Day 20 - Beginning of the End...For Now

01/05/09

I got up at 6:45am this morning without an alarm. I hope my jetlag destroys that habit and I can sleep until noon again when I get back. I packed a bit more and had a banana and tea for breakfast. I then went to BCC with the most of the family in the van. On the way, we picked up a lot of the staff, a routine I missed over the holiday season, and dropped Grace and Matthew off at the bus station to catch a ride to Kampala. When we got to BCC, I went on rounds and then internet-ed for a bit. At around 11:30am, I was summoned to the heads-of-department meeting where each head said a personal thank you and Mama Anne gave a long speech about my working habits and being-a-guest habits. After they were all done, I asked if I could say a few words. I told them that as much as they might think they gained from me, they could ask anyone who has read my blog about how much I’ve gained from them. I promised them that my association with BCC was not over, that this was only the end of my introduction. After the meeting, I packed up, said goodbye to the staff, gave hugs and Ugandan handshakes (they’re cool, ask me to show you) and headed home with Mama Anne and Mary. Fazi had made me lunch – potatoes, peas, and avocados – and I ate and then finished packing. I fell asleep for a bit and then Mama Anne woke me at 2:55 when she came back home with the van. We loaded my things, I said goodbye to David, and we headed to the bus station. It’s a good thing we went early. The 5pm buss was nearly full at 3:05pm and I got one of the last seats. And it must have been a miracle that I made it to Mbale in the first place because now I was actually on the Elgon Flyer, the premium bus service, and I needed Mama Anne to save me a seat while Mary and John helped me load my luggage and I stood there helpless. After saying goodbye to everyone I took my seat and waited until the bus left at around 3:45pm, still way before the scheduled time. The ride was still chaotic but much more professional than the bus service to Mbale 3 weeks ago. We drove for 4 hours, crossing over the Nile at one point, passing the Lugazi sugarcane fields, passing through Jinja, all places I have become familiar with during my time here. We made the traditional stop in the middle of some field for people to get off and find a place to relieve themselves and get back on again. I was tempted to pass around my bottle of Purell but I no longer wanted to be the silly muzungu. Street merchants sold matoke and kabobs and chicken at every stop, bombarding the sides of the bus and sticking their merchandise through the half-open windows. But this time I smiled at all of these Ugandan quirks. I’m not yet one of them, nowhere near it, but I appreciate the practicality of their ways. The sun set as I was on the bus, and I watched the sky turn multiple bright colors as the sun seemed to drown in the Nile. I arrived in Kampala at 7:45pm, carried my luggage across the bus park to meet Jen, and came to her house. We dropped off my stuff at, now that it was 8:40pm, decided we were starving and needed dinner. We walked to an Indian restaurant down the street and ordered two vegan dishes, one spinach and corn bases, the other tomato based, as well as tomato chutney rice. One thing I’ve learned in Uganda is that you can mix anything into rice as long as it can be mushed and it will taste good. So we mixed the two dishes into the rice and enjoyed. I was lucky enough to bite into the hottest pepper imaginable and I cried for a couple of minutes. That’s what I get for ending my Ugandan trip with another type of food instead of a simple dish of matoke. We ordered a few beers, stayed a bit, and then came back to her place and now I’m writing this before I go to sleep for the last time in Uganda…for now. I will spend tomorrow roaming around Kampala with Joseph, Jen’s driver, then dinner and a ride to the airport. I will hopefully get a chance to make a detour to the old Entebbe airport to see the hijacked plane and one of the rescue planes that I’ve heard remain there on display. This will probably be the last post in Uganda but remember to check in for another week or so. See you soon!