I’ve been trying to keep track of all the occurrences worthy of being posted on the blog. I think I’m finally adjusting to the culture here.
One of the biggest indicators of this for me was the fact that I’ve becoming comfortable riding the bodas here, which I’m sure my boss wouldn’t be too fond to hear. Here’s an excerpt from one of the documents we were provided with prior to traveling:
For the first few weeks I had it ingrained in to me to automatically respond “No, thanks!” anytime a boda driver would slow, honk, and pull up to me. After the second or third week, Corey had begun riding and started joking about how I was afraid of doing the same. I’m not so much that I was afraid of riding a boda in general. I actually do have my motorcycle license and was planning to get a bike before coming here. The reason why I refused to ride them was simply because of how hectic traffic can be here. There are road signs; but nobody abides by any of the laws of the road here (a lady in her car honked at us recently for crossing the street as she blew through the stop sign). There aren’t any lines dividing traffic, or street lights for that matter. If there is someone blocking the road in front of a driver, you can be sure that the driver won’t hesitate to try to squeeze through around the blockage, sometimes without even knowing (or seeming to care) if another vehicle may be approaching on the other side.
That being said, I finally said “screw it” and started riding. The walk to and from work takes us only 15-20 minutes, but the heat here guarantees that we will be drenched in sweat if we walk at a even just a moderate speed (despite wearing shorts, haha).
The past few weeks at work have been great. The new junior developers are coming along and making some real progress. We actually have a couple of them working on our app already.
Earlier this week we arrived at work at our usual time, about 10 minutes before 9. We usually come in early to get set up so we can get the ball rolling from the start, and keep it rolling sometimes well beyond 5 PM. Anyways, on this particular day, we came in to find that the office was lacking power. One of the juniors was waiting for us inside. Corey is very conscious about any hiccups in productivity that we have around the office, so he told me that we would be finding another place to work if the power was still out come 9 AM.
9 AM came and Corey and I decided to take the other developers back to our apartment where we knew for certain that the power would not go out (it’s fixed now!) and the internet was considerably more stable than the office. Honestly, I think that must have been the most productive day of work for the software team. We worked from whatever time the uber dropped us off (probably 9:30) well into the evening. I think the last junior went home around 8, with the others leaving just before. The other guys seemed so much more comfortable working in our place rather than the office. Plus we could joke, laugh, get up to stretch, and eat whenever we wanted to.
Power doesn’t go out too often at work; but when it does, productivity in the office plunges. The majority of the other developers’ batteries can’t last more than 30 seconds without a source of power, so they’re stuck without laptops. So when the power was out again just yesterday, we decided to check out another place called Hive Co-labs that’s just a few blocks away from Ensibuuko.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t really our type of working environment. Think more library vibes. Little to no talking. All you really hear is the sound of keyboards clacking. We didn’t last too long there. We retraced our steps, headed back toward the office and in the direction of our apartments. What luck that, just as we were passing the office, one of the accountants, Mabel, who must have spotted us through the window, came running out exclaiming that the power had returned.
Fredrick is a great guy. I get along will all of the juniors really well, but I definitely have a soft spot for this guy. He and I badger each other in and outside of the office all day. He specifically asked to get a photo with me, and I happily obliged. I’m unquestionably feeling more and more connected to this project, and to the people here.
It turns out that the time I spent teaching myself Vuejs is proving to be worthwhile! As I’m sure I’ve said earlier, we’re writing our app in Laravel (PHP), which comes bundled with Vue. Our app is starting to get quite complex and it’s nice to have a front end that resolves some of the complicated problems we’ve been running into. That being said, there’s still quite a bit of work to be done before we can finally say that we have a realistic MVP.
I’ve definitely been spending significantly more time sitting down at a computer than I had been at home. It’s great for learning, because just about everything that we’re doing now is fresh for everyone. It’s also nice to know that what I’m learning now will certainly be useful for the future, for myself or for my web developing career, if I choose to pursue this route. Unfortunately, it’s not so good for my health, as I’m beginning to see the tolls that it’s taking on my body.
Health-wise, I’ve certainly seen better days. I’ve been sick for the better part of the last few weeks with some kind of stomach issues for which the pain can be crippling if I carry on without taking medication. I’m still not certain of the cause. For better or for worse, I’m not usually one to head to the doctor immediately upon feeling any kind of unusual symptoms. As a matter of fact, I typically tend to stay away from medical clinics unless I’m in dire need. I can usually bear whatever it is until it subsides. That being said, I was on the verge of taking a taxi (ambulances take forever here…) to the emergency the first day that I felt that pain. I googled the nearest hospital as fast as I could, but I think I stopped in my tracks when I saw the photos of the health centre… I thought I’d rather deal with the issue myself.
Thankfully, my sister, a nurse, and some MD friends of mine from back in Canada came to my aide despite it being sometime around 3 AM for them. I managed to tell them all my symptoms and they were able to list the medications that I needed to take. Apparently you can just buy just about any medicine you need here in Kampala. The pharmacy had everything I need to take, and I’ve been taking it for about two weeks now. I’ve also been drastically limiting my food intake, eating only about one solid meal a day (usually late, sometime after work). Eating prior to work causes discomfort throughout the day, and I’d feel like a wimp complaining about pain at work despite having no observable symptoms. Symptoms have reduced significantly, but I’m not sure how long I’ll feel comfortable taking down a handful of pills every morning.
I’m beginning to think that the cause is related to the medication that we’re required to take daily for malaria. I missed a day last week and felt noticeably better for a short while. It’s still not an easy decision to make: to live with mild discomfort and cut back on food for a few months; or to elect not to take the malaria medication and risk life threatening ailment. I’m deciding to go the middle route: taking a little less than the recommended dose of the medication while still eating much less than usual.
Corey and I went to a mall about a week ago that had a chain store that appeared to be a re-branded Walmart. I didn’t really need much from there, but I went to checkout the environment. In a world where only foreigners manage to go to the gym, I managed to find a yoga mat and some workout supplements so that I can at least try to keep myself in shape. I’ve noticed I’m beginning to look and feel more and more like the michelin man, so I’m going to do what I can to resist that.
There is an incredible gym that we have free (included with the apartment rental) access to here at a place called Kabira Country Club. Walking into the place, it reminded me more of the resort I was at in Mexico recently than a country club. I was surprised to find that the gym there has everything I need to get a solid workout in. It also has an outdoor swimming pool, and a high class restaurant. So you wouldn’t be surprised that it’s mostly filled with foreigners.
I was very excited to be a regular at Kabira when I read about it from back in Canada. Regrettably, the distance is just enough to keep us from going every day, or at least from keeping a routine. It’s only about a 10 minute drive via uber or boda, but there are a milieu of other minor hassles that keep us from going (security, bag check-in, etc.). I’m resorting to the yoga mat to do bodyweight exercises and stretching on the week days, and on the protein powder to supplement the general lack of protein in a typical Ugandan diet. Fingers crossed that it might have any positive effect on my health.
On a more positive note, I recently discovered that my partner and roommate Corey is a DJ — and the music that he makes is right up my alley! I’ve actually had Helm Creek on repeat for the last few days at work. It perfectly hits that sweet spot that keeps me coding til the sun comes up (almost)! Definitely check it out if you’re a fan of electronic music!
That’s it for me, for now! We’ll talk again soon!
PS.
I’m in desperate need of a haircut. If anyone back in Vancouver would be so kind as to tell Mai at Alpha D Hair Salon on Homer St. that Jamal needs her assistance in Kampala, that would be very much appreciated!
Ciao!
Bonus Photo Gallery
