Muzungu Lovin'

I'm in UGANDA.  Still doesn't quite feel like reality.

Arriving on Saturday was an overwhelming experience.  After 24 hours of travel (and meeting up with 8 other girls on my program in various airports), we flew through the busy streets at midnight, all of us still trying to grasp the fact that we were finally here... UGANDA!

The past few days have been beyond busy... orientation in the mornings and roaming Kampala in the afternoon into the night with my fellow muzungus.

"Muzungu" is the single word I've heard most often since I've been here.  Its the word Ugandans use for foreigners and is how they greet us on the street.  EVERYONE wants to stop and talk to us.  They ask where we're from, what we're doing in Uganda, and how we like Kampala so far.  Everyone we've encountered so far havebeen so incredibly friendly and helpful, which we're all unaccustomed to.  Let's just say that in the U.S., if you decide not to eat in a restaurant you walk into, the doorman will not leave his job and walk with you 20 minutes out of his way to find you a nice place to get dinner... then wait around for another half hour to make sure you get a nice table and have everything you need.  Nope, that's only our new friend Baker from the Palm Tree Bar.


Nothing could prepare me for navigating the streets of Kampala.  If a picture's worth a thousand words, what's a video worth?  This is Kampala Road, the main street in the city:

A few other things that so far have been new/surprising/unexpected:

1. The kids.  In Kampala there are so many children begging on the streets.  One little boy came up to me and held my hand for two blocks, calling me muzungu and asking for money.  Its heartbreaking.
2. The first time I saw a security guard sitting around on the street toting a rifle, it seemed insane.  But its common around here for banks, stores, bars, and clubs to have their own heavily armed security guards, and its actually ill-advised to go anywhere without them, especially at night.
3. Boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis)... the most frightening and dangerous traffic hazard I've ever experienced.  I'd say I've had around 17 near-death experiences so far thanks to these guys weaving in and out of traffic... and having zero appreciation for the art of braking.
4. In general, how much I love all of the other students in my program.  They are truly amazing people.

We're off to Gulu tomorrow morning for the next four weeks.  We'll head north and cross the Nile into the region known as Acholiland.  I continue orientation for the rest of this week, then move in with my homestay family on Sunday!