Dennis in Not a Menace

Greetings and salutations,
We have been on the road quite a bit lately. This past week we were up in Northern Uganda in a town called Gulu. Amazing. Bus rides are always an adventure here. We took one bus from Kigali, Rwanda to Kampala, Uganda which was about 11 hours and then another bus from Kampala to Gulu which was about 5 hours. There we were working with a man named Dennis who is working with boys who were previously in the LRA. Dennis has started a mentorship program with these boys via soccer helping them integrate back into their communities. He's a pretty wise man for only being 26 and has such a big heart for his community. I'm pretty sure he will be president of Uganda one day. It was a honor to work with him.
Dennis is amazing but so is the rest of Gulu. Our first night we were there we got to experience a thunder storm like none I have ever experienced before. Beautiful. The people there are some of the most welcoming and friendly people I have ever met.
This week is going to be a busy one. Tomorrow is KEZA's big fashion show. We had a reherlas today and it went pretty well. Should be a fun day. Then on Wed. I have a big shoot for KEZA's "I Am the African Woman" campaign. In between will be plenty of editing and meetings and coffee.

till we meet again,
sj

I Usually Use Things We Say A Lot Here

Champ

Let The Good Times Roll

Hello,
So a lot has happened since the last time we spoke. We got to play soccer with some kids at a local orphanage, drink some pretty darn good coffee, hang out at the US embassy, watch a few rounds of moto polo, eat some bbq goat liver, hike around the base of a volcano, play some more soccer, and drink some more coffee.

Last weekend we were able to visit one of the local orphanages. There were only 12 or so kids there but they are all amazing. Ricky brought a soccer ball over and the kids were stoked. It was Barcelona vs. Brazil and I think that it goes without saying that Barcelona came out on top... but who really keeps score. Before we left the kids taught us a new song. They also had a puppy.

Saturday was the 4th and it was a pretty great day. We started off with a bbq at the embassy which was kind of a strange atmosphere but it was fun to be sure. After we had our full of hamburgers and hot dogs we went to a local soccer field that had been commandeered by some moto polo enthusiasts. It's exactly what it sounds like. Men, motorcycles and a little friendly competition. An experience that will not soon be forgotten. After sitting on the sidelines and swallowing my share of dirt we headed over to a house for another bbq and that is where the goat liver comes in. We had some good food and ate into the night at which point we pulled a projector out and watch The Sandlot on the side of the house. It was a good day.

The following day, Sunday, we took off for a little family vacation. We all got up early and hopped on bus to a little village called Sabyno at the base near the base of a volcano. Probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We got there and took off on a hike. Passing through the village we drew a bit of a crowed. As a result, we had a group of about 10 kids that ended up guiding us on our hike. All pretty cool kids. After we got back to the village they invited us to play a little soccer with them and we were more than happy to accept the invitation. They were good. We need to practice.

Till we meet again,
sj

Made a New Friend

So while we were out today one of our crew spotted this bird and told me I needed to photograph it so I went into creeper mode and followed after it. I chased after it and saw it go around a small building so I went around the other side in an attempt to cut it off. We both rounded our corners at the same time and for a second he/she froze. Then he/she started walking towards me and of coarse I was capturing this entire event. This bird was evidently not intimidated by me because he/she walked with no hesitation till it was about 10 feet away. I was actually getting intimidated at this point. Then the bird freezes and for a butterfly has now caught his/her attention. Then this bird decides that it is bored with me and the butterfly is much more interesting so he/she took off in hot pursuit of the aforementioned butterfly. Today was a good day.

till we meet again,
sj

African thunder storms = EPIC

Sunsets and rice

We have finished another week in Africa. It blows my mind how fast the time has gone, this past week went especially fast, and I have been 10,000 miles away from home for nearly a month now.
This past week was spent shooting with both KEZA and Remba. With KEZA we are trying to get some fresh images of the products as well as a few images of models showing off the latest up on the website and ill be sure to keep you posted as to when that happens. With Remba we have been going to a few salons shooting and getting images for the website and getting footage for the upcoming video that Ricky is putting together. We'll be sure to keep you all in the loop.
I got a bed today so Ricky and I are no longer sharing a bed. Also this evening there was a beautiful sunset, I like cloud, and dinner was especially good.
till we meet again,
sj