First Trip- April 7th 2015

As our plane descends I am enchanted by the beauty. Lake Victoria even from the sky seems as big as ocean as I see no end. The sunlight sparkles across the gray blue water and highlights the many islands. Birds in mid-flight remind me of the endless animal life that must inhabitant these waters. The pilot lands the plane down easily and my heart flutters in excited anticipation as I think of the adventure that awaits us.

As we file out of the plane into the airport I see the local people busy at work yet in no rush. Easy come easy go, their skin black as night glows in the brightness of the sun. After trekking through the monotonous procedures of airport customs we emerge from the airport and are greeted by a tall thin man with a big smile holding a Watchtower magazine. By this we know; this is our brother, although we didn't need the magazine to identify him. Funny how you can just tell. Never have we met yet there is the instant trust and friendship we experience from our brotherhood.  We load into his van and off we buzz through the busy roads into the capital city Kampala.

People are everywhere. Small children play on makeshift playgrounds in the multitudes of school yards we pass by. Men and women cross the roads seemingly unaffected by the hectic commotion. Motor bike's weave and whizz through the traffic quickly and fearlessly. There are marked traffic lines, yet I don't see why since no one seems to obey them. Goats, cows and chickens graze the side of the road unrestrained. We cruise across the bumpy roads passing these wonders then embark into the busy city of Kampala.

Finally we arrive to our living quarters for the next few days. We climb the stairs with luggage in tote to a third floor apartment and are greeted at the door by more spiritual family. They invite us in to their basic yet cozy home and show us to our room. A mosquito net drapes the bed. I always wanted a canopy bed. It's almost romantic. I peer out the window into the booming neighborhood.  Rolling hills with staggered tin roofed clay colored homes set the backdrop. Red dust is kicked and flicked into the air with smoky grassy smells. People going about their simple yet complex daily lives. Women dressed in skirts and dresses washing clothes in small buckets and hanging them to dry on the lines.  More children and babies having their daily imaginative adventures. Men working while conversing in groups. The numerous noises are amplified by the tile floors in the room. Shouting talking, laughing, babies crying,  goats bleating birds squawking, horns honking, music singing and more noises my ears playfully distinguish. This is daily life here. This is Uganda.