Monday, June 11, 2007

Into Africa

Monique and I hustled to London Heathrow Airport, returned the rental car and collapsed at check-in about 1 hour before our flight to Uganda was scheduled to leave. Due to a luggage conveyor belt being broken (they had PILES of luggage to be taken), a passenger without the proper documentation and the removal of their luggage from the plane, our flight was delayed. Hurry up and wait. Just an aside - in the States, there is NO WAY a broken conveyor belt would be allowed to remain broken for over a day. Americans wouldn't stand for it. Another cultural difference.

After almost 24 hours (time zone changes included) of travel from London to Dubai through Addis Ababa onto Entebbe, we arrived at the infamous airport. This is what we looked like:
Hey - travel ain't easy and it doesn't always look pretty, although our first vista of Uganda certainly was. Would you agree?
We were met by a bus full of Amahoro Africa conference-goers who had graciously waited for our late arrival. On the ride to our hotel, in my jet-lagged haze, I attempted to absorb all that was going on around me. What I saw was a great introduction to what I continued to encounter throughout my travels in Africa.The contrast of blue sky, greenery and red dirt captures the core of Ugandan landscape. In the background is Lake Victoria.The mainstay of Uganda is a dish called matoke. It comes from the bananas found in abundance on these trees.This type of open market is seen in almost every town we passed in Uganda. And, most importantly, . . .. . . the streets full of Ugandan people who are in constant motion and in abundance at all times of the day and night. The amount of outdoor activity is astonishing.
The other introduction I had within the first hour of arrival was what I have now labeled TIA (This Is Africa) moments. You may remember this acronym from Leonardo di Caprio in "Blood Diamond", but he didn't originate it - the Africans did. I will include these moments periodically in my blogs. To define their meaning, I will use examples.
"Trust in God Electronics" - Does this mean you must trust God because your faith will ensure these electronics will work? TIA."Hertz Lease a Car" - Is that the type of rental car available in Uganda? TIA.

"Animal Transport" - Would this be considered "driving cattle" in Uganda? TIA.

The final TIA moment of the day came when experiencing African time. How long were we told the bus ride to the hotel would take? 45 minutes. How long was the actual bus ride? An hour and a half. TIA.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

My cousin Jen was in Uganda on a mission trip. It sounds amazing especially the conference. So glad you could experience it and we could a little through you:-)