choose one of the following statements of what the picture above characterizes. 1. Cloud of happiness, (2.) Ray of success or (3.) just another African elephant on the Savannah? Diffrent people see diffrent objects and focus on diffrent things in life. The objectiveness and knowledge of all the three statements above, makes me content and gives me peace of mind and inner peace...

Just like the Will Smiths movie pursuit of happyness, there are allot of thoughts concering our way of life in the Western world. Some question arose in my head:


Who sets the limits and goals for what is successful?

What is success if you can't live your present life?


If I get e skyrocket career, and heaven forbidd, work 12-15hours a day, is the time spent worth it all? And if it is so, who sets the standards of worthiness and "rank of success", the soceity within for certain...

If I'm on my deathbed, lets say as a 85-year old, and been focusing on "work" and neglecting myself from experiences that money can't buy, will I remember and appriciate my fancy cars, and all the money that I spent on clothes, appartments at posh addresses??

Or is it the awesome and beautiful friends I got to know in Macau, the wise villagers in Bubulo, the suicidal 17 hour suicidal busride to back and forth to Nairobi, the even more suicidal rafting on the Nile, which gave me my first close-to-death-experience, the help from the Entebbe taxidriver that protected us as if he was our Dad, through the crazy taxipark in Kampala...

Well, I wish all of you my friends could get the same crazy, life-enhancing, challenging, adventurious, fast, slowmotion, paradoxal year that I've had the last year in China and Uganda, it totally rearranged my point of views, when it comes to values, and what really is important in life ! (Only you, yourself, know the answer to that personal question)

I guees if you live in your own social bubble, with their own unique social values and regulations, and therefore won't get to experiences of other cultures (exclude the 2 week trip to Greece and Spain) you tend to not value what you have untill its gone.

So, did U pick your statement underneeth the picture? To let ya'll know, It was just another elephant on the Savannah, but an imaginery one.... yet real!

*I hope some of you could follow my philosophical point of view, I might be alone in my thoughts, I don't really care, it just feels better writing it down*

I promise you, cross my halfturkish heart, I didnt listen to Caruso with Luciano Pavarotti when I wrote this blogg :-)

Cultureshock in Sweden...long live Africa !

"Aaah, my White Wine is so warm, please change it! " - A woman on a cafe on my town.

"I only got 14.000 kronor (US$ 2000) this month from my Union, that's an embarresment for this system, I used to get 25% more last year!" - A random guy that I was walking behind on the streets of Stockholm.

"I can't wear this t-shirt it has some spots on 'em" - A girl in my local H6M store.

As you can see, living and breathing the Ugandan culture for almost 9 weeks, puts a strain on your ability to cope with spoiled Westerners, once you're back home in Sweden and the "cultivated and civilized world"

Well, in my mind the people in the West are the most unhappy and unsatisfied people on mother Earth. I'm really having a hard time listening to all the uncontent people that really live a luxorious life here in Europe. While the Ugadans might not have the same standard of living,as a Bubulo-villager told me:

"You Western people worry to much of the future, that makes you dead in the present time! You never really enjoy living your life in the present do you? You always live in the future. You have allot to learn from us...when it comes to enjoying the everyday life! "

I agree 100% with the villager...

We're too focused on creating a career, and the strife to always "have more" that we neglect the fact that we're actually living now and not the next week, next year...we do have something that the Africans can teach us, appriciation and actually enjoying the present!

Guees this will be my last blogg chapter for my African blogg, the next will probably be emreinsweden.blogspot.com

C ya'll !

Hot News in Uganda !

"Aaah, yes, you're the ones from the Nigeriagame, wearing the Ugandan T-shirt with that big Swedish flaggggg !!!"

Celebs' in Uganda, it didn't matter where we went in Uganda, if we said "remember the two white guys from New Vision at the Namboole-game?" Everybody knew who we where...that's freaking crazy!

During the Uganda vs Nigeria game, journalistst swarmed all over me and Tobey, because of our excitement over the game, so the day after on the second page of Ugandas largest newspaper was a LARGE photo of us two, take a look for yourselfs!

Wild water Rafting on the Nile !

"Guys, get the f::ck down!"

