Sarah+H



Dear Diary, I’m in Africa! I guess being the tenth caller to that radio station wasn’t so impossible after all. When I won the grand prize a couple weeks ago, I never guessed that it would be a free trip to five countries in Africa. But what I really loved was that I could bring three friends with me! So Jennifer, Anna, Elizabeth and I are here, in Morocco. We’ll spend three days here, then split up for a little while and meet again to end our trip in Zimbabwe.

**Day 2**: We spent the whole day in Casablanca. It looks just like the movie. Buildings cover every inch of ground there is here. The Atlas Mountains tower over us. It would be cool if we had enough time to go mountain climbing.  The crowds here are unbelievable! To go anywhere is a struggle with all these people. This is the actual sight where the movie Casablanca was filmed. Our server at the restuarant told us that it is always this busy. I don't blame anyone though, it's so cool to really be here! Casablanca is Morocco's largest city and is considered the chiefport.
 * Day 1:** We’re here in Rabat, and it’s absolutely beautiful! The vibrant colors in the flowers make me want to stay here for the rest of my life. Our guide told us all about the history of the Berbers. They have lived in Morocco since the second millenium b.c. In 1086, the Berbers took over large areas of Moorish, Spain until the 13th century. The French and Spanish parts of the country began to disagree in 1840. They agreed to split up the country. France controlled more of the land then the Spanish. 

I look around and realize how very fortunate I am. So many people are poor, thank goodness the economy is growing so fast now! A villager told us that making foreign investments in Morocco is much cheaper than in many other countries. This is our last day here and we’re saying goodbye for now, but I still can’t wait for the rest of my adventure.
 * Day 3:** The ruins here in Meknes are amazing! Our guide explained about the ruins, and how they are Roman. I can't believe that this was actually Roman territory at one time.

Mali here I come!

**__Mali__**

 * Day 1:** I’ve officially arrived in Timbuktu, Mali! I am right in the middle of the Sahara Desert. About 85 percent of Mali is desert. It’s so dry here! The first thing I did when I arrived here was take my shoes and socks off and dug my feet into the warm sand. But after the extremely hot sand burned my feet, I quickly got my feet out of that sand! When we go into cities, we hear a lot of noise coming from the mosques. Even though, I am Christian and have opposite views from them, the Muslims are very interesting. About 80 percent of all Malians are Muslim. In 1591, Morocco conquered Timbuktu, and ruled over it for two centuries. After those two centuries, Mali won Timbuktu back and here I am today! I feel like I am in the middle of nowhere.


 * Day 2**: I am on the small island city of Djenne. I love to swim in the cool, clean waters. When I take walks along the shore, I see fishermen. One man said that he gets up at six almost every day to fish. He said that that’s when he gets the best catches! There are many inland bodies of water, but is surrounded by all land and no water. The south holds the only fertile land. Cotton, the main export, is sold for very low prices.


 * Day 3:** Today I’m spending my last day in Mopti, the heart of the tourist industry. It’s a lot of fun here. I like to shop at all the little shops and stands. I bought souvenirs for my family. It does not look like it out on the road, but “behind the scenes”, there are a lot of poor people here. Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. The government here depends heavily on foreign help. I also went to see an oral literature presentation. I heard someone say " It was very relevant to a discussion of national culture. I hadn't thought od it before she said that, but it was very true.

Guess where I'm going next................................ UGANDA!

__**Uganda**__ Day1: This morning, my plane landed at the Kabalega Falls. The falls are beautiful, but very loud. We got some bananas from the trees near the falls. At first I didn’t think anything of it, but then it hit me that these bananas aren’t just regular old bananas, they are from Uganda! It may not seem like much, but it was really cool. The soothing noises of the waterfalls drift through the walls of our huts and put me to sleep as I took a nap this afternoon. I wasn’t even tired, but it was so peaceful! It is extremely hot here, because the country lies directly across the equator. Three main areas make up Uganda: swampy lowlands, a fertile plateau with wooded hills, and a desert region.

Day 2: I’m at the Queen Elizabeth National Park! It is a huge animal reserve. Everywhere I look, there are animals! It has over 550 species of birds, more than any other reserve in Africa! I met a group of people that told me a lot about Ugandan History and Economy. In 1844, Europeans and Arab traders first explored Uganda. Few Europeans ended up actually settling in Uganda, but many Indians and some Arabs did. Today, these Indians are important players in Ugandan commerce. The Ugandan economy was tremendously affected during the Idi Amin in the 1970’s, and the war resulting of Idi Amin. It is now making a strong recovery. I’m going to Lake Edward next, it will be a nice “cool down” after all the excitement! Day 3: I said it would be relaxing and it was! The lake is not that nice to swim in, but the shoreline is really pretty. I like to climb up the hills and look out across the lake. I met a young woman who absolutely loves art. She said that that government does not support the arts at the time, but many artists are trying to convince the government that it would be worth it to support the arts. I definitely agree with these artists, srt is a very important and beautiful part of the culture. This woman had some beautiful modern art.

