Monday, June 8, 2009
The Penultimate Day
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Lindsay Who?
Saturday, June 6, 2009
A Little Rain Can't Stop Us!
Friday, June 5, 2009
From Zero Degrees Latitude to Zero Degrees Longitude
My friend Heather flew in yesterday. We are doing some sight-seeing and meeting up with another friend who lives here with her husband and son, so we are looking forward to a great and gabby weekend!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
What? Time to Go Already?
Ok, not really. After all, I'm headed to London for a few days, and London is my favourite city in the world. But I am NOT, in ANY way, ready to leave this beautiful country and wonderful people. There is still so much to see and do, and today I really got into the swing of things with my class. I had about 45 minutes after class to change, do a final packing, and grab a bite to eat at the bar. My farewells of Cathie, Michael, Ather and Russ were very rushed, and I am only now sitting in the airport in Entebbe awaiting my overnight flight to Brussels.
But let me tell you about my day.
My friend and colleague Larry is a teacher and he commented a while ago about about how amazing it is, as a teacher, to realize that your students "get it" and that you're making a difference. Today that happened to me over and over again, and the 9 hours of class time went by in a flash.
If you have been keeping up with all the blog entries, you may recall that on Tuesday I had a moment or two of self doubt - there is so much to be done here, so much frustration on the part of really good people who want to make a difference and don't know where to start, and such pleading in their face as they ask for help. I wondered if there was anything that my little 2-day workshop could possibly do to help out.
Today my intent was to do a bit of review, and then use most of the day to apply the tools that I taught to real-life practical examples that they brought with them. Well, what is it they say about best-laid plans? I did accomplish the review, but that led into a sort of Q&A that became much broader than simple process improvement. We talked for at least an hour about change management, prioritization, working on things over which you have control (rather than boiling the ocean), the benefits and challenges of organizational transformation (Cathie was there for that part and added some really helpful points of view from an operations perspective), and the history of ServiceOntario! (Scott McConnell will be pleased to know that the little video on ServiceOntario has now been viewed in Uganda, and they LOVED it. It encouraged them to think about their own brand values as they organize their efforts to transform.)
After the Q&A we got back to work, and I asked everyone to come up with a problem statement of their own, and report out on that. What should have been a 20 minute exercise took an hour, but watching people slowly "get it", was incredible. By the time we finished, we had 25 problem statements, of which at least half were absolutely applicable and workable. From there I asked each table to select one, and we would work on that for the rest of the day.
I had hoped that process mapping would take about an hour. But that slowly turned into two hours, and there was NO WAY I was going to shut it down. There was excellent work going on - people were standing and pointing and using flip chart paper and masking tape and laughing and working together. The Commissioner, who had been difficult to convince to participate in activity report-outs, was all up in the mix, helping out and working in partnership with his table mates.
I sat with each table in turn, helping people turn theory into application, hearing about the issues they are trying to work on and sharing our own similar experiences. Here are some of the issues that they want to fix:
- The Land Registration Process. I think all my colleagues will smile at that one, as it has been years and years of very hard work for ServiceOntario to get where it is today in the LR process. Well, the Ugandan process includes several steps that utilize a "typing pool" - that may tell you where they are on the transformation journey.
- The process for paying teachers. Presently this involves 8 different organizations - 3 government ministries, 3 separate departments, the national Bank of Uganda, and the commercial banks with which teachers bank. An enormous percentage (I think it was around 20 or 30%) of teachers do not get paid because something goes wrong with their bank account information. It is weeks and weeks of work to correct this.
- The process for issuing pensioners cheques. Another 8 branches are involved in this, and the cheques are both late and inaccurate most of the time.
- Teacher registrations - right now 100% of teachers are to register with the system in order to track and monitor curriculum success and a variety of other things. The process is so cumbersome that only 30% bother to register.
