The highs and lows of my life in Uganda

Highs – I have just chosen a few, but my list could have gone on and on!

1. Living in another culture and having genuine Ugandan friends here is such a privilege. Ugandan culture is warm, welcoming, full of colour and hustle and bustle and I feel honoured to be accepted into life here. I have formed some really special friendships. One friend I want to name is Harriet. We have shared life together ever since I moved here, walking through the highs and lows of life together. Even though we are from such different backgrounds and have such a diverse experience of life there is a deep love, respect and care for each other. It has been wonderful to share Birthdays, Christmas and other events with our 2 families. I love watching the friendship develop between her girls and my girls. Such different experiences of life but true friends.

2. International Education for my kids. I love it that my kids can run around barefoot at school and then go into class and be with kids from all over the world – China, America, South Sudan, Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania, Australia.

3. My next high follows on from the previous one. For my kids, being part of such an international group of kids lowers the peer pressure and “fitting in” culture that can be so apparent in the West. When all the kids are so different from each other and have such different cultural backgrounds, there is no norm. Most trends and crazes reach Uganda eventually, but to a much lesser degree so the kids can opt in or out. Yes frozen and loom bands made it here but were both very short lived and NO – one direction has not made it here – yet!

4. The weather. Uganda is on the equator so it is pretty much summer all year round. We have dry season and rainy season which seem to be changeable as to when they happen but pretty much all year the temperature is between 18 and 28 Degrees Celsius. This makes for a great outdoor lifestyle. I love being outside so this suits me!

5. Community. As well as having some great Ugandan friends, we are part of the ex pat community in Kampala. Since living here, I have met so many really interesting people from all over the world who do so many great, inspiring and sometimes unusual work. I have felt privileged to be part of this community.

6. Revelation Life. Being part of a work where beautiful people full of potential (who happen to have been dealt a very challenging card in life) are being empowered, trained, loved and equipped is so special. It is such an honour to be part of an amazing team, serving people in the slum communities.

Lows – Challenges of my life here

Often the lows we experience are the flip side of the highs!

1. Traffic and Commuting. We live in Bweyogerere which is on the outskirts of Kampala. This means a commute to school and pretty much anywhere else we want to go. On a good day, school takes 30 minutes to get to. On a bad day, I think my record is 4 hours to get home – sitting pretty much not moving for 2 hours. When I asked the traffic police why – they responded with “there is a jam, too many cars!” The traffic in kampala is notoriously bad! Some days I just feel proud of myself for reaching my destination - negotiating the lorries overtaking on the wrong side of the road, boda bodas (taxi motorbikes) weaving in and out with their huge and often unusual loads and other simply crazy drivers! Lack of air con in our car is also a huge low!

2. Muzungu! Muzungu! Everywhere we go, especially in more local areas kids shout at us – Muzungo muzungo (white person) or simply ‘bye, bye’. I have also encountered terrified children being forced to greet the muzungo as we walk by as if we are royalty. It gets a bit tiring. I don’t want to be treated like royalty, as an equal is fine by me!

3. Living between worlds. Living in the city gives us opportunity to live a Western lifestyle if we wish. Although our lives are simpler here in many ways, we do still shop in a supermarket, visit malls and on the odd occasion go to the cinema. This is great but also confusing. It is not easy living between 2 worlds. Visiting families in slum conditions and shopping in the supermarket on the same day can be confusing and emotionally draining for me to get my head around.

4. No seasons. Although having summer all year is great in many ways, there is something special about moving through the seasons. There is a sense of the passing of time and the comfort of colder, shorter days and the excitement and anticipation of longer, warmer days. Summer is great but I do miss Autumn, Winter and Spring.

5. Some days are just not simple. All the little challenges of African living are manageable until they all happen at the same time! Power cuts, no water, fleas, mosquitos, traffic jams, beaurocracy, loud music bellowing in from a local church, a constant stream of visitors at the door etc etc Some days are normal and others are just a challenge!

I hope this gives you a little insight into my life here. I love living here but there are definitely highs and lows!