Welcome to Kampala

It's nearly 4 pm on a gorgeous, sunny day in Kampala. I have spent the past several hours sitting on the porch of my lovely house in the Nakulabye neighborhood, sipping coffee, eating mango, and chatting with Nelly, one of my housemates who will be interning at the Refugee Law Project this summer.

The porch of my summer home, where I will be spending much of my time.

The view of Kampala from my porch.

I arrived at the Entebbe airport in Uganda on Saturday afternoon.

Touching down in Uganda.

Saturday was a whirlwind of a day - getting to the apartment, unpacking, watching the Champions League final at an outdoor bar with my housemate Ssozi and his brother Richard, then heading to a couple of other bars to sample the Kampala nightlife (which, from my brief encounter so far seems much more lively than the Boston scene).

Yesterday Nelly and I ventured out to run some errands. After a short matatu ride and a bit of a walk we made it to Garden City, a shopping center where we equipped ourselves with maps of the city, cell phones, and mobile internet devices. Our journey home led us to both the New and Old Taxi Parks of Kampala, which were nothing like anything I have ever seen. A cross between Tetris and a Rubik’s cube, but with hundreds of taxis in place of pieces, the parks would have been quite impossible to navigate had it not been for the incredible helpfulness of people we stopped to ask for directions every ten yards or so. My short three days here have already overwhelmingly confirmed the glowing reviews I’ve read of Kampala, and I am eager to continue exploring the city.

Last night I had dinner with Hadijah and Rhona who both work with the Women of Kireka. It was great to finally put faces to names. We spent several hours getting to know one another and exchanging ideas about our work together this summer. Thursday I will visit Women of Kireka for the first time. Cannot wait.