And there were more. We spent most of the afternoon talking through these processes, applying additional tools, and understanding what the next steps might be. At the end of the day, one of the Directors arrived (she had to miss the class because it is budget time), and she said "I don't understand the words my team is using!" I loved that she said this! Her team was talking about Voice of Customer, Critical to Quality, Operational Definitions, Swimlane, As-is, Should-be and Thought-to-be process maps, cycle time, inputs and outputs. It was astonishing - I am not sure when the turning point was, but there certainly was one.
Perhaps it was after lunch. One of the participants had been late in the morning and I told him he would have to sing the National Anthem for the class. I had threatened that before, but this time, I meant it. He was so good natured, but still hesitant, so I decided I had to make a fool of myself before he would agree to do the same. I shocked the class by singing a little bit from Singin' in the Rain, and so then Banan (the participant in question) had no trouble jumping up and starting to sing. Then the entire class stood as well, and they all sang together - the beautiful words and rich tones of the anthem gave me goosebumps - surely this was a highlight of my trip. There was a real feeling of cameraderie with the class and they seemed to fall-in and work together so well after that point.
Eventually the day had to end. So, after a wrap-up, a reminder that they are now all "experts" because they have had more training than anyone else around them, and some action planning on their next steps, we ended the day.
I was pleased that their next steps included timelines, a call for performance measurement and accountability, and realistic deliverables. I was also pleased when one participant's suggested action item included a solution (hiring more typists for the typing pool) and several of his colleagues shouted, "NO! That's a solution! We don't know if that's the problem! You have to get proof first!" Seriously. They did.
Finally we got to the speeches to close the workshop. Everyone was thanked, and the organizers said lovely things about all of us from Ontario. I was asked to go back next year, but this will depend on the program arrangement that IPAC/CIDA and the two partners (Uganda/Ontario) can agree to. Cathie is going to discuss it with the powers-that-be, and see whether Business Process Review can become a core function of the partnership.
In the meantime, I have agreed to support my class over email, and help them with their on-going process work. (To my team who is probably reading this: I am hoping to buddy you up with the Ugandans to build your teaching/coaching skills and share our process knowledge most effectively. Think about it! Could be exciting! (And no, that doesn't mean you're all going to Uganda... unless you win the lottery...))
I was presented with many gifts when I left - a series of monkeys carved in ebony, the first one called George (after my red-tailed monkey) and the rest also with "G" names (Georgina, Gulu, etc), a picture of a tribal woman doing the dance I "mastered" last night, a conference table with carved animals sitting around it, etc etc. It was lovely and so thoughtful - each gift had a meaning derived after only a week of working with the Uganda team.
There were so many shining moments today, and at the end, the comment from the Commissioner really touched me: "We hope Madam Ruth comes back again, because has worked with us, sat with us, and really cared about our processes as if they are her processes. She is more Ugandan than many Ugandans."
Wow, eh? See why I want to stay?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Our Day of "Rest"
We all met for breakfast this morning at 8. This was the first (and only) breakfast where the whole team would be together, as Russ flew in last night and I fly out tomorrow night! We chatted about the past several days and Russ soaked it all in, storing bits of information away for later. He has big plans to get out into the country, so I look forward to hearing about his experiences!
Part One of Our Day of Rest was all about shopping and souvenirs. We started off at something called “The National Theatre”, which I figured was literally a theatre or performing arts centre, with a few kiosks with knick knacks for sale. Not so. There was indeed a large building, which I suppose could have been a performing arts centre inside, but we didn’t go in. We drove around back where there were perhaps 2 dozen little booths with a variety of colourful beads, carved goods, shirts, dresses, shoes, spears (yes!), bongo drums, and carpets for sale. The call as we passed each one was the same – “You are most welcome! Please come in and look!” Most of the booths had the same things for sale, but we had a great time looking, and bought several little things.
The pricing is amazing. It’s approximately 2,000 Shillings to one US dollar – most souvenirs amounted to a dollar or two at the most. We never tried to haggle – how can you haggle over a few cents? (Pictured below, me with our driver, Steven.)
