This morning we had some time to walk to the market. I went to a little craft store and got some gifts for friends and family. My favorite purchase was a little African doll that I got for my niece. I hope she likes it :)
After a lunch of pizza and pop we went to the hotel to collect our stuff. Today is the day that we will be crossing the border to Uganda.
Crossing the border by land was super trippy. The Minister of Security in Uganda provided a letter to the border to make sure that our crossing went well (oh the craziness of working for the foundation). We walked from Rwanda to Uganda. It’s fun to walk in no man’s land (I did a little dance).
In Rwanda they drive on the right side of the road, speak French,* the streets are impeccably clean**, the houses are mainly made of stucco, all motorcyclists wear helmets and it's illegal to pick up people who refuse to wear a helmet.
The changes were evident the moment we crossed the border. In Uganda they drive on the left side of the road, speak English, their is trash everywhere, the houses are made of wood, mud or brick. The motorcycle drivers did not wear helmets. There was even a 1 hour time change!
Wow, what a difference a few hundred yards can make!
After getting to the hotel I headed across the street to a local coffee shop run by some German ex-pats. After a couple of minutes there was a commotion outside and the German lady told me that the president of Uganda had come to Kisoro to thank the population for voting for him. I said 'Wow, he's going all around the country doing that?' The German lady replied, 'Didn't Obama do that?'
LOL - no, he didn't go to every city in the US to thank us...but he did do a television broadcast :)
My favorite quote of the day was after my boss had ordered the goat skewer at the local restaurant. We were waiting for the food to be prepared (it usually takes at least an hour). When my boss saw a dog in the yard he said 'There's the goat skewer walking towards the kitchen now'.
hahaha. Of course Ugandans don't actually eat dog...but it was a funny joke anyways :)
*they switched to English speaking earlier this year, but still most people speak French**I found out that in Rwanda they have a national cleaning day every third Saturday of the month. Everyone in the country is required to clean the streets and towns for 4 hours! Super cool!!
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