Today marks my fourth full day in Kampala. I have secured a place to live that is an apartment attached to a family home. The family is very lovely and welcoming though the accommodations are best described as rustic. I have not done much working yet, Monday was spent looking at various places to live—all decidedly more rustic than my current living quarters. Because I am only here for two months and require a furnished rental, the majority of apartments are well beyond an intern’s budget. It was a stroke of luck to find the Lule family apartment available, where last year’s Rockefeller/LINKAGES intern stayed. It is comforting to be near a family—a father, a daughter and aunt (both of college age). Adding to the family atmosphere are two friendly watchdogs. On Tuesday, I moved in.
Kampala View from the Hotel
Yesterday was Martyrs Day, a public holiday honoring the brutal slaying of Christian missionaries for refusing to give up their faith in the late 19th century. According to a local newspaper, The Observer, the holiday has become more about drinking and discounted shopping than religious worship, a phenomenon apparently not unique to the US. As a travel junkie (United Arab Emirates and Uganda mark my 21st and 22nd countries, respectively), I am struck by the similarities across cultures almost as much as the differences.
Tomorrow I hope to share more observations about Kampala and the Ugandans I have met. I’m still processing the novelty of it all!
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Posted by: Kate Gargiulo, Kololo, Kampala, Uganda
