I'd heard of it before, even spoken to a family first hand, but didn't think to much about it ever happening. And quite frankly, in the midst of it all, it never quite felt like it. Now for sure there are all different kinds and levels of evacuation, the reasons are many. It wasn't as if Uganda was at war, or expats were being hunted down, though a certain percentage of me felt uneasy in a country I've grown accustomed to for the last 7 plus years. Writing about it almost seems weird and or uncomfortable. But after talking though it with Wendy last night, I felt it might be good to share the experience.
The plan for me was to be in Uganda for 8 weeks. Our goal was to build a security fence around FNC's new boarding school and to also begin the foundation work on our student housing. There were other things to do, like figure out how to move bulk quantities of our coffee stateside, encourage our leaders, and shift out of the home we had left behind. But when a world wide epidemic occurs, plans adjust. I'm happy to report many of the goals were met. The fence begun and is almost complete. We were able to shift out of our home, and a great contact was made in regards to the coffee. But a lot was left undone...
I'm a task/goal oriented human being. Uganda has taught me to be more patient, and maybe that's why I feel like I feel today. Leaving 4 weeks early wasn't on the agenda, neither was 14 days of self quarantine. It certainly isn't the America I left behind only a month back. Things are a bit sideways, and for some completely turned upside down. Allow me to give you a run down of the events as I remember them.
After arriving in Uganda the evening of 5th March, I began to receive information America was changing, the world was changing. For Uganda, things seemed to be as usual. And for the first two to three weeks they were. That said, just 3 days after my arrival a 14 day self quarantine act was mandated by President Museveni. I was fortunate to have missed that. Then shortly following, a more severe measure was taken with a mandatory quarantining at a $100 per day fee for any person coming into Uganda. Can you imagine coming back to your home country and being charged $1400 US dollars, locked away at a hotel of the governments choosing? But it happened...I believe this is when things began to unravel. The media took great advantage of this story, as any media outlet might do. Then it happened...the first reported case. And from there, things began to spiral. In a matter of 2-3 weeks, Uganda went from pretty normal to utter chaos. If you were of any other ethnicity, you felt as if all eyes were on you. I'm not and have never been fluent in the local language, but it doesn't take much to know when your being profiled. But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I believe wiser and if your keen, more compassionate. Ignorance kills. Knowledge saves. If anything, I'm better today for feeling the effects of profiling. It's not that it had never happened before to me and my family in Uganda...but there was something unique about this. For the first time in my life I felt like a leper. I don't say this for effect or for a "woe is me" factor, just wanting to share the emotion of the events. Whether it was driving in your car, walking into a local shop, or just walking from place to place, people kept their distance. But if I were them, having all media blasting expats for carrying the virus into their country, I might have done the same. The irony, it was fellow Ugandan's which had come into the country from Dubai carrying the virus. The President himself said it live at one of his many addresses...but it seemed as if that particular detail was overlooked.
Then came the speech which halted the country, a complete lock down. Within one week the president and his cabinet canceled all public gatherings (schools, religious affiliations). Then he announced all public transport to cease. Next he closed all businesses, minus grocery stores. And then all private vehicles. Now just imagine a city of millions who literally live day to day, now having no means of transport, and little to no means to earn. Oh, and a curfew from 6:30am to 7pm. Life has never been a picnic in Uganda...now it was survival of the fittest. And if all this sounds a bit much, it's because it was and still is. As of yesterday, police are now telling even those walking outside to go home. This is the result of mandates put in place to help, not to hurt...it doesn't take much imagination to see the opposite effect. Yes, this virus doesn't discriminate...but the measures one country takes shouldn't dictate another country which is vastly different. All to say, much prayer is needed for Uganda, it's people, and it's leaders.
Evacuating to a new normal was and continues to be interesting. Wendy asked me if I felt traumatized from the event? This was my response..."Honestly, I think God had prepared me for it." Just getting to the airport required special permission from the Ugandan government and the American Embassy, walking 20 kilometers just to pick a letter from officials. Then even with the proper documents, Solomon and I were stopped 6 different times by military officers in just 40 kilometers to the airport (one officer even called the US Embassy to cross check our papers and to make sure we were on "the list"). When reaching the airport, it was something out of a movie...but God was there every step of the way. And for those who prayed, thank you. And for those who pray, would you join me and continue to pray for FNC...staff, students, and families.
I plan to return to Uganda hopefully this summer...our students need housing for next year. God loves it when we love on his children, and for this I'm extremely hopeful. Grateful to be back with Wendy and the girls...grateful to serve the least of these...grateful for life...grateful for the love of God.
