It's not always bad

Having written that last depressing post, I'd like to say that Uganda is actually a nice place. I'm sitting in the office right now feeling like a movie star on vacation. There's a rooster outside that's been crowing its head off all morning, birds tweeting, cows lowing, the perfect breeze coming in through the window, and the rustle of palm fronds just across the fence. Tonight, when I go home, I might just get a free massage at the gym. Well, not exactly free. I might have to tip my masseuse a whole dollar.

I was talking with Onyango this morning, chatting about the western media. "They never show something nice in Uganda, like Queen Victoria Park. Queen Victoria is beautiful. They never even show pictures of a good hotel." And there is some validity to that statement. When's the last time you saw something nice about Uganda on TV, outside of the National Geographic Channel or PBS?

Last week Onyango took me and a partner from his soon-to-be law firm out to dinner. The place was called Faze 2, and wow, not only was the food delicious, but the setting was gorgeous! We had the perfect patio seats, meat on skewers and steaks on sizzling plates, delicious fruit shakes, and excellent service. Even the smaller pubs are cute, once you get past the dusty storefront to the well-kept back patios.

It's easy for me as a westerner to criticize governmental corruption and bad hospitals, but keep in mind this country hasn't been around as long as the United States, and it has a whole lot more to deal with in terms of cultural conflict and business disputes. Think Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff, and you've got an idea of what property managers deal with every day, trying to figure wrestle clear title from the Kabaka (the Baganda king), the national government, and the squatters who have been cultivating the land for decades. Try to build a new business on land like that, and see how many wars you have to contend with before you see any economic development!

But folks still manage. The people who can afford it are much more educated than we are in the U.S. My boss, for example, speaks seven languages. He has his bachelor's and master's degrees in law, and is about to return to school for a second masters in international relations. He's thinking he might get an LLM after that. Meanwhile, he owns two separate businesses, coordinates the UCICC, and is applying for a fourth job with a religious political human rights association. And he's raising a family. That's what people are like, out here. Everyone who can afford it is brilliant and industrious. It's the best way to survive.

When I write those sadder posts, please understand that this isn't the armpit of the world. Uganda is very, very rich in very many ways. That's part of what makes working to support it worthwhile. It's just that there's no public safety net. If something doesn't work in your favor, there is no welfare to fall back on, no credit line to draw on, and likely no doctor to tend to your wounds. I guess that's the biggest difference between Uganda and the United States. You've got only got one shot to live like a king. (But when you do, oh, what easy luxury!)