A Parting Trip to Uganda

I am now very much at the end of my service in the Peace Corps. I now have about 5 weeks left in Kenya, and in the Peace Corps in general.

Over the past year, I have had the pleasure to get to know both Kenyans and other Peace Corps Volunteers alike, many of whom I'd now count as some of my closest friends. Thankfully, this time around I have the opportunity to close my service out right, unlike in Mali where evacuation necessitated a sudden and hectic exit.

Our group picture after suiting up to raft the Nile River this past Saturday, May 18th.

Over the next 5 weeks, I'll remain tethered to my site, transitioning out of my projects and spending some final meaningful moments with the people I have grown to love here in Budalang'i. But over the past month, I took some time away from site for a couple final outings with my PCV friends.

On May 6th, I left site to attend a two-day close-of-service conference in Naivasha followed by two-days of medical examinations in Nairobi to close out the week. This was a good opportunity to get together with friends, socialize, and reminisce. Unfortunately due to my unique circumstances, the group that I am closing out with is not the same group that I came in with. That group still has another year in-country to fulfill.

So after returning to site for almost a week, I was thrilled to join 18 of my closest PCV friends, with whom I had arrived in Kenya and spent two months in training with, on a vacation to Uganda over this past weekend.

Crossing into Uganda for the first time was a rather surprising experience. From the moment you cross into Uganda at the border town of Busia, the difference is striking.

Ugandans, at least within the major transportation centers, are much more calm and polite. Unlike in Kenya, people generally do not hassle visitors and shout 'Mzungu! Mzungu!' ('White person! White person!'). And the narrow Kenyan roads marked with potholes give way to roads marked instead with paint lines and guardrails. The 'matatus' (old passenger vans) used to transport people throughout both countries are more regulated in Uganda, their standardized paint scheme hinting at the more reliable, orderly service one can expect. Knowing Kenya as a relatively developed country in Africa, I was surprised by the difference.

We spent the weekend at Adrift Riverbase, situated along the high banks of the Nile River just outside of scenic Jinja, Uganda. Jinja is a city located at the source of the Nile River, along Lake Victoria. It was a beautiful setting, and over our couple of days there we whitewater rafted, bunjee jumped, and after all the excitement, took a relaxing 'Source of the Nile' cruise. I was thankful for the experience, a final opportunity to let loose with my Peace Corps Kenya friends.