The Sound and the Fury

Home at last???

2008-09-30T12:20:00.004-04:00

Of course the first thing I had to do when I got back to Cleveland is visit my home away from home, Edgewater Yacht Club. I was incredibly nervous at first, I feel like I have been gone for years living on a different planet, but that was nothing some Crown Royal couldn't fix. The Sea Dog race is next Saturday, and the final gun is on Sunday. Then that is it for racing this year. :-/

I had really just wanted to share some photos of the sailors trying some of the African booze I brought back-- some Ugandan rum, South African gin, and South African cane spirit (whatever the hell that means). Call it whatever you want, it was all rubbing alcohol mixed with petrol. And I though sailors were tough:

Last night in Kampala

2008-09-26T06:30:00.004-04:00

Thursday night I met back up with Alix, Ben, and Robert at the Rugby Club to celebrate our last night in Kampala. Several of Alix's friends make the club their local hangout. We had such a blast. On guy named Alex bribed the DJ so he played rock music for me half the night. I can't believe I have to go home now after making all these new friends! I guess it just gives me more reason to come back. Here is the damage we did last night:

Ben playing British pool and being coached by Emanuel.

Pretending to pick up Robert.

Me, Ben, and Jack. Jack is the guy responsible for building East Africa's first skate park, located in Kampala.

Kennedy, who is a broadcaster at the national radio station that Alix is interning at.

Alex, a cosmetics importer and huge flirt. He had a James Earl Jones style laugh. He liked me because he thought I looked like Eva Longoria, his favorite actress on Desperate Housewives. I think that all mzungus must look the same.

Alix posing with her brother's skater hat.

Alex, Alix, and Ben.

Ben, myself, and Robert

Alix and I.

Emanuel and I. Emanuel is a bigwig in President Museveni's government. His friends liked to compare him to Condoleeza Rice.

This was a perfect ending to a perfect trip. I am reminded of the lyrics from a Pogues' song I have been listening to while I was here:

"Sad to say I must be on my way
So buy me beer and whiskey 'cause I'm going far away
I'd like to think of me returning when I can
To the greatest little boozer and to Sally MacLennane"

See you in America...Gabrielle

Friends at the Joint Clinical Resaerch Centre

2008-09-26T04:57:00.003-04:00

Here are some photos from my last day in the lab:

This is Helen, an assistant in the immunology lab I worked in. She is a member of Uganda's women's rugby team. She played a championship match against Tunisia the weekend I was at Murchison. They won!

Here is Andrew and Arnold, two volunteers in the lab. Lab positions are difficult to get in Uganda, so they are volunteering their time in hopes of someday acquiring a permanent position.

This is Fred from the molecular biology lab next to mine. Everyone jokingly calls him Uncle Fred because, as a born again, you acquire that title when you marry.

Here is one of the nicest and most fascinating people I met here, Pierre, who is the immunology lab manager. He is from the Congo, but it an American citizen. He has a wife and son that live in San Francisco. He worked in Cleveland for over 20 years, and has worked in labs all over the world.

Again, a picture of my girls Sophie and Joy from the Immunology lab. Both are Master's students at night. School here is pay as you go (there's no such thing as student loans), so these two have to work during the day.

This is Leonard, also from molecular biology, posing in front of the lab's "new" ancient sequencing machine. If anyone has a sequencer made this century, I'm sure they'd appreciate it!

Girls are the same no matter where they are from

2008-09-25T13:16:00.002-04:00

By Wednesday afternoon three other scientists had descended upon the house. One was a Case professor, one a professor in Oregon, and then the chief of Infectious Disease at University Hospitals arrived. We had a really nice dinner together, sharing our various experiences working in Kampala. The house is getting crowded, but fortunately, John put me in the one bedroom that has its own bathroom in it.

After dinner, Robert and I decided to meet up for a drink at Bubbles O’Learys. I arrived first and was hesitant to go down the stairs to the bar, so I was fiddling with my purse. Guys, if you ever see a woman fiddling with her purse, 50% of the time she is stalling; the other half the time we are digging around the purse for an object that will invariably be found at the very bottom. There was another girl fiddling with her purse, and she and I made eye contact and started speaking. We were both meeting people there, so we decided to go in together and sit with each other until our parties arrived. Her name was Gloria and we found her friend Ann at the bar waiting and hiding in corner. They were very pleasant company for the evening. There is live music every Wednesday, and it was a blast. The band started by playing Latin music (there was even an accordion player), and then switched to American music. It was kind of a bizarre experience sitting in an Irish bar watching an African cover band singing Radiohead.

Today is my last day at work and I am not taking it well. I already had to say goodbye to Joy and Pierre, as they were heading to Entebbe for a HIV conference. George is coming for me in about a half hour and my stomach is feeling sick and nervous. Who knew I would love this place as much as I did. I’ll really miss they lab crew here—they are so good natured, always laughing.

This paragraph has been written hours after the previous one. I have since said goodbye to my friends and that lab. I have also been out with my French friends and some Ugandan friends and said goodbye to them too. I know I will see them again someday soon. I will post pictures from the lab and from my night out tomorrow. For now, just a couple of photos of Robert, Gloria, Ann, and I at O’Leary’s Pub.

xo...G.

I'm a day behind...

2008-09-24T11:58:00.005-04:00

Tuesday afternoon, I went on a house visit with some of the counselors from the tuberculosis clinic. Many patients are uninformed about TB, and they are afraid to go to the clinic for treatment, so counselors are sent out to talk to and educate people. We took a man positive for TB back to his home, and the counselor Grace set about trying to convince his wife, who had started showing symptoms, to come to the clinic. She and one of her 3 children had acquired the cough common to TB, but she was fearful about getting on treatment because of the plentiful and gigantic pills her husband had to take. She was very ashamed to have a mzungu in her home because it was tiny, and they think that all whites have a lot of money and big homes.

The area we went to is part of the slums in Kampala, of which there are many. The houses are so small- they usually consist of only one room, maybe 10 x 10 feet in size, and often they house up to 10 people. There are not toilets, just some clay, outhouse-type structures that pipe into a ditch. You can imagine what a huge problem cholera is. The houses are all rented, so people can’t cultivate the land that surrounds them, which is a real shame, because people don’t have enough money for food and many eat only one meal a day. One of the neighborhoods we visited was built right next to a swamp, which meant two things: the houses often flood and the mosquitoes are terrible, which spreads malaria throughout the community. The children were fearless, walking up to the Land Rover and demanding money. The little ones were quite cute though, and shy. Word went through the neighborhood that a mzungu was around, so children came out of the woodworks to have a look. As we were leaving the older ones started chasing the vehicle, and the driver got really annoyed. He slammed on the breaks, threw the car in reverse, and started chasing the children. They didn’t expect that- it was pretty funny.

