We arrived in Uganda at 11:15PM on Wednesday (1:15PM in Vancouver). We all arrived safely, except for Matthew's luggage which was lost somewhere in the system. It will be coming in over the next few days.
We were greeted at the airport by Drew Westergaard, the ACTS supervisor in Uganda, and Jothem, a native Ugandan ACTS employee. We all loaded into an ACTS truck and were given an introduction to driving in Uganda, which I also refer to as "trying not to die."
Perils of driving in Uganda
(1) Narrow winding roads
(2) High speeds on the highway
(3) Drivers like to make generous use of their high beams at night, which cause temporary blindness
(4) Motorcycle taxis called "boda bodas" are everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE. Dodging in between moving vehicles, intersections, etc. It is very common to be driving along a street and have boda bodas driving between you and the vehicles beside you, and they have no qualms about dodging in front of you while you are moving.
(5) No crosswalks, people cross the street wherever they please, which is very often right in front of you while you are driving at high speed
(6) Very few street lights, so making turns is a matter of luck, honking, and aggression
(7) Vendors will try to run up to your window and run along with your vehicle and try to sell you things as you are driving
(8) Many vehicles have no brake lights
(9) Animals wonder onto the roads
(10) At night, some highways have highway bandits that will rob you at gunpoint (although luckily we have not run into any as we try not to drive at night)
(11) You get the idea
After we arrived in Kampala from the airport, we stayed the night in a guesthouse. The guesthouse is a closed compound with a guard. They have cooks that will cook you food whenever you like. All of the beds are covered in mosquito netting.
A four person room in the compound costs about 45,000 Ugandan shillings ($30) for a night. A sandwich costs about 2000 shillings ($1.33). The prices in Kampala, however, are much higher than prices anywhere else in the country. In Mbarara, a pineapple goes for about 500 shillings ($0.33). And that's the price for Muzungus (white people), which is quite inflated.
When we arrived in our rooms, there was no electricity. That is because due to power shortages, all of Uganda is undergoing power rationing with 24 hour rotations. That is to say, we have power every other day. This is causing Uganda a lot of economic problems as businesses are not able to operate effectively. Many Ugandans choose to buy their own diesel power generators, but they are very inefficient and expensive.
The day after we arrived we ate breakfast and went out to meet Julius Magala from AIESEC Uganda. We chatted for a few hours about AIESEC and Ugandan culture, and then headed off for Mbarara, where we are now staying.
I am just starting to pick up the culture here. Everyone speaks English, but communication is very different than it is in Canada. Here is an example.
Asking for directions from your neighbour in Canada:
Hey Tom, how do I get to the store?
> Drive up the road, turn right at the first intersection, etc...
Asking for directions from your neighbour in Uganda:
Hello Tom, how are you?
> I am good, and you?
I am good Tom. How is your family?
> My family is not so good, I am afraid.
I am sorry to hear that Tom. What is wrong?
> My son is sick.
That's too bad. Is it malaria?
> No.
Is it diarhea?
> No.
What is wrong with your son?
> My son has an infected insect bite.
I am sorry to hear that.
> And how is your family?
My family is good...
Insert 10 minutes of dialogue.
By the way Tom, I am planning to buy some pineapple.
> Oh yes, pineapple is very good, and where are you planning to buy it?
I am planning to buy it at the store, but I do not know how to get there.
> That is unfortunate.
Do you know how to get to the store?
> Yes, drive up the road, turn right at the first intersection, etc...
Oh, thank you very much Tom.
> At the store, they also have good Mangos.
Really, how much do they cost?
Insert 10 minutes of dialogue.
As you can probably tell, things move much more slowly in Uganda.
There is so much more that I would like to write, but I will save it for another time and another post!
I hope you are all well in Canada, and that all of your families are well, and that none of them have malaria or diarhea, and that the weather is good, and...
-Ian
