This will be the second trip to Uganda for 3 people in of our group of 7. As we make final preparations we have drawn on our past experiences to help us prepare for this trip. As we’ve talked about what clothes we needed for the last trip and what to pack this time, I’ve found myself reflecting on our last trip and what was most memorable.
I am looking forward to getting off the plane in Entebee and inhaling. Uganda has a unique smell that I can’t quite recall. I remember being reluctant to wash my clothes after returning home last time because I wanted to be able to save that sensory memory. As I recall, Uganda smells earthy. It is not an unpleasant odor but it’s hard to describe. It’s a mixture of red dirt, diesel fuel, outdoor butcher shops, lush vegetation, smoke, animals and people.
I am looking forward to having a great experience just as we did in 2005. But I also must be careful to not put too many expectations onto this trip and allow myself to experience Uganda anew. This trip will not be like the other and that’s good. I need to remember to stay present in the moments of this trip to fully appreciate it.
Hopefully the overall experience will be as great as our last trip. But I hope and pray that this trip has it’s own unique flavor. One way that this trip will be different is the fact that most of the time we will be in different locations than the 2005 trip. Our work project this year will be near Gulu, a city of about 150,000 people in northern Uganda. According to my resident expert husband, Steve, Gulu is about 200 miles north of Kampala.
We will fly into Entebee on Friday, March 2 then drive for about an hour to Kampala, the capital city of Uganda with over 1.5 million people. We will spend Saturday and part of Sunday in Kampala before we head north. Here in the states driving 200 miles would take a little over 3 hours, probably. I would not be surprised if it takes twice that long in Uganda. Their road systems are not as well developed and I expect that we will be driving on two lane roads most of the way. Frequently, the vehicles must slow down for the massive speed bumps that appear near schools and towns.
On our last trip, we also were stopped by armed guards who checked to make sure we were wearing our seat belts. We found that ironic considering the fact that we saw all kinds of crazy things like –
- 3 guys riding in the back of a truck with a load of pigs or
- trucks so overloaded with bananas or mattresses that straps were the only thing keeping the load in place or maybe it was that person riding on top of the load that kept it in place? or
- 4 to 6 people riding on one moped or
- 13 to 14 people riding in one mini van taxi, complete with fresh fish tied to the rear view mirrors.
But it’s the people and especially the children of Uganda that win your heart. We are so looking forward to meeting our sponsor children and house mothers. That could happen that first Saturday we are in Kampala but we will have to wait and see what our schedule permits. Once we land in Entebee and get our visas, we will we shepherded by the staff of Watoto and follow their schedule. It is kind of relaxing to be able to let them take control and just follow their direction.
In reality that’s what we’ve been doing for the last two years. We’ve been following God’s direction. He has been leading us to this point. It took longer than we thought it would, but we are here and ready to continue to follow his lead to do his work. We think we are going to Uganda to help build a classroom. I’m pretty sure God has more than that in mind.
Why don’t you share the crazy traffic sightings you’ve seen while traveling?
