When we’re in Kampala we usually stay at the American Club or ARA - protected by mile-high fencing, American embassy guards and a full-time security patrol, bomb checks, and gate-checks it’s its’ own little world. And though these security measures might sound a little off-putting, once you get inside all you feel is safe and at home. The kids call it home-away-from-home and roam the grounds totally at ease. There is a big beautiful pool, lots of open yard space with tons of playground equipment, two tennis courts, foosball, ping pong, pool, a bar, and several TV rooms offering cable service plus an array of videos/dvds to borrow and watch. Yet somehow with all this, it feels as comfortable as a good friends’ home. Most rooms share bathrooms and are found in several small homes located throughout the grounds. The staff knows us all (the team) and greets us with excitement as we step through the doors after our requisite three months in Bundi (it’s always the same schedule, three months in then a a few weeks out). We order American style food from the extensive menu and sip imported drinks like Dr. Pepper and A and W root beer. They usually have candy bars and crisps (chips) too! It might sound deluxe - in reality it is much like a community center or community club but with a very good staff; only here a community center with these amenities is non-existent.
Well, we’re home now but we spent nearly a week in this pampering environment. Each day the ARA fills up with ex-pats, most of them living in Kampala, who are there to retreat into a more familiar world for a few hours or a few days. In typical American fashion, some eat too much then exercise it off in the gym - a total waste of calories in the typical Ugandan’s mind. We swim nearly naked and walk around in skimpy clothing ( like shorts), we listen to canned pop instead of screaming African disco songs, we eat food with no sauce and sauce with no food with no qualms at all. And as much as we love Africa, as much as we delight in our Ugandan friends, as much as we have grown to feel at home in our beautiful bundibugyo, the American Club is a slice of take-a-huge-painfully-cleansing-breath heaven.
So now we’re home but not without adventure; one of our tires shredded on the way. We don’t know what happened but we’re thankful all ended well even though the tire is in multiple pieces. We ended up using many Ugandans, poles, and big stones to jack up the car because due to the total flatness of the tire we couldn’t jack the car up high enough to get the spare on (we carry two because flats are so common and mechanics so few).
Now we settle back in to our normal life in Bundibugyo where the rats have gained the upper hand in our two week absence.