Jinja
August 12, 2010 § 2 Comments
August 12, 2010
In the words of photographer Kendrick Brinson, “Life, I love you.”
I woke up this morning in Jinja, where my journey in Africa began. I haven’t been here since August of 2008, when I hugged my roommates a quick goodbye at 5am, and climbed into the left seat of a taxi bound for Entebbe. We all talked about coming back.
Most of them already have, but last night it was my turn to feel goosebumps as we drove over the dam into town, and grab the edge of my seat when our driver swerved to avoid the pothole on the left side of the town’s first roundabout.
It took most the day to get here, between stops, hailing bodas and squeezing into matotus. I paid Morris’ fare to escort me to Kampala, where I bought us both coffee at Mokka near Garden City, and introduced him to the wonderful of breakfast burritos with ranchero sauce that (just kidding) turned out to be quesadillas with crappy salsa.
So much for that.
At Mokka, we met up with Siouxanne, the medical director at Amani Baby Cottage. She and I became fast friends on my first trip, when she climbed into my bunk and cried with me over my parent’s failed adoption of a little Haitian boy. She introduced me to the househelp today as her, “adopted daughter.”
I kissed the faces of children I once cried over leaving, this morning, and I grinned at Siouxanne when I caught my first glimpse of the Nile. There will be no bunjee jumping this time – but I think one free fall over the water is enough to give you a forever kind of bond.
I feel like the queen of sheba, sleeping in a room with white sheets and feeling a breeze that comes off the Nile in quick, curtain-moving spurts. It felt wonderful to wash the dirt off my feet in a porcelain tub, and shampoo my scalp, since the make shift dreads aren’t really even my hair. This morning, I stood at the kitchen sink and drank percolated coffee with some warm milk – cafe con leche a la Africa?
We’re going into town this afternoon to find some lunch and a few shops to prutz around in.
Now this was a needed vacation.
oh the luxury.
quesadillas, coffee, showers, white bedspreads, africa? so glad you could go to jinja. and that picture? you look gorgeous =) miss you friend!