The past couple weeks turned out to go much differently than I had anticipated, but I couldn’t be happier about it. I ended up going to Uganda a week earlier than planned so I could join my friends on a camping trip they had planned over the Easter weekend at Lake Albert, in the western part of the country. So just two days after returning from Kamwago, I was again the only Mzungu on a full bus, this time traveling west through the middle of the night. My bus left at 2am, the implications of which offered a lot of excitement, fear, and fatigue. Soon after finally falling asleep while weaving through deep ruts and potholes, I was abruptly awoken by the rush of people exiting the bus at the border crossing. I followed suit and made quick work of the Kenya side of the border, but that is where it got interesting. The distance between the migration offices of the two countries is about a kilometer, which must be walked through pseudo jungle and across a muddy bridge over a small river. Dealing with immigration already feels like a bad DMV experience, with money changers and others trying to take advantage of me or get their hands on my passport, but add a 4am unguided walk through a jungle with sporadic guards donning fatigues and AK 47’s, and you feel your fight or flight mechanism kick in pretty strongly. I also got a tutorial in African corruption when I was forced to pay off the Ugandan immigration officer just to get my visa. I resisted for some time, but finally decided, in order to get to my bus before it left, I would give him the extra 500 Kenyan Shillings he told me I needed to pay him “to cover exchange rate fluctuations.” I walked outside, already feeling defeated, and took a nice look at a brand new Mercedes that I was sure I had just partly funded. If I wasn’t worried about getting arrested or missing my bus, I would have done more to not play into this activity, the principle of which is a major contributor to conditions in this region. I guess the immediately important thing is that I got back onto my bus and made it to Kampala about 6 hours later with all my belongings.
The shore of a small fishing village near our camping grounds at Lake Albert. Water really is life for these people, and Lake Albert provides all they need to survive, as you can see by the countless fishing boats and women carrying water for their families in jerry cans on their heads.
I met up with my friends, Gerry and Claudia, at their office briefly, before taking a taxi back to their house for some much needed rest. That afternoon we were on our way to Lake Albert in Western Uganda, by way of Hoima. We met up with their friends, Steve and Jo, and their kids, Hetti and Jemima, at a hotel in Hoima for dinner and a good night’s sleep. I must have been absolutely exhausted, because I slept through an attempted break in at the hotel, during which the guard shot a few rounds at the intruder. No one was hurt during the incident, which we guessed was the result of someone seeing our cars, packed full of equipment, pulling into the parking lot. After a quick breakfast the next morning, we were on our way to Lake Albert to camp for a few days. I am used to camping in thick forests in the Northwest, with deer and the like, not in a savannah in Uganda with baboons, monkeys, gazelle, and crocodiles. Waking up the first morning and finding a large baboon sitting outside my tent as I unzipped the door was a quick reminder of where I was. We spent a couple days at this campground, mostly just relaxing and going out for bicycle or SUV game drives. On Easter Sunday, Gerry, Claudia, and I decided we would head for Murchison Falls, a few hours North of where we were, for one night to add some variety to our camping experience. It was here that I got up close and personal with Africa. We camped in a small field, literally 100 meters from the mighty Nile River, which is home to thousands of hippos, crocodiles, buffalo, elephants, wart hogs, and so forth. I went to sleep that night listening to the calls of feeding hippos, with no idea how close I would be to them the next day. We woke up early the next morning and quickly packed our gear and ate breakfast, so we could make the not-so-quick drive through the mud to catch a boat tour of the area. The three of us got on a small steel boat with a guide and set out to see the surrounding wildlife and natural beauty, including Murchison Falls, a waterfall of nearly 150 feet where the huge Nile River is forced through an opening of just a few meters. We came just about face to face with several hippos, crocodiles, and elephants during our three-hour journey, and also observed buffalo, water buck, hartebeest, cobb, wart hogs, and various beautiful birds. There were many points where I was sure we were going to have to use the life jackets as hippos approached, and I think we also narrowly avoided a charge by a huge female elephant with a couple babies in her herd. After the boat ride, we crossed to the other side of the river for a quick game drive, during which we saw giraffes and even the elusive leopard, among many others, on our way out of the park and back to Kampala.
The camping crew at the vista right next to our tents at Lake Albert. It was on this wall that I was startled to find a huge baboon upon exiting my tent the first morning.
Once back in Kampala, I got down to business and spent a lot of time riding boda boda’s (motor bike taxis) all around town to interview experienced relief and development professionals. I met with many high-ranking UN employees, including Gerry and Claudia, whose interviews were probably the most enlightening, as well as directors of a few UN partner organizations. I asked many questions in reference to their specific programs, as well as general questions about poverty and development programs, which led to hours of very meaningful dialogue about different approaches and theories. I don’t think I have had the chance to process everything that was discussed as yet, but it was so valuable for me to discuss such topics with very educated and experienced individuals. What was so nice, and honestly a bit unexpected, was that all of the people I met with not only had a wealth of academic knowledge on the subjects, but they had vast and varied experiences in the field. Making a list of the countries these people have worked and lived in, and the projects they have been involved in would take too long, but they cover every inhabited continent and every major crisis of the past decade at least. Talking to them confirmed the importance of my current journey, as a lot of my conceptions about poverty, or its alleviation, were way off base in certain contexts. There are certain principal truths that seem to apply regardless of the implications of location, but the practical application of such truths must be very carefully considered based on many differing conditions. I know that statement is very vague and probably quite obvious, but I am learning so much about both sides of it, and am not prepared to comment on specifics at this point. The most pleasing aspect of this experience was that I got to spend time in a professional setting with very intelligent and experienced people. The past seven months have been spent almost entirely in the field, which is crucial, but combining that experience with some stimulating academic conversation on the subject will not only make my understanding more complete, but will give me a more profound appreciation for my overall experience and the people I have shared it with. I discovered throughout the past week just how passionate I am about poverty alleviation and eradication, as I thoroughly enjoyed talking about it and thinking through the challenges it presents, and felt so invigorated whenever I left an interview.
A view on one side of our boat as we were literally surrounded by huge crocodiles and hippos that were only a few meters from us, and coming nearer. Our guide turned off the motor to allow them to approach, much to our concern.
I couldn’t have asked for better hosts than I had in Gerry and Claudia during the week I was with them in Kampala. Their house is beautiful, and they essentially gave me free reign of the place while I was there. They gave me a key to come and go and I pleased, and kept the refrigerator, an appliance I am not used to using, fully stocked of delicious foods to satisfy my every impulse. We hung out together when possible and enjoyed many flavorful dinners together on their veranda, and Gerry and I even got in a couple tennis matches at the Sheraton near their house. All that to say I lived like a king for the past week, especially compared to what I have become used to. Now, as I return to Ilula for the last two weeks, I am very refreshed and focused to make the most of it, for myself and for the people here. The kids are all excited about the 10km race we have coming up on Saturday, and there is still much more for me to learn just through spending time with the children and parents. The children came running and yelling my name as I walked over to greet them after my return last night. Honestly, nothing makes you feel happier and better about your efforts than a group of smiling African kids.
A refugee camp in Northern Uganda, which houses thousands of refugees who were displaced by the violence in Sudan. The tiny huts went on forever into the hills behind.
I hope you are all enjoying some nice spring weather in your respective areas of the world; be good to yourself and those around you.
1 comment:
just fyi, the pic of you ho-ing a row with a fierce look on your face is how i approach my wound care patients. chop that business off.
-apes
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