“You are welcome to Uganda!” This is the universal greeting here in Uganda. I’ve heard it everywhere since coming here. It’s been a whirlwind trip so far, 30 hour transit time, got into Entebbe late last night (after midnight), was able to sleep in this morning, and then started the 3 hour trip north to Kiwoko at 9 am after breakfast. It’s the rainy season, so the roads are pretty bad and my driver had to take a few side routes because the road had flooded in several areas.
There’s been a flurry of sights and images so far: flying in over the pitch black of Lake Victoria, no lights whatsoever before touching down so that when the wheels bumped earth it was actually a surprise. Waking to a thunderous rain (and thunderous storm) that in only a few short minutes had swamped the short, grassy walkway leading to breakfast (only about 10 yards) so that I was walking through ankle deep water. Returning from breakfast 20 minutes later after the rain had stopped and being surprised to find that the ground–although not totally dry–had already soaked up the majority of the water. The guinea fowl roaming the courtyard of the Entebbe Airport Guesthouse where I stayed my first night and having them tap on my glass door while I dressed. The smog and traffic as we approached the capital city Kampala. Our “side detour” through the Kampala slums and the expressions on the faces of the slum dwellers who, as they stood on higher ground, watched as the muddy waters flooded their shacks.
Kiwoko is a small village located about 15 km from the nearest town, Luwero, and is reached via a winding, dirt track that is currently more mud than dirt. The main thing here is the hospital, very little of which I have seen thus far. Having come in Friday afternoon, most of the physicians had already finished their morning rounds and were off this afternoon. The staff volunteer coordinator plans to show me around this weekend and gave me the afternoon to unpack and settle in.