New Experiences

Three days in, and there are so many new and interesting things to share. Here are a few:

The weather has been surprising. The fellows who stayed in Kampala last year kept saying how hot it was here and how dirty the city is, but both statements are a bit inaccurate (or maybe I don’t correctly remember what they said). It’s cooler here than it is in Mountain View; it has been cloudy the past three days and I’ve worn jeans without melting. The area of Kampala that we’re staying in is relatively clean. There are street cleaners who sweep the leaves and debris off the road, so it’s not “dirty.” Unless they were referring to the reddish dirt that's everywhere. But the air? That’s another story.  Kampala is a busy, busy city with lots of cars and motorcycles, but Uganda clearly doesn’t have smog checks, so some trucks and cars spew black smog (sometimes it’s white). My mom would not survive in this polluted air.

A Street in Kampala (with light traffic)

Boda bodas are amazing! They remind me of all the scooters in Taipei, just bigger, louder, and smellier. There are so many of them! While there are no classes that teach boda drivers how to ride, all the ones we’ve been on have skillfully navigated through the traffic jams and potholes; it’s like playing MarioKart or something, but in real life. My brother would enjoy it.  Everyone says it’s dangerous, and I can see that (the one I took on the way back today was missing one of its rearview mirrors and the speedometer wasn’t working), but I’m safe! I’ll just pray before every ride.

Joe on a SafeBoda

Ugandan food is also interesting – in general, food is salty and saucy, the portions are big, and people eat late. Joe and I had local food for the first time yesterday. There was matoke (mashed banana paste [it's yellow]), posho (mashed maize [white]), rice (very, very brown), potato, cooked banana, pumpkin, zucchini, peas, beans, and chicken (pictured below). The last four items on the list are typically heavily seasoned and go with the more simply prepped food in the remainder of the list. We had banana chips and honey cakes from the grocery store today because we came too late for lunch, and the banana chips are so much better than the plantain chips from Trader Joe’s. Uganda bananas just taste better in general: more firm and tart. Because we live in the wealthier, expat-ish part of town, there are also many ethnic restaurants. I had Chinese food cooked by Africans tonight, and we’ve had Mediterranean, Lebanese, and Indian food, and calzones (Spanish?). It’s a bummer we can’t cook our own food, but there's plenty to eat. Did I mention we get free breakfast at our hostel? 

Ugandan Food

We had training and orientation at Tugende yesterday and today! It felt like school, where representatives form each department came and presented an aspect of the company, but this actually matters. Tugende is start-uppy:  people wear jeans and t-shirts to work, but everyone says you must work hard. We each got our own Tugende emails, t-shirts, and helmet! There are so many things to talk about... Tugende really deserves a post of its own, but if you’re impatient, you can learn about the company here. 

Equipped

Oh yeah, we also had power and water issues at the office the first day. Tugende didn't have power the first day, so they used a loud power generator for electricity, but the power still cut in and out all day. The water wasn't working, so we had to go to the outdoor toilets (see below). Other than that, I haven't seen "signs" of a "developing country," but then again, I am in a city. 

Hole in the Ground

I’m excited to work with Peace and Edgar! They are our fellow fellows who will be translating for us in the field. We’re bonding well and we really like each others' food: they love our protein bars and Japanese rice crackers, and their banana chips are AMAZING (I said that already). We also talked about Hillsong (a famous Christian band and Australian church under the same name I visited when I was down under); it’s comforting to know both are “born again” Christians (Uganda is ~90% Christian: half Catholic, half Protestant).

Tugende Fellows

I’ve had very rich conversations with other GSB Fellows, and it has been very refreshing/encouraging/comforting. Last night, Kristi and I shared our testimonies with each other, and tonight Huda and I shared our backgrounds with each other after our hip hop Youtube workout. There’s something special about people God has put into my life; He knows who I need, and I’m so grateful for these new friendships. This is also why I’m still up blogging, but I wanted to share with you all before I forget! Also, it's Father's Day in Uganda, so Happy Father's Day :) Thanks for reading!

P.S. Spotify doesn't have ads in Uganda (I know. I'm cheap and don't have Premium. It's fine). Interesting. OK, goodnight for real!