It has been an interesting week or so since I have last written. Yesterday marked my 2 months here! I walked to work today along Entebbe road, and it was so perfectly Ugandan. I bought a mandazi from a local guy, shuffled around in the dirt with my flip flops, dodged bodas, and marveled at the endless stream of cars heading to Kampala. I really feel more comfortable here and less on edge. I have more confidence when I speak and when I walk around. I even got a new mattress from my landlord, so no more dip in the middle!
Last week, I had some highlights:
*New lunch place- only 2000 shillings and all of the millet I can eat (one of my favorite local foods!) Sure, it was simple, but it was awesome and I was definitely the only mzungu there in the crowded joint! Win!
*There are these really loud birds that fly overhead and make the craziest noise. No one else seems to care, but I literally laugh out loud when I hear them (and sometimes, unfortunately, in serious meetings) because the sound is so jarring and ridiculous.
*Banff film festival-This past Tuesday and the Tuesday before that, I went to Uganda's first Banff Film Festival. It made me want to climb all the mountains, run all the runs, and be super active. I didn't think I'd really like it, but it was really inspiring and I can't wait to see another. Hung out with some local mzungus, Gail and Shane. Shane goes to my gym and I see him most of the days of the week. He is a nurse from the Australian military and has many great stories and a much-appreciated, laid-back sense of humor.
*We had a really interesting mental health presentation on Thursday by Professor Seggane Musisi from Makerere University in Kampala. He focused on HIV-associated neurodegenerative disorders, which are afflictions directly caused by the virus itself. I never really thought of HIV directly affecting one's brain and causing some of some mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, and psychosis-I always thought of someone being anxious and depressed and perhaps more apt to have psychotic episodes as a result of the mental and emotional toll of having HIV/AIDS after one finds out one has it. He gave some really interesting statistics, particularly that 97% of HIV-infected children in Uganda are orphans, and really pushed for a more integrative solution for our patients. We do not currently have a psychiatrist here, but that may be in our future, especially after this compelling presentation.
*Reading-I have really been enjoying reading lately. Haven't done that for a while.
This past weekend, I had planned to go to Jinja to see Devin & Danielle & others and to go to an (Almost) Full Moon Party, but it didn't quite work out. We were warned by the US embassy about a possible terrorist attack in Kampala, which we later found out was perpetrated by Al-Shabaab (whose leader was killed in part by US & Ugandan efforts in the beginning of September). Needless to say, I didn't go anywhere near there after hearing that, so it was a pretty lowkey weekend at home. We stayed safe with GHC checking in on us and through the many updates through the US Embassy. All under control and all safe.
However, on a lighter note, I did make it out to Kisubi beach, which is away from Kampala in the direction of Entebbe airport, and enjoyed some reading in the sun. I saw a colony of teardrop shaped nests attached to a tree sticking out of Lake Victoria near the shore with vividly yellow, orange, and black birds fluttering around. Also, I saw some really unique storks I had never seen before. There are SO many birds in Uganda! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Uganda
Wednesday through Friday, I am heading to Kampala for JCRC's 6th Annual HIV update conference, which serves as a forum to share new and pertinent research for clinicians working in HIV care. Tonight is my first Luganda (local language) lesson as well because it's due time that I learn more 2 months in.
Future trips:
*Lake Mburo National Park
http://www.livinginkampala.com/tourism/tourism-in-uganda/lake-mburo-national-park/
Next week:
Lake of Stars, Malawi!
Fun pictures:
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| *Prehistoric (looking) birds seen in Kampala (Marabou Stork) |
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| I love this! It's called "Tears of Joy" |
I'm actually curious what you saw at the local Banff film festival. See anything good? Glad you're avoiding Terrorists -- but I wouldn't mind hearing some 'Die Hard' adventures. Oh, and when you get into Chicago, ironically, we have the Chicago International Film Festival. http://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing! I am interested in going for sure. They were shorter films from 5 minutes to an hour in length-the titles are not coming to me so quickly right now. There were a few that stuck out. One was about a pair of guys surviving on a beach way North through a winter and surfing. Another was about two women climbing rock faces that had never been climbed, especially by women. A lot about biking, too. Needless to say, it made me want to be really active and be outside often.
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