Out and About

When I was in Uganda last year, I spent the majority of my time in the Kamuli District. This is where the schools I worked at and the CSRL compound are located. It’s a quiet, rural area.

Kampala is not.

As I commented in my first post, this city is huge and it never sleeps. Markets open around 6am. Bars close at 5am. Need a haircut? There are two 24-hour hair salons down the road. A huge perk for me, Sanyu is just a few kilometers from Makerere University. Therefore, my friends who have been on a separate continent from me for almost a year are right outside the gate.

(In the past three weeks I’ve spent over 125 hours at Sanyu, typically 8 hours a day, everyday, so I promise I’m not just bumming around in Kampala.)

In addition to just exploring the city to find groceries, pharmacies, post office, etc. I’ve been able to visit a variety of attractions in Kampala. Most of this is thanks to my wonderful friends at Makerere who took time out during their end of the semester craziness to meet up with me.

Remmy and Ivan took Lance and I to visit the Kasubi Tomb’s of the Buganda Kings. The Buganda kingdom is the largest traditional kingdom in Uganda. Descendants of the royal family continue to live in the touring area and it shed some great insight on a sector of Ugandan culture.

Later that weekend, Lance and I went to see the Ndere Troupe (My first viewing since I had food poisoning during the show last year). The Ndere Troupe is a music and dance group that has been around for over 30 years in Uganda. This world-renowned performance showcases the dances and styles of different cultures in Uganda. It was absolutely amazing.

I had the opportunity to visit the Peace Transitional Home, a new children’s home in Uganda similar to Sanyu that is run by a friend of a friend. It is an absolutely beautiful facility and I was able to expand some of my research to this home as well.

One of the Mamas I work with knew of my interest in the health field and took me to visit Butabika Hospital, a center for those with mental illness. It was an odd experience. The clinic gives tours of different wards and opportunities to interact with patients. I think the tours are given as a way to educate the public about mental illness, I learned a lot, but personally felt intrusive.

A combination of birthdays, finishing finals (i.e. graduating!), and reunions with good friends has made for great reasons to meet up for lunch and dinner. I especially have to thank Paul and Yosia for checking in on me regularly and of course helping me celebrate my birthday far from home.

These guys are great <3

Uganda is a beautiful, exciting place. People have been surprised when I show pictures of the city and talk of all the things to do. (Possibly stemming from a narrow view of the continent of Africa being entirely impoverished or what have you) As with all places, there is good and bad, rich and poor, and a variety of people who make it interesting. It’s a great country to visit and I’ll be here for a few months if you need a guide ;)