Good news! I made it!! And things in Uganda are going really well. The team and I have been able to get a lot of work done while having a little fun while we are at it.
I flew into the city of Entebbe after two successful 8hr flights. The first flight I think ranks as the most uncomfortable flight I have ever been on, but the second one made up for it. I was finally able to sleep and I sat next to a really friendly Ugandan from Atlanta. He had been living in ATL for 15 or so years and was taking his family back to see his parents and friends still in Uganda. He was a great introduction to the country and gave me some ideas on places to go for a mini-vacation on a weekend we don’t have much going on. And immigration was a breeze. I had a bit of a scare because I didn’t bring my immunization card with me, an item that didn’t even cross my mind to bring. Unbeknownst to me, some countries require proof of the yellow fever vaccine before they let you in…luckily, Uganda didn’t care so much. However, it does make it inconvenient for me to try to go to Tanzania. The group and I were flirting with the idea of spending our week off in Tanzania-a country that so happens to require this infamous immunization card. But you live and you learn. Maybe we will take the gamble and see if I can get away with not having it at the border. We’ll see.
We had a taxi take us the 45min to the capital city, Kampala. I was in pure awe. The city was really, really nice, especially on the main drag where we stayed. Our hotel was pretty neat and equipped with a hot water shower (score!). It was right downtown and we were able to walk around most places. However, with it being downtown it was really noisy. One side of the hotel, our side, neighbored the street and the other side was the ally side and dubbed Hooker Highway. So strange noises were coming from all directions…Now, I have never been to New York City to give a fair comparison, but I imagine the horn honking is ten times worse in Kampala than in the Big Apple. Driving here seems quite the challenge but the locals seem to have a good system figured out: do what you want and just honk so everyone moves out of the way. And if I were ever to give up on America and move to Uganda, I would definitely become a boda-boda driver. Wouldn’t a dirt-bike/motorcycle taxi driver be the sweetest gig? There is no set rate and the rules of the road don’t apply. You can drive on the wrong side of the street, on the sidewalks, over the median, not sit in traffic, work when you feel like it, break when you please, and meet tons of people a day…where’s the downside?
We stayed in Kampala for five days. While we were there we visited the mall, coffee shops, and tons of restaurants with any ethnicity available: Lebanese, Indian, Thai, African, American, and more! One night the other American girls and I were feeling a little adventurous and went to a local club that was nearby…and boy was that a good time! Pretty standard Saturday night minus the bumpin’ and grindin’ dancing folks do back home. PDA is something not commonly done here, which I appreciate. There were some familiar songs being played, some 50 Cent, Soldja Boy, etc. There was a mix of local songs and also good American oldies that people seemed to get into, too. The only bad thing that has happened all trip occurred during this outing. My camera, well my parent’s camera, got lost/stolen here. I decided not to bring my purse and let my friend hang on to it for me and it wasn’t in her purse when we got home. I was able to buy another one the next day, but it doesn’t compare to my other one…and I am a few hundred bucks short now…and I lost all my pics…and I don’t have a memory card that fits. I have to keep the pictures on the lowest setting and just use the camera’s memory. Not ideal, but doable.
After getting some essential tasks done in Kampala, we left for our final destination to Mbarara. The other team left a day before we did and had some transportation problems. They hired a tour company to drive them the 5hrs to Gulu and their vehicle’s transmission died :\ We, however, had a friend drive us our 6.5hr trip and didn’t have any difficulties. His name was Andy and he was passing through Kampala, heading to Mbarara, and offered us spots in his backseat. And the ride there was absolutely hilarious! Andy enlightened us on many things Ugandan, told us a lot of stories about his family and work, and made the ride seem a lot shorter. The ride was about 1.5 hours longer than usually because there is construction for a good 40km on the only road to Mbarara. But we made it, had a good time, and ended up at a really nice guest house at Mbarara University.
The research is going well and we are about to venture into the field this weekend. For the past week we have been coming up with a questionnaire and figuring out the logistics of everything. I have really been able to learn a lot about designing a study and various things that I never would have considered. Changing one word in a question can change the entire meaning so everything has to be thought about with such detail. I have been able to offer up a few suggestions, but I mainly take the backseat and just watch the pros work it out. So it’s nice to be this involved while also just being able to watch and learn.
I have to admit, it does get a little lonely at times. But the girls I am with are pretty great, and I love that I have them here with me. I feel like we already have several inside jokes and it is great to have other people to share Ugandan peculiars with. However, I do miss the people back home. So things are great, and I am loving my time here.
Many things have happened while we have been in Mbarara; I suppose it has been a little of a week now. I will give an update on the fun things, along with our first field days, the next time I can blog.
Love, Peace, and Pork Muchomo
JOY
All the symptoms I am having fit with a mild case of giardia. Butt (yes, pun and typo intended...ha!), it comes and goes and is not as severe as the horror stories I have heard from survivors of that vicious parasite. So realistically, it's not giardia but gah, is it unpleasant. I feel, though, that I am on the road to recovery and my pseudo-giardia is passing through.
