Leah and I just returned to Entebbe— it feels so good to be ‘home.’ It was certainly a weekend of new experiences as we traveled to the capitol city of Kampala and a few villages along the way. Over and over again I wanted to pinch myself. I kept thinking “I’ve never done the things I did today.”
We began the weekend by taking a coaster, a public taxi used all over Uganda, to Kampala. The ride was pretty as we passed green hills covered in banana trees and other tropical vegetation, but quite hot and stuffy. It seems to be the Ugandan way to fill coasters to capacity! The ride wasn’t really bad, however, until we reached Kampala. I’ve never been more frightened in a car! At one point, the coaster turned abruptly down a road so narrow I thought it was a sidewalk, and thought for sure we’d tip into the ravine lining the street. Meanwhile, cars were trying to pass and people walking in the middle of the street, dodging cars and trying to sell us anything from peanuts to sunglasses through the coaster windows. I really can’t glamorize anything about Kampala; it’s the dirtiest city I’ve ever visited.
Luckily, we only stayed in Kampala long enough to find a taxi to take us to the small town of Mukono. Once there, we met Leah’s sweet friend, Dan, a professor at Uganda Christian University. Quite wealthy by Ugandan standards, Dan graciously invited us into his lovely home. We were so exhausted and sweaty by the time we arrived, the first thing we did was shower. Out of a bucket. This is common in Uganda, but whether from the heat or the near death experiences of Kampala, we couldn’t stop laughing! When we finally did fall asleep, we were woken half the night by howling dogs.*
The next morning we headed into Kampala to listen to Dan’s lecture at the UCU Kampala campus. Towards the end of class, Leah and I were asked to talk about American “feeding habits” as the class had just finished a discussion on nutrition. We did our best to summarize nutrition in the U.S. in the time given, but could have used more preparation. When Dan asked the class if they had any questions for us, a boy in the back row quickly shot up his hand: “What is your contact information?” This is a question we are constantly asked. We spent nearly all Saturday in Kampala and the whole day Leah and I warded off men. I’ve never felt so on guard and on display. Many Ugandans believe that all mzungus are extremely wealthy, and will beg for money to no end.
On Sunday we went into Mukono to experience a Ugandan church service and tour UCU. It was a beautiful campus spread across several acres, but so much of it was simply undeveloped. A library is just now being built. It is Uganda’s largest school and is respected as one of Africa’s top universities.
Entebbe feels so safe compared to Kampala, and I realize I’ve been somewhat sheltered here. As we walked in Kampala we frequently saw children on the street, many of them no older than three, holding up their small hands. Apparently, their parents watch from a distance, but it simply disgusted me to see these tiny children, most no older than my little sisters, out on the street. I couldn’t pass them by without putting a coin in their hands, even though it would likely go back to their parents. I’ve never experienced such poverty before.
Back to Acacia tree in the morning. I’m missing all our boys.
-Em
*Note to Dan: Leah and I had nothing short of a wonderful time. Thank you for your generous hospitality and your wonderful tour of Kampala. God bless!
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