Morning had arrived and I awoke early to the sounds of a
thunderstorm. It wasn’t too heavy and the rain was soothing and refreshing. I
took a look out the window and got my first look of Uganda. It is amazing. So
green and tropical. The dirt I can see from here is a sort of rich orange red
color. I immediately grabbed my camera and began capturing images of the rain
hitting the window that had been open all night. I could feel the excitement
building inside me and was able to take a deep breathe of joy. We made it. We
are here.
Skipping ahead a bit, we began our journey to Jinja, which
is east of Entebbe about 3 hours drive. We have about 10 people in a small bus
and our Ugandan driver who is named Steven. I grabbed the front seat next to
Steven and got a fantastic view of Ugandan life. My first impression is that
this is a great place. Everyone seems to be very friendly and most everyone is
very beautiful. The women have a kind of magical way about them. They are
reserved and graceful. The men seem strong and tough here and seem much more
tough then men in America. I have noticed that everyone gives you really long
looks. Uncomfortably long. I don’t think it means that you offend them but it’s
more out of curiosity. The hard thing is, it’s deep. Almost like you can see in
there souls. Many of them have a sort of sadness. Others don’t realize you are
there or don’t care and they a go on about there day.
Along the roads there is much commotion. People are selling
goods, fruits, and meat on sticks. Some are planted firmly on there motorbikes
and just watching the crowds. Other people are walking somewhere and are paying
little attention to anything around them. Kids are playing and running around
and some are sitting, doing nothing at all. Some woman are dressed up very
nicely wearing heals and skirts. The men are wearing pants with collared shirts
of some kind. A lot of people have mobile phones and can be seen texting away
to friends. Over all there seems to be a friendly flow to the way of life here.
It’s not fast and I imagine that it never changes.
After arriving in Jinja we went to our hotel where we will
be for the next 2 weeks. It’s a nice hotel. It’s very comfortable and clean.
This is not how I expected my trip would be. Of course I came here with very
little knowledge of this place and I was very geared up for rough living and
pooping in a hole in the ground. I imagined it would be hot and humid. It’s not
that way at all. I have Wi-Fi here. Do I want Wi-Fi? I am not sure how I feel
about it. I guess I was hoping for a more organic experience for my first time
in Africa. I assumed it would be something a little more adventurous feeling.
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