Arriving in Entebbe, Uganda

17 hours and two stopovers later I arrived from Israel to Entebbe, Uganda. After a long night with little sleep, we touched down at 6.30 in the morning. It was beautiful and clear sky, I watched the sunrise from the plane and then watched in wonder as the sky lit up and revealed a lush green land below, covered in trees and foliage.

We disembarked and moved into the visa line at the airport. I was a little nervous because I had just come from Israel, where I had been extensively questioned, and I didn't know how strict or relaxed the Ugandan border security would be. Also, I had heard various reports of the Ugandan visa requiring several passport sized photos which I had forgotten all about. I had no photos at all! The best I could do was to hurriedly cut out the picture from my expired International Driver's License in the hopes that it would pass with a push. As it was, it was not a problem at all. They didn't even ask for a passport photo! I paid the US$50 for the 3 month tourist visa and passed through into the arrivals area. Straight away I saw a sign with my name.

I met my greeters, Jerry (the driver) and Dana (the school's accountant) as we walked to the car. All of a sudden, it began to pour down with rain, huge drops, which then turned into a torrential downpour. In seconds we were all soaked to the bone. We were only meters from the van but the rain was so bad it felt like we were fighting a war just to get inside! When we were safely inside, looking like drowned rats, they informed me that this rain would not last long, and was in fact a good omen for my stay!

In about ten minutes we had driven out of the rain completely and were met with warm sunshine and clear skies. On the way back I was able to chat to Dana and Jerry. Dana is the sister of Sam who I met in Switzerland, and of Christine, the principal of the school. Jerry is a Ugandan man who drives a van for the school. He said that he had two children but he doesn't get to see them because their mother ran off with the kids. He claimed that often Ugandan women do that to try and make the man chase after them. Then he turned to me and, looking at me dead in the eyes, said “But you are something special... if you bore my children and ran off, I would follow you anywhere”. Of course I was flattered by his unique way of asking me to have his children, however I politely refused and suggested that he focus on the children he already has.

We drove on to Kampala and stopped at the 'Big House' where I would be staying. We pulled up to a large gate with huge concrete walls and barbed wire running along the top. The gate opened and in front of me stood a massive house – a mansion, it felt like a palace! This was not what I had been expecting! They took me to my room on the top floor, where I have a huge king sized bed, an ensuite, an ornate dresser, tables, chair, a sofa and a set of drawers. The room is huge! They left me to change and put my things away.

A couple of hours later, Dana, Christine (the principal of the school), Lucinda (another teacher at the school) and Jerry came and collected me and we headed off right into the countryside, past many small towns and villages, into the jungle, where they had arranged to view some land to potentially develop into a hospital. The land was in an area which had been called the Luwero triangle – a place of fierce brutality and war in the early 1980's. The people who lived in the villages within the triangle (so named for it's geographical shape from above) were cut off from the rest of the world and many never saw their family members again. Many were killed and wounded. Now the area is at peace and the villages are bustling with activity. They are without power, but live in such abundance – large mango trees, cassava, bananas, paw paw, matoke, potatoes, pineapples, beans, onions, tomatoes and many other fruits and vegetables grow everywhere you look.

We met with the man who owned the land, and took a brief look around and then made the 2 and a half hour trip back to the Big House. By this time, I was beyond exhausted. I had had about 3 hours of sleep in the last 36 – 48 hours. I kept myself awake until we reached home, but as soon as we got home I just leapt out of the van, mumbled goodnight to everyone and ran upstairs to sleep. My eyes – which water when I am tired – were watering so much that I could hardly see the stairs as I climbed to my room.

I collapsed onto my bed, weary, but feeling wonderful and thrilled to be here in Uganda, the pearl of Africa!