Arrival in Uganda

Arrival: Sara, my classmate, and I arrived in Kampala on Sunday night half an hour early. Everything about our trip shattered my preconceived notions (or maybe just my experience) with travel to Africa. Our flights were on time, our baggage wasn't lost or damaged, a driver was there to pick us up, and customs consisted of us smiling and waving at the customs officers as we cruised through the exit door. The weather is humid, but pleasant, in the 60s-70s - my heavy fleece was quickly stowed in my backpack. After meeting the driver it became clear that they were also taking another group from Canada to Makerere University, where we are staying, so Sara and I were crammed into the front of one van with the driver, with all the luggage piled floor to ceiling in the back. The drive from the airport was about 40 minutes, but there was zero traffic at 9:30pm on a Sunday night. From what I've been told, and observed, since then, traffic in Kampala is awful. Our other classmate, Esi, arrived on Monday from where she had been working in Ghana (where she's from). So the three of us are staying together until some other residents from Yale arrive in February.

The Flat: The flat we're staying in is luxurious by Ugandan standards. There's a fully equipped kitchen, a living room with a TV and couches, a big dining room table, 3 bedrooms that sleep five people, one half-bath, and a full bathroom with a hot water heater! Last night we actually were able to watch the Obama inauguration, along with the rest of the Ugandan populace. His face was all over Ugandan newspapers and it was literally on every television channel. Even the lady who cleans the flat, Agnes, who speaks very little English, is enamoured with him. I think many people in Africa thought that the US would never elect a black president, much less one with East African ancestry. So it gives them hope, too.

Despite the luxury, however, lest you think we're being totally spoiled, the signs we're living in Africa are still here. The first night while we were boiling water and putting up our mosquito nets, I was inspecting a large water jug with 3 inches of water in the bottom to see if it was drinkable. I decided to try it and see, noticing that there was a slight tear in the lid that created a crack. Through the opening I noticed something at the bottom...peering closer I realized the entire bottom of the the jug was covered with hundreds of little tiny white eggs. Needless to say, I didn't drink it. In addition, we have many many ants who co-habitate in our kitchen. Over the past two days the electricity has gone out three times - once during the middle of preparing dinner.

The Food: Thus far, the Ugandan fare I've tried includes bean stew, baked and fried fish from Lake Victoria, peas, and matooke, which is basically liked mashed potatoes, only made from plantains. It's all pretty bland, not spicy like West African food, but filling. A plate of the above costs about $1.50 for lunch at the hospital canteen. We found a great hidden market in our neighborhood on the way home that are like the real African markets I know, not poorly stocked supermarkets with the same 20 products, but crowded stalls where women sit peeling their wares next to heaping piles of plantains, pineapple, papaya, passion fruit, mangoes, avocadoes, onions, tomatoes, yams – I now know where we should be buying food. This is Africa’s bounty. Esi is wicked good at bargaining, tilting her head disapprovingly at the price stated by the vendor, clicking her tongue and saying, 'Come on, my brother! Are you serious?' We found out the day after we went that we, in fact, paid fair prices for our goods, not the mzungu (white person) prices.

The People: The administrators and physicians overseeing our rotation have been more organized and on top of things than the people at Yale are. We had our first day in the hospital today on the pulmonology ward, seeing mostly tuberculosis patients, but my internet cafe time is running out, so I'll write more tomorrow about it. Overall, the rotation is going to be great. I'm signed up to rotate in pulmonology, infectious disease, STD/dermatology outpatient clinic, pediatrics and hematology during my time at Mulago Hospital.
Esi, Sara and I set up schedule for studying tropical medicine, with different topics we want to learn about each week that we'll read about together – type A Yale medical students at their best (okay, fine, nerds). We'll be learning because we can, because we want to – because these diseases are not just words in a textbook, but they have faces now. We will see them every day when we enter the hospital.

More to come...