Journey to Kitgum

 We headed to Kampala in the evening to catch the 10 p.m. bus to Kitgum. I wish I could use words to describe Kampala, but I am afraid I just don’t do it justice. It is crazy and if you blink, about 100 people will pass you by. There is every mode of transportation you can imagine in the street, with street vendors setting up on the ground along the street. There is wall-to-wall people and transportation. The journey to Kitgum is long, but costs only $10. It is 433 KM (269 miles) from Kampala to Kitgum, but it took us 9 hours to reach the town. I love the journey on the bus, especially when I get to sit in the front seat and can see everything. My friend Patrick came down to get me and escort me back, which means he made this journey TWO times back-to-back, just for me. That is dedication and love. Patrick is one of my former students from UCU. He is a teacher at a school up here and has a daughter about a year old. I saw her last year when she was just born. I am sure she is huge now. The journey is not easy, but at least it is cooler at night. I like riding overnight because there is less traffic and the temperatures are cooler. There is no air conditioning on the bus, so of course, we have to rely on the natural breeze. There is also no bathroom, which makes for an interesting 9 hours. We did stop about three hours in to a rest area that has latrines and a food shop. I hate latrines, but I have gotten pretty good at using them. Then, about four more hours in, the bus driver pulled over to the side and said we could ease ourselves, if needed. That is because the journey took longer than we expected because it had rained heavily and the roads were quite treacherous. The bus was slipping and sliding and at one point, I really thought we were going to get stuck, but the bus driver backed up and got through it. What makes the journey worse is that they are doing construction from Gulu to Kitgum (like 100 km, 62 miles), so it is incredibly muddy with dirt roads. It took us three hours for that part and it was super slow going. Otherwise, from Kampala to Gulu it is paved and easy going. I am glad they are trying to pave things up this way, but it is a pain right now.

My favorite part of the whole trip was when Patrick surprised me with a bottle of sherry when he got back on the bus. I had never had Ugandan sherry and I liked it, maybe too much. I guess it just took the edge off for us. One of my best friends always says everything is better with alcohol and I think I might agree.

My hotel here is simple, but nice. It is about $15 a night and it is a great value. It seems like a lot when you change it to Ugandan shillings (50,000), but it is a bargain for American standards. There is even a fan, mosquito net, and hot water! I love it. The chef is also really nice and will do any special requests, which is awesome.

Mukono, Uganda

It has been difficult to find wifi where I have been staying. The data that you buy is expensive and just works on my phone. I can post the blog from my phone, but it takes a lot of data, so I moved out to a nicer hotel to find wifi. Still, the wifi is slow, so I have selected only a few pics to post and I will post all when I get home. I like to write my blog offline and then I can just cut and paste and add pics. That is the key to saving your data. Hopefully, wifi will be much easier in Turkey.

I got up early on Friday morning (7/15) and made it to my flight on time. You never know how things are going to go on your way back to the airport, but in this case, the hotel was calling me and telling me the taxi was ready to take me. They were so incredible with all of the details. I arrived at the airport in plenty of time and made it to the gate. The gate was a little confusing and then my flight was delayed, so I decided to get some breakfast.

There were many good notification boards to near where I was sitting, so I saw when my flight was boarding. I made my way back to the gate and when I gave the agent my ticket to take the bus to my plane, he wrote something on it and said you have been upgraded to Business Class. I was super excited, but angry too that I had already eaten breakfast and now I was going to get on a flight with wonderful food and service. I found my seat, which was incredibly large with a huge blanket, pillow, toiletry bag, and reclining seat. The flight attendant immediately greeted me and offered different types of juices. I had lemon mint juice and it was divine. Then, she came around and offered and appetizer and full breakfast with a latte. I was so impressed. I ate my breakfast and then relaxed with a movie while under my thick blanket watching my personal tv screen. This flight was only five and half hours and I really wish it was the longer fourteen-hour flight, but I will take it! I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by Etihad Airlines.

