Something a little different

So, this is nothing to do with slums, development, poverty, our family, or feelings.

It is a glimpse into how I love to unwind and have adventure in this fantastic country though. Fellow adventurers should enjoy this video of a day out on the bikes!

I am the one

This Facebook post had us really laughing last night as we could identify with most of them already, 'even' after only 6 months! Yes, I am the one.

AN EXPATRIATE OR A FOREIGNER KNOWS HE'S BEEN IN UGANDA FOR TOO LONG WHEN:

…seeing someone speeding towards you in the wrong lane seems completely normal …You find yourself pointing with your lips and saying "yes" by raising both eyebrows. …You can masterfully employ a variety of "Eh!" and "Eh eh!" noises to convey a range of meanings …You know "Come back tomorrow at 10:00 a.m." means whatever you're trying to get done is NEVER going to happen …You start using the words "even" and "ever" in places you never would have ("Even me, I'm feeling hungry," or "I have ever done that") …You start referring to people as "this one" or "that one" …You willingly drive into oncoming traffic just to avoid the potholes …you can speak Uganglish so well that - you talk with a Ugandan accent; use words like 'shocked,' 'fearing,' 'extend,' 'balance,' ''somehow,' 'even me,' and 'can you imagine' and 'are you sure?' far too often... …you know the load shedding schedule by heart …When you come back from being out of the country and conversations go as: Them: "you have been lost!!" and your response: "I have been found!" Them: "how is there?" and you: "there is fine!" Them: "you have gone fat!!!" and you are lost for words because you have forgotten how frank Ugandans are …You emphasize how you like something and they say: "Are you sure?" …someone calls out your name and your reply is: "I am the one!" …you end the conversation with "ok please" …You ask for someone, and you know the answer "He's within" means everything from "He's within the building" to "He's within the city" or even "He's within the country". …you start sentences with 'As for me, I ….' …you get 'Am Fine' as a reply to your 'hi'. …Clothes becomes a two-syllable word. Clo - thes. …You know the man asking for Lose actually refers to Rose. …your handshakes last an entire conversation …your home does not have an address …people walk into your house and you say "You are all most welcome!" …you think "eh" in a high pitch tone is the correct way to respond when a boda drivers price suggestion is too high.


We are now local already folks somehow, yes, you are shocked? Eh! Even me, I am a local! 

Extend your eyes this way and enjoy the pictures - can you imagine? You are all most welcome. 

Ok, please.

I feel like I fit in much more and just disappear into the background when I dress like this. Healthy tan, eh?

Jam anyone?

I'm never letting Sue drive a lorry ever again.

Now it all suddenly makes so much more sense!

Getting into life in Uganda - by Sue

We've been here now for nearly three weeks and are feeling surprisingly at home. I've thrown myself into setting up home and helping the girls adjust to life here. I thought I may share some of the more minor details and differences of our life here, before I become so accustomed to them that they seem normal!

Our house here is lovely, a 2 bed bungalow with veranda, tiled floors, shower room, small but adequate kitchen, and a great view. We have finally finished unpacking and bought the things we need and our house definitely feels like home now. I'm getting used to the frequent power cuts, lack of water in the kitchen tap and no washing machine! And I am continually reminded of our blessings as I watch families living all around this area, walking to fetch water, sometimes children as young as two or three embarking on this job.

I love the walk to the local market stalls. Along a little path, goats often standing in our way, chickens pecking around, locals collecting water, men chopping down banana leaves with machetes and sometimes cows or other animals being led along. As we walk past some small settlements, children wave shouting 'bye, bye' or 'muzungu' which means white person! The women will be bent over a bowl washing clothes or dishes or sat by a cooking pot.

What stands out above all else is the friendliness of everyone you pass. The little stalls are all along the road, some with only a handful of veg and some with a lot. I fill my bag from various stalls with potatoes, avocados, tomatoes, buga (red leafy veg like spinach), mangos, a pineapple, green pepper, onions, garlic and am still likely to come home with change from the equivalent of £2. Mayah and Ava happily walk or skip along with me, waving to locals and acting as if this is no different than the UK!

On our last shopping trip when I took my eyes off them for only a moment and looked down to see them sat in the charcoal dust drawing pictures in it, with blackened faces, I thought maybe they had become too familiar with life here!

Even though it is warm all day, every day and all night, darkness falling at 7 (all year round) is taking some getting used too. This comes together with the mosquitos meaning that all doors and windows must be shut leaving us to the mercies of our electric fan! Even with everything shut, we can hear the crickets clearly!

Driving is the other main area that is so different to the UK. The rules of the road just don't seem to apply here. You have to just pull out whether something is coming or not and hope for the best. Little motorbikes called 'bodas' dart in and out of the traffic carrying the most interesting of loads; 3 people and a baby, 2 people and a pig, 2 people and a bed and almost any other combination you could imagine!



Despite many differences, as I mentioned earlier, I feel very at home here and am falling in love with beautiful Uganda and the beautiful people here. I hope this enlightens you a little into daily life here for us.

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Here and happy in Uganda

We've now been here a week and after many hours sat in traffic and trips to various places we are pretty much set up with the house, phones, internet and car.

There's also been time to get to know the team a bit better and we have met some really lovely people and had fun with them already.

I have been learning more about what Rev Life do in the slums, made a visit to 'the land', and have made links on Twitter and email with some great organisations. And I've secured a steady supply of manure from the cows up the road for my bottle gardens - cherry tomatoes, chillies and cucumbers will hopefully pop up quicker than in the UK! Plus Sue has made things more homely with hearts, pictures and tidyness and is gearing up for home schooling next week.

There will be more to come soon about the work in the slums as we get stuck in, but for now we have made a little video that sets the scene for you...