Holla From Kampala

It is always a treat when a Volunteer gets the opportunity to go to Kampala.  The country’s capital is filled with an assortment of delicious restaurants, movie theaters, and strip malls.

Earlier this week I happened to find myself in this somehow American city for two days during which I had meetings at the Peace Corps office for VAC. 

After a long day of traveling, I was welcomed with a warm shower before heading off to meeting number one with my fellow Volunteers.  We decided to hold this meeting over a dinner of Indian food… Spicy Paneer and cheesy naan. 

Let me briefly explain what VAC is and how it works before I continue.

VAC is the Volunteer Action Committee and I was elected to fill one of the two positions for my training class.  We work with the Peace Corps staff to strengthen the program, bring up Volunteer concerns, and recognize the positives.  The committee meets every three months in Kampala and we meet together, as Volunteers, to discuss what our fellow PCV’s have brought up and set the agenda, then the following day we have a 3-hour meeting with the staff.

Anyway, the following day after the meeting we were driven by one of the driver’s to The Little Donkey… The only Mexican restaurant in the country.  Their lunch menu consists of a burrito bar, which satisfied our needs.  Their menu also includes a variety of drinks, including margaritas, blended or on the rocks, mojitos, and cold Corona.   

Kampala is also home to a wonderful bakery, Brood, which has everything from sandwiches, pastries, and multigrain bread.  A fellow PCV had called me and requested a loaf of Brood bread so I thought what better way to work off the burrito by a walk?!  I also picked myself up a loaf, which surprisingly is still in tact after five days. 

Another fabulous find in Kampala are the handful of PCV’s that are there.  We have to have permission to be in the capital city but you can usually find someone there for medical, a committee meeting, or for work purposes.  This also means that there are new television shows and movies readily available on externals for media sharing.  Needless to say, I managed to acquire all the new Glee episodes.  What is Rachel doing dating a male prostitute?!  She needs to get back together with Finn.  And what about Ryder and his secret, on-line love affair? 

After a Glee binge, we decided to search for dinner.  Chinese was concluded.  We were recommended to try Fang Fang Restaurant, and we were not disappointed. You walk of the elevator (my first one in country!) into a decked out restaurant, accompanied with traditional Asian décor, a water fountain, and a man playing the piano.  We chose to sit outside on the patio, which had trees galore.  For a moment you forget where you are.

After oohing and aahing over the menu, we decided for family style and ended up ordering fried rice, vegetable stir fry, sweet and sour pork with pineapple, a cold chicken dish, and vegetable spring rolls.  It was wonderful.  Unlike many local restaurants that Google images of food for their menu, which is very deceiving, the pictures in Fang Fang’s menu actually resembled their food.  Like I said, we were impressed.  The only thing missing was fortune cookies at the end of the meal.  We were not complaining though as our stomachs were stuffed.

You may be asking how I can afford meals like this on my limited budget.  First off, the meal prices are much cheaper than the equivalent in the U.S.  Second, VAC is one of the few committees that Peace Corps Headquarters requires every country to have and because of this, we receive travel reimbursement and a per diem of 30,000 Ugandan Shillings or $12USD.  I am able to sustain with this budget and even pocket a little extra.  Impressed?

We returned back to our hotel to familiar faces of fellow Volunteers, more episodes of Glee, and just some quality time with each other. 

While I absolutely love the capital city and the easy access to the abundance of things I cannot get, I love returning home to the village.  I’d rather wake to the sound of roosters than honking vehicles any morning.