Three Weeks On

Typical Kampala, boda bodas and KFC and the McJJs about to head out on the town

A truly international school and soccer practice

We have been in Kampala for 3 weeks today. It feels like we have been here SO much longer as the days are filled with so many new sights, sounds, smells, feelings, and “ah ha moments” (Dr. Kathleen Roe 😊). At the same time, it is amazing how so many of our habits, patterns, and routines have been carried 7,596 miles with us from Grand Rapids to Kampala. I suppose there was some conscious effort of recreating routines to ease Zalina’s adjustment not only to a new and vastly different culture and setting, but also to a brand-new school and sub-culture within that setting. We buy and cook familiar meals with slight variations. The tuna and caper salad normally eaten with tortilla chips is now eaten with Pringles. The weekly pasta meal doesn’t include freshly shredded parmesan cheese and Texas Toast. Those items (except for Texas Toast) are certainly available in Kampala, but not widely and not something we are willing to battle the traffic for on a weekly basis. We sit down as a family to stream a tv show together albeit with internet and power outages endemic to life in Uganda. We bicker about chores and screen time with empathy for the vast amount of energy being expended to adapt and adjust in this new environment. 

Zalina relaxing and dinner at the Patio

All in all, we are doing well. We moved from the AIRBNB to what we hope will be a longer-term apartment. It is a bit more “ex patriot” oriented than we were originally hoping for, but we couldn’t pass up the amenities of a splendid view, pool, and small gym to get some time in on the treadmill. A few brave Ugandans are out jogging and walking on the streets, but the general lack of sidewalks combined with the chaos of traffic present even in very short walks to local fruit and veg vendors or restaurants led us accept the reality that the treadmill and small track at our apartment building will be the safest bet for physical activity. 

Zalina enjoying the view from the new place

                                                                

We were warned by nearly everyone about the traffic and have confirmed people were not exaggerating. A fairly short commute of about 5K from Zalina's school to my office might take 20 minutes or 90. Traffic includes an incredible number of vehicles on the road, a proliferation of "boda bodas" (motorcycle taxis), and no particular lanes or patterns of driving that are discernible to my outsider eyes. They exist- Noah is better at seeing them and considering. For me, it feels mostly like a free for all with bodas often driving on shoulders or the wrong way down the street to skirt the traffic and get their passengers to their destination as fast as possible.

 

Normal Kampala traffic

Zalina is impressing us as she quickly adapts with general enthusiasm and a thoughtful sense of curiosity about what she is observing here. She has her moments, of course- as we all do. She is navigating her first official year of middle school, which is no small feat with 15 classes and a different schedule every day. I am thrilled that both French and Swahili are required while this is currently one of Z's top complaints. Her weekly schedule includes vigorous swimming as part of physical education every Tuesday morning despite it being the “cold” and rainy season here with mornings at a fairly brisk 60-65. She joined the school football (soccer) team and seems to be enjoying the experience as a whole that includes several of her new friends, pretty intensive training each week with at least one game, and to her relief- the norm of NO parents attending the games.

 Zalina's 2nd first day at Acorns International School

Zalina's new uniform and soccer practice   

The past two weeks have allowed me to get introduced to the setting and some colleagues at the Makerere School of Public Health and a promising meeting with Jesuit Refugee Services to commence a partnership for my research here. There is an ebola outbreak that is certainly concerning and something we are watching personally, but also intriguing from a professional standpoint as Uganda grapples with the challenge of community engagement and mobilization in the face of high levels of mistrust and skepticism present over time with the socio-political situation, but made worse by the approaches to Covid-19 management over the past 2 years.  I will be starting a public health oriented blog to chronicle more of my professional life, so stay tuned for that! 

Shannon at Makerere and her new office

Noah and I visited the U.S. Embassy this week to engage with other Fulbrights and get a security briefing. This was both reassuring as we were offered great advice on how to stay safe and healthy in Uganda and also sobering as we observed the marine station that is staffed 24/7 to protect not only the U.S. mission in Uganda, but also to offer extra support to Americans who might need it. Noah connected with embassy staff eager for him to put some of the skill set from prior work in recruitment and admissions with IU McKinney law school to use with some of the education the embassy does related to studying abroad. 

Zalina has her first school holiday coming up in a week and a half, so we are looking forward to planning a trip to enjoy some of the amazing scenery and wildlife in Uganda. We will keep you posted!