Don't look up!

Uganda has over 1000 species of birds…. More than any country on the continent of Africa. I was never a “bird person” until coming to Uganda. Most birds are so unusually beautiful that they actually seem like a creation by a talented artist from Walt Disney Studios. One of the most common birds found in downtown Kampala is the Marabou Stork… locally known as Kaloori. You know the one I am speaking of… as children we are told it is the stork that delivers babies. Baby shower invitations and birth announcements will often feature beautifully illustrated pastel colored storks holding a blanket-wrapped bundle of joy. You know me, I love all animals. I’m even fond of snakes and sharks. But, after coming face to face with the real-life stork, I’m confused to why we would choose to associate this bird with child birth. This is a BIG and rather frightening looking bird. The stork is the equivalent to the American pigeon…. They are everywhere. I feel the urge to drop to the ground and cling to a large object when one flies overhead…. At the very least take cover in fear of what might drop from its massive body. I’m sure car wash owners are a big fan of the stork. Don’t get me wrong… I like this prehistoric looking, slightly intimidating bird. I just think we should reconsider its association with child birth. Why not the Turocco, Shoebill or my personal favorite, the Crested Crane. What do you think?

Walking the streets of Kampala

My plan for Saturday morning was to head to the gym for a little cardio before diving into some of my projects. It was such a beautiful day I decided to hit the streets for a good power walk. Kampala is a city of hills… think San Francisco, but on a smaller scale. The streets are very clean. I’m amazed at the number of street sweepers and sign cleaners. My walk started around 8am. It was wonderful to see the city come to life. I love the street hawkers. In addition to your traditional newspaper hawkers, you’ll find a variety of products that can be purchased while driving or walking along the street. Take for instance… shoes. I came across a young man caring around 15 pair of shoes in a variety of sizes and styles. The shoes were displayed on a carrying rack designed with this form of sales in mind. Cars stopped at a red light would be provided with the opportunity to browse his selection from the comfort of their car… talk about convenience. While observing his sales technique, he smiles at me. He gives me a nod towards his shoes and asks if I would like to have a look. I politely decline. He smiles and says, “Have a good day, Madame”. Selling along side of him are others with displays of toys, cleaning supplies, socks, nuts, jeans and my personal favorite bootleg DVDs. I find myself buying “Nine” and “The Bounty Hunter” for 10,000 schillings… the equivalent of $5 or $2.50 each. No one is overly aggressive in their sales pitch. In fact, no one even tries to sell me anything… except for the newspaper hawkers. While walking the streets I come across Small Street stands offering specialty services such as watch repair and shoe shines. As the morning sun continues to rise, I can feel the hot, equator sun growing more intense. My decision to walk the streets of Kampala instead of exercising in the gym was a good one. It’s going to be another beautiful day.

What time is "mid-day"?

If someone of great importance request to meet with you “mid-day”, what time would you show-up? Noon? 1pm? Very seldom do you find me at a loss for words; however, when an administrative assistant informed me that the Minister wanted to meet with me “mid-day” I stared at her with a blank expression as I tried to figure out in my mind the meaning of “mid-day”. Unable to resolve this dilemma I replied, “What time is mid-day?” She stares back at me with the same blank expression. I offer some assistance… “Is it 12pm… 1pm?” Nothing. I decide to call the minister on his mobile for clarification. Mid-dial, I hear her repeat the same message to someone else. “The Minister would like to meet with you mid-day”. Am I missing something here? Is this a practical joke? Am I the victim of Uganda’s version of “Candid Camera”? How can he schedule two meeting at the same time…. At “mid-day”? Luck is with me as the Minister answers his phone. He seems excited to hear from me and exclaims… “I am looking forward to meeting with you mid-day”. Politely I ask, “As am I, but Minister, could you please clarify… what time is mid-day”? Silence. I explain that there is a representative from China who is also scheduled to meet with him at mid-day. At this point I believe he sees the dilemma and proclaims, “I will meet with China at 12pm and you at 1pm”. Now we’re getting somewhere. When I arrive at 12:50pm for my confirmed 1pm meeting, I notice there are about six people waiting in his reception area. I guess they all had appointments scheduled for mid-day. Several people exit his office around ten minutes after 1pm and to my delight, I am escorted into his office. While in his office, I notice there is no computer. This explains why he never responds to my e-mail messages or my “friend request” on Facebook.
We Americans suffer from serious A.D.D. When we want to communicate with someone, we call them on their phone…home phone, mobile phone and office phone. If they don’t answer, we leave a detailed and often long message explaining why we are trying to reach them. Then we send a text message. If we don’t hear back within two minutes, we send an e-mail AND check their Facebook status for clues to their whereabouts. This could not be further from how things are done in Africa. If the person you are trying to reach doesn’t answer their mobile phone, you are basically out of luck because…

1. No one has voice mail on their mobile phone

2. No one has voice mail in their office… not even at the house of Parliament.

3. Emails are rarely responded to IF received at all

For a high-strung, intense American like me this has been an interesting adjustment and a good lesson. Reminds me of the importance of patience and flexibility. In all honesty, it’s been a refreshing change of pace.

