Online

It’s kind of crazy how important the internet is to some people, people like me.  One of the first things the hotel management said to us is that they would have the wireless internet up and running real soon for us, without us even asking.  They just know that we, Americans, would require internet.  It was interesting to me that until we arrived, having working internet was of no concern to the hotel.

And it’s true.  Much of our first 24 hours in Uganda was spent in search of internet.  The hotel wi-fi was not cooperating.  We tried to use the data stick the previous interns gave us, but it had expired.  We went and sat in the hotel community room where the wi-fi modem is, but it didn’t work in there.  So we all went to bed, while no one else in the world knew whether or not we had arrived safely. 

Our first item of business in the morning, after eating breakfast, was to head into town.  To do what?  Find internet, of course.  On our way out of the hotel, the owner asked us where we were going, then offered to take us into town.  He first took us to the bank, probably so we could finally pay him.  As he continued to drive around town, pointing out places, and shouting about how all of the boda boda drivers cannot drive, I could feel mine and Amy’s anxiety about accessing the internet rise.  It was like an obsession. I couldn’t possibly relax until I had checked my email.  It was all I wanted to do. 

Finally, we got to an internet café.  I was so excited as I logged onto my email.  Twenty-three minutes have never passed so quickly. 

We wandered around town for a while longer—our only purchase was a data stick so we could have easier access to the internet, of course.  We ate lunch at this fabulous café, Café Frikadellen.  A little expensive by Ugandan standards, but they provide a nice little perk:  free internet. 

So why do I have such a dependence on internet?  I think I just like to be connected, not just to the world, but my world.  So far, I absolutely love Uganda.  It is beautiful, the weather is absolutely perfect (so far), the people are so nice, and the interns I’m with are great.  But that doesn’t replace my friends and family back home.  I still want to be a part of that world.  I don’t like to feel disconnected.  I’m more than 8000 miles away from home, but through the internet, I can still be a part of it.