That's the sound of our Canadian raftinguide on the Wild water rafting on the River Nile, while we where taking a class 6 raft () . All rafts around the world have the classification from 1-5, and in some rare cases a class 6. Class 2 is the highest in for example Scandinavia, where there's no danger and no high waves. When you get close to a class 5 raft, there's high risk of injuries, through hitting rocks on the bottom of the river. A class 6 is the equvivalent to HIGH risk of injuries and some cases even death.

We took of from Kampala to Jinji (Source of the Nile), and got to Jinja at 9:00, we came home at 19:00, pretty shaken up and scared shitless after that the last raft sucked me inside of a Whirlpool (Strommvirvel in Swedish). It held me down in its grip for some 7-8 seconds, in that time your whole life passes by you an X amount of times. When I reached the surface, I was kind of panicing becuase I thought I was gonna hit some rock formations on the side of the Class 6 raft, instead I got sucked down again by the current for some more seconds. When I popped up one of the 12 Kayakrescue dudes picked me up. I tried to look for Tobias but he was gone!

Taking a class 5 raft is once in a lifetime experience, a class 6 raft is just like playing with death!

During the 8 hours long raftsession, we hadent flipped over once, like the rest of the 8 raftingboats. But we flipped on the worse raft of the enitre contintent! We came into the so called 50-50 raft (which means that there\s a 50% chance of not flipping over) we made it through that one and then continued into "The Bad Place", which is highly dangerous for any kayaks or rafters, when it comes to injuries. Anyway, we took the powerful current and came ontop of this 5 meter high wave, and got SUCKED back into the strong current, that's the moment when tobias said "Man, you got sucked into the Bad Place in 0.5 seconds!!"

Tobias who was left on the raft, with two other people who was as scared, and with fear in their eyes, was actually surfing the Bad Place for 20 seconds, becuase the raft was stuck between a class 6 raft and a strong current. Tobias had no choice then to jump inside it and getting sucked up and transported some 70 meters downstreams. He then got picked up by the rescuekayaks.

I can honestly say that I've never been as scared, and close to shit my pants and never seen people with that kind of fear of nature before, you're really helpless and powerless ! I saw my life ending underneeth the powerfull current.

A simple class 2 raft....

I can understand why people to this, the adrenalinekick and the rush you get afterwords is incomparable to anything I've ever done in my enitre life!

Safari by the Congolese border.

On the way to the north western part of Uganda, the Congolese and Sudanese borders...dangerous place to travel to? I guees the drivers are mentally drained from these war ares.

Tobbe & Emre by the Republic of Congo-border...stuck in the Savannah, with a safaribus burning, what a Kodak moment!

Sunset in the Savannah. Murchinsons Falls National Park...

Well, after all the meetings and some time of stress, we decided to take a 3 day tour to Murchinsons Falls National Park, just by the Congoborder in the Northwest part of Uganda.

A group of Elephants in Murchinsons Falls National Park, by the Conogolese border.

A year ago the owner of the Hostel that we stay at in Kampala, The Red Chilli Hostel, got murdered in this region after that the LRA (Lords Resistence Army)- militia killed him on his way home from helping out some villagers by the Sudanese border (2 h away from Murchinsons). The area is still dangerous, and the US foregin ministry advice people not to visit Murchinsons Falls National park.

Anyway, our hopes where high to see the Big Five, we got to see four of them (Giraffs, Elephants, Buffalos, Hippos), the fifth we got to see in Entebbe Zoo, the Lion!

Thousands of Baboons by the River Nile...they we're not intimdated by humans, because they actually stole food from a military vehicle 3 meters away from us in the National Park.

We lived in a HUGE safaritent, with actual beds in it. The view from the campsite is one of the most breathtaking I've seen, comparable to the views at Sipi Falls by the Kenyan border.

The second night the monsunrain came, with a vengience! Almost tore our eardrums off our heads, the monsunrain lasted the whole night and we couldnt sleep for the entire night! Tobias then tried to get out of the tent, when some big lizzards tried to invade his boots! WHAT A KODAK MOMENT!

Giraffs, and Acaciatrees in the background....Murchinsoons Falls National Park.

The last day we took a trip on tyhe river Nile to see hundreds of Waterbuffalos, Hippos and Crocodiles by the shores of the Nile. After 2 h we came to the place where the Nile is the narrowiest, on its 7000km journey, only 5 meter apart from the cliffs, Murchinsons Falls!

Hundreds of crocodiles lying in a very small area, probably because thats the spot they;re getting fed by the Rangers.

