A Tale of Two Cities

Kampala is every Peace Corps Volunteer’s dream…

Multigrain bread, cheese, good restaurants, pedicures with the massaging chairs, large supermarkets that somehow resemble Wal-Mart, malls, casinos, bowling alleys, hot water, and steady electricity and if no electricity, there are generators to power the whole city.

While we avoid the congested taxi parks at all cost, we take up residence at Mokka Terrace where we can order an iced coffee and use up their free Wi-Fi to watch the newest episodes of our favorite television shows. 

Kampala recently opened The Acacia Mall, a 3-story, air-conditioned galleria with delicious restaurants, gelato stands, a KFC, a 3-D movie theater, hip clothing shops, children’s play areas, toy stores, a food court, a fitness center, and a rooftop salon where you can sip fresh squeezed passion fruit juice while hanging out in a swing until your massage is ready. 

Now wait just a second.

Are we still in Uganda?

Earlier this month I was in this muzungu friendly city helping Peace Corps while waiting for another training to begin.  I ended up staying at a friends house with another PCV to avoid having to stay in a hotel that Peace Corps would have to reimburse.  Ironically this house is located next door to the Peace Corps office and a convenient 15-minute walk from The Acacia Mall. 

The house had a full size refrigerator that chilled our coffee and Amarula while keeping our lettuce and string beans crisp. 

The mattresses on the beds did not pit in the middle, allowing for a good nights sleep. 

The dog we shared the space with was not infested with ticks or fleas, like the ones you find in the village.

Again.  Where was I?

Spending this time in Kampala started to make me think…

Make me think about the vast disparities that lie within this country. 

How can it be that a mere 10-hours away from Kampala is my home where my neighbors can barely afford beans and maize flour to mingle posho for dinner?  

How can it be that while families are Instagramming pictures of their children eating out of buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken, there are children who have to dig in the garden all day because their parents cannot afford school fees.

How can it be that while I sit in a steam bath for 20 minutes, using 2 gallons of water, families in Kitgum have to live off of one, 20-liter jerrycan of water for bathing, laundry, and dishes.

As I was sitting near the water fountain, eating gelato out of a waffle cone, waiting for my toenails to dry, I became extremely guilty.

And confused.

I know these disparities exist everywhere but for once in my life I felt like I was somehow living in both extremes.  While in Kampala, I soak up all these amenities and when I make the journey back home to Kitgum, I get back into the routine of living in rural, Northern Uganda.

With this being said, I am eager and excited for America.  I am beyond enthusiastic about seeing my family, friends, and new additions to our family.  I am pumped for the gym, spin classes, and banana, spinach smoothies. 

Now with all that being said, I am beyond nervous for the readjustment process. 

I mean, if I am feeling like this living in a place 257 miles from the capital, how will I feel when I make the long 9,168-mile journey home?