Past Tense

I knew that from the moment I realized that I had accidentally packed my wallet in my checked suitcase while I was waiting to board the plane at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Wednesday morning that this would probably be one of the most difficult trips I'd taken in....about a year.

You see, I've been in Kampala for the past 3 days, meeting with my Knight Health Fellowship counterpart based here with the New Vision newspaper. He's this really great, friendly journalist named Chris, and getting to know him has actually been the only pleasant thing about being back in Uganda for me.

Now, don't think I'm reverting to my usual complaints about traffic jams, or diesel fumes, or the astounding lack of decent service in Kampala restaurants. Don't think I'm referring to the fact that, compared to Nairobi, Kampala is just an enormous Gulu. What it really boils down to is that being in Kampala reminds me of what stands so far as the most painful, agonizing period of my entire life....preparing for, experiencing, and grieving the death of my sister Julie.

Of course, it also reminds me of my battles with the psycho slut bookkeeper, and the psychotic contractor, and the shameful incident when I virtually damned a nun from Arua to the fires of hell for being a punitive bitch, and being lonely and mosquito bitten and hungry all the time in Gulu. So, you combine those two states of being, and I was an absolute neurotic mess during my entire stay in Uganda.

The sad thing is that I don't think I will EVER enjoy spending time here again. I'll certainly have to come back at various points, but no matter why I return, being here will always evoke those feelings, and that's really unfortunate.

Anyway, I'll be returning to Nairobi tomorrow morning (Hallelujah! Praise Jesus' Holy NAME!), and so once I've had time to regain some equilibrium, I'll try to get back into blogging mode more regularly.

Later, Taters.