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Well, I have been called the wandering Jew. I have moved to my third place so far. I liked the second place but Hilary had offered a couple weeks ago to have me stay at her place and then to dog sit when she went away for a week and I thought it would be nice to have my own place for a week this summer--probably won't happen the rest of the time. And it has actually been interesting living in different neighborhoods briefly and exploring them a bit. Kampala is big! Doesn't really have skyscrapers and I think there's a million people so it's spread out over 8 (I think) pretty hills. My latest neighborhood is called Tank Hill. It turns out there are a bunch of decent restaurants--even Italian--in Kampala! The downtown area is a bit of a zoo and wipes you out, but some of the other areas are a bit more peaceful. If anyone knows about me and being a bit afraid of big dogs, you will be impressed to know I'm taking care of a German Shepard (who follows me around constantly) and another big dog.
The other AJWS volunteer arrived a week ago and we have been hanging out every couple days...it's nice to have someone else who is in a similar boat. She is in the middle of a masters at Georgetown, so now I also know someone in DC! 😊 Last weekend, we went to a tapas and sangrai bbq at an expat (American)'s BEAUTIFUL house. it was kind of funny....I couldn't believe I was in Uganda! You can definitely find ways to live well here. People have maids, cooks, drivers...Jenn (the new volunteer) and I also went to an art festival on the street on Sunday and chatted for a few hours with another AJWS volunteer who is leaving in a couple weeks. I thought it was funny that I found an art festival here since I go to them so much in the US. There was a little fashion show which was cool...at some point I hope to attach some pictures here! On Monday night, we went to the National Theater which has free outdoor performances on Monday nights and the band was playing a Paul Simon song as we walked in! They then played a bunch of reggae and some African music. A guy started talking to me and actaully asked me real questions about the work I am doing, but also wanted to meet up and when I said I was in town briefly, he asked if that should matter and I said yes. 😊 It's still a pity that it's hard to know exactly what people's intentions are that you just meet randomly here. I'm really glad I'm getting the change to know some Ugandan by working--the two people I work closely with are smart and nice, and answer my two million questions about Uganda and why things are the way they are, how they might be changed...
I'm doing a lot of editing of documents at work. Last weekend I figured out how to take a matatu from my new place (a mini van/shared bus), which I was very proud of because there's no real information about how to take them! One of my co-workers brought me to the main taxi park (a huge zoo) on Friday to show me where to take it from in town and we talked to some of the people there who sort of told us where it went. I wish I could take a picture but it's apparently full of pickpockets...but imagine a mud parking lot packed back to back with hundreds of old minivans. Apparently once you're on the minivans, there is not much crime or anything. Jenn and I also went out on Friday and Saturday nights and made some random friends...I met an Australian/Danish guy at an internet cafe and invited him out (he's married to a Dane and is here doing some research). On Friday, we met some guys who turned out to be in college, but the funny thing was that I had actually seen their website before I left and it looked good so I had considered calling them up, but had then realized they were still in college! They are working with artists here to sell goods abroad. They were very mature for college kids! It is very random who you will hang out with for a night when you're traveling, but also sort of cool because you can just enjoy it for what it is and not expect to see people again--just have fun with them for a few hours. On Saturday night Uganda won a big soccer match and people were celebrating like crazy! We went to a little garden bar to get a drink and this big group of Ugandans invited us to sit with them and celebrate (although we didn't end up talking to them all that much!) People on the street were honking their horns, banging on things, it was a bit of mayhem (and it usually takes me a while to cross the big streets, but with all the traffic after the game, it took about 10 minutes and I considered calling up Jenn and picking a place on my side of the street to meet!)
I'm realizing the country has more infrastructure that I had thought/expected and have not been focusing so much on the corruption as at the beginning. There is a weird juxtaposition of nice, expensive houses next to little shacks, but when I asked my co-worker about one of these areas, he said that the poor people have inhabited a swampy area and aren't supposed to be there so they have just built make-shift houses. He also said that wealthier people all have guards partly to protect from thieves all the time (and he said usually people steal from people in other neighborhoosds, not close to home, so they won't be found out), but also because people have been used to revolutions and riots and when something happens politically, people take it as an opportunity to start looting people's houses and stealing things amidst the chaos so people have gotten used to needing guards. So I'm realizing I'm seeing the country as it is and some things don't make complete sense, but if you put things in the context of their somewhat recent history, and the different things people have gone through, it makes more sense....some things are precautions aor reactions to things that had happened before. Even though they might exist now, the country isn't so stable that people can be sure they won't happen again. I was also told that the current president has favored the part of the country he's from so that area has blossomed and some other areas have not progressed. There really seem to be tribal divides here. Well, that's enough for now. In a week I'm going to go to Zanzibar then a safari in Tanzania (Serengeti, etc.) and then some traveling in Uganda. I haven't really had a vacation in a long time, so it will be nice to have a break from working! I've read people's notes...sorry if I haven't responded, but keep sending them, I'm reading them!
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Steve Holmgren
non-member comment
Another fine entry
Natasha -I'm glad things are working out well. It all sounds very interesting! I'm off to Russia in a few days so perhaps I'll have some stories fro you then. Cheers!