Happy Independence Day, Nigeria!

On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom. Happy Independence Day! Actually in Abuja, it's technically the 2nd. However it is still the 1st in the US, so I think it still counts.

Hello from Abuja! I arrived late on Wednesday night and was met at the airport by someone who works at the CDC and the driver. Teresa and I were picked up by an armored SUV, bullet proof glass and everything. Security measures have been heightened since the UN bombing, so any time US Embassy personnel (the CDC person who picked us up) leave the city center, they are required to go in armored vehicles with an armed escort. So along with our armored SUV, we were also followed by another armored SUV with a man with a gun in it. Pretty intense for a very peaceful 30-45 minute drive into the city of Abuja. I did not get much sleep on the plane rides here, so I slept pretty well my first night. It felt great to be horizontal again after 20-some hours of travel. Our flights here were pretty smooth. The only hitch was that our actual flight from Amsterdam to Abuja was delayed by an hour. When Teresa and I were standing in line to go through security again in Amsterdam (which by the way, I don't understand why they do it this way in Amsterdam, but that's neither here nor there), people kept asking us if we were sure we were going to Abuja. "Yes, I am going to Abuja. I'm sure I'm in the right line. I know where I'm going. Yes, I want to get on this flight. My ticket says I am going there." Was not sure why people kept asking.

I am currently staying in a hotel room with Teresa. Our apartment is not ready for us yet, so we will be here until next Wednesday. Not much to report about the hotel... just a hotel room with a giant bed for 2 small Asian girls to sleep in. Nothing too fantastic or interesting.

We have not done much work-wise. On Thursday we went to the CDC office but other than that, we have not seen much of the office. I think we'll start working on Tuesday. I got to go into the US Embassy for the first time Thursday, which was interesting. I have never been inside an embassy. Pretty strict security rules. They wouldn't even let me bring my pack of gum with me that was in my purse. We went to the embassy to get some money exchanged. So rather than having to find a For Ex, we were able to get Nigerian Naira at the embassy.

I don't have too much to report. Our hotel is kind of on the outskirts of town, so we haven't gone into the city too much. Abuja is definitely different than Kampala.

• The roads are nicer, there seems to be less traffic (that remains to be determined), and there are no boda bodas. I guess boda bodas (or whatever they call motorcycle taxis here) are banned inside Abuja. This makes traveling a little more inconvenient because you have to hunt down a taxi. The official taxis are green, while there are also unmarked taxis you can take. Same policy as Kampala for taxi riding tho- haggling the price of the taxi ride.
• It's hotter here. Right now we're on the tail end of one of the rainy seasons, so it's rather humid and warm. Next up will be the dry season, which I have been told by expats here is like scorched earth, deathly hot. That should be joyously fun. The great thing about Ssembabule was definitely the weather. Warm during the day, cool at night. It was rather perfect. 
• There is no chapati here. I'm going to have to find some new substitute for chapati. Or just figure out how to make my own. Or make a special trip back to Uganda for chapati. And rolexes. I cannot tell you how much I crave a good quality rolex. 

Those are my only comparisons as of right now. I haven't seen very much, nor have I experienced too much of the city. Jet lag and lack of transportation kind of hampers my movement. But have no fear, I'm moving to my new place on Wednesday. Whether or not I have a bed to sleep in Wednesday night remains to be seen. But I'll be able to explore much more after Wednesday.

The last few nights, Teresa and I have been meeting different people who live in Abuja. It's been really nice to meet new people and to get their perspectives on the city and the country. I'll keep those observations to include as commentary when I form opinions of my own. I have to confess that I know absolutely no Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo. Every time I jump in a cab, all I want to do is speak Luganda. WRONG language. I'm going to have to work on that.

Oh, to help clarify, Teresa is my fellow fellow (yes that's what we say) and is doing the same fellowship as I am, except different programs. She's in Epidemiology while I am doing Program Management. She is also Chinese and hails from LA. We'll forgive her for her West Coast tendencies for now. And for probably one of the only times ever (other times are when I stand next to 2 out of 3 sisters), I am taller. Hehehe. 

Anyway, I'm here. I'm safe. And I'm happy. This may sound like a stereotype but I walked outside on Thursday night, took a deep breath, and sighed, "Mmmmm smells like Africa." It smells wonderful. I'm excited about my new adventure. It's just beginning!

PS Mosquito bites = 1, Bouts of malaria = 0.

