Ya???? Nooooo....
Trip Start
Feb 08, 2010
1
33
35
Trip End
Feb 24, 2012
Kitetika, Kampala District, Uganda
Friday, April 29, 2011
How’s Uganda?
How’s Africa?
"Dude, this is pretty messed up right now."
Let’s see. After the fairly calm elections, I thought, well, you know what? Since nothing exciting happened during elections, I suppose we are in the clear for the rest of my service.
Ya???
No, Grace, you are sooooo wrong.
Since the prices have risen (food, transport, fuel) people, like the election LOSER Besigye, decided to protest peacefully with a 'Walk to Work’. It really was a great idea until they made a law for no protests/demonstrations… Not the best idea. Sooooo, Besigye walked to work (on Gayaza Road, my road) and people joined him, but since it was against the law, he got arrested and the crowd was dispersed with tear gas and bullets. Not the best reaction taken by police mainly because it just fueled the energy and gave Besigye more air time. Sooo, two days later they did it again, Besigye got arrested after being shot in the hand with a rubber bullet, people were angry and dispersed with tear gas and bullets again. Then 2 days they did it AGAIN!!! Same reaction. You know (sigh) you think they would learn that their original reaction hasn’t worked and the same pattern has been going on for the past 3 weeks… Noooo. Then Besigye was put on trial for treason with a 10 million Ugandan Shilling bail, he paid it (chump change for him, I guess), got out and decided to walk AGAIN! but this time in his car… (kind of goes against the ‘Walk to Work’ theme, I think). This was yesterday and I was given permission to go into town yesterday (28th April).
That was an interesting experience… I got onto a taxi at 7:30 am, everything was calm, I was going to get to Peace Corps Headquarters early, and then the breaks of that taxi stopped working just before we got into Kalerwe. We all got off the taxi (I was only slightly annoyed at the time because I had another hour to get to PC HQ, which usually only takes me 30 minutes). I waited, gosh I don’t know 5 minutes, and got onto another taxi, which promptly left the main road because just 500 meters ahead of where the first taxi let us off was tear gas. We waited on a back road for 20 minutes, in the mean time I’m calling our security letting him know that there is tear gas and getting calls from the office to see if I’m alright and to let me know if I needed them to come pick me up that they would. I assured them I was fine. Then we are back on the main road, tear gas, the crowd and apparently Besigye passed, and we traveled the roundabout way because the way after the demonstrators was blocked. We finally got into town, I guess before the demonstrators because I got off the taxi, promptly found my next one and 5 minutes after we left Wandegeya/Mulago intersection shooting began. As we passed that area I thought it was interesting seeing all the people on the side of the road (including a bunch of white people) just waiting. The road we were travelling was clear whereas all the other ones were jammed packed with police cars and other cars. Finally safe and sound at HQ I was then told that shooting began and that it was foolish that I was granted permission, but it wasn’t my fault at all, so don’t think I’m that dumb (the last thing I want to do is get SHOT or GASSED, PLEASE!!!). Oh, and I got home later yesterday just fine.
Now today! Oh boy! rumors of Besigye’s death and the entire capital city goes berserk! Seriously, Uganda! Rocks, fires, road blocks, more tear gas (which I was told is expired), more shooting. GEEZ!! I might get moved from site or I might not. Whatever happens, I’ll be safe and I guess also INCREDIBLY lucky. Birds are flying in and out of my house, I just kicked my butt with some P90X, getting ready to eat some mangoes, and decided it’s about time I blog, just so everyone knows I’m ok.
I’m fine, I’m safe, I’m annoyed, and I’ve been watching the royal wedding on TV all day.
Comments
Well that sounds like a whole lot of fun. I've been following the news the past few weeks, watching what develops. Stay safe, sweetie!
Sounds like a day at the lab. Take of yourself.