What an incredible first day in Uganda! After two flights, a night in a hotel, a day roaming London, the subway, a train in the wrong direction, and two car rides (one being very bumpy), we are finally in Nansana, Uganda and are ready to work at the Ashinaga Rainbow House!
Christine and I left New York at 5AM Thursday morning and flew to Heathrow, where we took a train to Paddington instead of the Sofitel hotel; luckily the train conductor felt sorry for two lost Americans and didn’t charge us what would have been 80 pounds of train fares in total! The following day, we met up with Malinda, who had been traveling all night from D.C., and spent the afternoon roaming southeast London. We took an overnight flight to Entebbe, Uganda, paid for a visa, and then met the director, Yuka Yamada, who took us on an unpaved, bumpy ride to the Nexus Hotel in Nansana, where we will be staying for the next three weeks.
We didn’t allow ourselves to sleep for fear of encouraging jetlag, so we walked around Nansana and Christine showed us the route to the Rainbow House. We were immediately inundated with cries of “Mzungu!” from children, meaning “foreigner” or “stranger.” They shyly waved at us and we waved back. Some even said “hi” or “how are you?” It is an odd feeling to be constantly called out for being so obviously different, considering how taboo that would be in America, and yet their recognition of our “otherness” seems enthusiastic and welcoming rather than exclusive or judgmental. The rest of our promenade included dodging buses and bodabodas (motorcycles that function as taxis), and laughing at goats and chickens that roam the streets and precariously balance on the steep roadsides.
At Ashinaga, we met the staff and took a tour of the Rainbow House. Yuka walked us around the area and showed us the office, the classrooms, the play areas, the kitchen, etc. Everyone was extremely welcoming, and we can’t wait to come back and get to work!
We returned to the hotel and took a deep nap before having dinner with Farouque, the dance instructor, Teddy and Emma, teachers, and Yuka, the director. They are all incredible people that are extremely intelligent, driven, and passionate about the program. Yuka gave each of us a Luganda phrasebook small enough to fit in our purses, but extensive enough to leave me feeling overwhelmed…and excited. Christine also announced that she just received tenure at Vassar! Malinda and I squealed with excitement, and then realized we had to explain to the others how wonderful this was. After many conversations about education, marriage, and the upcoming Martyr’s Day, we ended the night by attempting to take photos of ourselves in almost total darkness, and great hilarity ensued. After multiple attempts, one of the waiters finally managed to shoot blindly and we got this:
2nd night in Nansana
After dinner, Malinda and I tried to stay up, but we eventually succumbed to the comfort of our beds, safe from mosquitoes with our nets, and cool with the fan blowing all night.
– Sam