With a speed of 35 meters a second these falls are probably the most powerfull waterfalls in the world! Sipi falls was more beautiful, but this was the most powerful!

The most powerfull spot of the whole River Nile....Murchinsons Falls

On our way home from the Safari, our Safaribus cought a fire in the engine, so that we were stuck in the Savannah for a while. Its a good thing that the UPDF (Ugandan Police and Defence Force) had a base close by, so that the bandit militia LRA couldnt spot us...it feelt kinda scary I haft to admit to be in an area which is very very very unsafe, scary bu!

The Great Falls of Murchinson....

After have seen the things you haft to see in Africa, where doing some River Nile Rafting in Jinja this weekend, by Lake Victoria.... said to be one of the best rafting spots in the World, badabing bada BOOOM! Do we miss the routine and boring life in Sweden? Naaah, dont thinks so!

We had some time to "Kill" in the Savannah while our Safaribus driver was trying to put out the fire inside the bus with water...

After almost 2 months in Uganda and Africa, both me and Tobias have taken almost 2800 pictures, incredible pics of people, trafficaccidents, guns, ammo, animals, nature, buildings, everything!!! The reason for that, is that we love this country. It feels more secure then Sweden in many ways, and the people are more openhearted then cool and intraverted Swedish people tend to be.

I just had to show you this picture from Mbale, its all about safety! These tubes are very common in the packed Minibuses, also called Mutatos. What's inside of these large tubes, well, you can maybe figure that out yourself! A big sign was on it, which said "Highly explosive"!

UGANDA OYE!!

Swedish National Day @ the Swedish Embassadors residence!

Me, the Swedish Embassador, Tobias, the embassadors wife.

We were invite to the Swedish Embassadors residence in Kololo, on one of the most impressive Hills of Kampala, where all the diplomats live. Well at the residence we also got to know the Chinese, Russian, Japanese ambassadors with their wifes.

It was kinda interesting to speak to the Chinese embassador on the topic of the Chinese resource hunt in Africa. He said "I dont understand that people get suspicious whenever they hear that Chinese companies are moving into a developing African nation, they dont care when the Swedish companies do the same!" I just replied "Angola, Kongo, Niger, Chad, Sudan and Tanzania all have something that the Chinese government wants. Natural Resources ! Its not for the solidarity of helping the African nations to get rid of poverty, aids, economical boosting, that the Chinese govt are in Africa!" The Chinese embassador just changed the topic by saying "Hmm...well, where in China was it that you lived?"

The embassadors residence in Kololo, Kampala.

After mingling with the embassadors we took the opportunity to make som good connections with some high UN-officials regarding our research in the area of entrepreneurship.

That resulted in a couple of incredible meetings this week with some UN-officials, European commission members in rural economical development, Sida, Ugandan parlamentmembers, Ugandan businessmen that have lived and studied in Sweden for a long time. The network we've created here is unreal! Not in a 100 years will you be able to get in touch with so many high officals in such a short time. Only in Africa!

Uganda vs Nigeria, Nelson Mandela Stadium.

Our homeboys from Kampala and the northern Bugulobi-district loving the Swedish support...UGANDA OYEEE!

The day before the crucial African Cup of Nations qualificationmatch between Africas maybe best team, Nigeria and the underdogs Uganda, we took our backpacks and left for the Swedish Embassy in Kampala with one mission, get the biggest Swedish flag in the country!!!!

I wonder what the score was?

Well, if I put it like this, the tired dude that welcomed us in the Swedish Embassy was originally from my town, Eskilstuna, he was so tired and not excited that we were going attach the 6 square meter huge flag on the frontrow at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Namboole/district, just outside Kampala. Typical Eskilstuna dudes, not willing to cooperate ey!!

Us with the Ugandan nationaljerseys outside the Nelson Mandela Stadium.... UGANDA OYYYE!

We came 3 hours before the game started and the arena was already packed to its fullest potential! 50.000 crazy Ugandan fans!

After the huge Nigerian stars, such as Martins, Kanu and Mikkel scared the small Ugandans with scoring the opener, the Ugandans got back with a penaltykick, and then 15 minutes from time, the Ugandans got their lead with another welldeserved penalty, the match at Nelson Mandela stadium ended with the Ugandans winnning 2-1 !!

