First Couple of Days

So, 0745 on the 9/5/10, Dan Chant arrives in Entebbe, Uganda, a little late after flying round a thunderstorm for 30 minutes - at least I'm already adjusting back to African timings! (For those of you who don't know, everything must be at least 30-60 minutes late, at a minimum!)

Luckily though, the man I have been corresponding with in relation to my visit (Thomas) was there on time, and broke through the crowd to grasp my hand with a big warm smile on his face. After getting the bags into the Hilux in the torrential rain, we headed to the office, giving me my first chance to gaze upon Ugandan territory with my own eyes. The lush green scenery immediately grabs my attention, and a multitude of different exotic trees and bushes rush past me. These are interspersed with crudely painted houses and huts, made from a varying source of materials, many using homemade clay bricks and corrugated iron for the most basic of structures.
Arriving at the office (a large house on the side of a hill) I meet a couple more of the people I will be working with, Marten and Christine. Thomas heads off at about 0900, explaining he has to go to church and then some meetings, he says he will be back "in the evening" (yes, this is ominous!). I stay chatting for a while then head to a spare room to get some sleep as, after being sat between two very chatty nocturnal Ugandans on the plane, I am absolutely shattered.

After awakening from my deep and refreshing slumber I take the opportunity - as it has stopped raining, to explore a little of my immediate surroundings. I can already see glimpses of the magnificent Lake Victoria from the huge windows of the office and am eager to get a better view. Hiking further up the hill takes me to an absolutely awe inspiring position, I scan the area and am speechless. A huge sea of vibrant greens lie in front of me, and beyond that the incredible, gigantic Lake. Crickets play their shrill melodies incessantly, hundreds of birds sing peculiar and pretty songs, and I keep checking the long grass for snakes I may accidentally stumble upon in my current state of wonder!

It soon starts to rain again though, and being a little way out of town I cannot go anywhere for the rest of the day, I finish my book and wait for Thomas to arrive so we can get back to his place and start getting settled.
2230 and Thomas gets back! We jump into the Hilux and drive to his home, it is still under construction and so has no running water or electricity yet, but he makes me feel very welcome and is proving to be a brilliant companion. Sadly there is nowhere for me to put my things, so I leave them in the suitcases and jump into bed, immediately dropping off to sleep. An uninterrupted night, except for when I manage (due to my irritatingly long legs!) to pull down not only my mosquito net, but Thomas's too! After a quick fix I climb back in and sleep til morning.

The next day brings sun and another new morning chorus from multitudes of noisy animals and insects! We head to the office - me driving the V6 Hilux (I imagine you can picture the gigantic grin on my face, bouncing down deeply rutted dirt tracks in that monster), getting onto the main roads I am amazed at the absolute death-wish of every single man and woman hurtling along on motorbikes (of course without helmets - you just get too hot), speeding past us in the most rickety 4x4s and minibuses, as well as the huge trucks and buses forcing their way through the traffic, making insane manoeuvres into the path of oncoming vehicles. Its definitely more exciting driving here than in England!

Arriving at the office there is a brief staff meeting, formally introducing myself and discussing the issues we face in the coming weeks. We won't start work properly until Thursday, when Clark Mcnutt (the boss) arrives.

After the meeting a quick lunch is followed by a trip into the centre of Kampala with Thomas to run some errands. The urge to get hit by a passing vehicle seems to draw people into the road, though their apparent lust for injuries in the noisy cacophony of teeming, speeding traffic seems to be miraculously denied in most cases! After parking the car we sort out the unlocking of my mobile phone, and head down to a printing shop, situated in the basement beneath some buildings on a main street. It turns out that printing is big business, as after chatting for a while with a man named Kim, learning about his operation of a huge Heidelburg press I go away to explore a little. Walking down the back streets I am heckled affectionately (I hope!) by many stall holders, to which any reply I make is met by huge smiles, raucous laughter and screams by the women - apparently white men walking alone is a rare thing to see as the men, although more reserved in their response once I reply to them, also stare unashamedly at me as I pass by.
Strolling back along the street I turn into what I thought was the same printing basement as before, though it turns out it is an entirely separate operation, so whilst trying to look as relaxed and comfortable as I could, hiding my embarrassment, I quickly went back upstairs, with about 50 pairs of dark brown eyes watching my every move! As I recover, laughing at my misfortune I turn into the next basement - needless to say, yet again this was not the correct one, and I had to go through the entire experience again! Luckily for me, the next set of stairs took me back down to my friend Thomas, and a feeling of relief of not having to relive that humiliation again!
A little bit of food shopping and suddenly it's 1800, we drive back to the offices and I chat to the parents and Bex for a while on Skype. I have no idea where the time goes but this blog has ended at 2200, and we still have to drive home to our cosy one room house.

All in all, my first real day here has been great, everyone is friendly, and seem eager to converse with a white man or "mzungu" as they call us! Thomas has been very welcoming, and I'm glad that we get on so well, it makes me feel a lot more comfortable here, but no doubt at some point the fact that I won't be home for a year will hit. I am not looking forward to that moment, as its always a little hard, but thus far things are all good, and I can't wait to get started on some real work!