That evening I met Robert at an Indian restaurant named Khana Khazana that came highly recommended. The place was stunning- it was half indoor, half outdoor, and there was a waterfall that we sat next to. And the decorations were to die for. So was the food. There are a couple of pictures from the restaurant. The host got a bit artistic with the angles. I’ve also attached a photo of two antique statues that I purchased. They are from Congo, from the Mdekese and Songe tribes, and they are about 52-53 and 58-60 years old. Gorgeous!

xo...G.

Murchison Final

2008-09-24T04:12:00.004-04:00

Sunday morning we arose at dawn, had some breakfast, and headed off to Murchison Falls for a one hour hike. On the way there we had to pass through some swampy land which is home to the nasty tse tse fly. These flies are notorious for being carriers of sleeping sickness, the disease that cleared the people out of Murchison a hundred years ago. Just as a side note, there haven’t been cases of sleeping sickness at the falls for many years. That notwithstanding, we were covered from head to toe in deet. Lovely chemical. My shirt got displaced and exposed about an inch of skin on my belly, so needless to say I got bit twice there. Those sobs hurt like hell!
The hike around the falls was incredibly beautiful. And a bit harrowing. The ground changes everyday during the rainy season, so big potholes open up and the slopes erode. The area is rich in the mineral mica, so the path sparkles like it has been strewn with glitter. Even the termite mounds shone. We had ranger as a guide and he took us to the prime places for photography, which you’ll see below. We went from the top to bottom of the falls then back up again. At the bottom it is so wet that you look like you’ve just stepped out of the shower. The ranger said that before white people came to the area, there were two kingdoms at Murchison—one on either side of the falls. Sometimes the women from one tribe would line up at the bank of the Nile, and the men from the other tribe had to try and jump the falls for their hand in marriage. Many died. The ranger said he’d never do that for a woman, then he looked at me and said, “Well, maybe for a mzungu girl,” and then asked for my email.
We stopped in Masindi for lunch again, and then headed on the long journey back to Kampala. I was so sad to the national park—it was so gorgeous and peaceful. And full of those giant animals I love so much. I can't wait for the opportunity to come back and spend more time out in the bush.

xoxo...G.

The Mzungus

2008-09-23T09:51:00.005-04:00

I had some extra time at work waiting for George to pick me up, so I thought I would take the time to introduce my traveling companions. And in case you are wondering, Mzungu is what they call white people here. That's all I hear all day long, "Mzungu, mzungu!!"

Sophie you’ve already seen several photographs of. She is a recent university graduate who came to Rwanda to volunteer at an aid organization for a month. When her stint was over, she and a friend traveled to Congo and Uganda, where I met her. This morning she left on a bus to Nairobi to go on safari. She was quite a clever girl. When I asked what she was going to do when she returns to England (she lives near Manchester—go United!!), she announced that she was going skiing in the Alps before she tries to get a real job. That is a great sentiment.

Next is Narae, a Korean girl who has gone to England to get her master’s degree in International Development. She came to Uganda for a month to study internally displaced peoples from the Ugandan civil war. (This is to be distinguished from refugees who are displaced outside their own country). She was staying in a city named Gulu. She is an incredibly brave and sweet girl. Also the most likely to have gotten us all killed. She would hang out of the bus and wave at the baboons, and she tried to approach a water buffalo. Yeah, they look cute, but they are dangerous. Sadly, we left her at Masindi because she was traveling to the north east, and we were heading to the south.

There was Robert, the Dutch computer programmer. He was working in Kampala for two weeks setting up a database system so physicians could track their patients. He did the same work two weeks before in Rwanda. We like the same movies and music so it was fun comparing notes. Robert is gigantic, so he didn’t fit anywhere. In proper proportion to the size of his body, he had an equally large camera. I can’t wait to get his pictures when we get home because they were really quite good.

Ben and Alix were siblings and the children of a French army officer, so they have lived all over the world. Their parents have liked in Uganda for a year now, and Alix is staying with them. She studied law in England and France before she decided she couldn’t tolerate it, and has now switched to journalism. She is currently doing an internship at Kampala’s first national radio station. She is very knowledgeable about African politics, and she carried a voice recorder everywhere she went to post the transcripts on her blog. She even did and interview with one of the park rangers. I just loved talking with her because she was so bright and analytical.

Her brother Ben lives in Paris and is a classic skate boarder. He works in a skate shop in the city, and spends the rest of his time on the streets boarding. He was really psyched to be visiting because they had built East Africa’s first skate park in Kampala. Here he is the best skater around. He loves reading classic literature and listening to old school reggae. He is also an impressive sleeper—he slept on me for most of the way to Murchison and he even managed to find a corner to nap in on the boat cruise. He was quite a trip to hang out with.

It was great fun meeting all of them. Sophie and went out last night, but she's left town already. Robert and I will meet up tonight, and tomorrow myself, Alix, Ben, Robert, and some of Alix's friends will go out. It will be sad to say goodbye to them all, it is great having friends all over the world like that to visit!

xo...G.

Murchison Falls Part 3

2008-09-23T08:47:00.004-04:00

After lunch on Saturday we went back down the Nile and got on a boat for a cruise down to the base of the falls. There were three other small tour groups on board with us—Germans, Italians, and Indians. Almost as soon as we shoved off, one of the German girls asks, “Pardon me, is that that a crocodile?” “No, Madame, that is a log,” replied the ranger. The poor thing said nary a word for the next 3 hours.

We almost immediately began to see hippos dotting the riverbank. During the day, they primarily sleep at the bottom of the river, rising periodically for air. Sometimes canoeists have the misfortune of being hit from below by these semi-conscious hippos, and their boats overturned. This is just one of many ways hippos kill so many people and are known as the most dangerous animal in Africa. They are incredibly territorial, and will fight to the death over their land and their females. This is reason number two they are so dangerous. And surprisingly, despite their massive size, they are incredibly fast runners. Reason three. Anyway, their skin is very sensitive to sunburn, so they wait until dark to exit the river and graze on land.

I had seen most of this wildlife already when I was on safari in Zimbabwe (not that I wasn’t terribly excited to see them again), but the one animal I came to see was the Nile crocodile. I was not disappointed. We saw them again and again either swimming or basking. You get a tingling down your spine when a crocodile disappears under the water’s surface without a trace—you never know how many are lurking down there. One animal must have been around 15 feet long. Stunning!!

Birds flew all along the side of the river. Particularly gorgeous were these tiny bee eaters, one of which I got a particularly good snapshot of. (Lorrie, these might make a great tattoo!) We also saw the most majestic eagles, one called the African fish eagle, which resembles a slightly more irritable version of a bald eagle.

The falls themselves were breathtaking. At the top of the falls the Nile is about 160 feet wide then it has to squeeze through a small 23 foot cleft where it drops for about 141 feet. You can imagine the power of the rush of water through the gap. We were only able to get so close because the rapids at the bottom can be quite dangerous. We hiked to the bottom of Murchison Falls on Sunday, but I’ll talk about that later.

