Touch-down in Africa

After just over twenty four hours in travel time, we finally arrive at our destination: somewhere called Lweza, which is just outside of Kampala, Uganda, and my first glimpse close-up at Africa.

After all the anticipation, Jenn, Amy, Jigna, Eric and I are here at last. And we are exhausted, we are utterly jetlagged, and we are probably completely unprepared for what's ahead. When we land at Entebbe Airport, we are in pretty much all in a weird combination state of over-tiredness and over-excitement. We collect our luggage, which, for each of us, includes a hockey bag full of donations in addition to our own suitcase. (My hockey bag is bigger than me, pretty much, and not too much fun to drag around.) The five of us head hesitantly towards the arrival lounge, luggage in tow, looking for someone familiar (or someone unfamiliar holding a Softchoice sign), that will take us to where we need to go. In a sea of Africans, we spot a tall skinny white man who pops out of the crowd. It's Nick, and he's waving. As we head towards him, the power goes out. "Welcome to Uganda!", people say, laughing. Apparently this happens a lot.

When the lights flick on after a few minutes, we say our hellos to Nick, the Softchoice Executive presence on our trip (his official title: Senior Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions, Softchoice Corporation), and briefly meet our Ugandan guide and host for the next two weeks, Anthony. We pile our stuff onto a bus, and ride a half an hour to our hostel, looking out the window at road signs, little shops, and asking stupid questions like "Is this Kampala?" along the way. [Note: Of course, it is not Kampala at all. It is only Entebbe Road].

It is so dark when we get to our hostel, we can't see much of anything, and after such a long journey, I am just happy to see Amy and I's teeny little room: complete with it's two beds, two mosquito nets, and little wardrobe cabinet containing three hangers and one starchy towel each. Bathrooms, shared, are just down the hall.

At night, though exhausted, I toss and turn, kept awake by strange noises outside. Dogs, barking. Something unknown, whimpering. Hours later, roosters crowing, then daylight. I have what is quite possibly the coldest shower of my life, then head to the dining area to have breakfast with my trip mates. Most have arrived before us, but were fast asleep by the time our flight came in. We eat a breakfast of toast and banana. We bond over the cold showers, all a little out of our element already.