Finally in Uganda

Hey Friends and Family!

Alright, so based on how many views this page has already gotten I guess I'll actually have to keep up with writing these posts...so here goes entry #2. Get excited because this is going to be a long one. This also counts as me alerting everyone that I've arrived safely.

First off, I just wanted to thank my siblings Stefanie, Paul, Michael, and Christina as well as my Dad for coming down and surprising me Wednesday night for an amazing Indian dinner. Also, I wanted to thank my Mom and my Aunt Andrea for coming down to help me move out of the room, get me set up and packed to go. These two events meant the world to me, and without all of your support I would probably be still at Morrison passed move out time curled up in the fetal position, refusing to go to Uganda because I couldn't begin to get my head straight. I love you all, and I can't wait to see you guys again!

Last time, I briefly wrote about what I'm doing down here, how much things I had to think about coming up to the trip i.e. finals, moving out, packing, etc. None of that matters now, though, because we have finally made it to Uganda after over a day of traveling! We're finally here after two eight hour layovers in both London and Dubai respectively, two seven hour flights, and, as of today, one final five hour flight to Entebbe International Airport.

It all began in RDU, where I pretty much just barely made my flight. I got there after receiving two calls from American Airlines saying that the flight has been delayed an hour, then a third saying that those first two calls were lies and that the flight had moved back to its original time. Needless to say I got pretty stressed towards the boarding time of 5:30PM, but some how I managed to do the impossible. I got there, downloaded the five Game of Thrones books onto my computer then put them on my iPad, and send out some last minute emails. It was productivity at its finest, and everything went very smoothly from then on.

I spent most of my time on the flights reading the first book in the GoT series and managed to get over halfway through it. So far, so good. It's been pretty much the same storyline as the HBO show, which everyone should watch. Thanks to that the time flew by and I found myself in London Heathrow then Dubai, which was, admittedly, a let down even though the airport was great and McDonalds served well. I was told that the showers would be nice, and I believed it, because, well, Dubai is a mega resort. It wasn't the case. That little detail threw me off. Sadly, we all ended up deciding against going out to each of the cities because it was so early in the morning, or too late at night respectively. Instead I continued to read Game of Thrones and slept in surprisingly comfortable positions.

Over the long flights I also managed to get through the movies, Hobbit and Les Mis, both of which were really long and just terribly decent. I also met a freshman from State who is from and currently lives in Jordan. Initially, sitting with him was a pain in the ass with all of his fidgeting, but once we started talking it got much easier. Each method kept me sane enough until finally arrived in Uganda at 1:45PM Africa time. We breezed through the visa process and got safely to Backpackers where we will be staying the night before we get picked up tomorrow to be taken to Gulu. I, along with the rest of the team, am pretty stoked, despite being extremely exhausted and in need of some sleep.

Now, I sit here using the free wifi accommodation, writing this blog entry, and enjoying some cheap Pilsner lager. It feels like Heaven, though it probably won't continue to be this easy.

Thanks for holding out and reading this long post! I'll write another one next week once I'm settled in Gulu and begin to work with and meet everyone at HAU.

Zach

GoT Book Club (you know who you are): I've loved everything so far, especially the way Martin focuses each chapter on a specific individual. Even though I know exactly what's going on and what's going to happen because of the show, I'm still hooked because he's a brilliant writer and gives so much more depth to each character. There's a lack of sex, though, which is kind of depressing. Hope you are keeping up with it!