LAURA IN AFRICA

[amalthya]

This post is for those of you that are curious about general stuff about me in Africa.

Firstly, my address is:

Laura Brown
PO Box 172
Entebbe, Uganda


There's no post code. If you saw the post offices here, you'd know why.

My (very early) Christmas list is here



*********************

I work for CSWCT here as the Marketing Coordinator. The CSWCT is the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust.

It's based in Entebbe, Uganda, and is, in fact, in the ground floor of the house that I live in.

Its primary focus is Ngamba Island. Ngamba Island was set up to house chimpanzees that were confiscated in Eastern Africa. They're all orphans. Some of them are from the pet trade. Others had parents that were killed by the bushmeat trade (eating wild animals, but the infants have no meat on them so they're sold).

Chimpanzees have a lifespan of around 50 years. Most chimpanzees become really bad pets around the ages of 4-6. You can do the math.

Anyway, there are 39 chimpanzees living on Ngamba Island. They're separated into two groups: adults and juveniles.

Each group has a very specific social hierarchy. You can't mix the two groups together at this point. They tried at one point to migrate a juvenile male, and he was attacked by the alpha male of the adult group.

The adult chimpanzees have full run of the island during the day. It's about 39 hectares. So, it's nice and open. The juveniles have a smaller space, but it's still large and some of them also go on forest walks with visitors.

At night, most of the chimps come into a caged enclosure to sleep. If they want to stay out in the forest, they can. But most of them come in. All of the chimps get fed 4 times a day.

While there are efforts being made to reintroduce sanctuary chimpanzees into the wild, there isn't enough natural forest in Uganda to ever reintroduce these chimps. Chimpanzees are very territorial, so you can't introduce a new group to an area with a pre-existing group. So, they're probably with us for life.

***********

My job entails stocking the island with necessities (or rather just keeping track of what gets sent there) and stocking and creating merchandise for the Island Kiosk Shop. I've also got to keep visitor stuff in check for the island - signage, and the like. Information boards. When Long Stay Visitors come, I've got to make sure they have enough to do.

I don't live on the island. Instead, I live in Entebbe, which is approximately 45m to 2h away from the island, depending on the weather and which boat you take.
At the "Chimp House" (as our house in Entebbe is called) I have to keep track of merchandise and regular stock, answer emails, and create newsletters and information pamphlets.

And administrate the donor program. And the website. None of it will be very taxing. I'm hoping to implement some new systems for efficiency, but we'll see what happens!


I think that's the basic rundown.


I'm 7 hours ahead of all you US folks (GMT+3).
If you want more detailed maps of Uganda, the Island, and the area, you can visit here

If there's an emergency and you need to reach me, or you just want to pay money to hear my voice (hehe) instead of using skype to talk to me (which is free), you can call my mobile at: +256 78 946 161. It's free for me, but not for you :)

I've got all my photos week by week at Flickr so you're welcome to check them out at will.
For the lazy special:

Photos with Me In Them
Photos of Chimpanzees

If you'd like to comment on my journal, and you're new to livejournal or you're new to me, feel free to drop me an email at laura(dot)darby(at)gmail(dot)com

Thanks! Also, this entry is set to always be on top. For new entries, just scroll down!


I'm curious to see who is reading and where they're from! Click the below link to add yourself!

Comments

[puckylunk.livejournal.com]

Interesting factoids about the US* (your home country):

There are 4 time-zones, in the continental US.
All but one state (Arizona) observes DST.
Indiana was the other, but they just passed a law to join everyone else this year.
Laura is 7 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5) which puts her at GMT+2.


*provided for people who don't live in the east coast and wonder which time zone you're gauging your 7hrs by .. oh, and to openly mock you in a loving way. ;)

Re: Connecting to Daddy

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

sorry, Dad... as you saw, my email was down for a while!

e-mail working?

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, Laura-
Look forward to your journal** every day. Have not e-mailed lately. Wonder if you are still having trouble. Will try that again soon. Please let me know if your receive it and also this 'poke'. **Was most interested in your analysis of your reasons for going to Africa and leaving your present life and friends at home etc. Very insightful. Wish we could talk. TNT- Much love, Aunt M.

[vinegar-chick.livejournal.com]

It's a small world after all....

