Ebola?! I had never
heard of Ebola before this month.
For those who were
as ignorant as I, here is what you should know:
- there is no cure or vaccine
for Ebola - it is highly infectious
- symptoms include fever,
headache, joint and muse aches, sore throat, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting,
stomach pain (rash, red eyes, hiccups, bleeding in some people) - transmitted through contact
with infected blood or objects (like at funerals) - Uganda had an outbreak in
2000 which killed 224 people
That was what we were running away from! This is our journey.
Monday, July 30,
2012 — Rwanda
We
said goodbyes to our hosts and boarded a bus in the morning to head to Uganda.
Border
crossing #1: Pretty normal. Filled out forms. Got passport stamped. Got back on
the bus.
The whole bus ride took about 12 hours. Saw the equator at some point.
Arrived
in Entebbe, Uganda. Find out about ebola and that the women are heading to
Kenya instead.
Tuesday, July 31,
2012 — Uganda
Got
ready to leave in the morning, packed and all, not knowing when we were going
to leave.
Said
goodbye to the exposure kids that lived with us last month.
Said
goodbye to the men and sent them off to South Sudan.
10pm.
All the women (27 of us!) bus to Kampala.
12 am. We board a public bus to Kenya.
Wednesday, August 1,
2012 — Kenya
3am.
Border crossing #2. The bus gets woken up and we walk out, half dazed into mud
(because it had just rained). Line up. Get hassled by money exchangers. Fill
out form. Passport stamped. Wait for everyone else. Walk across to the other
side. Wait some more. This time for more forms to fill out. Collect everyone’s
passport. Stamped. Get back on the bus. Headphones in. iPod on. Try to fall
back asleep.
6am.
Again. Get woken up. This time it’s our destination!
We meet our host
family who welcomed us with open arms and the first thing our Kenyan mom tells
us is
“Here is your room. You can rest. I’ll let you
know when breakfast is ready.”
Music to my ears!
I’m home. At least for the month of August!
