So last week I journeyed to Masaka, Uganda to visit some Douglas College friends who are staying there doing practicums. Really I just thought a few days away would be good for me; I could hang out with the girls, relax, lounge by the pool (yes..they have a pool at their accommodation =O), and potentially visit some practicum sites. I was looking forward to a short rest.
The journey is always an interesting one when you take public transit. Which was the only way I would have done it. Masaka is about 3 hours away from Carli and Robert's and to hire a driver costs about $80 US each way..which is expensive for one person. Public transit cost me about $7-$8 each way. This includes 2 taxi rides and 2 boda rides each way. The taxis are these 15 passenger vans (shown in the pic below) which I like to refer to as rattling death traps. They are just these metal boxes with rows of seats that they sometimes shove up to 20 passengers into and they travel at such high speeds that you feel like the vehicle will either collapse into pieces or spontaneously combust into flames. The taxi park is crazy..it's essentially a football field of taxis and every conductor you pass is grabbing you asking you where you are going and trying to get you on their vehicle. It's super overwhelming..especially when you are literally the only white person among hundreds of people - you become quite the spectacle. However, with all of this said, this is one of the most common forms of transportation in Uganda (aside from bodas) and I haven't had any problems with them so far. It isn't the most comfortable option but its super affordable and it works.
This is an image I found on google of the Kampala taxi park so you can try to visualize the insanity of it.. Also it isn't possible to have your camera out to take any pictures unless you want it stolen lol.
My days in Masaka were great. I got my relaxation/fun time in, I got to go into town and I got to see Masaka Referral Hospital and Kitovu Hospital. I hadn't spent much time in Masaka prior to this trip so it was nice. The referral hospital is their main government hospital and Kitovu is one of the private hospitals. Both hospitals are pretty basic but since Kitovu is a private hospital it seemed to have a bit more of the extras but still extremely basic compared to anything you would see in the Western world. The reason I visited Kitovu is because I really wanted to donate blood because I know I won't be able to donate in Canada for at least a year after traveling in a developing country. Also I find Canada is so ridiculously particular about the blood they take that the process is a hassle (and of course, rightfully so - it is a serious thing). But in Uganda the major concern is just that you are a healthy person free of diseases and that you have enough blood to give. So I went with one of the girls on her practicum day and gave blood. The blood bank was very very basic. Just one guy working there, one chair to sit in, and the office seemed to be shared with the photocopying area where a couple of men were watching some Ugandan station on a small tube TV. Some of the girls had told me that I was brave to be giving blood there but to be honest, the whole process was completely sanitary and the tech knew what he was doing and that's all I really care about. For me, giving blood is something that was always a fear of mine and I could hardly even get through a blood test without feeling like I was going to faint. So I keep pushing myself to conquer that fear, and what better way than by giving blood in Uganda?
The whole weekend really got me reflecting about life and taking risks and chances and trying things differently. I don't want to live a life that is always comfortable. Some people thrive on comfort and security but that is just not me. I have come to realize that the more I push myself to take risks and face my fears and to say 'I can' instead of 'I can't', the more interesting and exciting and worthwhile life gets. This seems like common sense but it really isn't. I am not judging people who don't live with this philosophy, but I am starting to learn that if that's the way I feel I want to live I should go for it and not worry that others don't agree with me. While also not expecting everyone to feel the way I do or to understand the choices I make. It's important to live life on my own terms (to an extent of course) because it's MY life and if I keep waiting to be validated by other people I will never be content.
So after the trip I got back to my home in Uganda and I was super happy to be back in the village. I actually find it comforting here. I'm starting to learn the names of a lot of the kids and to recognize faces and places and it has that small town vibe where everybody knows everybody and I like that. I got back and hit the ground running again, with one of our library programs starting about an hour after I got home, haha. So as usual there was little time for rest and you are just thrown back into the work. But I wouldn't have it any other way. It seems that at the end of each week I am retiring to bed at around 9pm and Carli and I say to each other, 'it's been a long week', but honestly, EVERY week has been a long week. As I am now a little over halfway through my time in Uganda I am realizing I need to take advantage of every opportunity I can before it's over.
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