They call me "Mzungu"

I can remember the first time I was called “Mzungu”. It was during my first visit to Uganda in August of 2008. I was staying in Kabalagala, a small town just on the outskirts of Kampala. I would often walk the streets to visit the local market, internet café, restaurants or the offices of Great Lakes Safaris and would see the same friendly faces. While shopping in the market, I caught the eye of one local resident. His eyes wide with surprise and a smile stretching from ear to ear he says, “Mzungu, You are welcome!” Within days, everyone was calling me “Mzungu”. After my 3rd week in Uganda, a local actually said to me, “Mzungu, you are Ugandan now!” I was touched believing I had been given a special nick-name chosen just for me. What does it mean, you ask? “White person”. Its how many Ugandans address us, well… white people. It is not said in a derogatory manner, but with warmth and affection.

Uganda has the reputation of being the “friendliest country in Africa”. I would have to say I agree. During my stroll around town today I was greeted with smiles and “hellos” from everyone I passed. It truly is a “happy place”.

As Sunday comes to an end, I am looking forward to seeing my friends and business associates tomorrow.

Has it really been over a year?!

It’s hard to believe it has been over a year since I returned from Africa. As 2008 ended, so did “Kelly’s African Journey”… or so I thought. As best I could, I kept everyone up to date during my journey. What a journey… an adventure of a lifetime. Think about it, I touched and walked along side lion cubs in Zimbabwe, fed a herd of rescued elephants by hand, stood within 30 feet of white rhinos in the wild, felt the mist of Victoria Falls…one of the seven natural wonders of the world, tackled class five white water rafting on both the Zambezi and the Nile, went trekking with the rare and endangered mountain gorillas of Uganda and was even charged by a Silverback, hiked through the beautiful rainforests of Kibale National Park (which has the largest population of chimps and primates in the world), traveled alone on a public bus on the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo, camped in the Serengeti, hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro, spent time with the Massai tribe, drove through the Ngorogor Crater in an open roof Land Rover, had a near plane crash (both engines were out at one point and we were instructed to put on our life jackets as we were hovering above Lake Victoria), lived out on Zanzibar Island for over a month where I participated in an International Coral Reef Clean-up program, went scuba diving with spinning dolphins and whales, rescued a dog from being stoned, drove along the coast of South Africa where you could see whales swimming in the ocean from your car window and visited a penguin colony, hiked the top of Table Mountain in Cape town and volunteered at iKaya Likababa, a home for abandoned babies and orphans in Kwazulu National South Africa.

Before leaving for this journey I was approached by many friends and family with concern over how I would adapt to living in Africa. Let’s face it, I was a fairly high maintenance and slightly spoiled American woman… use to designer shoes, business suites, air conditioning and frequent trips to the spa. I was giving it all up to follow my passion… to follow my heart. Did I adapt… very well, thank you very much. What I didn’t realize is my biggest challenge would be adjusting to life back in America.

I sort of abandoned my blog once leaving Africa. A final post to “Kelly’s African Journey” would have meant that my journey had ended. This was something I could not accept. During my time in Africa I was constantly receiving signs that this was exactly where I was supposed to be at this point in my life. I came across many opportunities and knew that somehow I would be coming back….. and now the time has come!

I am sitting in the lounge at Dulles International waiting to board a flight back to Uganda. I have been working in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry, Uganda Wildlife Authority, Uganda Tourism Association and tour operators to build their tourism brand and increase visitors to the National Parks. Tourism is one of the top revenue sources and provides many jobs for Ugandans and supports many conservation efforts such as protection of the endangered mountain gorillas. It has been an amazing ride… New York, D.C., L.A. London and now back to Uganda.

I plan to spend about three weeks in Uganda, and then I will head down to Durban, South Africa for Indaba… Africa’s largest travel trade show. I’ve also managed to squeeze in a one week visit with my friends from iKaya Likababa. I really want to visit my friends (and the lions!) from Antelope Park, the African Lion Environmental Research Trust and Zanzibar, but my schedule is just too tight. But that’s o-kay… I have a feeling I’ll be coming back again!