The real Swedish Embassadors at Nelson Mandela Stadium, Namboole-district, Kampala, Uganda.

Around 10 000 people just ran into the pitch and went freaking CRAZY, like they all had been elektrefied by Tazzerguns!!! It was almost as crazy as the time when I saw Galatasaray kicking out Manchester United from the Champions Leaugae...

Ugandan fans breaking off the Sky Sports cameramans platform....

We had to walk for 6 km to get to the nearset Boda Boda driver to take us ho9me to Bugulobi...we danced on the streets with the BIG swedish flagg, people went crazy and I still dont have a voice after screaming my ass off for some 8 hours or so...before and after the game.

We are going to return the Swedish flagg on Wednesday, when we are invited to the Swedish Embassadors residence for the Swedish nationalday...the contacts that we've generated here are amazing!!

UGANDA OYYYEE!!! (GO UGANDA!!)

St Marys High School, Bubulo.

Me, Tobias, the teachers, Richard and a small part of the entire class...

After completing the interviews in Bubulo and the remaining part of the thesis research in the greater Manafwa region outside Mbale, by the Kenyan border, we got an invitation to visit a high school in Bubulo.

We took a 5km walk to the High school, were approximately 50-60 students were waiting for us. You cant really imagine how dark it is inside the classroom, its a wonder that the students in the back can really see what's happening infront of the classroom.

The reason for us to go to St Marys High School was foremost becuase they wanted us to lecture the students in what we personally believe entrepreneurship is really all about.

Me, with the Dean and Richard (one of the entreprenuers) inside the pitchblack classroom...

After some 30 minutes it was time for the students to ask us question about anything. It took a long time before someone broke the ice. The questions that followed were HUGE!

How do we fight AIDS?

How do we fight Poverty?

Why do you only have a midnight sun?

How can I pay off my schoolfees?

Why are Swedish people so well-trained and big?

The big questions about AIDS and Poverty took a loooooong time to discuss and saying that AIDS is an enormous problem in the villages is an understatement.

A black and white picture of some kids in awe of the w

hite people in town....

The day after Richard announced that he had started an essay competition on all high schools in the Manafwa-district, regarding Why do we need Solarpanels as a sustainable solution to the shortages in elektricity?

We can say that the visit to the St Marys High School was probably the best finish on our research in Bubulo, to meet kids that dont yet know what the result of corruption does to a country such as Uganda.

Boongaaa!

HIV/AIDS and Golden Nuggets ...

View from the Red Cross building in Bubulo...

Sipi falls again...gotta respect that!

Melembe?? MAAAAAKWA!!! ("Watzup? I'm alright !!!" in the Mbale accent of Luganda!)


After approx. 10 days in Bubulo, we now feel that our research is over, and that we can turn 7 really qualified entreprenuers onto the CSE-project, which feels very good at the moment.

The last day in bubulo we visited a High School-class of around 50 students, we were invited to hold a lecture of Entreprenuership. If we say like this, the questions we recieved was quite heavy like: "How do we fight poverty?", "Why is Africa more effected by AIDS then the rest of the word?", "Why are you swedish people so big?"...huuuu?? The last question was easy, we replied "We drink 3 litres of Milk everyday, stright from the Cow!" The whole class erupted !


The AIDS/HIV issue is really staggering...there was a test among 1 000 Makarere Students, and over 750 showed postive of having the HIV virus...so just imagine how many we've encountered so far? We really live a secure, luxurious and protected life back home in Sweden, but you'll never know unless you travel to poor developing countries.


We're now leaving Bubulo with a greater smile on our faces, after finding some Golden Nuggets to the Project in August. More information and pictures will be updated on the blogg, later when we get back to the capital, Kampala.

Tobias and some kids at the slopes of the Mt Elgon...

Me with one of the elder...Mr Lepardhunter!!

C-yah in a few days, or weeks, you never know ...Boom!

Sipi Falls (2100 m), Mt Elgon.

Uganda, you're beautiful!!!

To get our spirits up, we left for the magnificent Sipi Falls, at one of the peaks of Mt Elgon (2100 m) to take a relaxing shower in one of the Falls! We took a random guy from the street to drive us the 60km to the great Sipi Falls, which is one of the most know touristspots in the country.

