Kampala and the road to Mbarara

Even though we stayed in Kampala the first night, we actually didn’t see the city. Makerere University is on the northern side of town and slightly hidden from the hustle and bustle. Tegan and I woke up around 9, ate breakfast, and met Massy to go to downtown Kampala. One of the main ways of getting around the city (and country) is shared taxis. These vans are constantly visible and usually are jam-packed with riders. There is a rider whose job is to regulate the passengers and take their money; they also stick their heads through the window and shout at people to get in.

Kampala overwhelmed me yet again. I have never seen so much activity in my life before. Everyone and everything seems to be constantly moving. I wish I had a video because it’s so intense and hard to describe… constant traffic, noise, people everywhere, endless shops and goods, red dirt, heat, broken sidewalks, old buildings, tropical plants, beautiful cranes and birds, dust, smoke, and more people…

It seems like everyone is selling something – and in different ways. There are, of course, more traditional stores along the street you can enter. Then, you have your smaller, one-room shops – many of which are selling a wide variety of trinkets and goods, though some specialize in a service like foreign currency exchange, phone cards, apparel, and so on. People also stand along the street, holding handfuls of belts or shoes. There are also people sitting along the sidewalks with blankets spread out under umbrellas, selling books, newspapers, and other various items that look secondhand.

Leaving was also intense. We walked down a narrow, steep set of stairs, containing vendor stalls on each side. At the bottom, the land became flat and graveled, giving way for us to view an endless sea of taxi vans, with signs on the top designating their location. We got there just in time to catch ours back to the university. As we sat in the van while it loaded, various people walked by holding assortments of goods, trying to sell us newspapers, belts, water, pinwheels… absolutely everything and anything! The taxis somehow managed to squeeze through the people, motorcycles, and other vans to the main road. We got back and still suffering from the time zone adjustment, took a much-needed nap. When we woke up around 9:30PM, Lindsey had arrived and we hung out for a while before bed.

The next morning, we woke up around 7:30 AM, had breakfast, loaded up our stuff in the jeep (we had a driver from Mbarara), and left for our final destination! The journey is about a 4 ½ hour drive and we were stuck in heavy traffic as we tried to leave Kampala. Once we got on the road, we moved pretty smoothly. The two-lane road had some nice sections with pavement and some not-so-nice holes, bumps, and dusty stretches. We got to stop at where the equator passes; there is a touristy monument there and we got pictures of course. We also stopped on the outskirts of Lake Mburo National Park when we saw a couple zebras grazing.

The rural scenery here is absolutely amazing. Uganda is fairly mountainous and the hills were among the most beautiful, rolling and green that I’ve ever seen. Sometimes, the land reminded me of the West Virginia along the interstate – only more open, expanded and tropical. We also were exposed to a lot of poverty and typical images of destitute Africa. Rows of shops and scattered homes – most of which were old and dilapidated – lined the road. Many people were performing various tasks outdoors, carrying goods, moving items on bikes, working on construction, and so on. There were small and smaller children running around barefoot in mud – some of which had to have learned to walk only weeks earlier. Again, no pictures of this, but you can imagine.

We arrived in Mbarara late afternoon and put our belongings in the guesthouses. At the moment, the team is split up because other students are also using the houses - we’ve met people from Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK and US. Next week some people are leaving and we’ll get our official house, so it will be nice to have our belongings in a more permanent setting. The houses are better than expected (I tried to imagine having absolutely nothing). We have running water (which is warm if you turn on the heater at least 30 minutes earlier), electricity (half of the time - usually out in the day), flushing toilets, and a small fridge. We also have sinks to wash our clothes in. I’ve only seen some scattered insects, but I have a few lizard friends that will hopefully eat them.

We’re close enough to the city that we can walk down in about 15 minutes to get anything we need. We ventured in to buy groceries and more phone time; the rate is horrible, by the way, so it’s mostly going to be the Internet - which is also horrible, so actually, don't expect anything from me very often! All my blog posts are delayed by days. I also tried to add pictures but the connection can't handle it. I'll have to find something better hopefully...

Shopping for food is going to be a challenge. I can easily get fruits and veggies at the outdoor markets – and will have to build up the confidence to do this on my own – but the grocery stores didn’t seem to have what I’m looking for. So much of the food is sugary, sweet and processed – tons of biscuits, cookies, and cakes shipped in from the Middle East and Kenya. I think I will end up eating a ton of soybeans, plantain chips, and other local foods. The Mbarara region is also the country’s dairy capital, meaning we’re gong to be able to get some fabulous milk once we figure out where to go.

Later in the evening, Godfrey and his wife invited us to dinner and graciously paid for all of us. Godfrey is a doctor who works in the obstetrics and gynecology department at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) and is a co-investigator on the study alongside Rachel Snow, our professor at Michigan. We had an AMAZING outdoor meal at Lord’s Inn of grilled goat meat, plantains (which were not banana-tasting at all), and a pico de gallo type sauce. Everything is eaten with your hands; a server comes around the table with a jar of warm water and bucket for patrons to wash their hands before and after the meal. He apparently said I seemed the most appreciative! Haha. I even got to have my first Ugandan beer – Nile’s Greatest – unexpected and very delicious! Afterward, we hit up Heat, a large, outdoor club (hey, it was Friday night).

As prepared myself for bed, I felt happy and realized for the first time I was going to be OK. I’ve had a lot of doubt in myself and my ability to “make it” over the past few days. I guess that’s normal when you’re out of your comfort zone, but it’s not a good feeling to have when you know you’re going to be committed to a location for 12 weeks (and when you’re impatient like me). Like most things in life, getting used to change takes time; additionally, the greater the change, the harder and longer the adjustment period – and Uganda is probably near the top of that greater change list for me. I’m beginning to feel I can handle this now… and patience, listening, observing, and lots of good people will aid me on my journey…