UGANDA
I remember the day when I first landed with my family in Entebbe Airport in East Africa Uganda- which had subsequently been attributed the title “Pearl of Africa" by late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill when he visited Uganda in 1907 - my first gasp of air from the fresh and humid atmosphere made me come to the realization that this was due to the country's temperate weather.
From the airport to the city center where our home was located, I had had the time to contemplate one of the vast borders of the lake which actually spread itself to five other countries and poured itself into the Nile- generally known as the longest river in the world-. Souls, mostly driven to Uganda for safaris and the climate always find themselves awed by the beauty of the wildlife in the parks and zoos as well as the beauty of the landscape made unique by the hills and the ancient Italian buildings left after the colonialist époque. After an hour drive into the outskirts of town, we finally started seeing the red tiles that covered the roofs of the houses, the ground gradually started to become less dusty and the roads smoother. What strikes most people when they first enter Kampala, the capital city of Uganda is its migration. After the statistics proclaimed Kampala as being one of the most visited cities in the world in 2010, its affluence of tourists from all over the world did not stop to increased. Nineteen degrees in the shades and Kampala had me the hungriest person in town. I therefore suggested we grabbed a meal before we made our way to our new house. The driver, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gear took the direction of a mall called Garden city. However, cars on the streets slowly started congesting and we found ourselves stuck in a two pm traffic under the not so clement oriental sun. Small children, seated by the road side gazed at the cars stuck in traffic and in a timid hand motion asked for money- the driver of the later told me that it would be best not to give out money to the beggars as some of them were not really in need but were just too lazy to get a job. After having been stuck in traffic for about twenty minutes it is with great delight that we finally got out of the car when we reached the mall. Situated right at the center of the Kampala, Garden city is a mall that also comprises a hotel and a golf court. When you first enter this chef-d’oeuvre of a place, you notice its gigantic statues and waterfalls. The area comprises at least five large car-parks each destined for a precise clientele; we had come to eat and were therefore parked on the first floor which was near the grocery store, restaurants and fast foods. At the entry of the food court area, there is a monument of dinosaurs carved out of black stone, and a sign post that says “welcome to Garden City, have a pleasant day.”
Now that I no longer live in Uganda, I recall the warmly welcome received from the kids that would one day become my friends, I recall the garden that used to be behind my house and its beautiful orchids forever foraged by the bees. Wherever I am, every grasp of air that I inhale is an attempt of mine to find and feel once again that temperate Ugandan climate.
L.T