Friday, December 3, 2010
The Peace Corps were evacuated yesterday. The CDC and the US Embassy have kept quiet on anything that might be happening, their responses to emails claim that nothing is really amiss and that we shouldn’t be worried. But the fact that the Peace Corps bolted to Kampala certainly isn’t reassuring. Robbie talked to one of them who had 10 months left in country who said he thinks they might just send them home.
Another group of Muzungus got so spooked that they didn’t just leave the North they left the country entirely. They are currently biding their time in Nairobi, Kenya. Apparently they heard from a nurse who was here in 2000 (when there was a big outbreak of Ebola), that she saw one of the new cases and it was definitely Ebola. This is unconfirmed, but unsettling nonetheless.
We have already checked the prices of private hire cars and private jets (fifty bucks a head to Kampala, not bad) to Kampala just incase this blows up, but all signs are pointing to it not being a big deal. Although there is some concern that the government in Kampala will try to cover up whatever happens because of the upcoming election in February of next year. Hmm….
Evacuation
Sunday, December 5, 2010
We went the way of the Peace Corps. A few days into the much talked about plague we received a phone call from our academic advisor telling us that we were being evacuated to Kampala. Most of us were pretty upset to be leaving Gulu and our Homestay families behind, but the logic was pretty clear. We packed up all of our things and loaded them onto our trusty matatus. We were supposed to leave at 11 but naturally we left at a little before 1, AWA. We encountered the usual bus matatu break down on the way to Kampala so our four-hour journey turned into an eight-hour journey. Our driver, Tycoon the Man, also decided it would be a good idea to buy a chicken, still clucking, and set it under the back seat. I don’t know how the little guy didn’t make any noise or try to escape but it was definitely still alive.
We made it to Kampala by nightfall and returned to the trusty Bativa Hotel where we started our trip three months ago. Most of us were pretty exhausted so we passed out. The following day Dr. William, our Academic Director, gave us a briefing on the situation. Apparently there were confirmed cases of Pneumonic Plague and a strong possibility of Ebola, I’m glad we got out of there as soon as we did. It’s still upsetting to think that us Muzungus can escape so easily but we leave behind all the residents of Gulu to fend for themselves. There is nothing we can do, but it’s troubling that the actual Ugandans really have no escape. We also learned that our safari at the end of our trip has been cancelled so our trip might end earlier than expected.
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