We're Here

We've arrived! Our journey over was very calm. I slept from Dallas to Amsterdam and Nick slept from from Amsterdam to Entebbe our chatter was limited. KLM offers an excellent selection of films. One of the films I watched was Invictus. I pondered why people were so under whelmed by it. The anticipation of watching the World Cup in Kampala contributed to my enjoyment. The last 30 minutes of the plane ride were especially exciting. Nick woke up and we watched the flight tracker attentively. When about 10 miles remained, more than just clouds became visible. We could see Lake Victoria, which was beautiful. Any anxiety I had experienced prior to departure went away. I was reminded of satellite pictures shown to me by one of my high school history teachers, which showed Europe, the Americas, and parts of Asia and Africa bright with light while others were dark.

Going through customs was easy. However, waiting for luggage was a little scary because it seemed our suitcases were never going to come. In fact, after about 15 minutes of waiting, the conveyor belt just stopped for a good two minutes. Images of my green suitcase being rolled through the streets of Amsterdam by a stranger eating one of the city's famous baked goods ran popped into my head. Nick kept telling me everything was fine, and he was right as our luggage came. We were welcomed outside the luggage area by Alex (EAC's Assistant Program Director in Kampala), Zziwa (EAC's driver). and EAC US Scholarship students - Gyavira and Francis. Seeing Gyavira and Francis was awesome and comforting because I had met them at the EAC office in Dallas two weeks ago.

The ride to the house where we will be staying provided me with my first glimpse of Kampala. I am so happy to here. The streets are lively. Businesses and homes line the streets. People are outside: eating, walking home, and conversing. Even hair salon doors were open so I could see people getting their haircuts. One of my friends at school often tells me in a southern draw, "Feldman, you are a people person. You just like being with others." From what I saw last night, Kampala is the perfect place for a "people person" because people were together. There is a contagious vibe of community. Francis and Alex were excellent, engaging, and informative company. They told us about Ugandan culture and pointed out important sites. When we passed President Museveni's homes, Alex told us he had been in power for 26 years. I asked if there were any term limits. "There were, but he had the laws changed," he answered. How convenient! I look forward to asking more questions on this subject.

We were greeted at the place we are staying by Richard - an employee of the British NGO, which owns the home and Bosco - the home's dog. After unpacking, we got ready for bed and put our mosquito nets down. I fell asleep instantly. Tomorrow should be an awesome day. Alex will be taking us all around Kampala.

- Feldman