The night back at the Red Chilli Rest Camp was similar to the night before—good food and better beer. They have a brand of beer brewed here called Bell that is particularly tasting. Word of the wise, though, if ever offered Nile beer, turn in down. You’ll thank me later. During dinner a baby bat fell from the rafted on top of Robert and bounced on the dinner table about 2 inches from Ben’s plate. It was so adorable, but I have little hope of its survival. I met a fantastically nice Dutch couple evening that I will be flying back on Friday. I’ll also be flying back with Robert. There are only so many flights from Kampala to Europe—you’re bound to run into someone you know.

Today I had a hilarious ride to Mulago. As I’ve mentioned before, traffic here is dreadful, and in some parts you have many lanes of traffic funneling into one tiny lane. We were coming onto a round about and a matatu (a large, aggresive minibus taxi) was trying to squeeze out a car that had the right of way. The driver of the car was not having it, and he rolled down the window and started beating the matatu with this large stick. George burst out laughing so hard I thought he was going to crash the car. He took me to Mulago where I went on a house visit in the 'slums'. It was quite heart wrenching, but I will save this story for later.

xoxo...G.

Murchison Part Deux

2008-09-22T23:57:00.006-04:00

Friday evening was so gorgeous-- we sat and had beers, relaxing from the lorg and arduous journey from Kampala. The sky was so clear that you could see the Milky Way galaxy. The only other time I was able to see this was when I was in Zimbabwe. Saturday morning we arose at 6am to get ready for the game drive. The park system turns off the power generators at midnight and on again at 7am, so we had to get ready in pitch darkness. Except of course for the absolutely useless gas lanterns, which had gone out in the middle of the night. We had a packed breakfast that consisted of a boiled egg, cheese and tomato sandwich, and banana (the bananas here are outrageously good), and headed down to the Nile to take a ferry across to the north side of the river where the game are.

As we arrived, a black cloud descended over the park, and we knew we were in for quite a rain. It was one of the fabled 'storms of Africa', and it was stunning. There is nothing as breathtaking as lightening over the Nile and the savanna. It was quite a trek. The dirt (or rather, red clay) roads were rough to start off with-- add cascades of water, and it becomes slippery and eroded. We began to see herds of antelope-- waterbucks, hartebeast, kob, reedbuck, eland. These poor animals just stand perfectly still in the rain, as if they had become so stunned by the water that they turned to statues.

After short time the rain cleared up and we were able to pull the roof back from the minibus and stick our heads outside. What a great experience-- tearing through the savanna with the wind whipping through your hair, animals all around. We began running into these really large families of giraffes, some of my favorites. Also saw a heard of elephants not so gracefully trying to climb up an embankment. Oh, and a nice sized herd of water buffalo, also one of my favorites. The birds were also fantastic-- we saw giant condor and the national bird of Uganda, the crowned crane. On the way back to the river, the baboons came back out. They just sat indignantly in the middle of the road challenging us to pass. They are always so surprised when we do.

We went back to the camp for lunch and rest, then headed of on a boat cruise down the Nile to the bottom of Murchison Falls. More on that later. xoxo...G.

Just checking in

2008-09-22T14:42:00.003-04:00

I just arrived home a very long day, so I don't have much blogging left in me. I met up with Sophie after work and she and I went shopping at the little craft stores at the National Theatre. Afterward we had a divine meal at an Indian restaurant named Handi's. So, I took a boda boda back, and now it is 9:45 and my bed time! I will write more about my Murchison Falls adventure tomorrow. Goodnight and xoxo!

Home at last

2008-09-21T13:45:00.010-04:00

I have finally gotten back home from a most glorious weekend. I think I'll blog about my trip in three parts because there is just too much to tell at one sitting.

The group I went to Murchison Falls with was called Red Chilli Hideaway, a most adorable backpackers camp recommended by a colleague. I had a most multicultural travel group. There were the French army brats, Alex and Ben. Alex is a most brilliant journalism major who is interning in Kampala while her father is stationed here. Her brother Ben lives in Paris and is an avid skateboarder who just about had a heart attack when I told him I was friends with one of his skating heros. Next was Sophie, a recent British graduate who was volunteering in Rwanda. Then there was Nicholas, a professional photographer in Poland, and his 18 year old son. Basically they looked like Harry Potter junior and senior. There also a Korean girl studying in England who had come to work with an NGO for internally displace peoples. Lastly was Robert from Amsterdam, who was a computer programmer working in Kampala for a month, and who is also the spitting image of Casper Van Dien, only a 6'6" version of him.

There is one main road north out of Kampala. It was in pretty good shape except for the occasional construction crew. The country just outside of Kampla is stunning-- it is lush and green and mountainous, and dotted with tiny villages of clay brick and straw huts. After about a four hour journey we stopped in a town called Masindi, which is the biggest town on the way. All two streets of it. We relaxed and lunched there, then headed to the Murchison Falls National Park. The park was only 21 km away, but the trip took an additional two hours to get the campsite. This place is massive-- it just goes on and on. The jounery was rough becuase the roads were unpaved and rocky, and I'm fairly certain these minibuses lack shock absorbers. Talk about needed a massage.

The Red Chilli Rest Camp was really quaint, but certainly lacked modern amenities. Sophie and I chose to sleep in the same tent. Power goes off early, so you have to carry around stinky gas lanterns. And there is no hot water, so you need to take showers at night while the water is still "warm" from the sun. And by warm, I mean only slightly about freezing. Basically, you just reside yourself to being filthy for the entire weekend. And it is much hotter and more humid up there than in Kampala. A group of warthogs has taken up residence near the campsite. They mostly mind their own business, unless you have food and then they will ransack your tent. Sophie and I could barely make it to our tent, and you'll see from the pictures below.

Before dinner a few of us waled down to the Nile which was about 600 meters from the camp. It was just getting dusk when we arrived, and the hippos were preparing to exit the water for their evening feast. The primarily eat at night ans stay in the water and sleep all day because they sunburn quite easily. There are small, male-dominated pods all up and down the river. One male will announce that it is feeding time, then the announcement passes from pod to pod down the river. They make the most brilliant and obnoxious sounds.

After dinner we all hung around and drank some Ugandan beer called Bell, which is actually incredibly good. I got shit on by a bat, which might have been that amusing had I not been so incredibly fond of those animals. We had to be down by the river at 6:30, so we all went to bed fairly early.

Now picture time. These are some photos of the campsite. Also the forest photograph is just a tiny portion of the national park. There is also a gorgeous picture of the Nile-- the foam is from the waterfalls which were just down stream. Last is a picture of me at the falls from Sunday, I just through I would throw it in early because I took so incredibly many pictures.

Safari, ho!

