We Have Arrived

Well, Ann and I have finally gotten (somewhat) settled in Kampala. After a brutal day of travel involving canceled flights, hours spent in the Mpls and Amsterdam airports, long waits in the immigration line and one lost bag (Ann's) we finally were on our way from Entebbe airport to Kampala. It was around 10:30pm local time, so it was difficult to see much beside the Friday night life along the road. Those of you who have trouble with Minneapolis or Chicago traffic have no idea. Try driving down a dimly lit "highway" sharing the road with bikes, motorbikes and pedestrians walking along the side. Luckily the speed limit was fairly slow...I can't imagine if the speed limit were the equivalent of 55mph. We were probably about 1-2 feet from killing some guy who thought it a good idea to stroll across the highway at a nice leisurely pace...if our driver hadn't seen him at the last second and swerved out of the way it would have been a much more interesting introduction to Africa (for me...this is second nature for Ann).

Once we got to the city, we had a ways to go to reach our apartment. Ann was able to point out some things to me along the way. It was quite a relief to get to our apartment. We got all of our bags inside and fell asleep immediately. Our apartment is relatively nice. I don't have much to compare it to, but I can't complain considering we're in Africa. I've killed two cockroaches, apparently they enjoy my room the most. We have running water, a small water heater for showers, a portable gas range, and a small fridge. It's a three bedroom apartment, two of which are taken by Ann and I. The third is a medical student from Penn who is here for 2 months. Sleeping under mosquito nets is a new experience for me and I have to say it's pretty annoying. No air conditioning, but at least we have a fan...could be worse.

So far we've done a lot of walking around the city, visiting the supermarket, eating at some restaurants, checking out the ex-pat bar scene and going to the "mall". The scenery is beautiful from afar, but up close can be a different story depending on where you're at. I can say it's unlike anywhere I've ever been. We're in a somewhat poorer part of town, but it's pretty safe. We take the same precautions as we would in Minneapolis. I've yet to see much wildlife, but we do have neighbors with chickens in their yard complete with a rooster that makes sure we're up every morning.

Tomorrow we start work at Mulago Hospital and the Infectious Disease Institute. Probably will involve meeting lots of people, getting computer access, and getting used to everything. Not sure what to expect, but it will be interesting.

We'll try to post as much as possible, at least once a week. I'll get some pictures posted, hopefully in the next few days. Internet access is somewhat limited, but we're working on getting our own at the apartment. I hope everyone is doing well...I'm finally starting to realize how long 8 months is. I already miss Hunter...and I suppose everyone else too.