From there we went to a sports store so I could buy a football shirt in the Ugandan team's colours (The Cranes – they have a horrible record, but they still try, and their stadium is massive!) for a friend of mine. You would think we were rock stars in that store. Our driver took us to a specific place where I could find the shirt, and the sales clerks – all young women – were thrilled to have us take their picture, support their team and just say hi. Michael gave everyone Canadian flag pins and they were so proud and thankful to have them! (Below, me with one of the girls who worked at the sports store.)
Next stop was the local fruit and vegetable market. This place was not for the faint of heart, and we didn’t go anywhere without Steven. In fact, I was pretty much glued to his side. It was really quite spectacular, but also a little upsetting. Rows upon rows of caged hens, roosters and chickens were stacked on each other (imagine the smell), and several were standing in the hot sun in the sand with their legs tied together so they couldn’t get away. The large hens were 14,000 shillings – about $7 – which I think is a lot considering you have to butcher it yourself. Perhaps the locals wouldn’t pay as much. There were even small calves standing in the hot sun, waving their tails to ward off flies, and unaware of their fate. (I know – I’m ridiculous. This is how people eat. I get it. I’ve seen one too many Disney movies and I give every animal a personality. Mea culpa. One of the guys on my team at home, Alex, would be perfectly happy here – he raised bunnies to eat when he was a kid.)
On to the nice things about the market. The ladies were wearing the most beautiful clothes in brilliant hues. Head dresses, aprons, shirts, skirts – all in pinks and blues and yellows. And everyone was smiling, happy to see us (and our money). Most let us take their pictures (it was necessary to ask) although one or two said no. There were boxes of eggplant and zucchini and ochra and tomatoes and potatoes. Baskets with dried peas and lentils. Hanging bags of spices, pieces of vanilla and cinnamon, and everywhere bunches of bananas – standing in a corner, hanging up, broken into smaller bunches or whole as they came from the tree. Pineapples, mangoes – oh the mangoes! Hundreds of them piled high and cut open so you could see and smell how fresh they were. Bikes went by piled with bags of corn, more bananas, and furniture (yes, furniture).
People were desperate for us to buy from them, and although Cathie and Michael did buy some vanilla, the rest of us took pictures and held on to our wallets very tightly and stuck with Steven. There were times when crowds around us got a little crazy, and we backed slowly away and headed to the truck after that. Michael actually gave a guy a shilling just so he’d go away!
The sights, sounds, and smells of that market were just incredible. I took so many photos and I know I didn’t capture it in any way close to what it was. A great 30 minutes, I tell you. Next we stopped at a local store for some groceries (we all wanted to stock up on tea, coffee and sugar – all local products and all fantastic), and then headed back to the hotel for an hour before:
Part Two of Our Day of Rest was at the home of a friend of Ather’s. Just 10 minutes from our hotel is a lovely neighbourhood where the well-to-do have open and breezy houses with gardens and pools, security guards and servants. This lovely couple (and I just can’t remember their names) are originally from Pakistan – well, he is actually the third generation born in Uganda, but she was born in Pakistan and has lived in Uganda for 32 years), and they had us over for a BBQ. Their definition of BBQ is not quite the same as mine – amazing fresh tropical juices, beef kababs, rice with tomatoes, spinach, chicken curry, parsley potatoes, naan bread, garlic bread, mangos with chilli, bread pudding (with silver foil on it that you eat!), and a pasta dessert made out of vermicelli noodles. This was a HUGE meal!
I was warned, “that dish may be a little spicy”. Another member of my team, Rozina, would have laughed as I helped myself to a large spoonful of the mangos with chilli, thinking it was just chutney. I wonder if my face turned red. Oh and by the way – drinking coke after hot food really isn’t a good idea. A lovely meal in the most relaxing setting, and great conversation. We laughed a lot, despite the gathering storm clouds and loud thunder, and before you know it we headed back to the hotel again in preparation for:
Part Three of Our Day of Rest involved a whole lot of tribal dancing, singing, drums, and storytelling. We went outside of town to an amphitheatre that hosts a troupe of dancers – normally they only perform on Sunday nights, but tonight, being a holiday, they had an extra show. This was the Ndere Centre in Butuukirwa (don’t ask me how to pronounce it), and I have not had this much fun in a very long time! There were perhaps 30 performers, an equal number of men and women, in beautifully coloured and authentic (well, the design was authentic if not the polyester) costumes and head dresses. They opened with gentle singing that built gradually and added flutes and guitars (not modern guitars, but original instruments that are more like harps) and many many drums. I had goosebumps! And the singing was so beautiful – kind of like the group Black Mombazo that did a record with Paul Simon a while back – it actually brought tears to my eyes. Sorry the pics are so bad - I don't know how to work my camera well at night or with motion!
The host for the evening was also the director, a drum player, and an occasional dancer, not to mention comedian. He told stories in between each dance that shared local history from the tribes around Uganda and more often than not also delivered a message on appreciating diversity, balancing action with thought, and valuing life.
At the end the audience was invited up to dance with some of the performers and celebrate music and joy, and so I got up with most of the rest of our group and tried very hard not to embarrass myself – eventually I just didn’t care and I shook my booty like everyone else. Colleen, another woman on my team back home, would have either died laughing at me, or, hopefully, would have applauded and joined me.
What a lovely Martyr’s Day (that sounds funny, but you know what I mean) and a great way to spend my last night in Africa. I now have to finish packing and prep for my day tomorrow, and hope the students completed their homework!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Process 101
I don't know what I was thinking when I figured that the two tea breaks (30 mins each) and lunch break (60 mins) would give me oodles of time to relax during the day. At each break the participants were eager to pick my brain on all sorts of process-related items, as well as talk about things that had nothing to do with process and were more about just getting the job done within the confines of the Public Services.
I was interested to note that many of their concerns were identical to ours:
- what do you do if you want to work on something but it isn't the current priority of the government and there is no money
- what do you do if you make recommendations and people say they will implement them and they don't
- how do you get stakeholders to support your project
- how do you decide what to do first from dozens and dozens of ideas
At lunchtime we had such a deep discussion that I left almost overwhelmed with the depth and breadth of the issues the members of the UPS are facing on a daily basis, and I wondered if my little workshop was actually having any real impact.
In the afternoon, however, I had a shining moment when I thought that just possibly I WAS having an impact. I had just finished teaching a particularly complex tool, and I used an example that was a little difficult for folks here to relate to: the process for taxi dispatchers in getting cabs to customers as quickly as possible. There is no such thing here as a dispatcher, there are only taxi stands, and so the concept was a little difficult for some participants to apply.
Most of the class took the opportunity to understand this process, and some had travelled widely enough that they knew what I was trying to portray. One group, however, was really struggling, but instead of throwing in the towel, they decided to use the tool and apply it to a real example of a similar problem here in Kampala (the process for booking operating theatres in hospitals). I thought it was brilliant - they were already applying a tool and finding it useful! They ended up being a real ambassador for the tool to the rest of the class.
And so now I have sent the class away with homework, and they have tomorrow to prepare for Day 2, which is on Thursday. (Tomorrow is a national Public holiday.) I think they will do very well and I am anxious to see what they come back with!
In the meantime, I'm heading to the spa. :)
Monday, June 1, 2009
Workshop #1
We started off with an “official” opening ceremony with formal introductions and remarks from the Rt. Hon. 2nd Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Public Service. (This position would be equivalent to my Minister of Government Services, Minister McMeekin, in the Ontario government.) In his speech, the DPM commented that today, focus needs to be on “Quality at the Gate”, and that members of the Uganda Public Service need to target employees who can add value, not those who are merely seeking value. He spoke of a focus on customer service, of understanding the customer’s needs and expectations, and having enough humility to admit when we do not know the answers and need to learn.
I loved his pattern of speech, the lilting tone that was so sincere and thankful for the partnership between Uganda and Ontario, and how he challenged his people to listen, “cogitate” (great word), and learn. The participants hung on his every word – clearly a popular man.
As I write this, I find the group is fascinating – there are 25 participants, about a third of whom are women, and about a 75/25 split between staff and management in HR functions. It must be close to 30C in this room, and yet most of the group refuse to remove their jackets. They remain extremely interested and engaged – there is no shortage of questions, volunteers for activities, and serious thought (or “cogitation” as the Minister would say) on the issues.
There is excellent discussion, and the participants have no trouble challenging each other and really getting to the heart of the matter. I was concerned at first because there seem to be a lot of sidebar conversations going on, and at times some people don’t seem to be paying attention at all. And yet the next minute those very people are raising their hands, adding to the exercise and really getting in to the work. Clearly, different learning styles work for different people!
I am really interested in the questions they are asking. Many of them focus on how to ensure that candidates are not falsely representing themselves and their qualifications. They also are wary of giving interview candidates “too much” information in case they become “experts” at passing interviews, at screening large pools of applicants, and at appropriate vs. inappropriate selection criteria (such as age). Excellent questions, and not unfamiliar to us. Cathie and Ather are very adept at handling all their comments, and an excellent session is had by all.
Here’s an interesting story. What is your operational definition of “microphones”? In other words, if you asked for microphones for a workshop, what would you supply? Well, we got a massive sound system, complete with speakers, a DJ, and music playing during the workshop right outside the door, complicated wiring, tables set up, and several sound technicians. And, no microphones.
Ah, you have to laugh. You especially have to laugh when it’s 400 degrees in the room, and no matter how many times the AC is turned on, it goes off again within minutes. And then you laugh one last time for the day when you get stuck in The Jam and it takes almost two hours to travel 20km.
Cathie and Michael and I were trying to think how to best articulate a description of The Jam. It's not just like a bad day on a Friday before a long weekend on the 401 in Toronto. It's much much more - try to picture half a dozen or so roads merging into one and then branching off again into a different half a dozen roads. Then picture no traffic lanes. Well, there are lanes, but no one pays attention to them. (I asked my driver why 3 cars were side-by-side in 2 lanes, and he said it was necessary to get anywhere, otherwise it's "too slow". I'm sorry, I just can't imagine it being any slower.) There are also only about 5 (literally) traffic lights in the city, and they are ignored if a traffic warden or police officer is present. Then all bets are off and you just race through and hope they don't mind. There are boda-bodas going every direction in every lane, across lanes, the wrong way through lanes, on the sidewalks and up the medians. There are buses and taxis and trucks and beat up cars and polished Mercedes - all inching, bit by bit, up the street. Speeding is NOT a problem during The Jam, and yet we narrowly missed hitting a boda-boda at one point. I guess when the Travel Clinic folks warned me that car accidents are the #1 cause of death in Uganda, they weren't kidding!
Oh and the people! Jaywalking is too tame a word for what goes on! A little boy crossed the street quite calmly with cardboard trays of eggs on his head. A woman and a little girl walked right in front of on-coming vans, a man in a business suit wove his way in and out of the cars and boda-bodas, and a man selling posters of the alphabet (A is for Axe here, not Apple) plastered his wares against our window.
And all of this is happening all at once in all directions. I wish I could describe it better! I almost called it organized chaos, but it's not organized at all. Oh my kingdom for a video camera! Apparently there are some clips on YouTube if you search Kampala and traffic. I also got one photo - this doesn't capture it, but it's a start... all the boda-bodas below are going ACROSS the traffic. Sheesh.
Thankfully we made it to the hotel and checked into our lovely new surroundings. What a gorgeous hotel this is - again, an oasis in a chaotic city! I will enjoy listening to the frogs in the garden as I review my material for tomorrow and then have a good sleep.
With a wake up call I hope.
Uganda Time in Action
Front Desk: Yes madam, of course.
Ruth: Ok, thank you. For 6:30 tomorrow morning?
Front Desk: Yes madam, room 61, correct?
Ruth: Yes, that’s perfect, thank you.
Front Desk: Goodnight Madam.
7:45 am. Sun streaming through the windows, sounds in the outdoor corridor, and a rumbling in my stomach cause me to stir and then bolt upright and grab my watch. I have never dressed so quickly in my life, and was down in the classroom by 8:10 (we started at 8:30).
Perhaps the Front Desk meant Uganda time, which means the phone in my room should ring about 12:30pm.
