No time for detailed updates, no laptop for image uploads, and no clean clothes for maintaining desired hygienic standards...
What was supposed to be a two-day weekend in Kampala has turned into a full workweek. I came totally unprepared. Tomorrow, I lead a module on participatory development techniques for students at Makerere University, one of the premier colleges in East Africa. They will be providing technical, marketing and business support to the JOBS pilot I will be overseeing during the next two months. Among other things, today I raced to adapt a brief introduction to Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA).
I am completely wiped out. I had hoped my first weekend without work in months would be relaxing. I decided to stay at the recommended ‘Backpackers Hostel” last Friday. It was nothing short of torture. I was given a spot right next to the front door in an 18 bed dorm. The other 17 beds were made up of very young British University students. Between the banging of the front door every five minutes, the constant noisy drunken talk, phone calls, and the early morning construction outside, I got no sleep.
Early the next morning, I moved to a four person dorm. This wasn’t any better. It was open aired, but directly above an area that served as an outdoor patio and general meeting spot. A large group of people decided to hold a jam session, with guitars, drums and constant screeching, until a little after 4am. My dorm quickly became an ashtray with all the rising cigarette smoke. Someone went down to complain. He was beaten up.
When they finally went to bed, another large group of people began meeting for some adventure tourism trip. My dorm was so close that I had no problem following at least seven conversations simultaneously. I might have been able to deal with all this, but I was also attempting to use a mosquito net with holes so big that I could literally crawl through them. I eventually just gave up, covered my face, and let them bite me until the morning constuction started below.
At this point, I was so tired that I couldn’t hold any food down for two straight days. I was nauseous and running a fever… I immediately got out of “Backpackers Hostel”, found a new hotel and during a full work week am still trying to recover.
Thank you, British Academy
5 weeks ago
3 comments:
yikes man, hope you're feeling better soon. have you tried the YMCA? It's within walking distance from garden city and was empty when I stayed there last summer.
i used to avoid places that were frequented by large groups of tourists, 'development vacationers', and the like... i am now back on that track, and will be staying at local motels and guest houses from here on out (which also tend to be cheaper than the foreigner targeted hostels)
SO the people having the jam session beat someone up for asking them to keep it down? What the heck???
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