After a couple of hours in Sipi Falls we got back in time to whatch another magnificent attraction, the Miss Uganda 2007 Competition in Mt Elgon hotel in Mbale…that was one of the craziest things that has so far happened. We sat in the front row and got interviewed by some newspapers and got dragged up on stage by some Dancehall-girls, being a Whiteguy in Uganda is a popular thing around here! But after being here a month you take all compliments at ease, knowing that there might be a second thought to your friendship.

Tobias and me in one of the numerous Waterfalls in Sipi Falls...

We'll leave Mbale on Wednesday, for a few days to see Mr Jock in Iganga, and then head to Kampala to see the Uganda vs Nigeria in a African Nations cup qualifyingmatch on Nelson Mandela Stadium, Kampala...

The Great Hunt for Entreprenuership in Bubulo…50 interviews later!

Tobias and me (holding the CSE sign) together with some of the 40-50 interviewed potential entreprenuers in Bubulo. Some of the already installed solarpanels can be seen above us.

We’ve now spent a 7 days in Bubulo, and we have at least 4 days left.

It has been a very demanding and a big struggle to meet all these peasants and farmers that think that me and Tobias are there to help ALL of them in 50 different projects. Everything from building private schools, to install radiostations, to help the farmers with their poultry and cattle farming.

Rex, who’s the coordinator of the Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship (CSE) project in Bubulo, the Solarpanelinstallation, hasn’t really communicated to his community that we’re only the researches that are there to find potential entrepreneurs for potential development projects…we’ve probably encountered 100 people that wishes to invite us to their homes and see how they live and what we can help them with, especially getting their poverty level from a subzero level to a some kind of “live-able” level. We talk to each and everyone of them and listen to what they all have to say, but it’s a big struggle to keep your words back when there’s hidden agendas around the corner.

Me and Tobias were furious when Rex took us to the side and asked “So guys, when are you going to take on my personal project, the Radiostation-installation!? You can work with my oldest son, he can be responsible for the project!” Me and Tobias didn’t really process what he said, so we just sat down and continued interviewing the potential entrepreneurs in the Red Cross building.

The second day in Bubulo, the fury rose to a climax, when an old lady, Joy, introduced us to the Bubulo Medical Center…which was more or less in a disaster shape! Rex was thinking about his own personal interest, the radiostation, when the common people is dying in their homes because the Medical center is more or less out of function.

Us togehter with the coordinators in Bubulo and the foundation stone of the Solarcell-project, they've got Växjö University caps on..good PR in case some Bubulo villagers wanna do an exchange and attend Osvaldo Salas classes!

300.000 people in the community and not a single functional Medical center. The Microscopes were out of order, the fridge as well, the sanitation level is something I don’t wanna mention. The strange thing is that there’s already solarcells installed on top of the Medical Center, but the fuses and batteries seams to be out of function, for the last 5 years! According to Peter, another coordinator.

There’s a guy in the village who’s a certified Solarcell engineer, but because the Community of Bubulo cannot afford to pay him, this Engineer found work in Kabale and Kisoro, close to the Rwandan border. But don’t worry; we caught him, interviewed him and his going to be interviewed a second time next week, with the other 7 potential entrepreneurs, out of the 50.

With the knowledge we have that the Top guy, Rex, is having is own hidden agenda makes us disgusted and angry, when you see that newborn babies are lying in the medical center with inadequate medical treatment/facilities.

It feels that we’ve helped the Chalmers /CSE people with a big burden, to explain for the whole district what is going to take place in August, and believe me when hundreds of people beg you to help them, you become mentally drained, even though you’re mentally well prepared. The CSE people will be fully warned of the extent of the EXPECTATION level that is in the region.

A newborn baby in the Medical Center....

Me and Tobias haven’t smiled or laughed in the last week, because allot of people have hidden agendas of how they personally can benefit from a Development Aid/Technology Project, such as the CSE project. There’s a lack of priorities, Radiostation VS a functional Medical Center????? No Medical center --> No Health --> No life --> No Development…End of story! When we questioned Joy, the Medical center responsible, which the most common source of death in the district was, the answer came without any hesitation “HIV/AIDS and Malaria, and people are afraid to come to the Medical center when it is as dissfunctional as it is now!”

The women are the ones that makes things happen around here. The majority of the men sit around and wait for things to happen. There’s a mindest of “Live for the day, and as long as I’m not hungry today, I’m content with my life” That is one of the reasons why the women get the microfinance loans and not the men, in this part of Uganda, but the man is the one who’s the Head of the family, so the woman won’t have a say anyways.