This Isn't Good-Bye, Just See You Later

Last night, the staff made me an epic "last supper." It was complete with fried chicken. Everything was delicious. It was awesome having everyone together. It has been an amazing 5 months. I cannot reiterate that enough. I'm so grateful to everyone who made my stay here so wonderful. Sembabule has become a home away from home.

And in true Sembabule style, we had no power for the last day, so I got to pack the last of my stuff by lantern light. Then as I was packing, we were visited by a grasshopper in our room. Thus my last encounter with nature involved me trying to catch a grasshopper. I'm going to miss Sembabule a lot!

Favorite memories from my trip:

• My first trip using public transportation from Sembabule to Kampala. I still feel incredibly sorry for the chicken in the trunk of the car. And I definitely lost some brain cells when I hit my head on the ceiling of the van.
• Talking to my parents while trying to get Bob out of my room
• Lake Bunyonyi… almost like paradise
• Watching a chicken get slaughtered
• 10 mzungus getting onto bodas in Kigali
• The bus trip back from Rwanda: nothing beats a blow out and then thinking the bus will tip over and kill us
• Jamming out to Top 40 tunes at work in Mubende with Claire
• Game nights in Sembabule
• Running to Haandi’s for a meal immediately after arriving in Kampala
• Learning to fry matoke
• Making awesome friends in Sembabule and Kampala
• Not getting malaria
• Being attached at the hip to Claire

No words can describe how much I cherish all the memories I’ve made on this trip. There aren't enough Thank Yous to pass around, but I'll say it again. I'm so thankful for this trip, for everyone I've met and gotten to know, for everyone who has helped remind me why I fell in love with Uganda. I hate good-byes. So I'm serious when I say this isn't good-bye. Two years ago, I told myself I'd find a way to come back, and I did. This time, I'm saying it again. I love Uganda. I will be back.

Last Days...

I only have a few days left in Sembabule... in Uganda in general, and I am incredibly sad. The things I will miss:

• Chapati and Rolexes
• My foam mattress and my pink, hole-ridden bed net
• Finding random amphibians hanging out in my room
• Getting away with not showering for a day (or two) because we don't have any water
• The music blasting from across the street (whether it's Ugandan music or a remix of Shania)
• Frying everything and anything we can get our hands on
• Wearing my head lamp
• Tea breaks at work
• My cell phone with its torch (aka flashlight)
• Pit latrines
• All the staff
• Claire
• And much, much more

Things I probably won't miss as much:

• Public transportation
• Getting woken up at 5am by a random cow, goat, or person yelling outside
• Red dust covering everything
• My hair never being actually clean
• Electricity problems
• Internet problems
• Bats hanging out around the pit latrine doors
• Finding ants in my food
• Getting called mzungu every 2 seconds
• The possibility of getting malaria with every mosquito bite I get
• The roads
• There are probably a few other things I am forgetting right now...

I am finishing up handing over my notes, documents, and just about everything related to the last 5 months to Claire and my supervisor. My supervisor is an amazing seamstress and is making the fabric the staff gave me into a dress for me in these last few days I'm in Uganda. I'm incredibly excited to wear it! I'll be heading into Kampala on Thursday and flying out of Entebbe in the middle of the night. Then over a full day later, I'll be landing in Milwaukee!

This experience has been amazing and I have loved every minute of it (even the unlovable minutes).

I love Uganda!

Hello Bob Junior

Yesterday, Claire met Bob Junior while she was bathing. He jumped out of an empty jerry can that was sitting in our shower area. After keeping her eye on him and finishing her shower, we used a plastic bag to remove him from our room. Then Bob Junior proceeded to have a photo shoot with me outside our room.

It has been exceedingly difficult to wake up since we got back. I don't know why but I'm definitely dragging my feet every morning to get ready for work. The office is really quiet with half the staff in Mubende for a training, which makes it difficult to concentrate in the afternoon when all I want to do is to take a siesta.

I bought some Twix bars this weekend and I have to say, I think they taste better in Uganda. Maybe it's because they're not as sweet or sugary (they're imported from the UK). Or maybe it's because I've been away from America too long. But I do think they are more delicious here than when I eat them in the US.

I'm currently finishing up Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux. It's such an interesting book. He goes by land from Cairo to Cape Town. I've heard stories of people who've done this trip, but it's really interesting reading it from a perspective of someone who lived in Africa in the 60's. He talks about how things have changed, how things are rather similar, and how sometimes things are worse than they were before. This isn't a happy-go-lucky safari book about the Big 5 and his fun experiences on safari, but it is an interesting, thought-provoking read that I am really enjoying.

