Just a Boy's Blog: Alex In Africa

What seems like an eternity later we finally landed in Africa. We were greeted in the airport with hand sanitizer and face masks....after filling out a few forms we were corralled like cattle from one check point to the next; application turn in, temperature check, fingerprint scanning, payment. The airport was a fraction of most American airports with what also seemed like a fraction of security. Instead of having fans or an A/C, they left all the exterior doors open, even the ones that directly lead to planes. I'm not sure what would happen if someone walked out the doors, and I'm not sure I want to find out. After having all of our luggage checked, we started to exit the airport at which time we were met by the biggest smiling face I've ever seen; Sister Rosemary.

She greeted each of us personally and thanked us so much for coming and then we all continued outside of the airport. We made it to the car where Geoffrey was waiting. We loaded up all of the luggage and started our journey to what we would call home for the night. Sister Rosemary stopped prior to picking us up and purchased small triangular pies that were filled with beef, cabbage, and onion. After all the airport food I had consumed, it was delicious. As we were driving with the windows open you could hear so many noises foreign to my American ears. Critters, animals, frogs, all of which were singing an unfamiliar song. As we traveled down the road, I couldn't help but notice two things; the drivers are fucking insane and there are no road signs or street lights. I was so overwhelmed by the sights and smells and was just taking it all in. The town surprised me with all of their flashing lights and bars, a nightlife that I honestly didn't expect would be every few feet. I was amused to hear a familiar song playing at a dance club, although Sister Rosemary did not seem to appreciate the ruckus. Coming from a small town in Oklahoma, when someone flashes their lights at you, or head lamps as Sister Rosemary would call them, it means that either you are doing something wrong or their could be trouble ahead. To my surprise, every car flashed their lights at us. After a few minutes, curiosity and fear got the better half of me and I asked what the signal meant. "It is a rule of Ugandan travel. Everyone flashes their headlamps to show the oncoming vehicle where they are on the road" Sister Rosemary explained. *internal sigh of relief* She told Geoffrey that we needed drinks, so we pulled into a gas station and she invited us in. This gas station was truly a one stop shop, food, drinks, alcohol, just like America. I decided to go with one of sister Rosemary's favorite, "Stoney." It's the equivalent of American ginger ale, something the airplane frequently ran out of. As we drove through the city, it vaguely reminded me of the hunger games. You know, that part where Katniss buys, sells, and trades stuff through a black market? Imagine that, but for miles. Many booths and many people, all bartering and selling their goods. We were told that we were going to be staying the night at a convent in Kampala which sat right behind the American embassy and was heavily secured. I was about to be living my own version of a crossover between the Lion King and The Sound of Music.

Upon arriving at the convent, it was surrounded by large walls with razor blades and electric fencing at the top. There was only one way in, which was through a locked gate that was guarded by a man with a rifle. Luckily for us, he had fallen asleep on the job so it took a few minutes to enter. By the time we entered shortly after midnight, everyone was so sleepy we immediately went to our rooms and crawled underneath our mosquito net and sheets and went to sleep.

I awoke to yet again another set of unfamiliar noises, which was around 5:30am. There were people yelling outside and there were so many animal noises. I was uncertain what the yelling was about, but my heart was content with whatever was happening. I later discovered that the yelling was just people playing in a field beside the convent. I laid in bed with so much energy, ready to see what this adventure would bring. I heard something that would bring such a peace and serenity to me; the sound of the local nuns singing. It was such a wonderful, peaceful, relaxing sound, but it also meant that it was time to wake up and see what the journey of today would be. I went out onto the balcony to see the sights and hear the beautiful music, at which time the smell of sweet African rain came and it began to come down. We were invited by the sisters to join them for breakfast, where they served their usual coffee and tea with peanut butter and jam for bread, but because we were guests to the convent they prepared us omelettes. I didn't know much about the Itinerary for the day, but I did know it included a 6 hour drive to our next home.