Our Volunteer Effort

Yesterday, a few from our new team had to return to the airport because none of their checked baggage made it here. They arrived Monday and yesterday was Friday so it was a good thing they were prepared by having extra clothes in their carry on bags! After they returned, we had to load up our van and head towards Bessania Orphange (former Archbishop Livingstone’s place) to build the Martin Nkyoyo Library. It began pouring rain as soon as we arrived but by the time we ate lunch, it had ended. We finished the library and began our journey to Mbale.

Mbale is quite a drive from Kampala but when we found out the bridge in Jinja (the only route connecting Mbale to Kampala) was being worked on, we knew we were in need of some patience. We waited for our turn to pass on the bridge and Trudy passed out extra bracelets and candy to kids around us. We had one very close call while we were passing another vehicle and it’s no exaggeration when I say that we got out of an oncoming van’s way literally seconds before we would have impacted. I felt my heart jump at that moment and felt relieved that we were okay and missed what would have been a terrible accident. We finally arrived at Kayira Complex in Mbale at 9:10pm. By then, I was happy just to eat some dinner, shower, and hit the sack.

Here’s a bit of information about getting around in Uganda

Potholes
I first arrived in Uganda in Entebbe, which is where the airport is. You drive about 1 hour to get to Kampala and then another 5 hours to get to Mbale. One reason it takes so long to get places is the poor condition of the roads here in Uganda. Sure, we have some potholes in Austin but it is simply NOTHING compared to those in Uganda. I’ve seen potholes that I could crawl into!

Traffic Laws
There are some speed limit signs and perhaps half of the roads here have a dividing line. However, these seem like mere suggestions to drivers because 9 times out of 10, traffic is total chaos. Traffic runs smoothly when traveling on a straight road; but if there are intersections, it is a different story. Basic driver courtesies are pretty much non-existent here.

Pedestrians never have the right of way (which coming from Austin-where people step out in the middle of almost anything-this has required a bit of an adjustment on my part). There are few dividing lines on the streets; therefore, there are no “lanes” that vehicles regularly stay in. Oh no, if you’re trying to get around previously mentioned potholes, you simply swerve however much you need. If you need to turn left, you simply whip your car to the left and others around you brake and swerve out of your way as necessary. I can’t believe I have only seen one traffic accident here and I also can’t believe drivers aren’t yelling at each other or calling names. If Austin streets were like this, we’d have a serious problem because we already have road-rage and we have fantastic streets & laws compared to these.

Matatus
A matatu is a taxi-bus (think minivan) with usually 4 rows of seats and typically a bunch of people in them. You pay a flat rate, much like our city bus system, and you call out when you want to stop and get out. This is a commonly used form of transportation here in Uganda.

Boda-Bodas
In Uganda, most people do not own cars. They get around by walking, riding a bike, taking a matatu (a taxi-bus), or taking a boda-boda. A boda-boda is a motorcycle taxi or a bicycle taxi and there are so many here that they definitely outnumber cars and matatus. If you ride a bicycle boda-boda, they have a cushioned seat on the back where you sit sideways to ride.

I have only taken the motorcycle boda-bodas and each time I had fun and felt safe. I did preface the ride with a request to “be careful” and explained, “I’m not in any rush!” Motorcycle boda-bodas are a quick (and potentially dangerous) way to get around in Kampala and Mbale. Most drivers and passengers do not wear helmets. Although they have introduced a law for helmets, the government is giving people time to adjust to that law, meaning: the law is not enforced. I think you have to be a daredevil to drive a boda-boda because they swerve and squeeze between matatus and other boda-bodas so much that it’s scary to watch at times.

Every ride in a matatu or a boda-boda is an experience, albeit sometimes a frightening one! Picture everything I’ve explained so far and add the fact that roads have 2 directions of traffic (I would call them lanes but again, those simply do not exist here!). Essentially, every time our driver takes us somewhere, there are at least 3 times where it feels like we’re playing a game of “Chicken” on the road. Who’s going to yield to the other this time? Are we going to move out of the way or are we holding our ground? It’s too stressful to watch. I have found it best to sit in the back of our van and look down or sideways.

View from my window

Boda-boda loaded with newspapers (driver is hidden)