I'm Back!

Hi everyone,

       I am currently in Uganda, where my internet connection is infinitely better than the connection in Shikokho.  I went through three or four internet modems before I realized that the problem wasn't the modem; internet has just gotten significantly more difficult to come by in the village.  Case in point: to get anything on my phone I now must sit in my desk chair and hold my arm out at a very specific angle to get a signal.

       The first term of school is over, and we do not start again until May 7th.  I was in Uganda about a month ago and enjoyed it so much that I came back to spend the three-week break between terms.  Uganda is AWESOME.  Last month I went rafting on the Nile River!  More about that later, though.  For now, let me tell you about the riot I just escaped from:

       I arrived in Uganda's capital city, Kampala, last night and ventured out into the city for the first time this afternoon.  After a delicious meal at an Indian restaurant with a nice street view, I spent around an hour wandering aimlessly around the city.  I saw a few police vehicles speed by, sirens blaring, with several AK-47 wielding officers riding in the truck bed, but no one seemed in the least bit concerned so I kept walking.  Later, I thought I heard gunshots, but again, no one seemed phased.  A couple people glanced up towards the sky, which made me think maybe I was hearing construction somewhere...I mean, when was the last time you heard gunshots and people behaved as if this were totally normal?

       Probably the last time you were in Africa.

     Eventually I turn a corner and before I'm fifty yards down the road I hear what is unmistakably gunfire, and as if to confirm my suspicions, several people on the street turned tail and started jogging in the opposite direction.  Uh-oh.  I turned and jogged with them, stopping at the entrance to a small indoor shopping mall to ask the guard what was going on.  He answered that the Muslims were rioting, but he was not sure exactly why.  A woman on the street started gently pushing me inside the mall, saying "Get inside, they will grab you!"

       You are shitting me.

      I went inside and made my way up a staircase, where I was able to exit onto another street, where people were completely calm and I felt much better.  Not good enough to stay in the city, though.  After a few minutes of trying to find a motorcycle driver who knew the hostel (whose staff was not answering their phone; luckily one of them had taken a liking to me and insisted on giving me his cell number in case I wanted to get drinks later, and I was able to get directions from him), and getting a little more jumpy as police vehicles continued to race by, I was on my way out of the city.

       All this sounds scary, but probably the most dangerous thing I did today was the motorcycle ride to and from the city.  Apparently something like three people die in motorcycle accidents per day in Kampala.  I, however, arrived safely back at the hostel, where I plan on staying for the rest of tonight.   The hostel, The Red Chili, is awesome and there are tons of interesting people here.  Haven't run into too many Americans in Uganda, but I'm currently sitting next to two Georgia Tech grads!  Small world.

      Anyway, I wrote the previous post several months ago, before the internet in Shikokho took a turn for the worst.  More posts coming later, about the Kakamega Forest, Nairobi, and my trip down the Nile River!