Around the Capital

So for the past few days we have been in the capital of Kampala. Besides the smog and the noise, the capital isn't a bad place. We like our hotel and find the people that work there are very friendly. Melissa is getting her fair share of french toast and Dr. Grenney is drinking plenty of Stoney (his favorite soda). Most of our time here in the capital has been spent driving back and forth between appointments. We are happy to have all the meetings set up and find them very informational.

One meeting we had on Tuesday was great. We are currently working with an NGO based out of Orem called the Ssejinja Children's Foundation. We love the partnership we have with them and are excited to continue working with them. A few of our team members have met David Ssejinja (the President and Founder of the Foundation) prior to this trip, but this is the first time that he has been present while we have been in Africa. Because of that, we were able to gather together as our organization and theirs and talk about where we see this project going. We felt it necessary to get both organizations on the same table. We are excited for what we planned and look forward to meeting with them in the future.

We also were able to meet with a few Deans of the different colleges at Makerere University. Melissa and I are excited for the possible work we can do with them in the future. We also were able to meet with a few internet/phone companies to discuss the possibility of getting wireless internet to the school in Masaka.

Finally, we were able to tour the Mosque near our hotel. They were very kind to us and allowed us to walk around the grounds. Finally one gentleman called us over and allowed us to enter one of the prayer rooms (even though we were unwashed and unclean). It was very nice of him. We also found that he was the same one who we could hear that would call to prayer 5 times a day. It was interesting to see the difference between their religion and some of the others that I am familiar with.

We were also able to ride a boda-boda home from the Mosque. For those who don't know, a boda-boda is a motorcycle that they drive around as taxis. They are the fastest mode of transportation because they can swerve in and out of traffic where the other cars can't reach. Basically it is the drive and you sitting on the back of a motorcycle holding on for dear life. It was GREAT!

I promise, next entry will contain more pictures. We haven't had time to dump everyones pictures onto my computer. So for now you will just get to see a picture of the mosque. We leave for Masaka early tomorrow...so until next time. Ok, so no picture this time. It took to long to load. I know for the next time to do it first.