October 23, 2009
This Friday morning we slept in a little after arriving in Kampala so late last night. We all sort of work up and got ready around 9 am and then headed to Cafe Pap for breakfast. After eating some good food we parted ways with Karly, as she was going to her boyfriend’s graduation ceremony today. We headed to Owino for another fun morning of paper hunting and on our way, we were on bodas when going through an intersection we collided with the boda Jessie was on. Alli and I were riding with Jarod, a driver that the girls use a lot while in Kampala, and he had thought that Jessie’ boda was turning, but they hadn’t, so we ran into them. Luckily the speed of both of us was no substantial enough to have caused any injuries, but it definitely provided a wake up call. Often times I find it easy to forget just how dangerous it is to ride bodas because we do it so frequently, but today was a little reminder.
We arrived at Owino and made our way in to the paper aisle. Our entrance in wasn’t easy though, as two big trucks were trying to come down the narrow road that leads into the market. It is fairly comical when this happens, as there is absolutely no spare room alongside of this road so pedestrians have to attempt to squish in to aisles and passageways in order to not get ran over and not have to retreat all the way back out to the street. Alli and I ducked into one such aisle, along with a number of other people. I felt really bad for Alli, as she ended up getting pretty squished as people kept pressing in. I made the comment that those are the worst mosh pits I’ve ever been in.
Finally the second truck passed and we all poured out into the roadway again. The only problem with that was that not only had a lot of people been held back from entering the market, there was also a large number of people who weren’t able to exit because they couldn’t get past the truck. So now these two large groups of people were battling to continue in the directions they had set out traveling in. Quite an interesting experience, and I just kept laughing as I got pushed around. There is not much else that can be done but to laugh about these things.
When we arrived at the paper aisle, I was already sweating profusely, but was excited for the treasure hunt that would soon begin. The paper ladies laughed and welcomed us, offering us the new product they had recently been shipped. Once again I appointed myself as the bag holder, as I really was uncertain about what the girls would be looking for. Just observing all of the exchanges was enough for me. The ladies trying to sell EVERYTHING, the girls accepting a few samples, the bartering, the purchasing and then the deposit of the paper stack into the large plastic bag. Each step being just as comical and colorful as the last. And then the whole process happening again at the next “company.”
We had a very successful morning and each walked out attempting to carry an awkward, slippery plastic bag weighing at least 50 pounds. I only made it a short distance before having to admit I would not be able to complete the journey out to the street. One of the guys who had been helping us in the aisle was already carrying the bag Alli had, and he stopped when I set mine down. I had assumed he would just ask someone else to grab the bag, but instead he bent down and asked someone to place the bag on top of the one that was already on his head. He stood up with probably around 90 pounds on his head and began walking through the crowd to the street. I just stood there for a moment, in awe.
Once we got to the street it was now time to board the bodas. Usually they insist on balancing a bag of paper in front of them on the gas tank and will not allow you to hold on to the bag. I’m not sure if it is a polite thing or rather if it is just easier for them to control the weight of the boda that way. At first it made me nervous, but I’d much rather allow them to hold on to the paper than to attempt to , move it at the wrong time, and create bad momentum that might result in a wreck. Kampala streets are hazardous enough as it is. Case in point, as we were ascending the hill away from Owino a boda almost T-boned the one I was on. We were coming from the right and he was looking left, but creeping forward. We swerved around him, and arrived safely, but still. These streets are interesting.
We had a relaxing afternoon and evening, as we were all pretty drained from our various escapades of the day. John and Blake met up with us later and we were able to visit with them. Once again, I’m blessed by the community that I’ve been invited into here. It does not make leaving any easier, though.
No comments:
Post a Comment