Oh well.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Uganda Time
On one of Cathie's past visits, she heard of a parade that was to happen the next day. Wanting to experience as much culture as possible, she asked the taxi driver what time the parade would take place - "Oh, 4 o'clock, madam," was the reply.
So, Cathie duly reported to the proper location before 4 o'clock, only to find the place empty. She wondered if she had the right place, and then finally asked someone.
Cathie: Isn't there a parade today?
Local person: Yes madam, but it is long over.
Cathie: But I was told 4 o'clock!
Local person: Did they tell you that was Ugandan time?
Cathie: Is that different than the time on my watch?
Local person: Yes, Ugandan time goes by the sun. The first hour after the sun comes up (6am every day) is 1 o'clock in the morning. The first hour after the sun goes down (6pm) is 1 o'clock at night. So 4 o'clock Ugandan time was 10 o'clock this morning to you.
Cathie: I have a headache.
Of course there is also what I call "Goretti time", but that's a whole different story.
Goat on a Rope
The View from the Hill
I am told the rate is $115US per night, and for this I get three meals, impeccable service, a huge room with beautiful furniture and an exotic mosquito net (which is not needed, thank goodness), an enormous bathroom with rainshower, business desk with wireless internet, sitting area, and a tiled balcony overlooking a beautiful garden and in the distance, the Lake. Oh, and the view of a little village. This is where the mixed feelings come in. Over the past couple of days I have been on a few road trips, and all along the roads, whether in the cities or small villages, I see people of all ages trudging to get their water for the day in gigantic yellow containers. There is no running water here, and people make daily treks to get their supply for washing, cooking, and bathing. I see crooked red-brick shacks piled together to create a neighbourhood, laundry hanging everywhere or spread on shrubs or the lawn, and chickens, goats, cows, and ducks roaming freely with barefoot (sometimes, but not always) children. Women carrying enormous baskets of bananas on their head try to sell their wares to occupants of passing cars. Tiny shacks are tilted at precarious angles, and the owner is usually perched on a stool inside waiting for someone to buy a phone card, a stick of sugar cane, a bottle of Fanta, an iron gate, a carved bedframe, a cut of beef/pork/goat, hats, clothing, or fruit. I see “Jesus is King Metalworks” and the car washing bay in the creek. And everywhere, people, boda-bodas, and diesel spewing trucks.
The view from my balcony is a little different. I just watched a man and woman walk along the path towards the little village – she with an enormous pile of clothing on her head – and a group of four or five children came running towards them, jumping around them and then clutching their hands as they continued along the path. Parents coming home at the end of the day? Perhaps. I can see them now, kicking a soccer ball around, chasing the chickens and waiting for the sun to set. (Their rooster is confused – he has been crowing all afternoon.)
What I have not seen is the sad sad World Vision images. The people I see are smiling, joking, laughing, chatting on their cell phones, and enjoying their day. They look healthy and happy, quite frankly. Food is plentiful, there is lots of activity, and tourism is on the rise.
I tell myself that it’s ok that I’m in this castle on the hill, because I’m contributing to the economy. But I can’t help feel a little guilty for complaining about my hard bed and difficulties in finding a hair dryer.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
The Jungle and The Jam
Things started off fairly uneventfully. In fact, the first half of the day was downright boring. Slept like a log on the most uncomfortable bed in the universe, only to discover it was actually a box spring. Apparently they “forgot” the mattress. (“No madam, that is impossible,” the manager said to me. And yet, tonight I have a mattress…)
Anyway, we were all a little bleary-eyed this morning, but enjoyed our buffet breakfast, picking out only the “allowed” foods. (If it’s not peeled, boiled, or hot… don’t eat it.) Next we went off to find a room where we could put our heads together and do some work until our hosts arrived at midday.
So you can see this how this could be a fairly boring day.
However, once Goretti and Rose arrived and sorted out a few things, I took off with them along with my colleague Cathie’s husband Michael, and we drove out to the jungle. The drive itself was quite interesting and about 90 mins in length. We stopped at one point, and were surrounded by people selling cold beverages and a variety of meat cooked on sticks. I didn't have any (clearly it was neither boiled, hot, or recently peeled), but it was pretty neat to see these vendors and their unusual (to me) wares. Steven, our driver, bought a stick of cooked beef.
It was pouring rain the whole time we were there and Goretti was horrified that it should rain when her guests were visiting. However, I reminded her that this was a rainforest, and so it was appropriate that it should rain. Plus, the monkeys didn’t mind and the snakes went below, so it was all good. (Below, Goretti on the left, and Rose on the right.)
We had a lovely tea break there, listening to the rain and the birds and the monkeys – it was very peaceful – and then made the trek back to Kampala. Now we were told this trip was a half an hour when there is no traffic. What we were NOT told, was that there is always traffic (which they lovingly call “The Jam”), and that when it rains you should have a four-wheel drive vehicle. We did not.
Halfway up the hill leaving Mabira, our van got stuck. Steven tried several times to bully his way out of the ruts, but eventually we all climbed out of the van and waited by the side of the road (this is where I heard about the snake situation) until a dozen men on four boda-bodas came to rescue us.
(A boda-boda is a motorcycle, renamed because of their frequent use as transportation of choice for illegals crossing the border between Uganda and Kenya. Border-to-border became boda-boda. And yes, a dozen men on four boda-bodas is quite a sight.)
About a half an hour later the problem was solved and Steven came flying up the hill as we jumped out of the way, splashing the iron-rich red mud all over ourselves. We were very glad we didn’t have to ride boda-bodas back to town (although it was surely tempting and would definitely have been faster), and so began the long journey. It took 2.5 hours to go 55km thanks to The Jam and some non-existent traffic laws, frenzied drivers, ambivalent pedestrians, and enormous potholes.
The drive is really interesting, and lovely in some places; we saw banana, sugar, and tea plantations, roadside butchers (ew), the ubiquitous cell phone and Coca-Cola ads, women (and men, actually) carrying enormous baskets on their heads, naive goats frolicking in the grass, kids running and playing football (soccer), and the most beautiful sunset.
A quick dinner when we got back close to 9, and we were all ready to call it a day. Tomorrow, off to The Ranch on Lake Victoria to prep for Monday’s workshops. Can it top today? Stay tuned…
Friday, May 29, 2009
Flight #2
Flight #2 was long. Really long. But a couple of Gravol helped me get a few hours of sleep and wake up in enough time to marvel at the vast Sahara as we flew over. I wonder how big and tall the sand dunes must be to be visible from 35,000 feet. The sand seems to go on and on, with the hues varying from, well, "sandy" beige, to rosy, to black in some places. You can see the patterns the wind has carved, and not much else. Vast, unending and seemingly empty from my vantage point. Marvellous.
Clouds moved in as we went south, but the nifty travel map was up on the screen and I could follow along as we passed just west of Khartoum and just east of Darfur - horrible to think what is going on far below and out of sight. The sun set around 6:30 I think - this seems early, but I am reminded that we are on the equator, so the sunlight is pretty much 6am-6pm every day of the year.
The captain announced our descent none too soon, for I had had about enough of my seat mate, who was the kind of person who hogs the arm rest, doesn't sit still, and elbows you from time to time. She even woke me up (woke me up!) to ask if I wanted dinner. Sheesh.
Culture shock hit quickly in Entebbe airport as we waited four different times for four different reasons. First to have a "health screening", because clearly my name and address and signature verify that I am healthy and ok to enter the country. Second to go through immigration. Third to get our luggage. Fourth to get packed into our welcome wagon.
And what a lovely welcome! Goretti lead the team who welcomed us with open arms and smiles and gift bags, and proudly pointed out all the beautiful changes in Kampala and surroundings since the team's last visit in 2007. I noted dozens of little campfires lining the road and discovered that many people walk home from work, and along the way they can stop and buy their supper and sit by little fires to share a meal with friends. It was quite beautiful!
