Viva La Kampala!

A small group of us Muzungu’s along side with a few of our new Uganda Christian University friends pilled into one taxi van to make way towards the capital of Uganda, Kampala. It was Saturday and traffic was extremely heavy and what should have bene a half hour trip turned easily into an hour. It was fine with us though since we were all on the trip together. I was sitting in the front seat of the van so that was nice for getting a breeze, but not so much freshest of air as exhaust and dust loom about the roads most of the day. This often caused me to briefly hold my breath or to rub dirt out of my eye. Along the way there were roughly 20 long horn cattle crossing the road, which we all found joy in seeing. It is a normal thing to happen.
We got dropped off in Kampala and walked to the Garden City Mall. I had somewhat low expectations, but to my surprise it was super nice. Also it is open 24/7, which I thought was convenient. There we ate some American style food such as Pizza and Burgers. I had both and seized the opportunity to eat something other than Amatooki, beans, or rice. Oh later we found some ice cream to! The mall consisted of a wide variety of people from all over the world. This was true in Kampala as well. It was the main attraction for international travelers coming to Uganda and they seemed more used to seeing whites than the smaller more rural parts of Uganda. Anyhow some interesting things happened while we were in Kampala walking around the town. First someone ripped a necklace off one of the girls in our group and attempted to flee, but dropped the necklace. It is a good thing he ran, because Mob Justice can be brutal, even to the point of death. She was shooken up and I do no blame her, but it is good to be aware and observant of our surroundings. I always put my wallet in my front pocket in prevention of being potentially pick pocketed, which is common in the capital where it is crowded. Also we saw some women get hit by a taxi! She was knocked down and hit her head, but was helped up and eventually brushed it off. Luckily the car was not going any faster..phew close one! Also, we saw the back down of one of the taxi vans fling open and a bunch of the crews stuff feel all over the street. Intense as it seemed to us my Ugandan friend Dennis informed me that this was not even that crazy of a day here in Kampala. We made it back safely, though traffic was still heavy. A good day..a day of experience and learning.

Sunday Adventure

Starting Saturday I had felt feverish followed by a headache so I went to bed early. Sunday morning I woke up to get ready for a trip to Kampala with my parents. Kampala is the capital of Uganda for those of you who do not know. I felt better than when I went to sleep, but that all changed in the afternoon. We took a taxi to Kampala. The taxis here consist of bota botas (motercycles), vans, or busses. We took a van. The vans drive up and down main roads honking there horns all day attempting to pack out their vans beyond what it can hold. This happened to the van I was in. People are picked up and dropped off along the way as one worker drives and another sits as a passenger to flag people in, open the door, and collect the money. It took roughly a half hour to arrive in Kampala where we arrived at a taxi center and hopped on another taxi to take us to our destination. The plan was to go visit close friends of my parents. He was a reverend. A reverend at a church located on Kampala’s hospital property. The hospital in Kampala is the largest in the country and handles all major cases. I do believe that the hospital was not up to Americas standards back home, just be judging from the eye. We snuck into the service and sat in the back because it had already started. As usual I attract many looks by my skin, but not five minutes later two other whites came in that helped steal some of the attention I would attract by myself, however my parents and stood up in the front as my father spoke of how he helped the church. This I had no idea of and certainly did not feel as though I should stand with them up at the front, but they said that I go with them. I became more comfortable when my father Godfrey claimed me as his second to last-born son, which the crowd enjoyed. Afterwards we went to the reverends house for lunch where I ate little because my stomach started to turn accompanied by another headache and feeling feverish once again. Even though I was not feeling well I felt comfort by the hospitality of the family we ate lunch with as we prayed and sang a hymn together. Nothing like community! After we left my mother went home, but my father and I remained in town to purchase supplies for his Taylor shop. It was very very busy place. Super markets everywhere, people yelling, selling, and trading goods. With the intense crowds, heat, and wide variety of smell I began to feel worse and was anxious to arrive home. Finally we made our way back home and I immediately used the toilet…perhaps 6 times before I finally went to bed…To change the mood my family gave me a clan name… my name is Lubanga. Impedi is my class. There are 52 clans in the Buganda region. Buganda is a region with in Uganda.

Rags to riches

Today was the first day of school. Most of my classes are in the same room, which is nice. Although the campus is very beautiful. I will post pictures of some of the campus soon. My home stay has be pleasant and I am more comfortable than at the start. I am accepted as a son and am slowly being incorporated as a member of the family. Some daily things I do at home are to sometimes help prepare for dinner and help clean our rooms. I have already washed my cloths by hand , which is how it is done here. I found it somewhat tiring on the arms, but it make me appreciate not having thousands of cloths. It is unnecessary. In the states I come from a lower class family, but staying here has shown how much I am truly blessed with material possessions. Material possessions represent wealth, but I have found richness in family, community, sharing, hard work, and relationships. These are the things that are bound together by love not money.
I have made a few good friends from America who have also come to study, but having traveled from home to Africa with my good friend Melody has made the trip all the more pleasant. I have met her host family and they are just as nice as mine. Most Ugandans I have encountered have been very welcoming and kind. Although it is a completely new world I am quickly adapting thanks to the hospitality of my family, Melody, and other Ugandans. I nearly walk almost an hour to get to school and was nervous at the start, but my confidence has grown like a weed. Here, whites are called Mzungu. At home many would be offended by being called out by the nature of their skin, but that is not the case here. In the villages many kids that see me passing by loudly call out Mzungu! Then other near by kids run to get a look at and I usually wave if they don’t first. Some of the kids will touch my arm to feel the skin out of curiosity. The hair on my arms and my head seem to be very popular. At times I feel as If I were a famous person where those around you are calling out your name wanting to be close to see….to touch. I love them for it. The language of Uganda is known as Luganda. I am taking a course of Luganda with expectations that it will help build a new level of relationships. Language is very important in relationships. I had my first class today and it is tough, but I am practicing and will learn as much as I can.
Church on Sunday was packed out. I sat near the back with my brother Enock (age 17) and my sister Barbara (age 13) Sitting in the back I thought I would avoid most of the looks a Mzungu would get, but the pastor asked all newcomers to stand and introduce ourselves so I did so with confidence. The church is done in English, well English is spoken in many settings thankfully! Many of the songs were the same as back in the states, but with an African twist. It was a good service and met a couple more Ugandans who were very nice. We walked to church…we walk everywhere, but it is nice having time to think to my self instead of flying from one thing to the next. Speaking of walking I went on a 3 hour hike in my flip flops on Sunday to a quarry on top of a mountain. It was a good experience seeing the countryside where roads and trails are just as rough as any in town. I helped a local carry his water jugs up the hill just a hundred feet or so, but he was very appreciative as I was to help him. Enough for now I will write soon.

Arrival

Exiting the airport there were blown out tires randomly scattered across the parking lot. A wave of humidity accompanied by a breeze met us at the first breath of what seemed to be fresh air again. Being the minority we draw the attention of many faces just leaving the airport. It is only the beginning though. We had a two hour drive that allowed me to start taking in the culture. The air smelled of burnt tires, wood, and horrible exhaust, but it did not bother me a bit. The drive showed the true poverty of the country side with bumpy roads with many shacks and markets on the sides. It was night time and many places seemed to be abandoned except for those who had candles or the fortunes of money such as the gas stations of course, to light up their property. Tomorrow I will be meeting my host family.