Nsibuka Okubalaba Maama ne Taata

                Translation: Welcome to my life, Mom and Dad!  For nearly three weeks, my parents stayed with me in my house in Kampala.  During this time, I was able to show them what my life is like here and we were able to travel around the country and do and see some amazing things.  Despite traveling across the world, they came well prepared – not only dressed in green for St. Patrick’s Day, but also toting a freshly baked lemon cake for my birthday, which was the next day. 

Little did they know that the cake my mom baked was the moistest cake I have had since my arrival and was greatly appreciated

                While in Kampala, they were able to meet several of my friends, see where I work, meet my co-workers, and sit in jam while accompanying me on my everyday errands (which often end up taking about 3x or longer to accomplish than you expect and helped them understand why I appreciate the help I get from my housekeeper, gardener, and drivers). 

Dinner at the Lawns with Darlisha, Britta, and Kara

A few of my co-workers - Miriam, Prossy, and Samuel

They couldn't believe that I still sometimes washed dishes despite having a housekeeper

A show at the Ndere Cultural Centre which showcased the traditional dances of the different Ugandan tribes

A Revolving Door

                Although there are innumerable things about my life in Kampala that make it very different than my life in Colorado, one of the hardest things is the transitory nature of the expat population.  It seems that every two or three months the people I have come to know and who I have begun considering to be my good friends return to their respective countries or continue traveling the world.  My house is especially notorious for this.  Since October, I have had at least 15 different roommates – some good, some bad – but due to logistics, it seems I often end up spending a lot of my free time with these people.  Anyways, here are just a few of the people who have come in and out of my life in the past 6 months.

Ann Vogt

Glen Drobot

The Come Let's Dance Crew - Tiff, Josh, Jonah, Tiff, Ian, Connor, and Morgan

Tihana and Lara

Nate Bahr

Melanie Lo and our Ugandan boss

Kara Lombardi

At least Britta sticks around!

Ward 4A

                Is rounding at the national Ugandan hospital supposed to make you a germophobe?  Well, after rounding on Ward 4A, the Infectious Disease Ward, I definitely wanted to crawl into a bubble to avoid all of the disease and sickness that surrounded me.  On the ward, there are tons of sick people everywhere – lying in a bed, walking around, and sitting/lying on the ground.  As compared to the University Hospital in Colorado which has all private rooms, the idea of private rooms is a completely foreign concept at Mulago.  Instead, there are three partitioned spaces that hold 12-20 patients in each.  The beds are about 3 feet from each other – usually just enough space for their family members to lay out the bed mats they will sleep on as their loved ones hope to be treated.  Even the tuberculosis patients, who would be under airborne isolation in the US, are amongst the other patients with only an open window nearby that the doctors hope will prevent further transmission of TB. 

                Although the entire space is rather disgusting, it was the walls that bothered me the most.  You can see that beneath the peeling yellow paint, suspicious yellow, brown, and green spots cover the walls.  The smell of sickness, body odor, and urine that permeates the ward is only tolerable for so long and the idea that the procedure room is where the dead bodies are also kept, is sickening.  And then you see the patients.  Before when I had gone to the ward, I wasn’t too rattled by the end.  This time, I was bothered a bit more.  I don’t know exactly what changed.  Maybe because my roommate and I had just discussed how many of the patients on this ward die, I saw these patients in a new light and had a better understanding of the gravity of their illnesses.  Maybe it was because we began by visiting a man who was so sick he couldn’t maintain consciousness for more than 10-20 seconds at a time.  Maybe it was the dying patients who stared into my eyes as they were discussing their status.  Regardless, although I really did have much work to do, I happily (and quickly) escaped the disease-ridden hospital to return to the semi-sterile environment of the lab.  I work in the lab with these patient samples all the time; however, it is often easy to lose sight of where they are actually coming from.  Rounding reminds me of the importance of the work we are doing here – and might make me feel a little germophobic.

Random

Asking someone how they are doing is so ingrained that even if you say “hello” to someone on the road, their reply is, “I’m fine.”

People turn off their cars when driving downhill to conserve gas. 

We have a golden bell to ring instead of an automated fire alarm system.

"Africa either makes you better or bitter.”  - Shaunessy

Every room in my house is labeled.

There is a housekeeper and a groundskeeper who come 5 days a week.

We have a full-time guard who makes about $2 for a 12-hour shift.

We have a separate bathroom outside for our house staff – I don’t know what I think about this.

Every day, a new and beautiful hibiscus is blooming next to my papaya tree.

There are over 20,000 mzungus living in Kampala.

Alcoholism is a major problem among expats.

There are three (I think) traffic lights in the entire city even though the population of Kampala is approaching 1.5 million people.

At the end of every day, my Ugandan co-worker tells me “well done.”  It’s small, but somehow it makes everything a little better regardless of if the day went smoothly or was a total nightmare.

Of 18 participants enrolled in one of the studies I am working on, 10 have already died.

Instead of peanuts, they have g nuts.

I came expecting the Ugandans to be the ones who would be unorganized; however, it is my American employers’ disorganization that tests my patience every day.

I’ve learned more about office politics in the past few months than I would have liked.

I never knew the meaning of dusty until I moved here.

I have always been told that if you pee in the middle of the road you will get a sty in your eye.  I’m surprised every Ugandan man doesn’t have a permanent sty.

