LaboLife

“Be honest. Be respectful. Be confident.” Denis Ssebugwawo, the leader of the youth centre, looks at the gathered students while he goes through the checklist for their interview prep.

Rubirizi, Western Uganda. The charcoal stove is making popping sounds. The smell of freshly roasted coffee lingers in the air.

Being nine years old, I joined my dad driving a convoy of trucks across Tanzania, hauling a mobile well drilling rig to the huge refugee camps on the border with Rwanda. My dad was working as a geologist, and there was one other Norwegian in the crew of perhaps 20 people. This other Norwegian was managing the entire operation, and I remember there was a lot of yelling involved. A lot.