Field visit change, SEACOM, power out

[NOTE: I wrote this last night but couldn't get it posted, my tethering wasn't working quite right. Now I have working Internet and, independently, electricity again, which had still been off when I came home last night.]

I have a ton to say about the SEACOM launch, which I was able to attend, thanks to Josh's invitation as a journalist (I went as his assistant), although we decided there's probably about a seventh of a journalist between the two of us. Still, he conducted his interview, I recorded it, typed up notes, and took pictures, so, you know, it wasn't too far from journalism. The event itself wasn't terrifically exciting, although the Minister of ICT was in attendance, but what it marks really, really is, and using what was almost certainly the fastest internet connection in the country and knowing just how those blazing fast little packets were getting there -- that was a powerful thing. And this really should mark the beginning of a new era in internet access for this region.

Anyway, I'll write all that up tomorrow or Sunday to distract myself from the budget proposal stuff I actually need to be working on. A Dutch organization who should probably remain nameless for the moment is very interested in Question Box, however, and wants a proposal soon. We're happy to oblige, especially given the high five-figure sum that's been thrown around here and there. (And it's not in shillings).

In other news, Grameen has rescheduled the field visits completely. Now it looks as though I will go to Mbale on Wednesday and return on Friday. There is also a visit to Bushenyi on the books for later in August, and now maybe Jon will be able to attend, as it isn't immediately after his return from the UK. At any rate, I will keep you posted, and hopefully before too long I'll have exciting stories and cool pictures from a trip upcountry.

In the mean time, I got a nifty Knowledge Worker shirt at work today, MTN's trademark yellow with a phone saying "Ask Me!". I actually like it a lot and will definitely wear it back in the States (though it's a bit big, might need to be altered a little). They also gave me a polo shirt (only one I own, and maybe ever have, I'm not un-proud to say) which is also pretty cool, all things considered. It has MTN's logo on the chest in the traditional spot, and then has Grameen's and Google Uganda's logos on the sleeves. Not a bad trio, I'd say. It'll probably be handy to have, and is certainly a kind of cool token of my involvement with all three (such as it is).

Finally, my power's been out both this morning and now. I'm going to go out to dinner soon and hopefully meet up with some friends. Certainly can't cook here. Also, I find it rather amusing (and fitting in a way - didn't Negroponte say something about them being the only lights in villages?) I'm using Appfrica's OLPC that I've had to play around with (along with my MacBook, but I'm actually using it) as a light source in my apartment. It's particularly handy for the bathroom, I must say. Between the computers, my phone's flashlight (they don't call it ka-torche for nothing!) and a flashlight I brought it's fine, but I really should get a candle or two, don't know why I never thought of that (or hot sauce! - not as a light source, I just keep forgetting to get any, and my bland cooking would benefit from it) any of the times I've been at a grocery store.

Well, I'm hungry, so I'm going to hit the road. Now the question is whether to get what I often get at La Fontaine (a pretty good but kind of small veggie burger) or hit up someplace new and random, like "Taste Budz" near my apartment. I suspect their chips would be much more satisfyingly greasy, but I don't know what else I could get there. I'm always happy to just get, e.g., rice and beans, which tend to be excellent, cheap, and plentiful, but that was pretty much lunch at the office (plus chapati). Hm, decisions, decisions. Well, if the outcome's exciting, maybe it'll make its way into the next post.

[UPDATE: got the La Fontaine veggie burger. Good choice.]