If you take in to consideration the combine experiences that me and Tobias having lived around the entire Globe and have a high tolerance-level, immune to culture clashes by know, it takes a while before anyone can makes is angry in any culture or country around the world…that has happened here!

At the moment we only want get this project finished and go back to our main Headquarter, Red Chilli Hostel Hideaway in Bugulobi, Kampala. We will do our best, as always, but we’re definitely not smiling anymore.

Mbale and Bubulo @ the Kenyan border.

The view from our hotel, The Mt Elgon View Hotel in Mbale, overlooking Mt Elgon.

After we had taken another suicidal trip from Iganga to Mbale, 2 hours north of Lake Victoria, just by the Kenyan border, in a Mutato , Ugandan minibus, which is limited to only 13 persons, but the minibus driver insisted that the 24th person had to get in, we where finally on our way !

Mbale is a very calm and stressfree provincial city just by the Kenyan border, overlooking the magnificent Mt Elgon (4300m). Me and Tobias have spent almost a week in Mbale and Bubulo, and we feel that our research is getting to a closure.

Bubulo is a 40 minute drive with a Mutato from Mbale. Bubulo is the largest village in the Manafwa district with inhabits almost 300.000 people.

Bubulo is probably 150 years behind the Western world when it comes to communication, development and technology. There’s virtually no elektrcity in Bubulo, except some mobilechargers. Mbale has the same problem.

A good example is this last Wednesday was whatching the Champions Leuage Final between Milan- Liverpool, the electricity failed probably 6-7 times during the 90 minutes game, making it virtually impossible to keep track of what was happening in the game. That is the mainproblem in the Mbale area, powershortage. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to copy paste this text into my blogg, because the last time I tried to do it at our Internetcafe here in Mbale, the power shut down after 2 minutes! Its possible that I haft to wait until we come back to Kampala to update the blogg.

Iganga & Jinja, The Source of The Great Nile River!

aften

Bananatruck in Igangamarket...east of the Nile River, Uganda.

We've been going through another adventure, a trip from the Source of the Nile River to Lake Victoria just we're the ashes of Mahatma Gandhis we're spread out. The reason for this is because there's a big community of Hindus in the Jinja area. His ashes was also spread out in Ganges, India.

Tobias and me, just where the Nile touches Africas greates lake, Lake Victoria!

We've been in Iganga (2 hours East of Kampala) for almost a week now. The reason for this stay is becuase of our friend, Mr Jock. aka Mr Peanut man! He's project is based upon his knowledge in inventing Peanutmachines that make the peanutdeshelvnig process more efficient. He just got an order of 300 machines, and we've been in the workshop in the village for the whole week, working with the locals in the shop and studying their behaviors...the best experience ever!

The view from the Village outside Iganga, we're the Peanutmachines are made....

Yesterday Chunkie and Alan came to Iganga, Mr Jocks old friends, rich and crazy movieproducers from Hollywood! Chunkie use to be the assistant Producer of movies like The Return of the Jedi, The Crow, Willow e.t.c. We're hanging

Tomorrow we're leaving the small town of Iganga, for Mbale, 2 h north of Iganga, we're we'll be settling down for a few weeks. Chunkie and Alan will join us for some trekking in the Elgon mountains and the Great Sipi Falls by the Kenyan border.

• Connecting to the Internet here is a greater adventure then taking the suicidalbus to Nairoibi!
  

• By the way, we now understand why Olof Palme really put Sweden and Swedes on the map of the world...everybody here loves Sweden and especially Olof Palme. Its crazy that a such a small country, had such a leader that put Sweden on the map!

• Nzra Mbale, Assanti banna, chakazulu muzungo! (Yeah, thats some more Kiswahili for you!)
  

• Well, should we grabb a coffee in the VaxjoUni. Library café at 10:00 tomorrow morning and continue ?? Or just head towards the kenyan border again?? :-)

In Nairobi, Kenya...a nightmare ride !

Downtown "Nairobbery", Kenya.

After a very impulsive decision, me and Tobias took one backpack and sat ourselves down on the nightmare 16 hours ride from Kampala, crossing the Kenyan border, and finally hitting the destination, the capital of Kenya, NAIROBI, also better known as Nairobbery!!

