Back to Kampala for more In-Country Training

We spent all last week in Kampala (the capital city) as we had more in-country training.

We travelled there on a Saturday and spent the afternoon hunting around the shops for essentials we can’t get in Mbarara – like shampoo, pesto sauce, and corkscrews that don’t break when you try to open a bottle of wine with them! It was pretty strange to be in such a big city after being in Mbarara for 9 weeks – everything seemed so hectic, noisy and busy. We stayed at the ‘Backpackers Hotel’ on Saturday night, which was lovely although we felt quite old there, as it was full of 18 year olds on their Gap Years. On Sunday we met up with some of the VSOs who live in Kampala before heading over to the Lweza Conference Centre for our Training.

It was great to see all the other volunteers again, and to compare notes on our placements. During the course of the week we had training sessions on Corruption, History, and Culture, as well as more information about the areas of development that VSO’s in Uganda are working in (disability, health and participation & governance). We also had the opportunity to speak to our program managers about our individual placements and come up with work plans. All in all, the week’s training was useful and informative, and really made me appreciate the fact that VSO is there to support us throughout our placements.

On Friday morning we got a taxi to take us to the bus park in Kampala, so we could get our bus to Mbarara. The only problem was that the taxi driver dropped us off at the wrong bus park, so we had to walk through town in the pouring rain and muddy streets for ages to find the right place – I was particularly annoyed about this as I was wearing open-toed sandals (not my most fantastic idea ever). By the time we got on the bus, my feet and legs were covered in mud and I was not in a very good mood (to put it mildly). Add to this the fact that the bus windows leaked in the rain, which made my seat wet, and it is not surprising that I had a bit of a strop (or a humph, as my family and Jason would call it). However, by the time we got back to Mbarara four-and-a-half hours later, I had managed to calm down a bit!

It was really good to get back to Mbarara, and it felt nice that we feel ‘at home’ here now. We may not have all the luxuries that we have back at home in Liverpool, but this is our home for the next year or so, and we really like it.