When I arrived at the airport, Jenny and Sam were running late, so I collected my luggage and waited a few hours until they arrived. I guess a white girl waiting at the airport in Entebbe is quite a site and even some people took a picture with me. I always feel like a spectacle when I am here, which is why I often just stay in and relax with friends. When Jenny and Sam came, I met their little boy Jesse, who I last “saw” in Jenny’s tummy. He is super cute and it was so much fun to spend the week with him.

When I woke up on Saturday, Jenny surprised me with a rolex. A rolex is basically an omlet rolled into a chapatti. I enjoy them and Jenny knew that so she took special care to go get one for me. The hospitality here is crazy. Your friends will do anything for you, especially if you are a visitor.

Pic of rolex

This week, I stayed in and just relaxed at Jenny’s house. I struggled this week to get my sleep back on track. It always takes me about a week to get adjusted to the eight-hour time difference. I spent most of the nights starring at the ceiling or playing Candy Crush only to fall asleep about 6 a.m. and waking up at 10 or 11. I tried to force my body into sleep mode with drugs, but it just didn’t work this time. Oh well, hopefully it will get better next week.

On Sunday, I had a chance to travel with Jenny and Sam to watch a basketball game that Sam was playing in Kampala. I love going to watch basketball because it is such an event. People really enjoy it here and I like cheering on the local teams. In this case, Sam’s team lost, but it was fun to watch all the same.

I had the opportunity to catch up with some friends from UCU this week. It was nice to see Evangeline, Solomon, and Daniel. Each of them have so many things going on in their lives and it is good just to see them and be together even for a short time. Initially my SIM card was not working because the phone company had changed names, but I stopped by the store and got it working. I went shopping with Sam while Jenny was working. I carried Jesse for a while and people starred. In fact, Same heard someone say “Look at that man. He had a baby with a muzungu (white woman). I laughed. We also made burgers and fried potatoes on Thursday night. Ugandans are so fascinated by the way we prepare food, so I had a chance to show Jenny and Sam how to make burgers. They have been so hospitable and cooking for me each day and doing my laundry, so it was nice to cook for them.

Laundry is an interesting thing here. Very few people have washing machines here, so laundry is almost always done by hand. Jenny insisted on doing my laundry, so I watched her helplessly while she did all of it. Jesse tried to help, but I think he played in the water more than helping

Laundry is hard work here and I was so spoiled!

Seeing this baby "peeping"?

Jesse is learning early and preparing to be a good partner!

Tomorrow I will head up to Kitgum (near the border with South Sudan).

7/13-7/14 Abu Dhabi

Today I woke up at 2:15 a.m. in order to make it on time for my flight. Security was a breeze and then I got in line in the A gates area. This is the area I always use for all of international flights. Then, when I got to the front and gave TSA my boarding pass, he politely reminded me that I was at the wrong gate. I forgot I was flying domestically. I had a 5 a.m. flight to Chicago and then I was planning to go to the Hilton and use their gym while I waited for my 1 p.m. flight. I have learned in my life that plans almost never go according to plan. Silly me. Once I picked up my bags and reached the international terminal, I quickly realized that these stupid counters are not going to open for a while. I thought, at the latest, I could get to the gym by 7 a.m. and have five hours to swim, play, and relax. Instead, I spent that time waiting for the counter to open and then waiting in a HUGE line that went nearly down half of the terminal. Then, my priorities were bathroom and water. As I was reaching into my bag when I was in the restroom, I sliced my thumb on a piece of metal I use to hold my cross-stitch pattern. It bled and bed and bled. I kept wrapping it with tissue and it kept bleeding through. So asked about five different people for a bandage and no one had one. Finally, I went through TSA and they gave me some. So, I bandaged up my finger as best as I could. When I got through security, I realized that I had bled through the bandage, so I re-bandaged it and found some much needed coffee. Then, I relaxed on the floor outside the gate because there were thousands of people standing around.

a sad site for a coffee fiend

empty terminals at 6 a.m.

