Advertisement
Published: March 23rd 2008
Edit Blog Post
It all began with a long exhausting plane ride from the motherland Philippines - the Pearl of the Pacific - punctuated by stopovers in Bangkok and Addis Abbaba. I arrived in Entebbe International Airport in Uganda - the Pearl of Africa - with a vision of a hot warm bath and a king-sized bed with freshly-laundered linen waiting for me. As I left the airport with my local contact, however, the view from Entebbe to Kampala (Uganda’s capital city) did not look too promising and my vision of a cozy retreat after the long trip vanished into the dusty air of Uganda.
I saw men pedaling their bikes and women walking with a huge load on their head under the hot African sun as our airport taxi made its way to the capital city. I even saw a small baby being carried on the back of an African woman. I figured I could not take in more images of Uganda yet so I fixed my eyes on Lake Victoria, the calm waters of the largest lake in the world made me feel a little better as I take in more heat and dust of the country I will call home for the next 10 months.
Leaving the comforts of home in Manila to become a volunteer in Uganda has not been an easy decision. I have been enlisted by the Fredskorpset-Norway, under the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Norway, to help as a volunteer for a peace organization in Uganda. I did not know anything about Uganda to begin with. As I read more about it, I learned that the Northern part of the country has been suffering from tribal conflicts for the last 20 years and has, in fact, been considered as the “most neglected humanitarian crisis” by the United Nations. This prolonged war seemed to have drained the country’s resources hence the slow economic growth.
It may be a bold step for me to try and lend a hand to a disadvantaged country but did I really know what I was getting myself into?
Consider this: the electricity which is mainly hydropower from the Nile River conks out periodically in most days of the week, commuting via public transport is mostly through a second-hand Hi-Ace van they call “taxi” or if you’re in an adventurous mood, in a motorcycle they call “boda-boda” which weaves in and out of the traffic jam (mind your knee!). You would be lucky to get the comforts of a real taxi they call “special hire” by only at least two taxi companies which will also set you back at around $5 minimum. Or if you’re brave enough, you can ride in those unregulated private cars calling out as “taxis.” Take note that total fare would have to be negotiated viciously to avoid being taken advantaged of.
Being in Kampala, I really felt I was in Metro Manila from 20 years ago. With jeepneys replaced by second-hand imported vans. At the onset of my Uganda stay, I find that the biggest challenge for me is mobility. I’m finding it very hard to go from one place to another by myself since I find “taxis” (which are actually not special hire but a non-airconditioned van with up to 18 people squeezed inside) very stressful to ride. Not to mention that road courtesy is virtually non-existent for Ugandan drivers. I probably witnessed half a dozen accidents (of taxis bumping side mirrors or rear-ending another) since I arrived here and that seems to fall under the natural order of things in their traffic flow. If not taxis, another choice of public transportation for some routes would be boda-boda, motorcycles that weave their way in and out of traffic and bring you where the taxis couldn’t. Bear in mind that Kampala is hilly so riding a motorcycle could definitely turn into quite an experience as well (and not necessarily a pleasant one either! 😊).
During my first week, I decided to see some of the African wildlife with some local friends at the
Entebbe Wildlife Education Center. I presumed the zoo trip would be a great preview of the safaris that I plan to do in the next months of my stay in Uganda. Entebbe is the main port of entry in Uganda (their airport is located here as well), situated on the shores of Lake Victoria and has scenic botanical gardens.
My host organization also thankfully linked me up with a Filipina who is working for the UN High Commission on Refugees and I eventually got invited to a Filipino buffet dinner at
Clement Hill Hotel. I was so happy to meet with the Filipino community during that dinner. It was such a relief to know that I have a support group who will see me through the toughest moments of adjusting to Uganda.
Unfortunately, I was brought to Soroti in Northeastern Uganda the day after the Filipino buffet dinner. So begins my lonely existence in the outskirts of Uganda without the trappings of modern society in a 3-bedroom house in Soroti. The day I came to Soroti there was no running water. And during my first night, the electricity went out. Are these signs of things to come? I crossed my fingers and prayed that things will get better in the next few days.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.113s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 8; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0837s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Michael futebol
Michael M.
WOWWW
Very well written. I really hope that you enjoy Uganda. You could always cross the border to Kenya or Tanzania if the going gets too stressful. But I would love to visit Uganda one day