Friday, May 16, 2008

I have arrived in Uganda!

Just wanted to let you all know that I have arrived safely in Uganda! However, the flight over here was INSANE. From Gainesville to Atlanta, I was sitting right next to the toilets (fun..right?) Well it gets worse! When I arrived in Amsterdam from Atlanta, the plane just pulled to a stop and I did the unimaginable...my upset stomach from the gross airplane food made a statement. Yes, I threw up all over myself AND the poor guy sitting next to me. It was probably one of the most disgusting things EVER. Anyways, the airplane people helped me out and made a "fashionable" skirt out of the standard blankets they have on board. I had a 3 hour wait until the plane to Kampala, so I searched like crazy for an affordable skirt in the Amsterdam airport. Let me tell you right now that it is useless to look. The cheapest pants/skirts/shorts that I could find were $200 bucks...so I sucked it up and kept wearing my gross pants with the ridiculous skirt until I arrived in Uganda.

But...I got to Uganda at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14th and I was picked up and taken to Entebbe Backpackers Hostel. Shalom, who is 21, and the son of the owner of the hostel was a really great guy to meet on my first day in Uganda! He tried to point out a bit in the dark, but I was more concerned with getting some sleep! I took a shower (yes, they even had hot water with a water heater) and fell asleep for the first time under a mosquito net (how neat!!!).

At the hostel, I met some really cool other backpackers. I hit it off with two women from Norway. One had spent the last 10 months in the Congo working at a Chimpanzee sanctuary and the other had spent 4 months in the Congo too. They were really neat and were great to talk to while I waited for Paul (the program coordinator of The Real Uganda) to pick me up.

Paul picked me up around 10:00 a.m. and we headed straight for Kampala to change some money and to get some lunch. It is about 1680 Ugandan shillings=$1 US dollar. I don't know if that helps. Anyways, Paul thought it would be fun to take me to an "American" place to eat so we went to this place if you can believe it called "NYC Pizza"....it didn't really taste like pizza but it was a good try. :)

After that, Paul dropped me off in Bulenga (the village where I am at) and left me at KACCAD. There are two volunteers here from Canada (Karoline and Stuart) and they have been here for two weeks but are sadly leaving in 2 weeks. They have been showing me the ropes around here! We went into Kampala (which is CRAZY, you just have to experience the insane amount of people packed in to one busy city).

Yikes, I have to go because the internet is going crazy (which makes sense as I am in a village in Africa) but I will finish this story hopefully tomorrow!

Peace and Love,

Beth :)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, Beth, that's a crazy start to your adventure! :) I hope your stomach stays happy from now on! Good luck with getting started with KACCAD! <3

Christine said...

Wow! You must have been lovely sight getting off the plane! And you really didn't have to travel 2/3rds of the way around the world to get NYC Pizza!But the thought was sweet. It was nice that there were other volunteers to show you around. Thanks for the news.

AmyLeigh said...

Beth!!! So good to hear you made it there safely...just a few bumps in the road, but sounds like you weren't too terribly traumatized...that skirt sounds SO hott! :)

I cannot wait to hear about your experiences along the way! Much love <3

Anonymous said...

HI!! So, I'm sorry in advance for the text messages- but on the positive side for you, mum says i have to stop because they are expensive. :( I'm glad you've reached Uganda safely and hope to hear from you often!!! I love you and can't wait to hear about your next adventure soon!!!
love, always,
Sarah

bbangstad said...

Hi Beth,
I'm glad to here you made it safely-international flights are the worst! I know you will have a blast!
Love,
Laurel