Host Family

After spending the Easter holiday with family in northern Uganda, Nigel and his family met me at the Rotary club of Kalolo last night. Nigel is an attorney who works for the Ugandan government. He went to law school here in Uganda, but also studied at the London School of Economics. Nigel is a very nice, very successful man. He loves pop music (we listened to Michel Jackson and the local pop radio station on the way home), “soccer, beer and his family”. He and I watched the Arsenal v Barcelona game two nights ago, which was great. He’s a huge Arsenal fan, so naturally I was rooting for Barcelona (to make it interesting). Barcelona crushed. Nigel was sad.

The rest of the family includes Ralph, a 16-yr old sophomore at a nearby boarding school (not sure if I’ll meet him), a 7-yr old daughter named Amanda and a wife named Berna (Bernita). So far I’ve been able to ascertain that Amanda loves Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers, The Suite Life (of Zach and Cody), singing Michael Jackson (especially Black and White) and wearing my rain jacket. So basically we’re best friends. I feel kinda bad because I don’t have gifts that are appropriate for a 7-yr old girl. I’ll have to pull something together last minute.

I’ve been pummeling Nigel with questions about Uganda. I learned that samosas are extremely popular in Uganda after the Indian government sent a bunch of Indian citizens to East Africa to build a railroad in from the coast in the early/mid 1900s. Indians basically set up shop all along the tracks and began to dominate the small business market. Ever since the Idi Amin regime, race relations between the indigenous Africans and the Indians have been improving…but still leave a lot to be desired. Many of the large businesses in Kampala are still owned or managed by Indian expatriates. You’d think that if the Indian citizens were/are smart enough to take over all the extremely profitable jobs, they would be smart enough to engage the local community and build stable and sustainable relations. Right?

Other interesting facts:

-       Beyonce is WAY too popular

-       Volleyball is the only truly multinational sport in Uganda

-       The stealing of people’s land is fairly prevalent in Kampala; so prevalent in fact that people have to paint “this is not for sale” on the side of their houses (I’ll get a picture of this soon)

-       R. Kelly recently had a concert here; it was sub par (shocking)

-       Local guards carry bows and arrows (working on getting a picture of this too)

-       The largest population of Ugandans in Minnesota are from Jinja

Anyway, the family seems to be relatively reserved, so I think they’re sizing me up. I’m hoping they’ll break out of their shell a little and open up, but I also think they are naturally a calm and quiet bunch. I’ve seen Amanda break out a few dance moves, but that’s about it. I’ll get a new host family when we travel up to Gulu next week, but I’ll be back with Nigel, Berna and Amanda the week after.

Jinja

Our second full day in Uganda was another relaxing one; a fantastic start to the trip. When I first heard that we were visiting Jinja, I immediately thought we'd be visiting an isolated colony of gingers (too many british comedy sketches, I guess?).* So when I found out that it’s believed to be the source of the great Nile River I was slightly disappointed (kidding). The source of the Nile! Sweet. Since I saw the source of the Mississippi river when I was about 10, I had been eagerly awaiting the chance to complete my River Source Bingo Card (cross it off the bucket list!). I’ve included some pictures of the Nile/Lake Victoria. It was very photogenic.

* To be honest, when I first heard the name Jinja, I thought Daudi had said Ninja. They have a town called Ninja?!? Not bad. Then he said it again and I realized that the town was missing out on a huge tourism opportunity. Who wouldn't visit a town named Ninja?

After we all had an eyeful, we headed to a nearby hotel called The Triangle Hotel. It overlooks the Nile with dramatic views across the river and up towards Lake Victoria. Our host Daudi decided that it was a nice setting for a beer. Incidentally, there is a brewing company named Nile Brewing Co, which produces a beer called the Nile Special. SO, we had a Nile while looking at the Nile (cross that off my bucket list too?). I have to say, their marketing campaign could use some work. Their slogan is mighty weak: “Straight for the source.” C’mon, I came up with a better slogan in .5 seconds: “You’re in denial if you’re not drinking Nile.” A-oh!

A vial of Nile near an isle on the Nile.

After THAT, we went to a restaurant called Kingfisher which was delicious. Fresh tilapia caught right in Lake Victoria! And another Nile! It looks a little touristy in the pictures, but I can assure you that we were the only tourists. I asked. Things are looking good, Uganda. Real good.

Let me know if the pictures are NOT working. (Click on the link to the right.)

Asante sana (squash banana)

Kampala, Uganda

We got in to Kampala at about 11:15pm local time last night and met a few of the Rotary representatives. We weren’t exactly sure who the people were (were they host families? local rotary members? volunteers?), but they were very gracious and welcomed us to Uganda.

We then split up into two cars for the drive from Entebbe to Kampala. The cities aren’t more than 25 miles apart, but due to the condition of the roads it took us about an hour. When I say road conditions, I really mean driving conditions because the roads themselves were just fine. But traffic laws seem to be mere suggestions for most drivers in the area. Mopeds and motorbikes are very common, but they are small, slow, often lack lights and even more often are driving on the wrong side of the road. Because it was a Saturday night, there were also tons of people walking along the roads (both sides) within inches of the passing traffic. No one seemed particularly alarmed, so I tried to act as if people weren’t almost dying at every turn. Complicating matters further was the recent string of heavy rainfall in the area, which has disemboweled many of the street lamps.* All in all, it was an entertaining drive :)

* Not sure if it was because of the lack of street lights or if it’s the norm, but drivers here do a sort of ritualistic flickering of their bright lights at night. It wasn’t quite Morse code, but it was something similar. It kinda goes like this: “Hey, buddy, I’m gonna flick my brights so that you turn yours off.” “Hey, I see you flicking your brights, but I’m not turning my off.” “I see that the flicking of my brights has had no effect on your brights, so I’m just gonna leave mine on. Deal with it.” “Oh, now you’re leaving your brights on? Fine, well, here come a few bright light flickers and then I’ll continue to burn your retinas with my brights!” “Dang, those are bright. I need to hit the brakes HARD to make sure I don’t hit that person/motorbike/stray dog crossing the road.” Something like that.