Even though the wait was long, the flight was so worth it. I had a seat all to myself, so of course, I ate, drank, took some sleeping pills and slept like a baby. This is the first time I had taken Etihad and they were absolutely wonderful. The food, snacks, and beverage service was excellent. They gave you a blanket, pillow, and sleeping kit (earplugs, eye mask, socks, and toothbrush/paste). It was super relaxing. The entertainment was impressive too. They had the latest movies and tv shows including live tv. They had beautiful music playing and the deplaning was seamless.

I worked my way through immigration and made it to the taxi area. Immigration here is simple and fast. No questions, just stamp your passport and you are on your way. When I reached the taxi area, someone was waiting for me with a sign. I always wanted to see someone waiting for me with a sign, so it was really cool. I exchanged money and we headed to the hotel. Before setting off, the taxi guy took my bags, gave me a bottle of water, newspaper, and the wifi code while in the taxi!! I was able to check email and text friends all on my ride to the hotel. Talk about luxury! When we reached the hotel, I was so impressed with the grand scale of everything. It just looked so prestigious. One of the employees brought me to my room and showed me around. The room is stunning. Probably the hardest thing to get used to is the controls for the room. They are all on a touch pad.

This is the same picture, just one I took in the day and the other one at night. The next picture shows you the local, traditional dress. This is from the lobby of my hotel.

controls for the room

After I got settled, I fell asleep waiting for my friend Joseph. Joseph graduated from the university I worked at in Uganda and we worked on ROHP together. He is working here. I am so, so, so thankful for friends around the world. I feel safe traveling just about anywhere as long as someone is there to greet me. 

We met, walked around the hotel, took pictures, and went out for dinner. The food was really good. There are a lot of Indians here, so we had a restaurant recommended to us from the hotel. It was absolutely divine and reasonably priced. The restaurant was very formal and they were very much about perfect service. It is crazy to see people falling all over you. 

After dinner, we walked around the mall a bit and then Joseph caught up on email while I went to the spa. I had book an appointment earlier in the day for 8:30-10:00. They had a special running for three treatments (30 min each one) for a low price. I felt the price was reasonable and I really wanted to try the services here. I was blown away. They have a really tranquil pool and hot tub area and it was all mine. No one else was around. Then, they provided robes, slippers, and disposable underwear...that was interesting. I had a body scrub, a massage, and a facial. I seriously feel like a new woman. 

Well, I guess that is all for now. I posted all of the pics on FB, so didn't want to repeat them here. I leave tomorrow morning for Uganda, so I will try to post when I can. 

VISA Shenanigans...Chicago

Nothing gets me more excited than getting a new visa in my passport! This one is especially exciting because it is a work visa! I first applied for my work visa back in April after I received a contract with the university and made this big decision to go find myself in another country. The university told me it would take anywhere from 4-7 weeks to get approval from the Higher Education Council after I sent in all of my information. So, I waited and waited. Patience is not my virtue and I HATE waiting - for anything.

While I was waiting, I decided to call the consulate to ask what I needed to apply for my work visa. I chose the English option, which was clearly not the English option and then kept getting disconnected because I couldn't understand the menu. Finally, after pushing one of the numbers, I got a person who spoke English and told me that I need to contact the consulate by email. They would most likely respond. So, with apprehension, I emailed them and received a response back within a few days. I needed the following for my work visa:

1)      Visa Form (you will be able to download once you apply online)

2)      2 passport size photos

3)      Actual Passport

4)      A copy of your Criminal Record

5)      Letter from the university in Turkey and  giving details about your position, hiring date 

       and duration of stay etc. Please also include a copy of your agreement.

6)      Higher Education Council (YÖK) approval

7)      $430  in Money order payable to the Turkish Consulate General ($190 work permit fee + 

      $80 residence permit fee + $160 visa fee)

8)      A copy of your ID/Driver’s License 

I did not like all of the fees, but I knew it was going to be expensive. The university reimburses me on all of the expenses, if I bring all of the receipts.

