... and Disorientation

Written on Jan 22/23

We arrived in Kampala a bit weary and tired from the 2-day journey from Toronto. We were very thankful that we had a day room in London, which gave us a few hours of quiet sleep. (Thanks Clementina!) We were relieved and thankful that all our connections went smoothly and our luggage arrived intact. We were also extremely pleased to find Rev. Dr. Carolyn Langford waiting for us at the airport in Entebbe.

We arrived in the rain and drove from Entebbe to Kampala. Once in Kampala we found ourselves in a small local hotel in the middle of Kampala. It was clean and secure and hospitable, but not quiet! All day and night we could hear the horns, the discos, the Obama inauguration address (repeated several times), crowds, whistles, shouts, and a myriad of other noises. Needless to say, we did not get much sleep!

Carolyn managed to pick up a few African literature books from the book vendors on the street (the books are literally laid out on the sidewalk), so were are looking forward to reading Things Fall Apart and Black Mamba and others in our spare time.

After changing money, crossing the roads (quickly and carefully – pedestrians do not have the right of way), running a few errands during the day, another woman volunteering at AWIST arrived from BC Wednesday evening.

Thursday morning was our departure for Bushenyi, our new home. We were thankful to leave the bustle of Kampala and take a cross country bus trip (5 hours) south-east. The only hitch in the day was that the bus did not actually go to Bushenyi (despite being advertised as such). So after arriving in Kabwohe with Carolyn and Paulette, we were stuffed into a taxi with 3 other people and our luggage precariously tied in the trunk (6 suitcases), praying that the ropes would hold and the microscope lenses would not end up on the road in small pieces. The 20km to Bushenyi were thankfully uneventful, and we arrived safely at the Kitungu Mothers Union Complex, our new home for the next 3 months.

We will write more about the Mothers Union later – they are the Ugandan equivalent of the Anglican Church Women, so needless to say, we are very well looked after here! We are also next door to the Bushenyi Medical clinic. There are some local shops across the street where we can buy bananas, bread, and such. Our new home is a semidetached guest house with a kitchen, several bathrooms, and 2 bedrooms. Every day is a new experience, and we will share more stories (and hopefully pictures) soon.