Revenge of the Cockroaches

(Written in Wakiso)

Last night was the worst night I've had since I have been in Uganda.

I woke up to thunderous rains like I’ve never heard before. It was as though Noah's Ark was coming. The time was 2am, and I did not go to sleep after that.

Lying in bed, thinking (like I do too much), I noticed a large-not to mention, grossly juicy cockroach crawling on my mosquito net. (Okay okay, I know this is Africa, but due to a traumatic experience in Sri Lanka, I have a deep fear of these little “animals.”)

Frozen in fear, I noticed another… then another… and another… It was as though I was infested!

Immediately, I felt trapped. I began to panic.

I had to leave.

So at 5am, I quickly gathered my clothes, toothbrush, and notebook… and ran out of the house just as I was.

It was pitch black, as there are no street lights, and it was still pouring with rain.

With a lantern and alarm in one hand, and my knife in the other, I set out to my training site.

Having only taken the swampy-like “short-cut,” and knowing it was the more “dangerous” choice, I opted for the longer route on unfamiliar roads.

Needless to say, it wasn’t long before I was utterly lost, in absolute darkness.

Before long, I crossed paths with about thirty army men dressed all in black. It was so dark, I only recognized them by the whites of their eyes. Great, I thought, this is it. I clenched my knife, knowing I would not be much competition, but walked on by without incident.

After maybe an hour, or an hour and a half of walking “on instinct,” I noticed the headlights of a matatu taxi bus, and didn’t even need to flag them down, as they always stop, hoping to pick up a mzungu. Though there were only two men inside, I weighed my options, jumped inside, and asked them to take me to the “Wakiso Taxi Park” as I knew I could find my way to the training center from there (even though the walking distance from there is quite a trek too).

After driving for what seemed like too long, I realized that they were taking me to the bus park in the next town! Beyond irritable at this point, I got out of the taxi without paying, and waited on the side of the road for another half an hour before getting picked up by a taxi going in the opposite direction.

Exhausted, I arrived at my training center just a few minutes before my language class started, and only three hours after I had left my home.

This experience made me ponder... Do you stay in an uncomfortable situation even if you feel trapped? Or do you leave, unaware of the dangers ahead?