Wasuze Otya!

With John, Ray, and Joseph

First of all, my most sincere apologies for being such a terrible blogger. We’ve been all over the place, and I haven’t had the chance to sit down and process what’s been going on.

Day 1: We arrived in Entebbe and met all the other volunteers. We spent the night at the airport guesthouse, a much nicer accommodation than I was expecting.

Day 2: Drove in a pink and green Japanese bus to Kampala. NOTE: Ugandans do not believe in pedestrian right of way, nor do they believe in crosswalks, stop signs, street lights, speed limits, or any other type of road regulations. Also, Ugandan taxis make NY taxi drivers seem like little old ladies in champagne colored Cadillacs. We met up with Jordan and Cynthia (international program coordinators) and walked to the mall to change money and buy cell phones. (Here’s my number… I can’t remember what the code is for Uganda… I think it involves adding 256 and taking off the 0 but don’t hold me to it: 0787962609.) We went to an Italian restaurant for dinner and watched part of the Inter Milan game. Afterwards I had the most delicious ice cream in the world... no kidding! Our first few language lessons have shown me that Luganda will be tough to pick up. I am already getting tired of these long skirts. John and Joseph - two boys who are helping with FSD - spent the day with us. Joseph and I enjoy speaking French together.

Day 3 Impressions of Kampala: busy, hectic, loud…  Potholes in the sidewalks, dust everywhere, child beggars following you around. We saw the capital, the market, the taxi park (probably the most concentrated mass of humanity I have ever seen). The contrast between the greenery and the dusty roads is very interesting. We also went to the Nderre traditional African dance performance and buffet. The performance was incredible.

Day 4: Drove to Masaka and stopped at the equator. I like Masaka much more than I like Kampala. It’s much more laid back and easier to get around. One of the girls working with FSD is actually my and Chelsea's host sister so she took us to meet our host parents today. They are lovely people! Drinking a Moonberg (Ugandan beer purchased for 2000 shillings- $1.00) on the porch of hotel zebra… weather is gorgeous. I think I could get used to this...

We will continue with orientation until Thursday when we move in with our family. I really like it here. Though it’s intimidating knowing very little of the language and culture, the people are very friendly and are interested to learn about us. I’ve been very impressed with FSD as well. Anita, Sara, and Cynthia have been great.

Tulabagane (we’ll meet later), Molly