Johnny Muzungo goes to town

This past week has been rather boring. I guess that's what happens when you go to work. Actually, I didn't go every day. I skipped work on Wednesday because I needed to go to the hospital and get a physical. It was in my contract as a requirement for work at the university. Fortunately for me, the MGVP employee health program began this past week so I as able to have the exam, blood work, chest x-ray and the whole nine yards for free. On Thursday, I bumped into the head of the university and told him that I had the physical and that everything was fine. He then told me that I am the first person to actually get the physical and that he did not understand why it was a requirement. It was worth it though just for the experience of hanging out at a hospital in a developing country. Between mom's nursing background and my many trips to various emergency rooms across the country, I think that I am familiar with hospitals. To see this one and notice things like how limited their supplies were, the fact that being in a waiting room meant sitting on a bench outside because space in buildings was a precious commodity, and all the while the service and care is very good.

The pelican was successfully released on Thursday. It was turned lose at a lake on a golf course in Kigali. It should be safe there until he gets his strength back. It did make one short flight, circling the lake so it should be just a matter of time before it joins up with a flock. Having it around was fun, but messy. Fortunately, there are two bathrooms. I wish that there was a way to have smell on this video clip.

On Friday, I took the bus to Kigali in an attempt to finally get my work visa. As an American, I can be here for 90 days without it, but for staying longer, I need my green card.I thought that all of the paperwork was in order but that was not the case. The folks at the immigration office would not accept my application because it is to be completed via computer and then printed off and submitted. They no longer accept the forms completed by hand.And, I need a letter of police clearance stating that I am not a fugitive of any kind.So, off I go to the US Embassy to see if they can help me out with that one.After about a 15 minute lecture for not being registered on the embassy web site, it became clear that there would be no visa for Johnny Umusungo any time soon. I actually have spent some time looking at it but did not notice the information about police clearance. Plus, I had emailed several people asking for what all I needed before coming and it was never mentioned. It's not a block, just a bump, and just another task for Heather to help me with. Now, every cloud does have a silver lining and while at the embassy, I was able to vote so just so you know, I have done my part.Every year I vote and every year, it doesn’t seem to matter but I just do it anyway.

On the road to Kigali, traffic was stopped while the president and his motorcade passed by.He was headed to the border with Congo for a meeting. There’s a bunch of odd things going on in the Congo and the UN is right in the middle of it and not in a good way, but I won’t post those stories here. The trip to Kigali is worth taking, over mountains and through valleys, the scenery is just amazing.The only bummer is the absence of the national bird.The valleys once were full of grey crowned cranes but now to see one is very rare. I saw a bunch in Uganda last week, which is where I took this picture.


There is a big difference between the two countries in regards to agricultural practices which impact wildlife habitat. I have heard many times that conservation is a luxury. I see the truth of that statement every day that I am here.I did see many other birds on the trip like the sacred ibis and some cool looking storks that I can’t positively identify in my bird book. They might have been yellow-billed, but I can’t say for sure and I didn’t have my camera. Not that I could have gotten a clear shot from the bus anyway.

For me, one of the exciting things about traveling around is that there are differences in everything, not just the obvious things like food and language, but everything you see. The vegetation, the bugs, the birds, I wish that I had a picture of the worm that I caught while in the jungle. It was shaped exactly like every worm that I ever fished with, just bigger. Actually, about 12-14 inches in length and ¾ to 1 inch in diameter. It was really cool! There were 3 Germans on the hike with us that day and they all assumed that I had caught a snake and they weren't cool with it at all.

Mom wants to see some pictures of where I live so I will get some for next week's update. In the mean time, mom, here's a bit of a description. The facility has a wall around it, like most facilities here in town. There are three buildings. The main building is U-shaped with a courtyard in the middle. This is a picture of the courtyard. The main building has two bathrooms, 5 offices, 4 bedrooms, a library, kitchen, dining room, living room and laboratory facilities. There are two small storage buildings out back and a small house where Dr. Spelman lives. There are two gardens and tons of flowers, countless flowering shrubs, some trees and a huge type of cactus.

It might be hard to notice in the above picture, but there are plants like poinsettias that grow in the yard. They actually become large bushes like this one. I will be putting in a small patch of pineapples at some point. They are very cheap to buy, but I just want to do it because I can.

Being on the equator, the growing season never ends. Weather wise, every day is the same. If it is cloudy, then it will be a little cooler and if the sky is clear, it will be warmer but other than that, the day length doesn’t change and there is always a chance of rain. There are always flowers blooming and birds chirping.

It’s great except for one thing, there are many hadada ibis that roost in the tree just outside my window. They are an interesting bird with metallic color that shines in the sun and the funky shaped bill. They also have a call that is incredibly annoying and they start with the first bit of light on the horizon, around 5:20am.

The only real surprise thus far has been the earth quake that we had a while back. It wasn’t hard enough for things to come off of the shelves, but it did shake things around a bit. Again, every cloud has a silver lining. I just happened to be brushing my teeth at the time and I do believe that it helped me out some.