First Impressions of a little place called Uganda
To everyone I know, love and hold dear- I miss you all. This is very long and highly detailed so please give it some respect. Do not exclude it from your busy lives but save it for a rainy day, bedtime story or if you're privileged enough to own a Blackberry a dull work meeting. If you would not like to receive these fortnightly blessings please reply to this address with the following message:
"Hi, you've mistaken me for someone who is interested in your foreign escapades and, I simply am not" - I shall not take offence.
Otherwise, enjoy! I will go through each subject of daily life one at a time.
Daily Washing
Washing here is really quite difficult. With only a flannel and a bowl of water you have to first soap yourself up and then splash it off using your hands to scoop up the water. Some mornings I'm ready for the cold water, others I'm not.( I haven't washed my back yet-it's too cold) It's a far cry from the hot showers of home.
The Pit Latrines
Hmmm. Pretty stinky- think concrete portaloo with just a hole. There are flies all the time and at night cockroaches. Haven't got used to them yet. They don't seem friendly. Squatting for a poop is quite awkward and making sure everything goes down the hole is a challenge. There's a 2 second delay before the business hits the bottom. I'm getting used to these though. After the first week of them I went to the western loo in the internet cafe and it was a bit weird. It's funny how quickly you get used to things. I still won't do poohs at night though, for obvious reasons.
Ugandan Transport
Mad...completely mad. The road surfaces are the worst I've ever seen, with potholes which are half a foot deep and span the width of the road. The driving is also pretty awful. A car might try a three point turn on a busy road while everyone else tries to go around it. Drivers overtake each other on main roads at high speeds and appear to randomly veer across the road (dodging potholes). The traffic jams are terrrible with everyone cutting up everyone else. No-one is patient and all are selfish. (Mind you if you weren't selfish you wouldn't get anywhere) But it's also quite fun; why queue up in single file for miles when you can bunch up. The city centre reminds me of films I've seen of India- pretty messy and chaotic. The two main forms of transport are taxis and boda bodas. The taxis are small minibuses made to hold 14 but can hold at least 20 if need be. There's a conductor and a driver who work together. To get a taxi out to Guyaza and Grace High School we have to negotiate the old taxi park in Kampala which is the size of a football pitch and packed tight with taxis. This can be quite stressful when you're tired, especially at rush hour and you've got an hour of waiting in traffic ahead. We also use the boda bodas which are pretty fun. They're basically motorbikes with an extra seat on the back. Some have small engines; others must be about 500-800cc. I like the bigger bikes. Tearing down the country lanes at 60kmph is quite a thrill. We're not allowed to use them in Kampala which is a little annoying but probably wise. We take them from the main road to the school. The lanes are in even worse condition than the main roads in Kampala; similar to english country lanes with big ruts. Me and Elias thought we were going to crash on a boda as the driver lost control and we went into a rut. It should cost 700 shillings (20p) for two people on one bike and 500 (15p) for one. Its strange that when we have to bargain down from the white price of 1000 to 700 we're arguing over 10p.
Muzungu Prices
There's Ugandan prices and Muzungu (white man) prices for everything here. In the small supermarkets which are like off licenses a lot of the food is imported. These shops are pretty expensive. I had my eye on a jar of Nutella chocolate spread but it cost 8,000 which is 2 pounds forty. You can get a portion of chips for 1,000 and a t-shirt for 2000-4000 in the market. I ended up buying a raincoat I don't even like (it looks like a fisherman's coat- long, it goes down to my knees) The conman started at 30,000 which is 10 quid and I panicked and settled at 25,000. Never again. Next time I'll get an umbrella.
The Food
Actually isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Our weekly menu is quite varied; though rice and beans is a regular feature. There's a lot of carbs but I don't miss the meat too badly. I thought it would be very plain and bland but there's usually a sauce which is yummy and keeps us sane. We usually have bread and jam for breakfast with black tea. Porridge is twice a week and is always an exciting occasion (we have many laughs over a bowl of porridge). Lunch is usually rice and beans or posho. Posho is hard to stomach. It's pretty much just cornflour. Faced with a plate full with some beans and a little sauce my heart sinks. Its very bland, tastless and cheap. Posho is the most popular food in Uganda because its even cheaper than rice. There are some highlights at dinnertime. These include roast Irish (potatoes) with cabbage, spaghetti with beef (mixed in like chow mein) and fish which meaty and really scrumptious. The fish is probably my favourite dish. Western food is available in Kampala and is pretty good. We went to an Italian last Monday on our day off. I stupidly had burger and chips which wasn't great but the pizzas looked really good. Eating out is expensive (not compared to London). A meal can cost 20,000 which is actually only 6 pounds but an awful lot for a Ugandan.
The People
When I fisrt got here I was pretty freaked out but I'm beginning to fall in love with the Ugandan people, their culture and the ensuing madness. I think you have to embrace it and relax or leave the country. People are very friendly- if a boda driver or taxi conductor is trying to rip you off chances are he'll have a wide grin on his face. So you just smile and joke with them. We get a lot of attention as Muzungus which can be quite irritating and awkward when people ask for money. In the country where we're living the locals stare but are also friendly. In Kampala they don't care too much and are used to whtie people. They always ask "how are you?"- Oliotiya and the reply is always "jendee" or "bulungee" which both mean I'm fine. Strangers will ask you this which is strange as in the UK the most you would say to a stranger is hello or good morning. At home only friends are asked how they are.
Church
I've learnt to yawn with my mouth closed. Services are very long. We went to a small church yesterday with around 100 in the congregation. The service started at 10:30,we got there late at 11 and the preaching didn't start til 1pm. It finished at 2pm. The services are very lively with lots of praise and dancing. Last week we went to Eden Revival in Kampala. There were around 1,000 in the building so it was pretty big. This week we went to a church plant from that church so also called Eden. I preffered the smaller church as it reminded me more of Newlife. The building was very basic- pretty much a shed made of corrugated iron. There was a great atmosphere and the worship was good. They carried on throughout the powercuts (there were 2) as if they were normal which they are during the day.
Grace High School
This is where we're staying. We live in the teachers block and have our own living room, bedroom and a basic bathroom (just a room with a drain). We eat at the headmaster and his wife's house and spend a bit of time there watching tv. They're a lovely family and have an open house policy. Quite often we'll be watching TV with someone who we don't know but assume they should be there. They're called Fred and Juliet and their children are called Joshua (aged 7), Joy (4) and Joel (2). Joshua is football mad (like the whole of Uganda) so I like watching games with him. He supports Man U which are very popular (Arsenal are also popular too- During games with the kids at the slum about 100 kids was chanting/shouting Arsenal! Arsenal! Arsenal! It was quite amusing). Joy is well named- she is literally a joy. She's the one in the Snow White costume in the last lot of photos. Very cheeky and quite coy, she's always got a smile on her face but usually hides from us or orders us to do things from afar. An example is- " Jonny, come and assist me with the ball or I will beat you!". Joel is pretty mad. He will babble wildly in his own language or shout things he hears e.g. a Colgate ad on tv and he starts shouting COLGATE!, COLGATE! .Strange. He's very cute. We spend a lot of time spinning Joy and Joel around, chasing them and playing football with Joshua. There are currently holidays in Uganda so the school is quite quiet. Its very green with a small field/ football pitch surronded by low buildings which are spaced out. Its like a small college campus. The teenage students are very dignified, friendly and joyful.
God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit
I feel peaceful that this is where God wants me at this time. These last few days I 've managed to take a quiet time in the morning to read some of the word and listen to some worship music on the mp3 player. Its been good to find some structure. Living here is like spiritual rehab. Please pray that I would have a servant heart, and put the children and my team mates first. That God would humble me and make me lowly so I fully rely on him and give him all the credit. Also pray that I would have plenty of energy and not feel fatigued after a hard days work. Pray that I would be built up as a powerful man of God. That as I read the Word He would give me understanding but that it would not only stop there but lead to action. That my walk with God would rub off on those around me and that I would be a light to those around me. We're currently studying Ephesians as a team (3 boys) and these verses struck me. I pray them for myself but also for all of you!
"16 I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,
17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people."
Ephesians 1 v 16-18
Thankyou for reading! Please pass this on to anyone you know who knows me and would like to hear how things are going?
I send blessings from Kampala!
Lots of love,
Jonny x