Yesterday was election day and I only get to read about the results online. I'm kind of sad I missed such an interesting point in American politics, especially now with the House being controlled by the Republicans. Since I'm leaving in December, I'm also going to miss the Ugandan elections that will be held in February. There's a lot of campaigning going on and a couple months ago, there was major drama in Sembabule involving the primary elections for candidates in the NRM party (someone was shot). I kind of wish I could be here to see what happens in February. The US embassy in Uganda is preparing for any possible problems that might arise during or after the elections. I just got an email from them. All the organizations are developing or have a contingency plan if things go poorly and all ex-pats need to leave the country.

I'm sitting here this morning, rather sleepy and thinking about politics, waiting to take chai. Every morning at the office, around 9:30-10, we have a tea break. Chai = tea. Everyone gets a short break to drink chai together. Ugandan tea is not what tea drinking is like for me in the US. Back home, I would use a tea bag or tea infuser and add hot water. Tada! I'd have my tea. Sometimes I'd add sugar or honey, but usually I drink it plain, without anything added. In Uganda, tea is made by adding some water to milk and some ginger, boiling it, adding tea leaves for people to drink. People usually add quite a great deal of sugar. I've rarely seen Ugandans drink coffee. It's always all about the tea. Sometimes they make things more exciting and add more ginger (when I say more ginger, I mean A LOT more) or cinnamon. It's quite nice, being able to take a tea break every morning. There's often also something to eat with the tea. Bread with Blue Band (the scary, non-refridgerated margarine), chapati, samosas, or fried cassava. I love our morning tea breaks. Speaking of which, I'm going to go enjoy right now!

Pit Latrine, Oh How I Missed You

I am back in Sembabule and I have to admit, after being away for a week and a half, I missed it! There is something incredibly homey about my room, squatting to bathe myself, using a pit latrine, enjoying the random power outages and battling with the internet. After using a flushing toilet, it seems a bit easier to just squat, do my business, and just toss the toilet paper down the hole. It skips the pushing lever to flush part! And plus, isn’t it just more fun to be going to the bathroom and see a gecko running across the wall right by your face? Or marveling at the massive number of malaria-filled mosquitoes swarming around your head at night? Or being surprised by the random toad hanging out in the back corner of the latrine? I’d say so. I love Uganda!!! It's pretty hard to believe but I only have about a month and a half left in Uganda. I'm going to miss it after I leave.

Mubende and Soda

Mubende in the morning

I am spending a few days in Mubende again and the photo is the view as I walked from my hotel room to the office this morning. Morning fog, rolling hills, everyone starting their day... gorgeous, right?

My hotel room comes fully equipped with its own self contained bathroom, HELLO FLUSHING TOILET!!! And a king-size bed. I am now committing myself to someday owning a king-size bed for the sole fact that I can do a complete 180 while sleeping! And since I'm back in Mubende, I get to enjoy my favorite Mubende meal: chips and egg. Yay!

Soda in the Uganda makes my life happier. It tastes better than American soda. I think it has something to do with the fact that they use real sugar and they have fun flavors. There are the standards: Coke, Coke Lite, Fanta, Sprite, Pepsi, and Mountain Dew. The unique ones I never seen in the US include:

Krest Bitter Lemon- it’s like tonic water but with lemon added. A Coca-Cola Product.
Stoney Ginger Beer- Not alcoholic, strong ginger taste. Another Coca-Cola Product.
Mirinda- there are many different flavors to choose from. Here in Uganda it’s mostly grape, lemon, orange, pineapple, and the new apple. A PepsiCo Product.
Novida- A non-alcoholic malt beverage. Available in orange and pineapple in Uganda. A Coca-Cola Product. I’ve only ever tried the pineapple.
Alvaro- Another non-alcoholic malt beverage. Available in pineapple, pear, and passion fruit. I’ve tried all three. They’re all great, but my preferred order goes: passion fruit, pear, and finally pineapple. An East African Breweries Limited Product.

After trying every kind of pineapple soda available (as far as I know), my favorite still has to be Mirinda Pineapple. Absolutely delicious. Now if the US could only carry it… And if Alvaro could be something carried in the States, I'd be all over the passion fruit one.

Off to Mubende

The Ugandan countryside never ceases to take my breath away. It's amazing and beautiful. It's something I highly recommend that you see for yourself and then you'll know what I mean. AND you just have to learn to ignore the terrible roads that give you fantastic ab and butt workouts and that are for stomachs of steel.

