K is For Kampala

Of course, the day after I get into school I go to the job interview that brought me to Kampala and have to pass up an amazing job because I want to torture myself with two more years of skooling. This was with bridges.org who are starting up a really cool initiative on African IT Policy (CIPESA) that will involve a lot of interesting research projects and the opportunity to shape IT policy and development in East and Southern Africa. As it turns out though, the new CEO of bridges, who is based in here in Kampala, offered me a one-month internship to work on the many, many projects he has going here. So, I moved into a new backpackers, reserved a room for 5 weeks (which is so weird) and here I am.

Kampala's great though, happy to get to really dig into a place again after so much hopping around since Gaborone. The people here are very friendly, it's one of the safer capitals I've ever visited, and there's generally a lot going on. I've been watching a ton of movies lately: Inside Man, the new Spike Lee film, was excellent; V for Vendetta, pretty cool, over-the-top in a good way ala Matrix I, though I'm probably the only person in the world who thinks Natalie Portman can't act; and Paradise Now, as part of the big film fest going on here, which is about suicide bombers in Israel, could have been better.

So, Kampala has all these movies and all these jobs for folks in internets, they must have electricity too, right? Um, you see, well...no. Ok, currently electricity is on 24 hours then off 24 hours. This could get worse, in the midst of a drought, everyone from here to Cairo gets there electric from the Nile and surrounding lakes, and word is the "off" could be 48 hours by month's end. Granted, my work and the movie theatres have generators, but the internet connection here isn't very reliable, especially at my work, but it's suppose to get better next week. Also, gas is getting expensive and as I've been researching the ICT industry here for work, the lack of elec. is basically blamed for every failure in the industry and by every industry in the economy. Likewise, Uganda was expected to crest a 6% growth rate this year, but indicators are now pointing to a severe drop from last years 5.8%. So yeah, the power outages are basically killing the economy as well as my attempts to watch soccer - I was psyched that the place I stay has the SuperSport channels, but not so psyched when they followed their policy and turned off the generators at 11pm last night at the 53rd minute of the UEFA cup final...

Again, I love Kampala. Here's the kicker: I ride a motorbike to work. See, the traffic's so bad here that guys make a fortune giving short lifts on motorbikes (called "boda-bodas"). Granted, the pollution's so bad I'm gonna have to buy goggles (my eyes literally sting by the time I get to work) and it's often drizzling in the morning so I'm wrapped in my not-so-waterproof-rain-jacket (gonna be really cute once I get the goggles right?), but I love Kampala. Oh and the drivers only keep a little bit of fuel in the bikes, because of expense, but mostly as a defense mechanism so that if they're stolen they don't go far. So, I also go to the gas station every day, but I love Kampala.

Let's see, will have a better Internet connection Monday but no electricity 'till Tuesday, but hopefully will post again soon, expect more love for Kampala.