Jinja

I write to you from the front porch 9f the First African Bicycle Information Organization (FABIO), the organization that I am working with for my month-long Independent Study. Life in Jinja has been pretty cool; living next to the shore of Lake Victoria and the Source of the Nile has provided an incredible backdrop to day to day life. The city is the second largest in Uganda (after Kampala) although, it has a distinctly small-town feel compared to the capital city. There are no stop lights, little crime, and few cars. In fact, I would say that Jinja reminds me a lot of Burlington, VT, with one main streets, lots of shops and restaurants, a lake in the background, with green hills in the distance. There are many young people here working on many different types of projects which has made for an incredible learning experience thus far. Aside from learning through working for FABIO, I have spoken to a lot of people who have been working here for many months or years, who have taught me a lot about working full time in a place like Jinja.

Yesterday, I visited Kampala in preparation for a research project I am assisting FABIO with. At first, as I walked through the city's central business district, I though Kampala seemed like Nairobi. After ten minutes of walking however, I realized how different it was. Thousands of pedestrians, motorcyclists, cars, taxis, and private and commercial vehicles competed for a road designed to hold two lanes of traffic moving at a slow pace. I witnessed so many near-accidents that I lost count, even though I only watched this particular intersection for less than ten minutes. Then there was the central taxi park; this is where Kampala's fleet of taxis, which are called matatus in Kenya, idle until they are filled with passengers for their next trip. I counted about four hundred of them in a space the size of a soccer field, though I think there were probably more. The trip was pretty eye-opening, and made me realize why the work FABIO is doing is so important.

Pictures to come soon, I promise!