What's good for Angoose is good for Uganda

Normally when flights are missed, the bad times roll and life needs to be reorganised. I came back to base, found a friend (Dutch from Hanoi) in Kampala, capital of Uganda and she invited me to meet the Irish community there. So after meeting in Bubbles O'Leary on Friday night, we went to Kyadondo Rugby Club on saturday afternoon. There we got the hurls out and hit a few sliotars around before playing a game of rounders. There were Ugandans, Irish, Dutch, English and even a man from Cork called Kevin. There were Maribou Storks flying around and if you hit the ball far enough you might find out what was growing in the field over yonder.

That night we went to International Music Festival of Uganda and danced like it was going out of fashion to an old man in a red pinstripe suit playing the electric guitar. Next up were a band with two dancing ladies whose moves would put anyone on MTV to shame. Bits that you didn't even know existed were being shaken and thrown about the floor. Those of us who tried to copy them had a good time it though we were but trying.

The next day it was back to Bubbles for the All-Ireland Final between Donegal and Mayo. Not the most tense of matches but all credit to Donegal for taking home Sam Maguire after so many years. Then a taxi-bus took me back to the UN Base and what with dinner, dancing, sleeping and a bit of work, I was on a UN flight to Kinshasa. I'm in Kinshasa now and I like it.

Greetings from Uganda

Patrick,

Greetings from Entebbe, Uganda. Home of both the international airport and the UN base that supports Peacekeeping missions in Congo, Darfur, Sudan and the newly formed South Sudan. I have been on this base for a week now and a bit like yourself starting school I have been registering for things, doing things, learning things, getting lost, trying different things in the canteen and trying to make friends.

It's fun but hard work, basically wandering around doing one thing after another. The base is super cool, with no end of trucks, jeeps, helicopters and planes flying in and out of it all the time. The base is roughly the same distance between these four conflicts in Africa and troops, supplies and humanitarian workers like myself fly in an out every day.

I did not fly out today. I was too cool for school and missed my flight. Don't tell Maimeo and Daideo, or Danny for that matter. So now I get to spend the weekend in Kampala. It's not so bad, rounders with hurling sticks tomorrow, some Irish person's leaving party on Saturday night, and then the All Ireland Football Final in the one and only Bubbles O'Leary's, the big Irish bar in the city.

See if your Dad will take you to watch it. Donegal will hopefully spread Mayo like butter.

I fly to Kinshasa, the Capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday.