As most of you probably know, Kampala was the site of a recent terrorist attack back in early July.  The bomb blasts that occured at a local rugby club and Ethiopian restaurant during the World Cup finals left almost 80 civilians dead.  Although the attacks happened just a few weeks before my arrival, I still wasn't really prepared for how much these attacks have affected everyday life in the city.  Growing up in a post-9/11 America, terrorism has almost become a part of everyday life back home.  You can rarely turn on the television or open a newspaper without seeing some sort of report on terrorists activities. 
     Dealing with the same issues in Uganda wasn't really something that I initially expected.  However, terrorism has become just as much a part of my everyday life here, if not more so than back home.  While I am constantly bombarded by news on such events back home, the threat of terrorism here seems much more real.   Everytime I enter a mass gathering place, whether its the bank, a shopping center, a restaurant or simply entering the campus gates, I am searched with metal detectors, patted down, and asked to open my bag.  Cars are also stopped before entering to be searched.  Today, one of the guards even openly asked me if I had a bomb in my bag.  I'm pretty sure that he was kidding but I was still a little taken aback.  People complain about having to go through security checks at airports back home, but imagine if you had to do this everytime that you entered any sort of establishment.  I haven't yet fully decided what my opinions on the matter are.  I've alway felt that all the searching and security measures are there to create a mostly false sense of safety.  Simply searching bags at the entrance of a building is not going to be enough to stop terrorists attacks from occuring in downtown Kampala or anywhere else, as scary as that is.  We can't search everybody, everywhere.  Yet, these measures have to be taken because everybody is always looking for some sort of response when these attacks do happen.  In the meantime,  I'll just have to keep opening my purse to be searched a few times a day. 
    An interesting side note, I was reading a Ugandan newspaper today,  New Vision, and turned the page to see a picture of South Carolina Congressmen Bob Inglis and Henry Brown.  It turns out that they were here to place a wreath at the Rugby club where one of the blasts occured.  It's funny just how small the world really can seem sometimes.  South Carolina's elected officials have followed me all the way to Kampala!