Today I traveled to Mubende (District and town), where our regional office is. I will be here for a few days, training people to do data entry in order to help with the monitoring and evaluation of different programs the organization has going. It's a much bigger town than Sembabule; it was one of the original Ugandan Districts before they created new district lines. I'm staying at the office and I am delighted to announce I have running water, a porcelain toilet that flushes, AND a fridge. It's only for a few days, but hey, I'll take what I can get.

Maganda Uganda

As a tribute to my almost trip to the Philippinnes, "maganda" means beautiful in Tagalog. And it is true. Uganda is beautiful. Yesterday I traveled to the site where I will be living from now on. The drive passed through the Ugandan countryside which is amazing. Green trees and rolling hills make for gorgeous scenery. The drive was typical of Africa, but brought a smile to my face anyway. Most of the way, we traveled on a one lane, dirt road that fits a vehicle comfortable. Now if you see another car coming at you from the other directions, it is quite a squeeze to bypass each other. There are bumps and then there are speed humps. Yes, humps. They are American speedbumps on mega steroids. They are intense to drive over and make sleeping nearly impossible unless you can sleep like the dead. Also there are holes everywhere. Therefore drivers swerve to miss the giant ones and just drive over the small ones. Drives here are always an adventure. I have learned this: drink as little water as possible- bathroom breaks are difficult to come by; try not to eat anything- better to feel hungry than to get carsick and vomit on the side of the road. I finally arrived at Ssembabule last night, a fairly remote town about 4 hours away from Kampala that sits at the top of a hill.

I have my own room in the enclosed office compound, which is rather nice because I got to truly unpack for the first time since I've been here. I finally dug out my sunscreen! And impressively nothing exploded in my bags except for my shampoo. Good thing my mom was smart and wrapped everything in individual plastic bags! Thanks Mom!! We don't have a refridgerator, so I drank an entire quart of juice last night that needed to be refridgerated after opening. Finding out how to live without a refridgerator will be quite interesting. I'll just have to be creative! There is no running water here, but I got a jerry can full of water to bathe with and to use for any other needs. We have pit latrines to use, which make me smile. They are an adventure to use. The ones here are pleasant smelling, which was a fantastic surprise.

Today is Day 1 in Sembabule. I had chapati and fresh passionfruit for breakfast. Chapati is just fantastic. It's essentially dough that is rolled flat. Sort of like Indian naan but thinner. Fresh, hot, and delicious. I sat at the front of the office and ate. I got to watch all the children walking to school and became the main attraction. "Mzungu mzungu mzungu!!" I just waved and smiled. Today at the office, I have been copying Luganda by hand on about 100 sheets of paper. We printed about 700 registration sheets for OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children) to be used for our project, but they didn't print correctly. Thus I am filling in the missing information by hand. I have severe writer's cramp, so I'm taking a break and am able to use the internet.

Entebbe!

Today I had the opportunity to hang out with some mzungu friends I've made in Uganda and to go explore a city I've never been to: Entebbe. This is where the international airport for Uganda is located. Thus the only exposure I've had of it is in the dark of night when I've been driving to and from the airport on my way in or out of Uganda.

My friends and I visited the National Botanical Gardens, which were beautiful. There were many spiders and spider webs all over the gardens, and our guide warned us not to allow them to touch our skin. They produce some sort of toxin that gives humans a rash. They are definitely ugly and big enough for me never to want to touch them anyway. We roamed around the gardens, seeing Lake Victoria, monkeys, birds, trees, flowers, and much more. We even had an encounter with fire ants, which was not the most thrilling experience. They bite! After the gardens, we had lunch on the beach, looking out at Lake Victoria. It was great! Very very relaxing.

Then we journeyed on to visit the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (which had the acronym UWEC, which made my fellow UW student/friend and I think of UW-Eau Claire). It is the national zoo. There were lions, rhinos, zebras... it was a zoo. But it was still lots of fun. Our day ended with spending time at the pool of a fancy hotel and getting an excellent dinner.

It was a very fun day. I explored a new place, made new friends (even two BU students), and the pool had warm showers with excellent water pressure! I am the cleanest I have been the entire trip. I am happy to report that I am not sunburnt; unhappy to report that I have another 4 mosquito bites. Thus making the total count: 6.

Until next time. Sula bulungi (Good night)!

Lake Victoria at the Botanical Gardens