Kickin' it in Kampala

It is currently 1:37 a.m. in Ddegeya. Phil and I are still awake and working. Joe is in the other room "working" or rather sleeping on the computer. Another long day at the clinic. We only have two more days to add the final touches to the system so I'm predicting more late nights.

Chicago feels like a dream away or like a past life. I miss everyone but somehow I don't want to leave and am dreading going back to the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the states. Time does not seem as rushed here and the weather, scenery, and people are all just amazing.

Side note: Joe is currently talking in his sleep! (hehe) something about a rattle snake and a jack! Oh yes, and he just fell off of his chair! Too funny!!!

We ventured to Kampala this weekend to clear our heads. The taxi ride there was incredibly uncomfortable. The bus was totally full and the taxi kept stopping to pick up more passengers, all the time I'm wondering where in the h are these people going to fit, but somehow they shuffled us around and cramped us in like clowns.

Once we arrived in Kampala we hit all the computer stores possible. We finally found at least some of supplies we needed. However, the UPS with a usb connection was almost impossible to find. After all the exciting electronics shopping, we hit the craft market and picked up some cool souvenirs! I am terrible at haggling so I found out.

With the market behind us, we walked to Hendi, an Indian restaurant with amazing food! We ordered five main dishes and three kinds of Naan. Yummy! Unfortunately, the next day we all paid for that meal... From Hendi we hiked through the city at night all the way to the Back Packers hostel on the other side of town. It was quite a hike but it was so cool to travel through the city at night. The roads are dangerous though and I think I only saw two traffic lights. There are definitely no Pedestrian cross-walks. It's pretty much cross at your own risk, which made it more exciting in my opinion.

Once we arrived at the hostel we had a great room, a hot shower, and some drinks. Phil and I stayed up with the bartenders for a while. We met a guy named Martin from Poland who will be living in Kampala for six months but hardly speaks English. Freddie, the other bartender is a native of Uganda but is planning on traveling to Mexico to volunteer to educate the poor. All in all, our trip to Kampala was a blast!

Things are running smoother with the system and hopefully will continue that way. In my last blog, I failed to mention another very important and unexpected person, Sarah . Sarah has been in Ddegeya for about six months now. She is originally from New York but decided after graduating that she wanted to teach in Africa. The school she teaches at is currently on holiday so she has been available to help us train the staff and teach us about the culture. She is like the rock star of Ddegeya, everywhere she goes people call her name! We are all so fortunate to have her help and her friendship, another truly amazing woman!

Sula Balungie
Sleep Well
Quell all the worry
Be still

P.S. I smell.