2008-09-18T14:01:00.006-04:00

Nothing out of the ordinary happened today. Saw the Prime Minister again. I had some kind of huge headache when I got home from work, so I took one hell of a nap. Right now I'm packing for my trip to Murchison Falls. It's supposed to be wicked hot up there, but I'm a little bewildered at what to pack because there are a lot of tse tse flies, and I don't want to leave myself open for attack. I'm quite looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow-- I don't have to be to Red Chille Hideaway until 8! That being said, I will be out of internet contact until Sunday evening, so have no worries about there being no blog until that time. Hopefully I'll have lots of great adventure stories to tell then.

The first picture is for the scientists. If you look closely, the open air structure contains all the -80o C and liquid nitrogen freezers. There are always a chorus of low temperature alarms going off because it is so hot and humid here. Next is my holding cell at the project house. Not even the ghost of Idi Amin could get through those bars. Lastly is a picture of me showing off my new pashmina. 15,000 schillings, which is about $9. Sure beats the $80 pasminas they sell at Nordstroms!

Til Sunday...G.

Jurassic Park

2008-09-17T11:17:00.004-04:00

I've got to get this blog uploaded quickly-- the rain is coming. This blog covers Tuesday and Wednesday because I had no internet on Tuesday night. In actuality, those days could have been interchangeable because they were almost exactly the same. I managed to find my addiction of choice at the project house-- a book of crossword puzzles. So, basically I go to bed every night when my brain turns to mush and I can't think of a three letter word for 'feline'.

Right now I am sitting in a cafe having a latte and a burger. I love John's cooking, but if I have to have another rice dish I think I might go crazy. At work instead of having a lunch (I do have fruit and a soda), I have a late and gigantic breakfast that they serve at the canteen. And I'm using the term 'breakfast' rather loosely, as it isn't breakfast food as we know it and they serve it until noon. I have a cup of tea, 2-3 samosas, and 1-2 chapatis, which are mildly similar to crepes (made out of flour and coconut milk), but without the filling or any sauce. I purchased an East African cookbook, so I'll be making those for everyone once I get back.

For the past 2 days a flock (or should I call them a herd) of storks has taken up residence at the compound at the JCRC. These things are huge and prehistoric. They're like pterodactyls. Oh, and did I mention they are totally freakin' awesome? They are probably 3 feet tall with a 6-7 foot wing span. They also have a gullet (I'm not sure if that is the proper term) that looks like a cross between a turkey and a pelican. I'm not sure if they can fit anything inside it, but if they could, it would certainly fit a human baby. They also constantly chatter at each other by rapidly thumping their beaks together. I've been trying to think of how to describe the sound, and the best I could come up with is the sound a horse hoof would make if it were hollow. Oh, and just before I left, one made a noise like and elephant. All day long they sit in the tall trees, harass each other, break off branches, and generally make a big mess. Today one dropped a mouth full of sticks on my head as I was walking under the tree. Other than that, everything has been really low key.

A couple of people inquired about the status of the rooster next door, but I don't really have any updates because I wake up before he does. Right now my current animal menace are the big dogs that all the neighbors have and that sleep outside at night. One coughs, and then the rest of them have to talk about it for 5 minutes.

Here are today's picture selections. First is myself and my sweet friend George. Then some of the pterodactyls. This is just a shot taken in town-- pretty much like what much of Kampala looks like. The city is incredibly hilly and at a high elevation, which it why it is cooler here that much of Uganda. Last is a photograph of the tuberculosis ward at Mulago.

xo...G.

Boda, Baby...

2008-09-15T13:26:00.006-04:00

Today was a relatively uneventful day. Got to work by 6. Extracted a ton of DNA. Got home by 5. Everyone wanted to know what I did this weekend. When I told them I had to take along boat trip to Ngamba Island, without fail, they horrified-ly asked, "Weren't you afraid of the water?!" I found that hilarious because you really can't tear me away from the water. I think if they saw some of the conditions I sailed in back home they might have actually keeled over and had a heart attack.

After dinner I took a boda boda into the suburbs of Kampala to put a deposit down at a backpacker's camp on a safari trip I am taking this weekend. None of the boda drivers in Kololo had any idea how to navigate Mbuya, so we kept having to stop and ask other bodas for directions. Those motorbikes are a ton of fun, but I do think that if I spend any considerable amount of time here I will buy myself a helmet. Not just for safety, but also because the roads are so dusty-- it gets in your eyes.

On Friday I am going into northwest Uganda to a place known as Murchison Falls National Park. It was once a heavily inhabited area, however in the late 19th / early 20th centuries there was a massive outbreak of sleeping sickness. The only way people knew how to deal with the illness was to completely evacuate the area. It was turned into a national park in the 1950's. One of the largest attractions there are, of course, the Falls, which are fed by the Nile and are a 141 foot drop. You can only imagine how excited I am.

I'm posting more pictures from the weekend because I didn't have anything to photograph today. That is me in my bumblebee sunglasses in Ngamba, as well as one of the high ranking male chimps. He looks so fluffy because he was upset-- like hackles on a dog. Then a picture of Lake Victoria from the island. Danny, I think we could fit a 36.7 in there..! Lastly, a photograph of a baby vervet monkey. That is it's mother behind, going through the garbage. We don't have them in Kampala, but they are plentiful in Entebbe.

xo...G.

Weekend Round Up

2008-09-14T11:59:00.007-04:00

Saturday

Today I went to visit the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. We took a rickety old boat to the island, a journey that took an hour and a half. It was myself and 9 Aussies who were on a tour together. It rained a lot the night before and the lake was a bit lumpy-- we got pretty wet. Ngamba is a 100 acre island in Lake Victoria 23 kilometers from Entebbe. This sanctuary was developed in 1998 to house orphaned and abused chimpanzees in East Africa. It is currently home to 45 chimps and they have free reign of most of the forested island. Thiese chimps have been rescued from every abusive sitution-- private ownership, circuses, and babies for sale in the villages. Others were caught in poachers snares and severly maimed. Many die upon their arrival at Ngamba. They are eaten as meat in the Congo or used for sale of thier body parts for witchcraft in Uganda. Often just the mothers are killed and the babies are sold. The caretakers told a story about once some soldiers came for a visit and the chimps saw their rifles. Remembering the horrors that had befallen them, they disappeared into the forest. It took them a month to come back to center. They now live relatively happy lives on the island, although some of them are still not right in the head and display various obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

The chimps get fed four times daily, and they know exactly their feeding times. At 11am they descended out of the woods, and let the entire island know it was time to be fed. They were so loud that my ears rang. They came screeching into the clearing, running around like madmen and pounding the ground. Chimpanzees have a very sophisticated political hierarchy, so a handful of fights erupted. I can't even begin to describe how awesome it was. I took a couple of videos to show you the chaos. One chimpanzee learned a trick whereby she stood on two legs, raised her arm with her palm up, stuck out her tongue, and made a pphhllft sound. She always gets food. Another low ranking female namedl Becky, who has some psychological problems, had a total meltdown and threw a temper tantrum because she wasn't getting enough food. Don't worry, I have that on video too.

