Getting there is Half the Fun

Well, we're here!

We woke up at 5:30 a.m. in Utah on May 11th, and didn't go to bed until midnight May 12th in Uganda.

Salt Lake City>Chicago>Amsterdam>Rwanda>Uganda

-I know this blog is about Africa, but oh my word I am going to move to Holland. The airport in Amsterdam was enough to sell me for a lifetime. The bathroom stalls reached ALL the way to the ceiling and the floor! That is one of my dreams for the world is to have bathroom stalls like that! Also, tulips everywhere. And, stroopwafels.-

 Bathroom stalls

Also, endorsement for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Good food. Horrible flights, but that was due to the fact that they were not Lambson size seats. The food helped make it more bearable.

The first thing I noticed about Africa once I stepped off the plane was the smell. The closest thing I can compare it to is lettuce. Benji thought that was a weird description but I can't think of anything else. We had to declare that we didn't have Ebola and then they let us in. As we approached a group of people Benji said, "Do you smell that? It's African body odor." Definitely a different smell than ours, kind of spicy. I think it smells better than American B.O.

Ministry of health checkpoint

There was a crowd of people holding signs and waiting to pick up people from the flight. This beautiful African girl was holding a sign that said "Welcome Bethany and Benjamin." We waved at her and she jumped and ran around the rope and hugged us and promptly snatched my luggage out of my hands. Her name is Dorcas and she lives here with us.

She lead us to the car and we met our driver, Ebra (Abram?). Africans drive like you would expect them to drive. Lots of honking, swerving, yelling, disregard for lanes and pedestrians......we passed lots of burning piles of trash and it actually was a comforting smell because it smelled like my cabin in Idaho.

When we got to our home in Kampala (around 11 p.m.), the iron gate was locked. We honked and yelled and pounded, but no one came to let us in. So....Ebra climbed over the gate and helped us get in. We were so, so tired and barely stayed awake to eat the hot chocolate and bread and butter that Dorcas had made us before we fell asleep beneath our mosquito net.

Like I said, we didn't wake up until 3 p.m. There were several women in the office, busily sewing the menstrual kits. They teased Benji about how tall he is. Dorcas took us out to walk to the supermarket. Something about me being a disoriented white girl walking on the main road made her walk directly in front of me and Benji walk directly behind. We passed lots of beautiful little African children, who always grinned and waved and said "Muzungu!" which means 'white man'. I seriously want to bring them all home with me. I think whenever I feel afraid, I will think of the Ugandan children. They make me feel safe and welcome.

Later, we walked to the street market. Picture everything you've ever seen in the Amazing Race or Aladdin. Just mass amounts of people, all squished together, with food piled in pyramids around them. Dorcas told me that the people around us thought we were the stars of a local soap opera, and kept shouting their names at us.

So basically, we are here and we are safe. It is very hot and sweaty. I will take more pictures later. Hopefully we wake up at a normal time tomorrow and start getting some work done. :)

As the locals say: Waylaba (bye!)