I'm sorry for not blogging since arriving in Uganda, but finding an internet cafe with power has been difficult. The travel to Uganda was long (including a day in London) but it was well worth it. The flight from London to Entebbe was filled with munus (white people) which was surprising. Eliza Dushku (from Buffy and Bring it on) was on our flight. Kampala is a crazy city so we spent most of our time at the guesthouse. We went to the Gaddafi mosque which was unbelieveable, shopped for cell phones and exchanged money before heading to Gulu three days later. At one point on the drive we stopped for mangoes and were surrounded by about 20 women trying to force meat on a stick, corn, and water on us. Gulu has a much more relaxed feel than Kampala.
The new CVAP compound is incredible. We are the first volunteers to stay there, and Chris, Jeevan and I were the first to arrive so technically I was one of the very first to see it. The main building was supposed to have power but since we arrived (two weeks ago) there has been no electricity. It's actually been a lot easier than I thought to live without power. The back yard has four round huts that we sleep in.They are modelled after traditional Ugandan turkuls. Our cooks are fantastic and I've been enjoying the Ugandan food but I'm starting to get a little bored of posho (mushed corn flour) and beans. I decided to eat meat here after being a vegetarian for three years. The meat is delicious and fresh. And by fresh I mean that I watched our cook kill and pluck a chicken the morning before we ate it for lunch. The fruit is so much sweeter here, too.
So, we have been eating well and adjusting to the very slow pace of life here. We toured the different organizations and have been bonding with the local Ugandan volunteers we are working with. I start official work with TASO tomorrow, and then I will have more details about my project for the next two months.
I will write more this week!
Melissa
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