Before the island was purchased, people from the nearby islands would come to Ngamba to cut wood. They were warned of the chimpanzees arrival, but never having seen one, they figured they could shoo them away like a dog. Instead, the chimpanzees chased them off the island. There is a particularly naughty chimpanzee who harrasses the fishermen. One day he jumped into one of the fishermens' boats. They subsequently jumped in the water, and the boat and the chimp drifted off. The sanctuary got a call a few hours later alerting them that there was a chimpanzee in a boat in the middle of Lake Victoria, and would they please come get him. When they got there, he climbed onto the roof of the boat, crossed his arms, and gave them a triumphent stare.

Each of the female chimpanzees have birth control implants, but since they are only 97% effective, a little baby chimpanzee popped up last year. They named her Surprise in Lugandan. The rest of the afternoon we lounged by the lake on paradise island and had a really nice lunch. A couple of Nile moniter's meandered through the cape. They were gorgeous, and the size of my leg!

Sunday

Today I awoke to no power. Apparently they shut down the grids from time to time. I wanted to do a little shopping in the morning and decided on Owino Market. The book at the house describes it as a local place where I should be prepared to drive a hard bargain. I've done it in Zimbabwe, why not here? I called a taxi and instructed him to take me to Owino. He was quiet for a second then he started driving. He asked why I wanted to go there, and I said I wanted some authentic African women's wear, not like the clothes in the shopping malls. He didn't understand, so I said I wanted girl stuff. He was quite again, and then he said that would not like to take me to Owino, explaining that as a foreigner I would get ripped off. Rather, he wanted to take me shopping at some local stores where the prices were fixed. I happily obliged, and off we went to buy some girl stuff. It was funny to see such a big, touch guy (his name is Patrick and he is actually much taller than most Ugandans) go into a shop and inquire about head scarves, or to see the panic arise in his eyes when I asked him which shirt he thought would look better on me.

We had to stop at a tailors, so while we were waiting he took me into Owino to see what I was missing. His instructions were to keep close, don't stop and talk to anyone, and put a death grip on my purse. The market was worse than I ever imagined. It was covered by tarps and garbage bags which made it about 95o in there. The ground was wet and covered in garbage. The walkways between stands were less than a meter wide, so you had to push through people like you were in a mosh pit. The market is the size of a football field, so Patrick ended up getting us lost in the caverns. Eventually we spotted a ray of sunshine and headed for it. We had a good laugh about it after we escaped.

After the shopping trip, Patrick dropped me of at the lab and I worked for the rest of the day. Pretty uneventful. Enjoy the pictures from Ngamba Island. The very last photo was not taken on the island, but in Entebbe. It is a hungry vervet monkey peering into a shop window waiting for it to open so she could steal some food.

xo...G.

Please hold

2008-09-14T02:46:00.002-04:00

(I channeled Julie G. on that one-- what's up girl!?)

The power is out here, I have almost no juice on my computer, and even less on my camera. At least it's sunny.

So, standby for updates.

Fridays pictures

2008-09-12T22:32:00.004-04:00

Hooray, it finally stopped raining and the internet is back!

Here is a photo I took at the JCRC just before dawn. Then a picture of me doing some lab work. The young man is Andrew, the pipsqueak in the lab. He is finishing his last year of undergrad, and he teases the girls endlessly. They in turn tease Pierre endlessly. And lastly, most of you know how much I loooove goats. Here's a mom and her babies wandering around doing what they do best-- eating garbage.

Soldiers

2008-09-12T12:45:00.002-04:00

Right now I am sitting at Garden City Shopping Center having my first real cup of coffee. I get Nescafe' at the house, but I don’t think that really counts. George dropped me here after work. I have come to the realization that whatever time I arrange to leave work, I will not get to my destination until 2 hours after I had planned. If there are any administrators reading, George needs an assistant. And a new car. We break down every day on the way home from work, and the poor thing has to scramble out of the car to a cacophony of horns and try to fix the engine.

I rose at 5am this morning. 5am, people. It wasn’t as hard as I thought. When I woke, it was time for Muslim prayers and I could hear them off in the distance. It was quite peaceful. The car came at 5:45 and I made it to the lab in a whopping 13 minutes. This is compared to the 35-60 minutes it has taken me in the past. Way to go Taxi Steve. I think we must have woken the guard at the JCRC because he came flying out of his hut in a confused daze when we honked the car horn, fumbling with his bucket full of keys.

About mid afternoon I looked out of the lab window and saw a handful of army men inside the research center. I inquired about them, and the lab figured that some "big guy" has come for treatment. About fifteen minutes later I looked up from my tubes and saw dozens of Kenyan soldiers piling into the lab. There must have been about 30-35 of them. To my relief, the head of the JCRC appeared and started telling them about the research being done in the Immunology lab. All of a sudden cameras appeared in the hands of the soldiers and they began snapping photos of everything, including myself. I do believe this is the first time I have been a tourist attraction.

I was told later that the JCRC had originally been built as a military hospital and has only recently begun to see the general public. It will serve as a model for other military hospitals in East Africa, although it still currently serves a lot of Kenyan and Rwandan soldiers. Apparently, soldiers “love everyone”, which I originally took as meaning they had a philanthropic streak. No. That statement has a much more lascivious meaning.

Driving home a police motorcade parted the traffic jam like Moses parted the Red Sea. You’ll never guess who was in the Mercedes they were protecting. None other than the Prime Minister, Apolo Nsibambi. He was fast asleep in the backseat with his mouth hanging open. Seriously.

Took a boda boda from the mall and I had to ride side saddle because of my dress. It started raining halfway home. Always an adventure. I will post photographs later if I can-- the internet connection has been incredibly flukey today-- both at the lab and home. I can't stay connected for more than a few minutes which isn't long enough to upload a picture.

xo...G.

2008-09-11T23:29:00.002-04:00

Goats on trial

2008-09-11T12:39:00.007-04:00

I was reading the paper this morning (kids sell it to you through your car window on the way to work), and there was an adorable close up photograph of a goat. The headline read, "Goats freed from DRC jail" and the picture caption was, "The goats were due to appear in court." I wish the actual story was as interesting as the title.