So, you just found me by searching Uganda right? You remember Orin, the Peace Corps volunteer? Well I'm the other one that fell off the balcony with him on Ngamba Island.

I'm going to officially friend you here if that's okay. Would love to compare notes on all things Ugandan.

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

I never got to meet Orin, but I did see in your LJ that you knew he and Susan!

Official friending sounds great :) I've already friended you!

[purplemoonstar.livejournal.com]

Hello!! I got your sn off of the expats in Africa post that vinegar_chick made. I am going to Cameroon next month and was looking to add more "expats" to my list. I added you as a friend. I hope that is ok :-)

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

It's absolutely okay! :) I normally wait a week or two to reciprocate, so hopefully that's okay too :D

Hello !

[misshindufrench.livejournal.com]

Hey add me on...I can relate to the looney bin thing..I have tried 3 different grad schools !!!!

Re: Hello !

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

I usually wait a week or two before adding new people :) Feel free to add me if you want, though!

[faeriecween.livejournal.com]

Hey. I was browsing the interests section and you have several that matched mine and then I read your most recent posts and, well you sound pretty cool. Do you mind if I friend you?

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

sure! no problem

[cestovatela.livejournal.com]

Hello! I wandered in here from the members list of expatsinafrica. I have a wanderlust, a Harry Potter love, and a habit of trolling LJ for travel-related blogs to get ideas for my next adventure. I added you to my friendslist and just wanted to introduce myself.

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

Love the Buffy icon!! :) Welcome welcome!

Always happy to have a like-minded person reading :D

[ohmypersephone.livejournal.com]

Hi. I noticed you used go to Chapin. I went there K-6 (in fact, if this doesn't make you sound terribly old or me terribly young, I must have been in Kindergarten when you were in eleventh grade), then transferred to Hunter, then moved to Italy and was homeschooled, then came back to go to Exeter in NH. I'm envious of you having gone to Africa.

::adds::
Add me back?

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

Ha - I feel old all the time already ;). Sounds like you've had an interesting life already, though!

So did you find me through the LJ's Schools Directory (http://www.livejournal.com/schools/?ctc=US&sc=NY&cc=New+York&sid=19647) or through some other (possibly very random) means?

mambo mambo! (is that said in Uganda?)

[coniunctio.livejournal.com]

Hello,
I found you through expatsinafrica, which I found through my recurrent yearning (the pang of which is striking especially hard today) to return to Tanzania, where I spent last spring volunteering with a group called CCS, outside of Arusha. The information in your bio immediately drew me in, and imagine my surprise in scrolling down to see that one of the three colleges you referenced happened to be the one I am attending right now, GWU. I don't plan to be here next semester, however, and will be transferring schools for the third time in my undergraduate career. Anyhow, I would like to add you so that I may live vicariously through you until I am done with school and may finally return to Africa again. I hope that is okay. I have been reading through some of your recent entries and what you are doing now sounds so exciting and beautiful. I wanted to visit Uganda while in Tanzania, but was not there long enough to have the time. I look forward to reading your future entries very much.

Re: mambo mambo! (is that said in Uganda?)

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

I actually know a LOT of people who've worked with CCS (if the acronym is the one I'm thinking of)

I hated GWU myself, so it's not surprising that you're transferring. Anyway, feel free to friend me!

Cheers!

I am having insertion problems

[vixenish-red.livejournal.com]

Laura you weirdo. This is Kat and this is my newer lamer livejournal. you should be my friend. I had to get a new account because feminist community wouldn't accept me because my old livejournal name was apathyislame and lame is derogotory and full of ableism...so yea...I changed my username to this and you should be my friend....also update your pictures on flickr so I can see them...p.s it is so organized of you to have them by week...like whoa...what a dork.....ha ha ...tell everyone I am alive and in Amsterdam and that I cried while I was waiting to get on the plane and then fell asleep before it took off, and also that I ran into a gizillion delegates such as Doug Cress of PASA and the tampon girl on the flight.
Talk to you soooooooon!!!!!
<3 Kat

Re: I am having insertion problems

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

Your subject line made me laugh so hard that I nearly had insertion problems.

Did you sit next to tampon lady? How sick is Allison? I'm friending you whether you like it or not!