Uganda Arrival

For those of you that have traveled to a developing country, you know how difficult it can be to find internet, so bare with me through this journey where I might be MIA for a few days. Yesterday my flight was delayed 4 hours, so I arrived in Entebbe, Uganda much later than expected. Catherine Namatovu, the headmistress of Mwebaza School and our contact in Uganda for virtually everything, was waiting for me as I passed through customs. Today was my first day in Uganda. Namatovu and I got up and shared a breakfast of Rolex, a Uganda classic made of chapati and scrambled eggs. As we approached the school, a flood of children came running down the dirt path with smiles on their faces. I kneeled down and braced myself for the impact of at least 6 small bodies colliding into mine. They escorted me back to the school and when we approached I was overwhelmed with happiness to be back with people who have become such close friends - practically family! I spent the morning at Mwebaza School getting updated on the chicken/egg-layer program, orchard, green-garden, water tanks, and a new library system that helps get books into the hands of the students. I was impressed with the newly built gardens and cement steps leading up to the classrooms. This just goes to show that the money made from any of these projects at the school is going back into the school.

After a very rare, specially made "welcome" lunch of matooke (mashed plantains), rice, potatoes, beef, nakati (a local leafy green), and peanut sauce, Namatovu and Katamba (Namatovu's right-hand man) took me into Kampala so I could run a few errands. They were very cautious with me in town because of all the recent terrorist threats in the area. It seems like I can't get away from this madness! However, I know I could leave in the blink of an eye if I needed to as long as I had my passport, which is a lot more than most could do. It's an off-putting feeling knowing that everyone here, who I have become so close to, would be unable to leave in the event of an emergency.