Day 8: Soroti in the Rearview

Sunday 15 Aug

Sunday was our last day in Soroti. We hurried out to another village in the morning to meet some other VHTs involved in that pilot program to get their take on the tech. Like the group yesterday, these people were full of insights about every aspect of the design. We have a lot of work to do before we return in December to test some of these co-invented ideas out!

After our time with that group we started the long van trek back to Kampala, Uganda’s capital and home to the Ministry of Health and Makerere University.

On the way into Soroti we had covered the last third of the distance in the dark. Today I got to see that third by daylight. Again, I was mesmerized by the view through my sliding window. The road winds through verdant jungles and massive corporate farms and small towns. Endless sugar cane and tea plantations cover the hills and support the towns. I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some beautiful misty jungle mountains. They seemed to rise almost straight out of the otherwise gently rolling terrain, like a dark tropical island in a brighter green sea. They were wrapped in clouds, which added to their mystery. I’m drawn to things like that with an animal magnetism; I longed for those mountains as we drove by. There is no question – I must return.

When we’d slow down to avoid thrashing the suspension on the (many) speedbumps in the towns, I’d open my window and peek out. As we would drive slowly past townspeople doing townspeople things, I enjoyed playing the game of beaning random people with the all the psychic energy I could muster in an attempt to commune through eye contact. It is a good human game; everyone should try it. For the people whose eyes I did catch, I’m sure it was a very strange experience.

We stopped at the Nile (yes, that Nile) and ate lunch at about 4. It was a nice roadside diner with food of all kinds, including pizza. I went with Joselyn’s recommendation of the “chicken lollipops” and chips, which apparently are a thing in the US as well. We decided to eat in the car to minimize the time on the road after curfew. For me, the chicken lollipops were not that good. I mean, they taste good, but the grease! It was overwhelming and made me think of fast food back home. I wonder how much unhealthy food has contributed to my parosmia. I’ve been spoiled by the Soroti Country Inn kitchen.

We did some additional VCO interviews while we had them captive in the van. Even while driving they were helping develop new concepts. I can’t get enough of these guys. Before I left, Dr. Yazdi told me that an important part of the global health arm of CBID was to help quash ignorant ideas about other cultures, especially in low and middle-income countries, and that this was an especially critical element in educating future leaders in healthcare. In true American fashion, I thought that might not apply to me so much. But after working with these VCOs so closely for the past 4 days, there is no doubt I have experienced a change in the way I think about them. They are truly brilliant people who have really made the most of the opportunities dealt them, which is much more than I can say for myself. They are powerful.

As we neared Kampala in the dark, we realized that these were likely our last few minutes with the VCOs until December, and that the prototypes we need to leave with them needed some minor modifications. So, in the furthest-back seat of our 11-seater van, by the light of a cell phone, in stop and go traffic, on an extremely bumpy road, I modified the prototypes one by one. Another classic CBID moment. Lately, to increase the likelihood of the boat plan working out, I have been pushing myself in situations I would normally avoid because of motion sickness. This was a great test! And somehow, I managed not to get queasy. I feel good about that. We handed off the prototypes and said goodbye to our new friends as we dropped them off at their homes around the city. We’ll see them again.

We had intended to stay out the remainder of our time in Kampala at the monkey guest house but had received word that they had been and would continue to be without power for some time. Later when we visited it turned out that the property had been sold out from under us! Anyway, we needed a new place to stay, and Winnie, being very on top of everything, had set us up at the Grand Global Hotel. As we drove in, Dr. Acharya commented that it shared some qualities with the Grand Budapest Hotel, of the film. I agree. It has a strange old-new fanciness to it that is very endearing, like a world-famous ballerina, though now retired, continuing to celebrate her dancing days with photographs hung on the pink wall of her rest home room. I am admiring the ghost of the Grand Global’s glory days and wondering about the story of the intervening years.