The kamikaze-driver had a serious issue with suicidal thoughts, it felt like as if he really wanted everbody on the bus DEAD! He aimed at every big hole on the road and every piece of stone their was, on the road which only had 30% of asphalt. The women were actually screaming for their lives, as the driver was trying to be a Modern Brave heart through the Jungle!

We encountered trucks and other vehicles that couldn’t really fit the road, so a lot of times our driver was driving outside the road! For the first time in our lives, we were really afraid that we were going to Heaven (or Hell!). When we crossed the Kenyan border, the military police searched all Sudanese and Congolese refugees that didn’t have any valid IDs. I’m telling yah, the military police could rough up the refugees like George W Bush hunts Terrorists!

Every 10km, the Bus was stopped by heavily armed Highwaypatroll officers, with ”spikmattor” (look it up in a Swedish dictionary if you want to know what it is). And their was at least 40 stops on the way to Nairobi.

Nairobi is without a doubt a modern city, with a higher pulse, tougher environment and with a Kilimanjaro-high-crime-rate! As the Lonely Planet say “Nairobi, or Nairobbery, as it is often called by residents, is now regarded as the most dangerous city in Africa. There are robberies, muggings, and carjackings every day in the city, and a recent survey revealed that 40% of Nairobis residents had been mugged in the past year!!”

After a few not maybe so exciting days in Nairobi it was time to take on the daredevil rough drivers back to Uganda and Kampala. The same thing happened as I explained above, except that our bus broke down at 6:00am, after 14hours drive. We were stranded in the middle of the bush, but as the problemsolving dudes we are, we hitchhiked with another bus which contained a bus full of Sudanese refugees that were kind of stressed out after the humble interaction with the Kenyan border police.

Well, if we put it like this, we’re freaking happy to be back in laidback, safe and secure Kampala!

In a few hours we're heading up to Iganga and the Americans...sometime during the weekend, its Mbale and Bubulo !

Assanti Banna ( "Thank you brother" in Kiswahili! )

We're lecturing at Makarere University...

Voila!

Me, Tobias, The Dean of the Makarere Business School, Head of Dep. Entrepreneurship, The PR-manager and of course the President Yoweri Museveni on the picture ni the background...

During the last few days we've lectured for the students that are studyuing Entrepreneurship at Makarere Business School.

We've mostly lectured about our Project and the diffrent point of views the Western world has of Entrepreneurship. One of our aims is to "see" and "identify" the African view of what an entreprenuer is...

We in the western world tend to underestimate and look down on the Africans and the African countries. They're more full of life, happier and more curious then the Europeans...thats a fact!

C yah later !

Iganga on Sunday!

Hey..

We got the chance to get together with this 65 year old Canadian, whos doing a Coffemachine-project in Iganga. After we got to know him for 3 nights in a row at our hostel, he wanted us to Boss over 6 American students that are flying down Kampala and Iganga on Sunday. The idea is that we are going to organize these American students to work with the set-up of these machines in Iganga, everything is paid for us, by the Canadian...

This will be the perfect opportunity for us to test some of our theories...

In 2 weeks time the Canadians wealthy friends are flying down from the US, and he wants Tobias and me to "show them around the country in their Landrover"...thats going to be the Highlight!!! Thinking about taking them to the Waterfalls just be Mt Elgon, (4500 m)

Tobias and me are riding on "the wave" at the moment, the wave of opportunities !!!

Too bad it took my computer 50 minutes to download blogger.com..otherwise I wouldve shown you some cool pics!

BONNO MUZUNGO!!!!

Bonno Muzungo !

View from one of the Hills of Kampala...

BONNO MUZUNGO!! Thats the first line you need to start a conversation off with, which more or less is the best Ice-braker in a conversation, which means Stupid White person :-) ("Seeiii Gwaaii looo" in Cantonese, "Pibafalangoo" in Thai .e.t.c) Especially if you wanna stress and scare my fellow traveller, Tobias....which happens like 100 times every day!

Tobias is getting from stressed the hell out, because he's the Whitest person around the Capital, to settled down with the fact that people really dont care...its really only his Ego that is stressing him out.


Yesterday we went to the Great Victoria Lake, in Entebbe, its a shame that you cant swim in the Lake becuase you"ll attract a nasty bugg in the Lake which enters the humanbody by taking the "rear-part" entrance... nasty stuff!