Day 1: I am in Loango. Most of inland Congo is tropical rain forest, so I am surrounded by the rainforest. We are staying right along the beach and can go walking in the morning. The waves get so big sometimes! When you look out along the horizon, there are many boats. I’ve met an African girl named Kalai, and we have become good friends. She tells me a lot about the countries we visit, for she has decided to travel with us. She said that the first free election was in 1992, and Pascal Lissouba became the first democratically elected president. It changed Congo in many ways. Kalai knows so much and I am really learning a lot from her! Congo is three times the size of Pennsylvania and lies along the equator. We enjoy sunny days and I saw the most amazing thing! We were walking along this afternoon and we saw a real live gorilla! There are many gorillas here but it was cool to actually see one. Day 2: We are at the Gorges of Diosso! Trees stand in patches on the steep cliffs. The rock and sand makes the cliffs a beautiful reddish brown. We passed a little stand that sold diamonds. I wanted so bad to buy one, but didn’t have enough money. Diamonds are a main export here. Kalai know a lot of different languages, including French, the official language in Congo. It is nice to have her to communicate with people who only speak French. Still, it would be cool if I could speak French too. The language is very pretty. Even though I don’t speak French, I fit in according to religion. Christianity is the main religion, that makes me feel very happy, maybe I’ll see these people in Heaven. Wouldn’t that be cool! Day 3: Day three and we’re at the Pointe Noire Railway Station! Trains are constantly going by and blowing their loud whistles. There are drummers along the streets that play African music. The music is so upbeat! Music and dance are important to Congolese culture. Drumming is the main type of music, but many other instruments are also played. I wish I could give money to all of the drummers, but there are so many! We got to ride on a “tour” train today. We rode in a big circle around track. After we finished with the train, we got to walk out on a dock and watch the waves come in. I’m going to finish my trip in Zimbabwe, meeting up with Anna, Elizabeth, and Jennifer again! I can’t wait for them to meet Kalai! Kaliai is excited to meet them also. I think they’ll be impressed with how much she knows!

Day 1: We are in the Victoria Falls and it’s good to be with my friends again! They all made fast friends with Kalai. The Victoria Falls are so beautiful! They are a series of many small falls, all connecting at the bottom in one large body of water. We took a lot of pictures, the realization finally sinking in that these are our last three days in Africa. Kalai told us that the main imports in Zimbabwe are machinery and fuels. And the main exports are cotton and gold. On our way here, we saw many fields growing cotton, and many miners mining gold. We passed through Harare, the capital city and Kalai explained some history to me. In 1980, the white minority agreed to hold multiracial elections. The outcome was Robert Mugabe winning these elections. He changed and built up the Zimbabwean government and its branches. Before him, the government was a total mess! The few different government groups they had disagreed and never came to one final decision. Day 2: The Motobo National Park holds so many different things! Giant boulder “sculptures”, they look like sculptures anyways. The guide said that they are just formations, not really sculptures. I guess they are just stacked, but they look really cool! There are waterfalls, white rhinos and beautiful sunsets. The sun sets across the water and makes it red and shimmer! At first glance it looks like the water is red, but it’s just the sun reflecting off of it. Zimbabwe is in south-central Africa and is slightly smaller than California. It is landlocked by four countries; Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, and Mozambique. Tomorrow is my last day in Africa! Oh no! I don't want to leave! Day 3: We are spending our last day at the Mana Pools National Park! I can’t believe that it’s really the last day here! I’m having so much fun and I’m really going to miss Kalai. As we look out across the plains, we can see deer, birds and many other animals. There are many other animals here too. We actually got to pet the elephant in this picture, once it stopped running of course! Her name is Thump! Thump recently gave birth to a young elephant named Crash! I like their names! Kalai provided me with a little more information today. Literature, graphic arts and performance arts are very important to Zimbabwean culture. The largest churches in Zimbabwe are the Angelican and Roman Catholic. A lot of “Christians” are mislead to believe in witchcraft. This is a very unfortunate thing. Thankfully, missionaries are changing many lives and I hope they can set these Christians on the right path again. Well, I’ll return home with stories, souvenirs and many, many memories! I will very much miss Kalai, she has become like a sister to me. But for now, I’ll have to return home to my real sisters, my real family, and my real home. GOODBYE AFRICA!