Kampala

After 26 hours of flying, driving, walking and waiting, we made it Uganda! Our flights began in Chicago and went to Dulles in DC. We then took Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa and from there transferred to Entebbe, which is the international airport outside of Kampala. Customs went smoothly, the only thing taken was a large bottle of Siracha hot sauce that I had in my carry on, and that was in Chicago, womp womp. Andy and Keeky, owners of SHIM and our guides to Lingira, set up a ride for us from Entebbe to a backpackers in Kampala, which took about an hour because of traffic. It has been fun being back in the African world of traffic. The lines are very seldom followed guidelines and the shoulders are space for motorbikes and more cars and buses.

Our backpackers is really cool, it's a camp and hostel with dormitories and single rooms. Paul, Karla and I are in a room of four beds without the fourth being used. Hostels never cease to amaze me in their progressive outlook and welcoming atmosphere. There is a bar and computer room for emails and whatnot, and plenty of green space for people to relax and get away from the excitement and stressfulness of Kampala.

We were picked up from the hostel by a friend of Paul's dad's, Father Vincent. Paul's dad knows Vincent through his traveling to Wisconsin where Mr. Atwell decided to sponsor four children in their school funds, to which they are now in secondary school getting strong educations. Vincent and Joseph took us to lunch at a hotel restaurant that was named after Pope John Paul VI after he visited years back. Eating out once again reminded me of the African way of things and how much more relaxed daily business is. The food took a while to cook, but to be honest none of us cared because we were off of the airplane and happy to be sitting with a slight breeze and substantial amounts of food to come. I'm pretty sure Vincent was more anxious than us to get his food.

From there, we visited an elderly home dedicated to the work of Uganda's first cardinal, Emmanuel K. Nsubuga. Here we walked throughout the grounds greeting folks and shaking hands, trying to use our Lugandan phrases but with little response. Many people were pilgrims or refugees that can no longer take of themselves. Seeing smiles on their faces from simply walking up and shaking their hands was humbling. Cardinal Nsubuga is also buried in this compound. He did a lot of work for the poor and homeless and wanted to be buried where he did his work so people would continue to visit and see the handwork of the sisters and brothers around. After this we visited the main cathedral of Kampala and then came back to the backpackers.

Our trip, though completely expected, has pulled a little audible since Andy and Keeky said we should wait to go to the island until Friday, five days from now. Since there isn't a whole lot to do in Kampala to prepare for EDGE on the island, we are taking a couple trips around the area with Joseph to visit the children Paul's dad is sponsoring. Also, we plan on stopping at a development-based organization near Musaka. They focus on school gardens, amongst other things similar to the EDGE project. It will be nice to hopefully see a well-established group do their work so we can get some insight into how to best develop the secondary school garden on Lingira.

It's nice to be back on African soil. Though Uganda is entirely different than South Africa, there is a constant atmosphere of togetherness that isn't matched anywhere else. The smells are great and the weather is much better than Wisconsin. People are so happy to greet us and shake hands, with smiles as wide as they get. Another good thing: the sun has set, it is 8:00pm, I am outside, and there aren't any lights on the grounds here. Therefore I get to go to sleep!

Until next time.