Uganda 6: January 20, 2004

Uganda simply is not enough an adventure for us. Intermittent electricity, high crime, and poor roads just don't provide the frisson of excitement that they once did. Thus, for the holidays we knew we needed to go someplace different, someplace off the beaten path, someplace exotic and new. We went to Brussels and London.

Northern Europe in winter provides quite a contrast to the ever-green and (almost) ever-sunny Uganda. The first thing we noticed is that its dark. Always dark. In Brussels, sunrise wasn't until 9:30. In London, sunset was shortly after 3:30 in the afternoon. In 11 days of vacation, we saw 3 hours of sunlight. I can now see why all those Brits bought the cheap package tours to Pattaya in Thailand. Anything to escape the endless gloom. Of course, for us it was a nice break from the routine, but man, it was cloudy. It was the first time I'd had to wear a jacket in nearly 3 years.

Displaying the keen financial acumen that makes me such an effective advocate of US economic interests overseas, we chose a time when the dollar was at an historic low against the euro and a many year low against the pound to visit Europe. Smart move. I just won't look at our bank statements for a while.

Anyway, we enjoyed Brussels very much. Its very walkable, with cobblestone streets in the heart of the city and great mussels, beer and chocolate. We don't get much seafood in Uganda, so we focused on that. Also, to be able to brush your teeth with water from the tap was a luxury. We stayed in a great hotel, got to visit with friends from Bangkok, and took a quick train ride out to Bruges (also cloudy).

Next stop, London. We met up with Marisa (Liz's sister) and Todd (brother-in-law). London being a city on planet
earth, Liz also had several friends there, so we got to enjoy catching up with them as well as sight-seeing. Many people reading this probably have visited London several times, so I won't bore you with descriptions of things you've already done. However, we really enjoyed the Tate Modern museum, Spitalfields Market, and the Victoria and Albert. We ate extremely well ($50 for a fish entree -- the bizarro world opposite of prices in Uganda or Thailand) and saw a couple of shows. Liz did some clothes shopping and I bought some food to take back home (bagels, salmon, stilton, pasta sauce, chorizo). I also visited the local Krispy Kreme several times (let s/he who lives in a country without donuts cast the first stone). I ran a 10K on New Years day in Hyde Park. I accomplished my goal of not finishing last and actually blew by a wheezing septuagenarian (OK, maybe octogenerian) in the home stretch. I've run 4 races in my life, each on a different continent. I'm now looking for something in Peru or perhaps New Zealand.

Back in Uganda, I'm slowly putting the horror of consular behind me, though I recently recalled one of the classic visa interviews (visa officers around the world have dealt with the same situation with only slight variations). Setting: a woman walks up for her interview with a brand new passport. Unknown to her, I have a copy of her old visa application. She had been refused and quickly "lost" her old passport with its refusal stamp and obtained a new one with a new picture and middle name.

Me: Are you xxxx?

Her: Yes.

Me: Have you ever previously applied for a US visa?

Her: No.

Me: Are you sure?

Her: Yes, I'm sure.

Me: (holding up a copy of her old application, with her picture, exact same signature, and same biographical information). So this isn't your application?

Her: No.

Me: Who else has your same name, signature, residence, job, and travel plans?

Her: My twin sister.

Me: With the same name?

Her: Yes.

Me: OK, bring her in and I'll look at your application again.

Her: I can't do that. She's in South Africa.

Me: What is she doing in South Africa?

Her: I don't know. She's been there for a long time.

Me: I'll wait. You can come back with her anytime in the next year.

Her: Actually, she's dead.

Some exciting news: Liz has a new job. She will be the "self-help coordinator" at the Embassy. At many U.S. embassies in the developing world, the Ambassador has a discretionary fund that can be used to support community development projects, such as building new classrooms, drilling for clean water, setting up small businesses. Liz will be managing this program for Uganda. An excellent opportunity to travel around the country and to meet rural Ugandans.