Sunrise

(when I have a regular internet connection I will attach pictures to
these stories)

After seeing some friends off to the airport at 5:30am in Entebbe, I
walked into the quiet early morning darkness looking for a bus back
into Kampala. I passed a security guard who was thrilled to have some
company. We had a nice chat. He was looking forward to the sun coming
up because it meant he could go home and sleep. Night shifts are long
in Uganda being on the equator. I bid him a good sleep and stood on
the side of the road waiting for a mini-bus to pass. One stopped, I
told him where I was going (in Lugandan) and hopped in. We drove
slowly along the road as he tried to solicit more passengers
(something he was very skilled at). I shared my breakfast snack with
him (sickly sweet "glucose biscuits"). As the bus filled, some of us
exchanged greetings. We couldn't see each other because the sun had
still not risen and there are no street lights in most of the country.
I watched as we passed bars and restaurants along the side of the
road, their patrons still milling about before heading home after an
all night adventure. Naked bulbs hung above some doorways.

As a bit more time passed, the black sky shifted to a dark blue, to an
orange and then pink. I could see Lake Victoria come to light below
the colourful sky. Small boats were already on the water, perhaps
coming home. Life began to stir, or at least from what I could see. I
guess by now the guard from the hotel was home sleeping.

And then it struck me - I am in Uganda. I was speaking with people in
a mix of Lugandan and English and just part of the bus of people
moving towards the city. I am not saying I "fit in" by any stretch of
the imagination, but I felt like I was apart of this flow of life that
is here...just moving with it. It's hard to explain. Something just
felt different. I felt more at home than I had before.

No, I am not planning on staying here for years and years, but I think
I have finally hit that threshold when you don't feel like a total
tourist or outsider. You have your tasks, your patterns - your life
here. It's a comforting feeling.

By the time the sky completely brightened I was already in Kampala.
Morning must have started here a few hours ago as the streets were
already filled with people and a mix of smog and dust was sitting in
it's usual place right at head level. As I got off the bus at the main
taxi stop (bus terminal),I felt like becoming part of the morning rush
of people and I opted to do the rest of the journey by foot - a 2km
walk along busy Kampala Avenue.

I don't know why, but I found myself smiling the whole way home.