Uganda

After spending three of the first four weeks post vacation in Somalia, I then needed to fly to Uganda to attend some meetings. I was not excited about spending more time away from family, but duty called.

I had been to Uganda a couple of times before, but it has been several years. One of the trips involved extensive travel within the country to visit projects, in particular, a trip all the way to the north of the country just south of the South Sudan border. Though there were some project visits on offer this time, I opted out. I wanted to be gone as little as possible. Moreover, I think that if I were at a different point in my career (earlier in my career as I was the last time), it would be of more interest. These visits are also good for people coming from HQ who lack exposure to the work on the ground. 

The hotel where our meetings were being held was situated on the shores of the massive Lake Victoria. It’s such a beautiful area and it was good to be back. The climate feels someone where between serious tropical (like Dar es Salaam on the coast) and tropical light (like Nairobi). I guess it's similar to when we were in Burundi years ago. 

The hotel is one of the largest in the country (if not the largest) and one of the largest in East Africa. It sits on 90 acres, having been transformed from a marshy fishing village in the 1990s into a sprawling and well-manicured resort.

As we entered the huge compound, there were several wedding parties, people taking selfies and dozens and dozens of people enjoying the Sunday afternoon on the lake. I checked in while I was on a call with my family so I was a bit distracted as the receptionist explained all the amenities. 

* * *

The first couple of days were spent in meetings followed by work well into the evening. Several of my direct reports have been on leave and it has been pushing a lot more work in my direction. I realize that many, if not most, people take advantage of trips like this to go out and have a good time. I did that more in the early years of this career, but now it interests me less. I do, however, enjoy catching up with all the people that I've known for many, many years. We don't see each other as often as we used to.

On the third day, the Uganda team had organized a buffet dinner with local music and dancers. It was a beautiful setting: a warm tropical evening near the pool surrounded by royal palm trees.

I didn’t get to enjoy it for very long. A half-hour into the evening, my deputy director pulled me away to participate in a meeting with a Somali government official who happened to be in Kampala at the time. It was a good and fruitful discussion, but I feel like it could have happened at another time. I’ve learned that Somalis are a bit fluid with these sorts of engagements. Calls during dinner. Weekends. Etc. The only boundaries seem to be those connected to religion. You don’t mess with prayer times and religious holidays.

Eventually, we wrapped up and made our way back to the dinner. Everyone had eaten by then but the buffet was still serving. In addition to the music, the dancers were well into their show. I arrived just in time to see a couple of misogynistic dances followed by a guy breathing fire. Uganda’s got talent.

Fire breathing is a career that likely draws the eccentric type. The guy looked a bit crazed as he did about everything you can imagine with flame, including sticking it in his shorts. Towards the end of his overly long performance, he had the shine and smell of a man thoroughly soaked with fuel. I even scanned for options in case he inadvertently went up in flames. I figured the tablecloth would be my best bet.

* * *

On day four, we spent the morning in meetings and then, in the afternoon, went to a wildlife sanctuary near Entebbe as sort of a team building activity. I generally anticipate team building activities as I do other forms of torture. This, however, was enjoyable than I anticipated. I should confess, I’m not a big fan of institutionalized animals, but these were mostly animals that have been rescued in some way or another. So it was either incarceration here or not survive. Sadly, most of these animals could never be reintroduced into the wild after life in a sanctuary.

A sitatunga playing hide and seek

It's not all bad. They have no predators, get plenty to eat and have regular healthcare. That alone puts them in a better position than many Americans.

No, white tigers are not African. But they're stunning.

De Brazza's monkey

Prior to the sanctuary, we had a lunch meeting at a restaurant overlooking Lake Victoria. Very nice setting if you need to have a meeting. I had grilled whole tilapia and it was amazing. I became a fan of grilled whole fish when we lived in Dar es Salaam. One of the nice things about living on the coast.

* * *

On day five, it was time to head back to Nairobi. I’m so tired of traveling and being away from home. Oddly, no one heading back to Nairobi was on my flight, so I had some time to be alone at the gate and get some work done. The flight is only about an hour and a half (similar to my flights to Mogadishu), and as we were getting ready to land, I all of the sudden noticed that my tablet wasn’t in my bag. I had been charging it at a charging station near the departure gate and, though I packed the cable, I somehow neglected to put the tablet in my bag. My heart sank. I knew immediately that the chance of ever seeing it again was almost zero.

After arriving and working my way through immigration, I went to the lost luggage desk (where I’ve been many times). I wasn’t sure if they were the ones that might help in this situation, but I gave it a shot. I fortunately stumbled upon a no-nonsense woman that went immediately to work to see if the device could be located. After a lot of back and forth over an hour and a half, she told me that she thinks that her counterparts in Entebbe may have located it. I began to get hopeful.

She then told me to go home and that she would be in touch. That evening she notified me that it had made its way to Nairobi on a subsequent flight and I could pick it up the next day. Though I would end up spending a half day at the airport the next morning trying to retrieve it, in the end, I did. Nothing short of a miracle.

Now a week in Nairobi before, alas, returning to Mogadishu.

 

“Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm but the harm does not interest them.”

-T.S. Eliot, poet (26 Sep 1888-1965)