Archive for the ‘CFU’ Category

Going Back to Uganda

Friday, May 29th, 2009

After a fairly long hiatus, I am going back to Uganda this summer from June 13 to June 30. I couldn’t do this last summer as I was working 9 to 5 at Akamai and had quite a few projects to work on. This summer I’m doing research at the MIT Media Lab with the Camera Culture group, which allows for a little more flexibility in my schedule (and I can be a night owl again!).

Anyway, I’ll be in Seattle next week, and I will update you on the progress of this year’s Computers for Uganda team.

I want to note that this is the first year the CFU team has been entirely self-sustainable, thanks to InterConnection Uganda. Rock on.

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Goodbye Team!

Monday, July 9th, 2007

As always, the flight for the CFU team leaves early in the morning. Generally the team goes to a discotheque and dances all night before boarding the plane, but this year Janet wanted to take it easy…so the all-night party happened beforehand.

We left for Entebbe at around 4:30 in the morning and got to the airport entrance right before sunrise.

Ah, the madness
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Lunch with Mamma Janet…

Sunday, July 8th, 2007

“Mamma Janet” is the name Ugandans have given to the First Lady, Janet Museveni, because she acts just like a mother for her country. She is a very powerful figure, but perhaps one of the most humble and caring people I’ve met.

Walking around the State House

Anyway, today, just following the awesome dinner/dance party and the Vice President’s, we’re heading to the State House where the First Lady has invited the CFU team for lunch (talk about your crazy weekends). She was so touched by their hard work, and was especially thankful to them for installing a lab in one of her chosen schools this year. So this was her goodbye party for them.
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Dinner and Drums with the Vice President

Saturday, July 7th, 2007

The day started out pretty normal…I headed to InterConnection Uganda early in the morning and finished setting up the demo computers, then I did some work sorting out all the RAM we have managed to rummage up into the appropriate size and speed piles. Things were pretty calm today after the mad rush to get the place ready for the Grand Opening.

Christina was scheduled to arrive at 2:00pm in Entebbe, but John the Driver got a little mixed up on what the schedule was, so we didn’t leave until 1:50pm. Ooops. I hope she’ll be okay.

By the time we made it to the airport, the passengers were just leaving the airplane. It turns out that they had delayed the flight by an hour. Wow…what timing.

Then things got even nuttier.

John, Christina, and I hung around Entebbe until about 6 pm, waiting for the Computers for Uganda team to arrive. On the agenda today: Meeting with the Vice President of Uganda at his beach house in Entebbe.

Wait…what?!
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Meeting the Vice President

Friday, June 29th, 2007

Today, after a little work at ICU, we tagged along with the CFU team at their “hand-over ceremony” at the school sponsored by the Vice President. Jackie, also from MIT, arrived late last night, so she was certainly in for a treat today.

Once we arrived, the security personnel escorted us to our seats, and just a few feet away was the Vice President of Uganda. How awesome is that? The team had met the President a few days earlier while they were in Masaka over the weekend (I didn’t go because I had work to do in Kampala). Two years ago the CFU team I was on met President Museveni at the State House, but this year…wow. Both the President and the VP…neat.

The Vice President was very sociable and friendly. People here really love him (and some say even more than the President).

Meeting the VP
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