This afternoon we brought another lab's centrifuge into Immunology to help ease the burden of all the work being done. And of course the first thing we did was error out the machine. We figured out what was wrong quite quickly, but we couldn't figure out how to reset the centrifuge. Pierre, Joy, and I gathered together our collective knowledge of technology, and like proper biologists, we stood around the machine like simpletons and pushed the same series of buttons over and over again. To no avail. I managed to locate the user manual online, and after downloading for 15 minutes, it turned out to be in German. Scheisse-- I haven't spoken German in almost 8 years! NETZ-RESET, beim Einschalten muss sich der Rotor drehen. To reset, turn the rotor when turning on. :-/

It rained like crazy again this afternoon, and between the traffic jams and George's errands, I didn't get home until after 7. I actually don't really mind so much because he is fun to talk to. I'm changing my schedule a bit at the lab. Blood samples come into the lab from the villages in the afternoon and they need to be processed, which makes it difficult to get my own work done. I've decided to go into work before everyone gets there, around 6am, and work my butt of until the afternoon rush. Even though I'm a night owl, it's not a big deal for me-- it gets dark so early here, and I really don't leave the compound at night.

Here are some pictures of my friends here. The first is Sophie, Kristin, and Joy. Then me, Sophie, and Kristin. I've also added a photo of one of the most beautiful buildings in Kampala, the Mosque built by Idi Amin. It is currently being renovated by Gadaffi. Fot those of you curious, Christianity is the dominat religion in Uganda. Last is a huge stock I caught as it was flying out of a tree at the JCRC.

Rain, rain go away

2008-09-10T15:00:00.004-04:00

September is the rainy season in Uganda and it's been raining on and off the whole day. It's making me sleepy.

Today was fairly uneventful-- went to the lab as usual. Lyse cells, spin, wash, repeat. Joy, the assistant lab manager and master's student, invited her big brother to lunch today. He's just as gregarious and easy going as she is. It is interesting to hear what they think living in America is like. They think everyone automatically gets a job out of college and that unemployment isn't a problem. They are surprised to hear cars get stolen there and that we have terrible traffic accidents. They also believe(d) that health care in America was assessable to all people. And "claims adjuster" was an unheard of term to them. Oh, and they thought that Pepsi was only available in East Africa. Oh, oh, and they had also heard that there was an assassination plot against Obama.

I had a really interesting conversation with a man after work about how much Kampala has changed since Idi Amin. I'm too exhausted to recall it all, but he told me why there are security guards and fences all over the place, even though the crime rate (particularly violent crime)is so low here. He believes it is a throwback to the time of Amin when there was lawlessness and fear. He thinks that people are still afraid to give it up and that now it is just part of the culture of the city.

I had a tough time getting home today-- it took an hour and 45 minutes for my driver to come. Part of it is because George's default state is late (in fairness, he has a lot of responsibility), but mostly it was because of the rain. Like in the States, when it rains here people completely lose the ability to drive. He got stuck in a hideous traffic jam. To quote George, "That's life in Africa!" I had him drop me off at the Garden City mall, although we didn't arrive until after 7. Most of the stores were closed except for the super market. I wandered over to the casino and played some slots. And got complementary vodkas and passion fruit juice. I have to recreate that drink for you when I get back. Took a taxi home, and here I am. I can hardly keep my eyes open they are so heavy. And it had started raining again-- the sort of downpour that contributes to the phrase "The Storms of Africa". This is the Garden City shopping center I went to-- there are several (small) floors. Since it was a slow picture day, I thought I'd show you some pictures of my new insect friends. xo...G.

Today, I am titleless

2008-09-09T12:48:00.004-04:00

I think there is something wrong with the rooster that lives next door—he woke up late and was very quite the rest of the morning. I was dying for him to shut the hell up, but now I feel bad…

Henry picked me up today to take me to the JCRC. He takes primarily back roads because traffic is so bad in town that it can two hours to pass all of it. That usually works out well. Today we hit a dead stop while passing through. After about 15 minutes we had moved close enough to see what happened—there was a traffic accident directly in the center of the intersection. A dinged up pick-up truck was surrounded by a group of men and police all arguing with each other and madly pointing in various directions. A full hour later we finally got to the JCRC.

What ensued was the biggest free for all that I have ever seen in my life. I couldn’t stop laughing which made Henry starting giggling. Since there are no traffic lights, cars were attempting to pass through the intersection from all four directions at the exact same time. This led you to have perfectly straight view through the windshield of the car directly pointed at you. And meanwhile there were bodas zipping in and out of everywhere like bumble bees. I tried to photograph it the best I could. When I got home I told John, and he said that it is illegal to take a policeman’s picture without getting permission and I could get arrested. Good to know.

Work was enjoyable today, although it got really busy in the afternoon and I had a hard time getting to the equipment I needed to do the extractions. It’s nice to be doing lab work again, as opposed to what I have been doing for the past couple months—my most favorite thing, science writing. I went to lunch with some of the girls today and it was a riot. They were all comparing stories about their experiences traveling to Europe and the States with the differences in culture and food. Oddly, they all came to the same conclusions about the French…

I was sitting outside and a boy came up to me named Lawrence. He said he was 13, then 14, but he was so tiny he looked no more than 10 years old. He said he was there getting his meds. When I inquired if that was his mother approaching us, he said no, that his mom was dead. Then he asked for my phone number and if I could take him back to America with me. I did the only thing I could think to do-- give him some chocolate and tell him I hoped to see him again.

The nicest man on Earth, George, picked me up from the lab again today, and not surprisingly wanted to talk about the McCain and Obama. When I got home John had cooked me the yummiest meal and now I am sitting on the couch like a stuffed pig, barely able to move.

Here are some pictures from the traffic accident. Notice all the people pointing in different directions. Then there’s Henry, my sweet driver. Last is Sophie, a master’s student in the lab. She’s just gotten her hair done and was looking all pretty.

xo...G.

Case of the Mondays

2008-09-08T14:09:00.001-04:00

I actually don't have a case of the Mondays-- I just happened to watch Office Space on the satellite TV last night. That movie never gets old.

Today is a national holiday in Uganda, so most people are not going to work. A week ago the Kyabazinga (king) of the Busoga kingdom, Henry Wako Muloki, died of throat cancer at age 87. Busoga is a Ugandan kingdom (like Buganda) that is west of Kampala, near Jinja. There has been a processional all week long, and he will be buried today. The president designated today a holiday out of respect for the former king. Joy, Pierre, and Sophie were all in the lab with me today, which goes to show that no matter where you are in the world, scientists work on holidays.

Because it is a holiday I had a hard time finding a ride to work. The driver who was supposed to be on duty (George-- the super nice guy who doesn't stop talking) called off. This weekend he went home to the village to visit his brother whose wife is expecting a baby. His sister in law died during childbirth. So did the baby.

After work I had the diver Henry drop me at a pub called Bubbles O'Leary. The place was beautiful-- exactly like what you would imagine if you were in some British romance movie that took place in Africa. They also have free WiFi. I neglected to take a picture because I didn't want to look like a total tourist. Maybe next time. And my meal was really good-- even for British food! Two drunk British ex-pats bought me a glass of Dom Perignon and kept coming over refill it. It was really annoying. I wish there was such a think as idiot repellent.

The pictures I've attached are of the lab facility at the JCRC. Too bad the Case campus doesn't look like that. The tent in the second picture is the pediatric ward.

My Mobile

2008-09-08T06:44:00.003-04:00

In response to a couple peoples' question about calling me:

+011 is the United States exit code
+256 is Uganda's country code

Which when you put it together (think of those annoying silhouettes on Sesame Street) spells:

+011 256 772 919 572

Easy like Sunday morning

2008-09-07T12:47:00.005-04:00

I'd like to give a shout out to all my friends at Mercury Machine and PlasMac-- thanks for taking an interest! Wasuze otya nno?

This morning when I was getting ready, I was listening to my iPod and singing my lungs out. I got too close to the window and scared the hell out of the guard who was stooped over washing his clothes in a basin. He bolted straight up and looked around to see what the noise was. I am apparently not singing at the Met anytime soon.

I hired a cab to take me to the Baha’i Temple after breakfast. It is a relatively new religion (originated in 19th century Persia), and it is based on a doctrine of unity of mankind and the major world religions and of peace. They believe in one God who has sent a series of messengers that were suited to the needs of the time and the culture of the people. These include Jesus, Abraham, Muhammad, Buddha, Krishna, Bahá'u'lláh, Zoarester, etc... They believe the need for a world givernment in this age of humanity's collective life, and they work with the UN, UNICEF, and the WHO. Under the reign of Idi Amin, the Baha’I were banned in Uganda and the head of the faith and his family were murdered.

The temple in Kampala was built in 1961, and is known as the Mother Temple of Africa. It sits on a 50 acre property on top of a hill that is stunning- it is kind of what I always imagined Eden had looked like. The temple is a decagon, and each of the ten doors are surrounded by stained glass. I happened to quite accidently get there right before service started, so I went in. Each of the doors are opened, and the temple becomes and open air facility- the wind blows through during the devotions. The congregation was as racially diverse as I’ve seen in Uganda yet: Europeans, Africans, and Asians all together. The service began with children saying prayers. Readings from the Bible, the Koran, and other holy books were read, and this was interspersed within was probably the most beautiful a capella choir I’ve ever heard. There were no leaders or no sermons, and men and women spoke alike. The service took place in English, Swahili, Luganda, Persian, and Arabic.

I met some very interesting people afterwards- one woman named Aunt Vie from Alaska who moved her family to Kenya 30 years ago for the Baha’i. Another tiny, old African grandmother named Edith who has been a Baha’i all her life, and an Iranian couple who moved to Uganda because of religious persecution in Iran. This couple, the Ebrahimis, had a successful furniture construction business in Kamplala, although they explained to me that business was extremely difficult in Uganda if you aren’t willing to give and receive bribes, and do things under the table. I think I shall have dinner with them this week.

The Ebrahimi’s dropped me off the Ugandan National Museum this afternoon. It was a fascinating old museum that must have been something to see in the 50’s. However, today it is crumbling. The lights are out all over the museum and the exhibits are literally rotting away since everything is made from animal flesh or plant material. I walked home from the museum (about a 25 minute walk) and promptly fell asleep.

I'm having a terrible time uploading photos this evening so there will only be two. The first is one of the village roads I used to get to the temple- make sure you click on it to blow it up to see just how awful they are. I really thought the tires would fall off. Also notice the red clay roads. Next, me in front of the Baha’i Temple.

FIFA

2008-09-06T14:40:00.002-04:00

Speaking of soccer, I just found the FIFA World Cup qualifier between England and Andola on television. It's nice to be in a country that appreciates soccer. Danny, you better apply for your passport now because we are *so* going to the finals in South Africa in 2010. Hell, who knows, maybe I'll already be there!

xo...G.

King's Tombs

2008-09-06T08:02:00.000-04:00

I slept a full 10 hours last night—I guess I must have needed it. After breakfast I set about trying to make a reservation at the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. For the second day in a row. I was no more successful today than I was yesterday. Now I’ve learned not to let them try and call me back. And when no one is in the office, the phone line miraculously turns into a fax line. I’ll try again tomorrow, but it’s difficult because the meeting point is an hour away and I need to arrange for a driver.

Today I went to Kasubi Tombs (Kasubi is Lugandan for grass), which was absolutely fascinating to learn about the history of Bugandan kings. The tombs are the former palace of King Mutesa I who lived there in 1880s and was the 32nd Bugandan king. The king still exists today (number 36) and is the great-great grandson of King Mutesa I. Today he has no power-- that has been relegated to the president. When the king dies, they say he has been lost because kings here live forever. When they are buried they are said to have gone to the forest. This palace is circular, with the king’s 10 official wives surrounding the main house. Each wife has a very specific purpose—there is one who sits next to the king, one who is the caregiver, one who tends to the kings regalia, etc… What is so neat is that the relatives of the king’s wives still inhabit these houses. Just behind the palace are the homes of the kings 79 concubines.

King Mutesa I and the 3 subsequent kings (Mwanga II, Daudi Chwa II, and Sir Edward Mutessa II) are all buried here, in the main house behind cloth made from the fig tree. Normally each king would have his own palace, but the arrival of Christian missionaries changed all the tradition here. In the center of the palace is a fire that burns as long as the king is alive, and since he never “dies” the fire still burns today. When he is ruling it burns in front of the palace, but when he is lost, it moves within. There is no sitting on chairs within the main house, only on carpets made from reeds. Not even the king gets to sit. They have two chairs (one for the king and one for the queen) inside the house sent from Queen Victoria. She didn’t know that chairs were not allowed or that the king had 10 wives.

My guide Richard was terrific. His knowledge of history was so comprehensive, and he took it as a great honor to be working there. I purchased some wall hangings that he painted on the fig cloth I mentioned earlier. He taught me how to play a traditional Ugandan board game called Omweso, and we sat inside the palace house playing the game for an hour. Warning: I’m making all of you play it with me when I get home. I found it at the project house, and I played by myself for a long time. The cook John thought it was hilarious.

After I left the tombs, I found my taxi driver still waiting for me. I had him take me to Garden City which is a large mall owned by the president’s wife. It even has a casino in it. The first restaurant I saw was called New York Kitchen, so I stopped in for a slice of NY style pizza (not even close!) and a passion fruit juice. Then the shopping commenced. I bought some lovely jewelry and a book on how to speak Lugandan. I also stopped at the sports store and bought a Manchester United shirt and winter hat. Sorry, Ricky, these are for me.

I took my first boda boda home. These are small motorbike taxis that whiz through traffic. It was actually pretty fun. Don't think I'll be trying that during rush hour though... Here are some pictures of Kasubi Tombs (and of some of the king’s wives relatives) and of my guide Richard playing Omweso. I hung the wall hangings he painted in my room on the other side of the sailor’s cross (for safe travel) that Rick had given me.

xo...G.

Fishheads, fishheads...

2008-09-05T13:41:00.004-04:00

This morning I woke up at 6am to the sound of men outside my window. When I cleared the metaphorical cobwebs out of my brain, I found that it was a parade of men singing past the house. The music was absolutely beautiful, but they left as soon as they came. It turns out they were security guards out for a training session. Hope it happens again tomorrow.

My driver Spero took me to exchange some money this morning. I gave them $300 and I got back 489,000 schillings. The wad was so large I couldn’t even close my wallet.

Things were frustrating at the lab today. The issue with the too small sample size hadn’t been worked out yet, so I didn’t want to start extracting the DNA from the real samples. I went up to the clinic and had them draw 10ml of blood from myself instead, and practiced a buffy coat extraction from that blood. The clinic was nicer than I’d seen in documentaries, but half the wards were in tents because of overflow.

They served fish heads at lunch in the Canteen today, which made my appetite go from ravenous to nonexistent. Man, that was gross. Speaking of, my cook just informed me I ate goat for dinner last night. This just reaffirms the mantra I came here with--eat first, ask questions later. I also haven't gotten sick yet, which is surprising because I keep forgetting and drinking the water.

The other driver George picked me up early at the JCRC, and we went to the other labs at Mulago. He is the nicest guy, but he doesn’t stop talking—it’s hilarious. He’s particularly interested in the election, staying up until 4am to watch McCain’s speech. I don’t even know any Americans that would do that. Wait… maybe that’s part of the problem. At Mulago, we parked in front of the Children’s Cancer Clinic where I saw my first Burkitt’s lymphoma child. My heart melted fast than it ever had before. I may have just walked into my new career path.

One thing I’d noticed earlier was that walking or driving around town, everyone looks like they are about to open a can of whoop ass. What I found though (I tested this on women first), was that if you smile at them, they bust into the biggest, friendliest, meekest smile, and then they all wave. When was the last time that happened to you?

Here's a picture of the front of one of the research facilities and the luxury vehicle I drive around in. And of course a picture of me playing Scissor Gang Mafia with my $489,000 schillings. :-D

.

Hello, blisters

2008-09-04T09:35:00.001-04:00

Before dinner I took a long walk through the neighborhood. While the roads are (mostly) paved, Kampala was built on red clay, so there is dust everywhere. I stepped in a puddle and walked out of it with my feet looking like pottery. I managed to find the Korean, Nigerian, and German embassies. Of course everything is heavily guarded and surrounded by barbed wire. I’m not sure I have ever seen such a large concentration of semiautomatic weapons. The highlight of the trip was when a hair dresser flagged me down and asked me for a job.

Because Uganda is equatorial, the sun rises and sets at 7:00. Apparently the equator is 1 hour away from Kampala, and is really nothing more than a photo opp. Since going out at night is ill advised, I’m probably going to blog a lot. It takes about 15 minutes to upload a photograph (does anyone remember dial-up?), so they won’t be a plentiful as I hoped.

Here is a picture of me playing in my mosquito net and of one of my new little lizard friends. They crawl underneath the door at night. How adorable are they?!

xo...G.

Correspondence

2008-09-04T07:47:00.002-04:00

I almost forgot. If anyone would like a postcard, leave your address in one of the comment boxes and I'll ship one off.

And if anyone needs to get in touch with me, my address is:

Uganda-CWRU Research Collaboration Project House
28A Upper Kololo Terrace
PO Box 633
Kampala, Uganda

And my mobile is:
(772) 919-572

xo...G.

First day at the lab

2008-09-04T04:57:00.001-04:00

I awoke to my alarm and roosters (It is 4:30 and they are still crowing). And breakfast waiting for me on the dining room table. I could get used to this. A second driver, Patrick, picked me up in the morning to take me to the Joint Clinical Research Center (JCRC from here on out). We had to stop at the labs in Mulango Hospital, where I was instantly surrounded by a group of smiling children. Most hadn’t learned English yet, so had resolved themselves to staring and a lot of waving. Julie, can you start fixing up the finished attic upstairs because I am fairly certain I’m coming home with a couple of them.

On the way to the JCRC, we almost hit the proverbial pack of cows being shepherded through the street. I also saw a few ‘zebra crossing’ signs—apparently they are quite a problem. The other interesting tidbit I noticed during the daylight is that there are no stop signs. And very few stoplights. Hence, the free for all I was describing earlier. The labs are incredibly charming. White stucco buildings scattered across a beautiful, palm filled campus. The researchers were all very welcoming, although most of them had no idea I was coming, including the woman whose lab I am working in. There was also massive confusion about the samples. Myself and the researchers based at Case were told we’d have 10ml of blood for extraction. Turns out we were only given 1ml. Someone at Mulango, where the samples came from, is investigating. Lunch at the Canteen was delicious. And completely Ugandan. The only thing I didn’t like was the pumpkin, but I don’t like that back in the states, so there’s no big surprise.

I got back to the compound, and took a couple of snapshots for you.

My Arrival at the Project House

2008-09-03T23:04:00.002-04:00

I am finally here. My plane came in around 8:30, and after purchasing a Visa and negotiating traffic, I arrived at the project house around 10:00 pm last night. My driver Spero picked me up at the Entebbe Airport, and we had the most harrowing ride home. I can't wait until rush hour. Here, two lane roads become 3 to 4 lane roads. Then there are the motorbikes, bicyclists, and pedestrians dashing all over the street. Of course, the potholes here are the size of a Camry. Oh, and did I mention that drivers signal to each other through a complicated medley of honking and flashing their brights at each other. I’m actually fairly certain that while I am here I will see someone get hit by a car.

Once at the house, a most pleasant armed guard let me in. I found dinner waiting for me in the oven—spicy chicken, broiled potatoes, and cooked tomatoes. Did I mention the chicken was on the bone? People, I was so hungry I ate every last morsel of chicken. I’m surprised too. I'm off to bed soon-- I'm visiting the lab in the morning. First I have to padlock myself in upstairs between 1” diameter bars with a chain that had links the size of my fists.

xo...G.

Leg I

2008-09-02T17:32:00.008-04:00

I am sitting a bar in the Detroit airport drinking a double shot of Crown Royal. I've hated to fly ever since my plane took a nose dive flying from Zimbabwe to South Africa. I did manage to have the most interesting conversation with a man who is a professor of ancient history at the University of Washington, but he's gone to catch his flight and I'm bored out of my mind.

I had a tough time leaving this morning-- I fully expect Cosmashiva to hate my guts by the time I get back. She completely ignored me on Sunday because I was gone for the day. Imagine what she going to be like after 3.5 weeks. I suppose the first time I see a baboon everything will be all cleared up.

One hour down, sixteen more to go!

xo...G.

The Inauguration

2007-10-25T10:34:00.003-04:00

Welcome to The Sound and the Fury...

Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
-William Shakespeare: Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5

Once a bitch always a bitch, what I say.
-William Faulkner: The Sound and The Fury