March 15th, 2017 by jasongulati

Made a full recovery thanks to the Cipro my travel clinic sent me with. As an aside, no travel clinic is the same and a good one is worth its weight in gold, while others will leave you feeling robbed. As a matter of professionalism I won’t name the clinic in question, but when approaching a travel clinic ask to know their available services up front before the consultation. If they don’t offer everything you’re going to need, keep looking. If the provider appears unsure and is just reciting CDC guidelines (that you can find yourself online), keep looking. Otherwise you’re going to have to go through a brand new consultation elsewhere for the rest. And while pre-travel services are rarely covered by US insurances, ask anyway. I was surprised to discover most of my consultation and prescriptions were covered in my plan.

Anyway, moving on. I had heard textiles were a big deal here, and went in search of fabrics and a good tailor on the advice of my housemates. I got a ride down to Channel St. and tried to find the shop she mentioned. However, this part of Kampala is extremely population-dense and the shops all look a bit similar. I also made the error of wearing shorts for the first time–not uncommon among Muzungu but I had entered an area pretty devoid of them. At that point I had been here a week and that is absolutely the most I’ve ever heard the phrase hollered at me in a single day. Except for one passing boda driver, it never made me feel that unsafe but it was certainly uncomfortable. And embarrassing. When I finally reached the shop, I think the owner took custody of me as though I were a lost child… it was interesting being on the other side of this dynamic after observing it comfortably in Thailand. Interestingly enough (to me), Muzungu is used in the same way we use Falang. Anyway, it took the whole afternoon and she had to lead me all over the district, but we got it all sorted. I’m excited to see the results on Saturday, the fabrics were gorgeous and the tailor sketched the design out right in front of me.

 I hope things still fit right by then. I’ve dropped almost two belt sizes since I’ve been here and while part of it was being sick last week, I know I have just been eating less than I do at home. As I tend to eat a little excessively at home, I’m hoping this habit continues after I return home. I exercise at home but it’s more anaerobically focused… very lacking in cardio. Already now I feel much lighter on my feet.