Not much else was visible, and my jet lag was causing me to nod off en route to our hotel. But here we are, all checked in and I am heading to bed for a good sleep. Tomorrow I hope to get out and see some things and take some pictures, and so post something a little more interesting!
Until then... g'night.
Flight #1
I am really lucky to have the most interesting seat-mates. One guy is works for a private travel agency, Kensington, and does all kind of made-to-order tours in the Middle East and the Mediterranean for the uber-wealthy. His final destination is Athens. The other guy is a young man who just finished studying Pharmacology at U of T. He is from Mumbai, and headed there for a visit. He made an interesting observation that 24 hours after meeting, we will all be scattered to areas far-flung from Toronto.
So far I’m impressed with KLM. The seat is somewhat cramped and their boarding process was ridiculous, but the service is good, the plane is clean, the food was tasty, and their magazine is actually interesting! Things I’ve learned so far (besides the cruising speed of a 747):
- KLM has a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program that is built into everything they do. From what I can gather, it is focused on making their operations “green”, so much so that their customers become part of the process. (Customer checks in online, gets a boarding pass on their mobile to save paper, carries less weight in their luggage to reduce carbon footprint during flight, uses the recycled drinking glasses, etc etc). In fact, the company has made bicycles available to their staff for commuting to work or between office buildings. Cool.
- Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport contributes 2% to the Netherlands’ GDP every year, and handles 48 million passengers during that same time.
- The Netherlands has the second highest density of broadband internet connection in the world (#1 is Denmark).
I’ve also been reading my book on Uganda, skimming my way through its history and reading about flora and fauna and all the amazing activities that await anyone with an adventurous spirit. Sadly my spirit will not be tested, as I believe we are fully booked with work each day, but I’m crossing my fingers that we will end up with the opportunity to visit some cultural spots as well as a primate sanctuary that is quite near Kampala.
The sun is on the horizon out the port side here (does one say “port” on a plane?) and so my sense of direction is a bit messed up. I know we are flying east, yet the sun is on my left – the curvature of the earth must have something to do with it – I suppose we are actually flying south-east from Iceland by now.
And so I am babbling. And conveniently, the lights have been turned on, signalling breakfast. I love airline breakfasts. :)
Monday, May 18, 2009
And Why the Blog?
I am a self-professed "process geek". There's nothing I like more than getting to the bottom of a broken or messy process and figuring out how to fix it. Whether it's in a restaurant, a bank, a hospital, or an airport, I'm constantly on point - looking at what's going on and thinking about what I would do if I were asked to help.
Usually, of course, I'm not asked. (Not outside work, anyway.)
But last summer I was privileged to do a presentation to a delegation from the Ugandan Public Service (UPS). I enjoyed presenting my usual "process improvement in the public sector" material, and thought nothing more of it. But apparently the delegation was very excited, and so this year, I was invited to join a small team from the OPS and go over to Uganda to lead a workshop on process improvement.
I should say that this trip is made possible through the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) (both links on the right). Basically, these organizations have paired various provinces with various developing nations. The provinces work to share best practices and help the developing nation grow and prosper. Ontario has been part of this program since 2001, and the partnership with Uganda has been successful not only for the people of Uganda, but also has been a wonderful learning experience for those OPS employees who have been fortunate enough to become involved.
I am very very excited and am not quite sure what will happen and what to expect! I have trained many people in Canada and have given presentations in the US, but never have I taught in, let alone traveled to, the continent of Africa. The trip will be short - I'll be in Uganda for a week and then fly home through London to visit with some ex-pat friends there. But a lot can happen in a week!
I hope you enjoy following along with me...
Why the Title?
The music is very grand (link on the right if you're interested), and the lyrics are quite lovely - the last line became my blog title. Thanks Regan!
Oh Uganda! may God uphold thee,
We lay our future in thy hand.
United, free,
For liberty oh for
Together we'll always stand.
Oh Uganda! the land of freedom.
Our love and labour we give,
And with neighbours all
At our country's call
In peace and friendship we'll live.
Oh Uganda! the land that feeds us
By sun and fertile soil grown.
For our own dear land,
We'll always stand,
The Pearl of Africa's Crown.