First Impressions

(I think Pride and Prejudice was going to be called that originally.) Anyway, I was just looking through my 2004 trip journal, reading about my first few days in Uganda. It was far more interesting than anything I wrote this last year; partly because it was the first time? Everything was new, including traveling halfway around the world by myself, and meeting a bunch of people who spoke little English and sometimes wore very little clothes. There was kind of an awe at everything in the adventure; "innocence" is too strong a word (esp. because I found out all the bad things as quickly as the good things), but there was something that I'm sorry my later journalling lacked. (Although I only wrote sporadically in 2005, even though Andrea told me to write every day. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you! :) )

Anyway, here are some of my first impressions, abridged because then, as now, I use too many what? Parentheses!

6 May ~Leaving Kampala ~
We just passed a "Shop Dot Com"! There is everything under the sun to be seen right (and I mean right) off the main roads. Turkeys, shops, people camping out on sacks in the sort of spaded-up ground, corn growing sort of wherever.

After leaving the ARA [hotel] we stopped at a meat market, notable because of Mary's comments about the dummy in front ("That man won't talk," she said, and when I said maybe he was frozen, "If he was frozen, he'd fall over") and the storks on the roof.

The countryside is beautiful, but I think Karamoja will actually be nicer. More Billingsish as far as scenery and less jungle-fever seeming.

Anna apparently gets carsick, so Martha told her she shouldn't be reading; she could just sit and think nice thoughts. :) Rachel is telling her about a new Redwall book.

May 7
For the last half hour there's been a constant sound of voices and what sounds like about 50 kids whooping it up, along w/ some turkeys (or else the strangest-sounding chickens I ever heard) [a rooster?]...Anyway, it's really fun to be right in the middle of things.

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Oh, today I met Lokwii, a boy Dad met when he came 3 years ago. [This was also the day I met Margaret, honestly one of the nicest people ever. I thought so at the time, too; "she welcomed me and was just very, very kind." Margaret is one of the only Karamojong women who hugged people then, although now most of the women who work for the mission do. Maybe it's a cultural thing, like husband and wife not holding hands in public and women not whistling. To be honest, I don't think many of the Karamojong are affectionate - theirs is not a lifestyle that breeds much open affection, even for children and spouse. But of course there are exceptions to that!]

May 8
I'm going to take my second shower here this morning; I think that'll help wake me up! I just want to be a tad more awake first, before I experience the shock of it. [taking morning showers didn't last long - it's much more reasonable to wash up at the end of the day and go to bed clean at least.]

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This morning I met some of the other people, incl. the Wrights' donkey herder, Losike Michael. He and Locharo Amos wrote their names out in the dirt for me, which was very helpful. Then Martha and the kids and I went for a hike up one of the hills. It was really beautiful; there's volcanic rock & vegetation - lots of wildflowers - all over the hillside, and you can see green Karamojong fields and land streching out all around, with mountains or more wooded hills in the distance. Rachel and Anna were picking flowers, so we stopped lots.

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Okay, enough for one post. Maybe if I'm still on this kick over the weekend, I'll write more then. If so, here's what's coming up: my first afternoon in the village, malaria, and Mbale.