Anyway, we get to meet our host families today. Exciting! We still don’t have a good feel for the itinerary, but that keeps things interesting. I'll add a few photos from the hotel/etc as soon as I get a consistent connection. 

Enjoy!

Africa/Tired

I'm in Africa! And tired! One more flight from Nairobi to Entebbe and then we'll be all set. It is WARM. 

No real news with which to update, so I'll just keep it short.

Nearly there.

Minnesota Mixed CDs

I'm trying to put together some gifts for the families who will be hosting me throughout the trip. I've settled on a variety of items that I'll try to mix and match to suit each family. One of these items is a mixed CD* of Minnesota musicians. Below, you'll find the playlist. I'm sure I'll get some judgy looks/clicks for several of the songs I've chosen, but I'm trying to find a middle ground between recognizable, not offensive (or profane) and "good". 


* I've had discussions about the phrase "mix CD" versus "mixed CD" and I think it's clear that it's mixed CD. You could rearrange it and say that the CD is A mix, no problem...but otherwise, it's mixed. Adjectives versus nouns. I think I'm right on this one. If not, well, tough. It's my blog.


1. Let's Go Crazy - Prince; 2) A Girl Named Hope - Atmosphere; 3) Big Sur - Mason Jennings; 4) The Times They Are A Changin' - Dylan; 5) 5ves - Heiruspecs; 6) Save It For a Rainy Day - Jayhawks; 7) Stuck Between Stations - Hold Steady; 8) Slow Burn - Doomtree; 9) If You See Her, Say Hello - Dylan; 10) The Woman With The Tattooed Hands - Atmosphere; 11) Ballad For My One True Love - Mason Jennings; 12) Heartsprings - Heiruspecs; 13) Runaway Train - Soul Asylum (yes!); 14) Little Red Corvette - Prince; 15) Corrina, Corrina - Dylan; 16) Forest Whitaker - Brother Ali; 17) Alex Chilton - Replacements; 18) Never You Mind - Semisonic (curveball!); 19) Where Does A Stranger Go On Christmas Eve - Happy Apple


Another piece of the gift basket may or may not include a copy of the new Bela Fleck album titled Throw Down Your Heart. Three reasons I'm including this in the package: 1) I like the music; 2) it's really good (won two Grammys)**; 3) our Rotary team met Nicole Smaglick who was involved in the production of the album***.

** Grammy's included Best Contemporary World Music Album; Best Pop Instrumental Performance. 

*** Nicole also runs a business called the Amias Project, which "has mobilized over 200 Barabaig men and women in central Tanzania to design and craft jewelry and handbags inspired by traditional fashions". These items are then sold in the US (and around the world?) to generate income and educational opportunities for the Tanzanian communities. Cool stuff. 

There are a few other things I'll be picking up in the next 24 hours to complete the package. I haven't settled on the final items, but my guess is that they'll be assorted pictures of Minnesota. 


53 hours!

Moses!

Here's a link to a story from the Minneapolis Star Tribune about a Kenyan boy named Moses who's been on an interesting journey. The reason I'm posting it here is because the leader of our trip to East Africa, Tim Murphy, is a prominent figure in the story. I'll let the article speak for itself, but it's definitely worth a look.

Star Tribune - Moses

PS - Moses will be on our flight to Nairobi, so I'll get to hang out with him. I've heard he likes buttons and french fries. I'm still looking for the ultimate gift for Moses that combines these two things...

Safari Gear

One of the many things that I've learned about myself while preparing for this trip is that I love safari gear (most outerwear, in fact). Can't hide it.* I have noted the irony in that sentence because, as a child, I essentially hated the outdoors. Fact: I was the kid that didn't run around outside without a piece of fabric between my toes and the grass (socks, sandals, shoes, slippers...etc). Mostly socks though. Weird, I know. Anyway, in the last few years I guess I've realized that my lack of experience with the outdoors as an adolescent has led to a deep fascination with camping/hiking/safariing/general outdoorsyness as an adult. Hence the love of safari gear. And fleece jackets. I'm not sure I'm ready to join my Widjiwagan-y friends and hit the arctic circle for 39 days, but I can bite off a supervised, safari trip in a large vehicle with automatic locks -- no problem. 


* I hate that it's called safari gear, by the way. Reminds me of "carpenter jeans" or something that has become a cliched shell of it's former useful self. Safari is now a style and not an activity for which the product is used. I guess that's commonplace, but it seems particularly transparent with "safari shirts" or "safari hats". What does a shirt with two pockets and some extra buttons have to offer that a t-shirt doesn't? I can't put my binoculars in the pockets, too narrow. I can't keep a souvenir gazelle bone in the pocket, too shallow. You get the point.


So I have to exercise some budgetary restraint for two reasons: a) I have very little money to spend on "safariwear" that I'll use for 5 weeks of my life; b) I don't want to make myself look like an even bigger tourist. Yes, I realize that reason B will be essentially impossible to avoid...but I've gotta draw the line somewhere and that line has been drawn at floppy hats. I will NOT be buying a floppy hat. A part of me is slightly disappointed by this.


Not sure there's a point to this entry, but I'll probably be learning a lot during this trip so I wanted to get the first introspective anecdote out of the way. I think it was a good one. 

Off to a fast start!