Today we made our first visit to Makarere Univeristy, which is only 10 minutes away from our district BOGOLOBI (Poor Tobias, he has no clue how to express any words in KitSwahili or in Luganda, absent-minded dude!) . We're gonna hang out Makarere Campus for a couple of days and interview entreprenuership professors and student at the Business Faculty...

These dudes are the ones the are disturbing our sleep at night. 20-30 monkeys that are running around in - and outside the Hostel....

The Ugandans are, sorry fellow Chinese friends, 100 times warmer, friendlier and happier... then the Chinese. It feels like we're gonna have the best 2 months of our lives here, with the best people on Earth !

Pictures from Kampala...

From the roof of Sheraton Kampala you can see the Great Victoria Lake in the horizon...Kampala is built on 8 diffrent hills...beautiful! Too bad we had to leave Sheraton after 2 nights. We're staying at a Hostel outside downtoen Kampala, at Red Chilli Hostel Hideaway.

Ok, ska vi ses i Bibblan imorrn klockan 10:00 eller ...naaaaah tror inte det va!!!! (Should we meet in the Vaxjo Uni. library as the rest of our classmates back in Sweden and continue with our thesis..naaaah..dont think soo!!!)

So you wanted to use my shootgun eyy?? Visit the Mosque first, then I'll think about it...

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Tobias, Mr WhiteBoy, where the hell are you?? People, wild animals (Monkeys, MarabouStorcks, Vultures), Dust and traffic is all mixed up in downtown Kampala.

I'll download pics from the beautiful nature the next time and all you see is the color GREEN GREEN GREEN here !!!!!

Just to let you know, the downloading takes approx. 5 minutes per photo..

To be continued...

Weapons, weapons, weapons...

Hello again..


There are certain things that one haft to experience if you come to Kampala.

• Weapons, weapons, weapons - Everywhere you go you'll see heavy armed police and armypersonell...don't wanna think about what would happen if one of the guards by misstake pulls the trigger, Dominoeffect?? David, is a driver who we meat through my Swedish friend Anna, who was here for 2 months on the same schoolarship as us. David always have his AK47 beside him in the car, and the gun down his pants.
• Boda Boddda Bikes - Just like a Tuck Tuck in Thailand, but a motorbike...dangerous?? Noo, not really. No
• Ang Noir - A Nightclub where you can dance to classic African Hip Hop and RnB

We just moved from Sheraton Kampala, to a Hostel east of the central Kampala, Red Chilli Hostel Hideaway where we'er gonna be untill next weekend, then we're probabaly meet a couple of americans that are really curious to hear more about our project in Bubulo.

Too bad I didnt bring my camera to the internetcafe, so that you could see the pictures, THEY ARE GOING TO BLOW YOU AWAY! I'll download some pictures next time ...

Take care friends, wherever you are...

Beautiful Chaos in Kampala!

Hello!

First impression of Africa, A beautiful Chaos, or as the stewardist on Ethiopean Airlines said to a guy If you dont shut up, I'll kill you, this is Ethiopean airlines!!! First impression last!

The thought strikes me as I whatch Maraboustorks in thousands circle around Kampala, that this is truelly the Pearl of Africa, as Churchill said when the Brittish Empire took over Uganda.

In 10 days or so we're on our way up north to Mbale, 4 hours north, close to the Kenyan border!

Gotto logg off now...catch you maybe tomorrow, Ill try to upload a couple of pictures as well!

Many kisses from Kampala!

Selfdistance is underrated!

You got to respect this! Geldoff, Bono and Jamie Oliver is the shit!

I should maybe do the same Selfdistance-clipserie when I get down there! Good idea ey?

The Last King Of Scotland...reality check?

"Watzup wid' da trigga' on diz??!!"

I just came home from seeing The Last King of Scotland...gave me some more perspectives of the history of Uganda.

Bloody civil war, schizofrenic and paranoid dictator, Idi Amin really was a fucking Clown!

The movie at least gave me some nice views of a beautiful country and some awesome african dancemoves...not like Juan Camilo Montana (my beloved brother from Bogotá), but as close as it can get a Friday night at DeeDees in Macau!!!

Next week there are 3-4 final injections for us, such as TBC. And then its only 2 weeks to go...!