dimanche 28 juillet 2013

Lights Out.

The power goes out a lot here.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.  You can't really guess when it might go out or stay on.  This morning it was on when I got in the shower, and off when I got out.  Then an hour later, it was back.  Sometimes when out to dinner the power will go off and suddenly the meal is shrouded in darkness.  Sometimes when out at the club (literally the only club) the power goes off and a packed dance floor becomes lit only by the meager and erratic glow from cell phones.  Most public spaces have generators that will eventually kick on, but the erratic darkness adds an air of adventure to every day activities like eating and cooking.  Below is a picture when we were cooking in the dark last night.


Then the power came back on so we ventured into Hoima Town to get a drink with some friends and colleagues.  Even when the power was on, we were sitting outside in front of a bar called Natty and the light that was generated from within the bar was all that lit the patio.  There are also no street lights, so the shops that remain open late also throw their blue glow into the public spaces.  There was hardly enough light at the table to distinguish the faces of the people we were sitting with, so it was sort of like a weird dating game.  You can't see my face until you agree t be my friend!  The next picture is from inside Natty's.



the light doesn't do much to brighten things up, but the color is straight from a noir detective story, and who doesn't like a bit of ambience?  Especially when you have no choice in the matter.  Certainly the oddest thing to me is that there are no street lights.  Occasionally you pass through weak pools of watery light that ward off the surrounding darkness.  The approach of a boda throws some light on the road until it whirs past in a cloud of dust and exhaust, and then the light is gone.  It makes everything sort of magical, mysterious and chaotic all at once.  It's always a good recipe for an interesting night out.  I will close with a picture of Hoima town at night.  More later...







 

dimanche 21 juillet 2013

Street Food, and Hoima by Night

Hoima streets at night

At Hoima's Club TNT
Grilled chicken
All the makings for Roll-eggs



A street in Hoima Town at night

samedi 20 juillet 2013

Uganda Be kidding Me

I have been in Uganda for a week now and I think I am just starting to realize I am here. It has been a fantastic week, and I am excited to see and do more.  The weather is generally perfect, and my living situation is absolutely comfortable.

On the surface, Uganda looks very similar to Rwanda. It is green, it is tropical, it is striking in its functional calamity. However, there are some subtle differences as well.

The roads and infrastructure in Uganda are in worse disrepair. The blackouts are fairly consistent, and given that Uganda is so much larger, it feels more sparsely populated.

Kampala of course is an exception to that. Kampala is chaotic and lively, a vibrant shock of people and cars and matatus (collective taxis) and boda bodas (motorcycle taxis). It's hard to tell sometimes if people are parking or driving, because both situations involve tons of traffic and people mixed together in the roads, and really neither move quickly.

Kigali in Rwanda, on the other hand, is clean, quiet, orderly and almost eerie in its pristine state. It's cleaner and quieter than many large cities in the US. As such it is harder to get a sense of the character there, whereas my initial observations indicate that Kampala sort of shoves it in your face.

Many of the foods are similar between the two countries, though Ugandan food seems less flavorful. There are lots of carbs (rice, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, yams, casava, ad nauseum...) and then generally some sauce or stew. Here in hoima there is a lot of fish, given our proximity to Lake Albert. Also they make a sauce out of peanuts that is savory and then they stew meat (goat or beef) in it. It is pretty good. It is rich, and not sweet-peanuty like Thai peanut sauce. Both Rwanda and Uganda feature the buffet, which consists of about 97 types of carbs, various types of the aforementioned stewed meats, beans, and then you just pile your plate high for about $3.

There the similarities begin to diverge, and I am less able to comment. I will hopefully have some more insight in coming posts.

So far Village Enterprise (click on the hyperlinked name for the website) has been incredible. The work that we are doing in Hoima is so cool. I have been sitting in on induction trainings for our business mentors and it is amazing the training, interviewing and high levels of performance required just to be hired. On the one hand it puts a lot of pressure on candidates, on the other hand it demonstrates that we choose smart, capable people and respect their abilities enough to push them to perform. It is a unique way to demonstrate the culture of the organization and indicates the level of commitment that will be necessary for success. It's very cool.

I have more to say, but instead I'll add a few photos and save the rest for another post.

Cheers!