----Q: As you have a few nights left, I was wondering if you could tell me
what it looks like there at night. Are the stars bright? Is the sky
clear? Can you see the Milky Way?
A: I'm all tucked in for the night under my mosquito net. It creates the effect of the princess bed of every 9 year old girl's dreams.
Inky blackness. Diamonds on velvet. The stars are glorious. I can see the Milky Way. Provided there's no cloud cover or pollution (I'll talk about that later), the nights I've had the pleasure of observing have been so clear. Amazing. If it weren't for the snakes and bugs, I'd lie on the ground and simply look up for hours. It's breath taking how dark it gets, especially if the city blacks out. Saw a few amazing shooting stars as well!
My friend Tom turned the headlights off tonight when we were driving to show me how dark it is. Wow. Pitch. Black. Most people won't drive at night. Super dangerous. Even with those that do have lights, its like a crazy video game/trip. Insane.
Q: I imagine its a place with no light pollution (or any pollution for that matter). You're so close to the
Equator, can you see the southern constellations?
at night?
A: Now here I have to admit my not being a very good space nerd in the astronomy department. Makes me want to take an astronomy class so I could know exactly what I was seeing. Anyone interested in joining me back in DC? :)
As for pollution, it depends. In Kampala it's worse than LA. A lot of smoke and exhaust. Out in the bush where we stayed with Maggie was crystal clear. Light pollution varies with the area as well, but save a big city or two, it's very minimal - at least in the places I've stayed.
Q: What sounds do you hear? I imagine that there are no traffic sounds. Are there any
crickets? Or do you hear wild animals?
A: I hear dogs barking and lots of different bug noises. Crickets. Some weird, kinda stucatto buzzing sounds. Cars. A lot of times I hear generators in the background too, but not tonight. Power is super finicky here. Random animal noises to be sure.
Regarding wild animals. Yes. Sometimes, but that's all I'll say on that for now as I want to save my cool wild animal story for another post.
Q: I picture Uganda as a dusty place, but perhaps it is not since it is so near Lake Victoria. Have you had the chance to see Lake Victoria? I've seen pictures and it looks beautiful.
A: Yes very dusty here. Dirt is this rich red color and most roads, except highways are not paved. It's been especially dry lately, so it's extra dusty.
I have seen Lake Victoria in a drive by out the van window. One of the things I hope to do next time is to take an afternoon to explore on the way out (it's very near the airport). I learned today that there are a few islands close to the Uganda coast that have some tourist activities. Need to investigate that one more.
Q: Are you ready to go [i.e., come home]?
A: No, I don't think I'm ready to come home.
In my experience, reverse culture shock is always tougher than most people think. Because you're back, everyone expects business as usual. For them, an insignificant amount of time has passed in your absence but you've just had this life altering experience. And no one gets it. Its hard to work through all that sometimes.
For me, this has been so fulfilling in some ways yet has also left me dissatisfied (I think in a good way) that makes me want to do more. So the challenge at home will be figuring out how to take all that I've seen/experienced/learned and apply it to my future. A big part of me wants to do this full time. Another part of me loves space and knows that I can still support a lot of good work through finances or volunteering. I'm just trying to figure out what the best possible course of action is for my life. A LOT to think about and process to be sure.
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Great questions, Dan! Thanks for sharing the journey and being such a great listener/reader.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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