So it rained heavily last night (no surprise there – it IS the rainy season), making the hike into the training site especially fun – waist high grass and deep mud, punctuated by foot-deep puddles, cow pies, ornery cows and chomping goats along the trail. One volunteer was lifted off the ground on the horns of one apparently pissed-off bovine, so Mad Cow takes on a different meaning here.
Today’s plan had been a huge send-off and thank you party for all of the families who have hosted us for the last few months. Tents were set up, food purchased, skits tweaked. I left my phone there charging yesterday – hence the last of information this morning. I hiked in with my trusty training partners, Sammie and John (fellow Texans who live a few houses down) – their phones having no charge either. We arrived to the news that all has been cancelled and PC trainees are to stay at home, off the streets and out of the public eye. This feels like solitary confinement to be sure. There is a heightened Security Alert for Kampala and American staff. I think it’s basic over protectiveness, but we abide.
So it’s a packing day.