Last week, I received all of the documents I needed to go and apply for my visa. There are five or six Turkish Consulates around the U.S., but the closest one to me is in Chicago. So, I completed all of the paperwork online and got an appointment. Then, I began the wonderful task of getting all of the things I need. I went to Police Records in Clayton and got my criminal record. That cost $4.50 and took about 10 minutes. However, when I got home, I realized that the criminal check only included St. Louis County and I have lived in the city for years. So, I decided to go back and get a copy for the city. I went down to the Police Records on Olive and after going through security, I filed out a form and received my report. In big large letters, it says NO RECORD FOUND - which is good. I guess that means I am a model citizen...or I just haven't been caught!

On Friday, I met my friend Steve at the car rental place and we started our journey to Chicago. It took us about five ours and we saw many cool windmills on the way up. The drive is not too exciting, but it went quick.

We checked in to the Embassy Suites Downtown on Michigan. The hotel is really beautiful. My friend had loyalty points, so I didn't have to pay anything except for parking. I guess it pays to have friends who travel! This hotel is really beautiful, but I think I am easy to please. I like that the room is more like a small apartment with a separate seating area, bathroom, two sinks and a large bedroom. There were two large, flatscreen tvs too. It was impressive. My favorite part of this hotel was the manager's reception where they have free drinks and snacks. I promptly ordered a martini and Steve got a white wine. The snacks were decent too. They had pita bread with hummus, feta dip with cucumbers, a chip mix, couscous, and tabbouleh.

We walked about five minutes from the hotel to the NBC Tower building and was greeted by several security personnel in the lobby. We were not allowed to stand around, so we decided to sit in a little coffee shop until right before it was time for the appointment. At 8:55 a.m., we took the elevator up to floor 29 and found the consulate. Someone else was going in the office, so they asked us if we had an appointment and then held the door for us. Immediately in front of us was a metal detector that we needed to put our things through and then walked through another one. After successfully navigating that, we were allowed into this beautiful waiting area with red seats. We waited about 15 minutes and then we were told to go straight back to the office. The lady who was waiting on me asked what I needed and I told her I wanted a work visa. She asked where I was going to work and I told her Bilkent. Then, she asked for my documents, photos, passport, and pictures. We were told to come back in the afternoon to pick up my passport and receipts.

After leaving the consulate we went back to the hotel to check out and then headed to Little Puerto Rico. We drove around some of the neighborhoods and looked at the sites. We stopped and got a few things at CVS. I enjoyed listening to the music of Pitbull while exploring a nice selection of Bimbo products.

Then, we headed back into the city to find a place to park and explore the various routes to Chinatown. We decided to take a water taxi to Chinatown based on a recommendation from one of my co-workers. We took one water taxi and then had to transfer to another, but we arrived to Chinatown 25 minutes after seeing a really unique perspective of Chicago from the water. We walked through Chinatown and then decided to eat at one of the recommended restaurants, Cai. They serve dim sum and we were starving. The food was delicious. We ordered deep fried seaweed roll, sesame balls, BBQ pork buns, and red bean cake with coconut.

After lunch, we headed back to the consulate to get my visa. Since the water taxi didn’t operate again until 6, we had to take the train back. On our way to the train, we bumped into a Chinese lady who struck up a conversation about how she had just had lunch with her friends she hadn’t seen in five years. It was really sweet. Then, we entered the train station, but there was no place to buy tickets so a really scary, but super nice old guy with a cigar told us where to go buy tickets about a block away. As we walked into the station, we were greeted by an inebriated man with his pants falling down. He was originally in the elevator, but the staff shooed him away and he greeted us on our way in. Welcome to Chinatown! As we boarded the train, some lady tried to get on the train and the doors almost crushed her. They released when they felt her pushing on them. She was brave to do that, but she got on the train safely. I actually really enjoyed taking all of the various forms of transportation and was surprised by all of the helpful people. Everything was clearly marked and it was easy to follow. 

We walked about a mile back to the consulate and then went through the same security procedures. About 10 minutes later, we were told to go back to the office and the lady gave me my passport with a beautiful new work visa (don't worry - I removed all of the identifying info)! She handed me the receipts and told me good luck. I was so excited. I guess it is official. I am going to Turkey. Now, I wait for my flight information, sell most of my things, and pack my keepsakes to take to mom and dad.