Gorilla sighting in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda.
Rachael Fahrenbach is the director of international programs in Oregon State University’s College of Forestry. She recently traveled to Rwanda and Uganda to begin the process of building a study abroad program there for OSU students.
Where were you working?
Rwanda is the size of Massachusetts so we basically lapped the country. Kigali, Akagera National Park, Gisakura, Nyungwe National Park, Lake Kivu, Musanze and Volcanoes National Park. We also crossed into Uganda, where we saw Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Lake Bunyonyi, Mburo National Park and Kampala.
What languages are spoken there?
Rwanda is an ex-Belgian colony so it’s a mix of French, the local language Kinyarwanda and English, which is now taught in schools, as well as many dialectal languages. Uganda is an ex-English colony so English is common but also Luganda and Swahili, as well as many local languages.
What was the focus of your work?
We are looking to develop a faculty-led student program there focused on human-wildlife interaction. Each national park has a buffer zone where communities live and interact with the animals that live within the park boundaries. Most of the parks do not have fencing, so you often see zebras, elephants and monkeys meandering into the farmland to dig up crops. Farmers are needing to balance park tourism and animal conservation with food livelihood. There’s also an issue with more predatory animals like lions and leopards that can obviously affect livestock production.
I got to do some fun things like check out student activities with parks and universities, but also toured hotels and bus companies to make notes on logistics.
How much time have you spent there?
I was there from about June 13 to Aug. 20. This was my first time in East Africa, but I met with my College of Forestry colleague Ian Munanura who is from the region and has done years of research in the area.
Who were your closest local colleagues?
Ian had previously worked at Nyugwe National Park so I reconnected with his past colleagues there. We also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. It’s the largest university in the capital city of Uganda with similar lines of research as our College of Forestry with natural resources, tourism and wood science. We recently hosted one of their students last summer here in Corvallis for our sponsored internship program, Branching Borders.
Ian Munanura, left, and Rachael Fahrenbach, right, at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.
What’s the biggest challenge of working there?
Honestly, much was easy — food, roads, lodging ... Well, a few of the back roads gave us what the guides called a “massage” with grins on their faces. Probably the most difficult was letting go of trying to have a set itinerary. In the U.S., we have everything planned to the minute and in many other countries, that’s not the case. You sit for a coffee (their coffee is FANTASTIC) and have no idea when the meeting is going to start or end, but it led to wonderful conversations and I learned to not pack my day full of activities.
What’s the best food you had there?
I did a food tour in Kigali which was really fun. Overall, my favorite that I had multiple times was luwombo in Uganda, a traditional dish of meat or vegetables cooked in a banana leaf pouch and steamed, with groundnut (peanut) sauce.
Coffee at Question Coffee in Rwanda.
What’s the most non-touristy thing you got to do?
I have two. First, I got to see a friend who I hadn't seen in many years. We had studied for our master’s degrees together in Italy, then moved apart and had only seen each other once or twice. A few years ago, she moved home to Rwanda. We were both delighted that my work took me to her. I was able to see her family and spend time with her, which was priceless.
Second, one of our first evenings we were staying at a little tea lodge waiting for dinner and saw some men playing a game I recognized as similar to a game I played in my childhood called mancala. Locally, it’s known an “omweso” or “igisoro.” They taught us their variation, and we ended up playing. My first opponent only spoke French and Kinyarwanda but we were able to connect over a shared game. We ended up playing the game at other guesthouses throughout the trip and eventually I bought a gameboard, as it is different from our mancala boards, to bring back with me.
What’s an important phrase you’ve learned to say in the local language?
“Murakoze” means thank you in Kinyarwanda.
What’s one thing from your experience that you’ll take back to Oregon with you?
So much — I truly can’t wait to return to the region. It’s always a good reminder to leave the U.S. and slow down a bit. Traffic in the cities there was hectic, but between the villages we saw people that probably spent half the day or more walking or biking from one village to the next to go to the market or for water. It makes you realize that you can take time for the big things in life and not sweat the small things so much.
Mountain gorilla in the Impenetrable Forest.
What were you most surprised to learn?
The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is penetrable — it took us six hours, but we found mountain gorillas! What an amazing experience. If anyone wants to know more about it, the 1988 movie “Gorillas in the Mist” about Dian Fossey (the Jane Goodall of mountain gorillas) portrays what is still a pretty accurate picture of both habitat and poaching issues in the region.
Besides family, what do you most miss from home?
Surprisingly, after six weeks away, I still was not missing much.
What advice would you give others who might travel there?
What I learned myself: Don’t try to fit too much in one day. Let the day develop as it may. And in Rwanda, try Question Coffee.
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