The World is My Playground

                Although I am now grown up (relatively speaking, of course), the thrill I felt  as I was tracking the mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest reminded me of my childhood when I spent  the majority of my time curiously exploring the world around me.  As I was slashing my way through the dense growth of the jungle, I was reminded of how awesome, diverse, and surprising the world really is.  Although we had to drive nearly 12 hours (which meant stopping by the equator, randomly encountering a herd of zebras, and passing through a region that is known to be the home of tree-climbing lions – which unfortunately were hiding) Kara and I finally arrived in Bwindi National Park.  Upon our arrival, we had a quick dinner and got ready for bed so we would be fully rested to track the endangered mountain gorillas of Uganda.

We were planning to enter Lake Mburo National Park to see the zebras; however, the zebras were waiting for us outside the park entrance along the highway.

Ishasha - Home of the tree-climbing lions.  After several hours of driving around looking for lions in fig trees, I began to wonder if tree-climbing lions was just another term for snipes.

Our lodging in Bwindi



We stayed in the "Gorilla" banda - how appropriate



                After eating breakfast and being briefed of what to expect upon encountering the gorillas, we were ready to begin our game of hide and seek with the gorillas.  When I saw that the majority of the other trackers were middle-aged Westerners, I assumed that I would have no problem with the ensuing hike.  I was dead wrong.  We immediately began hiking straight up the mountain, testing my endurance and fitness.  No other hike I have been on has been steeper - unless you count my rock climbing sessions.  Also, I have never been responsible for cutting through the dense plants to make my way up the mountain.  The combination of these factors made for the most adventurous hike of my life.  Needless to say, I loved it.  After hiking for nearly four hours, we arrived at a relatively flat space, left our bags, and were led to the gorillas.

Mzungu, Bye!  Have a nice hike!

Before we began our ascent up the mountain

These bananas will be used to make waragi, a type of Ugandan gin

Beginning our hike on a well-maintained trail.  Still thinking it would be pretty easy.



Where did the path go?

BABY GORILLA!  I think this one was my favorite.

The silverback - he was huge!  Definitely wouldn't want to make him mad...

Wrestling

These ones kind of look like midget stuffed animals wrestling

The little guy is swinging from the vines

This is how far you are supposed to stay from the gorillas

This is how far we actually were from the gorillas

Although gorilla tracking is by far the most expensive excursion in Uganda (costing $500 for a day permit); for the girl whose pharmacy school personal statement compared her life to the Denver Gorilla Run - which involves dressing as a gorilla and running a 10k in order to raise money for the mountain gorillas in Uganda - I think the cost was justified.

Courtesy of Kara Lombardi - nice shot!



Receiving our Gorilla Tracking Certificates from our guide



            In order to maintain a semi-normal life for the habituated gorillas, tourists are only allotted one hour each day with the gorillas.  At the end of the hour, Kara and I were both sad to say goodbye to the gorillas; however, our adventure was not quite over.  As we were driving back to Kampala the next day, we again tried our luck at finding the tree-climbing lions.  This time we were a little more successful.  John, our driver, finally spotted a lion nearly 200 yards away.  Because there is about a $50 fine for driving off the track, we first listened for approaching cars.  Having heard none, we quickly made our way across the tall grass until we were 15 yards from the lion.

Notice the lion in the tree - John probably shouldn't have been out of the car at this point...

Isn't she beautiful?

Booking it back to the track before we were fined

Colobus monkeys just outside of Queen Elizabeth National Park

Perfect spot to view the herd of elephants - surprisingly, they are one of the most dangerous animals you can encounter while on safari

The herd of elephants we passed on the highway on our way home



And you're Going to Be a Doctor?!?

                What do you do when you receive a message that one of your classmates is sick and lost in Uganda without any place to stay?  Invite them to stay with you to make sure they are ok, of course.  Good idea until you find out that their mental stability is beyond questionable. 

About ten o’clock one night, a medical student shows up at my house upon the recommendation of my boss (who also happens to be this guy’s hero – kind of weird…).  The student, who has spent quite a bit of time in Gulu (northern Uganda) rolls up on a boda clearly disheveled and most likely strung out on who knows what.  Not only did he lose his bag and meds on the way to our house, he also lost the shirt off his own back.  Seriously, how do you lose the shirt you are wearing when riding a motorcycle?  I don’t mean to be condescending or judgmental, but, he’s in med school?!?  You would also think that when asking a medical student about their medical conditions (that are severe enough to consider being air evacuated home to the US), they would not be fixated on how they had gained weight during the past couple of months but instead would relay the most pertinent information.  Information like the raging infection in your toe that is probably the cause of your swollen leg or how you have been coughing up “stuff,” the past couple of days that may or may not be associated the GERD you have been experiencing.  All of this may be related to the steroids he has most likely been taking, the eight red bulls he has been drinking daily, or the cuts and scars all over his upper body.  Needless to say, it would’ve been a little uncomfortable for my roommate and me to handle him ourselves.  Luckily for us, a 2^nd year medical resident who is conducting cryptococcal meningitis research throughout the next month showed up the same night.  Also, I had been hanging out with Shaunessy, my neighbor from Colorado, just before this guy arrived.  Not only was it great to see her, but she is a pro at handling crazy medical situations in foreign countries since she has spent quite a bit of time working as a nurse in Uganda, Sudan, and Thailand.   Shau and the medical resident helped provide this guy with a little better medical advice than would have been provided otherwise, not to mention a little reassurance to my roommate and me.

Although he probably should have gone home Sunday night when he arrived at our house, somehow he has extended his own invitation and will be staying with us until Friday…

One of the treasures I have found since he has been staying with us.  "Dear Earthlings..."?