Hello, all my friends and family! As most of you know, I’m in Uganda for the summer doing a mentored research study abroad with the BYU Political Science Dept. I’m living in Kampala, the capital city—and if there is one word to describe Kampala, it is busy. The traffic is insane—there are packed taxis/minibuses, lots of cars, and dozens of boda bodas (motorcycle/dirtbike type taxis) zipping in and out of every “lane” (and I use that really loosely—even the side of the street you drive on is flexible). There are also people everywhere, with stalls and shops lining all the streets and hawkers filling in the rest. Everything is tinted red from the dirt, offset with lovely green trees.

After arriving Wednesday morning, I’ve had some crazy experiences, including:

-Riding in a crammed taxi all over town, and getting ripped off because we’re muzungu (white people)

-Nearly having our windshield broken by golf-ball sized hail during a sudden afternoon thunderstorm

-Buying groceries, including Arabic crackers, mango nectar, and whole chickens

-Sleeping with a bednet for the first time

-Calling Ugandan NGOs and trying to understand what they are saying and have them understand what I am saying--a difficult thing, let me tell you.

-Buying fruits and vegetables from a market, and getting ripped off, again, because I'm a muzungu. My bargaining skills will improve, I hope.

Ok, some less crazy than others. But everything seems pretty insane being here. Although, there are surprisingly normal aspects to life in Kampala—people are just people, living their lives. It’s definitely going to be a challenge here, but one I’m sure I will love.

Until later, mweraba!

(Goodbye in Luganda, the local language)

Also, here are some pictures of the house where I live: