LUZIRA LIFE

Habakkuk on the case.

This blog is going to be very different to how Habakkuk and I anticipated it would be just a few hours ago (we write these blogs together usually).  I originally planned to give a summary of everything that I had been up to since Friday night, including trips to Kampala to get new tyres fitted to the Landcruiser (it needs a name - any suggestions?) and to the Cathedral for morning worship this morning.  It is quite interesting stuff I suppose, but the trouble was that I hadn't taken the camera and hence had no photos to illustrate it. To balance that out I decided to take the camera for a walk around our local area this afternoon and see if I could find a couple of lively snaps of Luzira to brighten up what would otherwise be quite a dull page of text.  Well, my experience of just meeting and chatting to the local people quite frankly blew me away and I have decided to simply share my experience with you.  Bear in mind that all of these photos were taken within 500m of where I live - these are my neighbours, and wonderful neighbours they are too.

I am living in a district of greater Kampala called Luzira.  It is really a small community on the road from Port Bell to Kampala and until a few years ago was known only for the High Security prison here.  However, recently, because of land shortages and despite it being close to the lake (and hence prone to mosquitoes) it has started to become developed.  Unlike a lot of other cities, Kampala doesn't seem to have 'quarters' - the poor quarter, the merchants quarter, the rich quarter, etc (even Kololo, the 'posh' ex-pat area, has slum housing cheek to jowl with multi-million dollar homes). This means that we have the bizarre and uncomfortable (if you have a social conscience) situation whereby when you open the big steel doors to the compound in which my fairly luxurious apartment block is, you look straight out on families living in tin sheds and cooking over open fires.  The market area is the same, big houses, right next to subsistence farmers.  Yet, when I walked around and chatted to these people and asked if I could take their photos they were unbelievably friendly and cheerful.  I was humbled.  So here is a bit of 'photo journalism' instead of my planned recount of my weekend.  Click on any photo to enlarge it if it interests you:

Rafael our compound 'security' man and general factotum.  

He will take on almost any task for a consideration!

The Landcruiser fitted out with its new tyres.  

It is a tough beast that should go just about anywhere.

For those without the luxury of a vehicle of their own these 'taxis' 

are the standard way of getting about.  They carry up to 14 people 

- admittedly they are a little cramped!

The other option is a boda boda - demonstrated

 here by Louise one of our Y2 teachers. It is extraordinary 

what the drivers can carry.  The best so far is a sick boda 

on the back of another boda!

A view showing our compound and pool, with the local accommodation

 across the road.  Whilst I swim, they live in a single tin shack  - and yes, 

that does make me very uncomfortable.

The view through our steel security gate across the
 road to our neighbours' apartments.

These sheds are home to families of 5 or 6 people sometimes.
Yet everyone of them smiles at me when I pass them each day,
and today several gave me their blessings.  

 Our text today in church was Mark 8:36.  
I might be richer than these people in worldly goods,
but I think many of them are far richer than me in spirit.

This woman told me proudly that she works for the water authority
in the new building at the end of the road.  When I told her I was a teacher
she said I should teach her son as he is very bright.

This woman and her husband (below) keep chickens and
goats and grow maize and beans just across from where I live.

He was fixing the chicken coop and said I must come back
and see it when it was finished.  Perhaps Kathy could get some tips!

Downtown Luzira - where it all happens.

One of the varied populace, just out for a stroll.

My local.  I haven't been in for a pint yet
- I'm afraid that I might not meet the Olympian standard.

I put this one in for Sally - I thought Mac should know
that there is competition from Andy here in Uganda!

So, not the news blog I had planned, but there is plenty of time for that later.  Ronnie is back in UK this week for a DA's conference and I meet my new class on Wednesday.  Prayer required for me - and them!

THE HONEYMOON IS OVER

Although the title of this blog was only really meant to indicate that we are both (finally some may say) actually about to get down to doing what we came here for, in fact this last week has felt just like it was another honeymoon. Despite a number of frustrations, of which I suspect that there will be many more to come, we have really been living the adventure that we were both seeking.  The Landcruiser has proved to be a boon, and without it we could never have achieved all that we have done.  However, driving in Uganda generally, and in Kampala in particular, has been quite extraordinary.  

We both thought we were pretty good drivers having undergone quite a lot of training and had experience in the past of driving in various tricky places around the world, but this week has really put us to the test. Those of you who have been praying for the release of my unaccompanied baggage will be delighted to know that your prayers have been answered.  However, it took two separate trips down to Entebbe (the last of which involved a two and a half hour return journey negotiating our way around two separate road accidents) and a relatively large sum of money to achieve it.  However, more than this it also demonstrated a wonderful example of Ugandan friendliness and helpfulness.  Isma, the guy who worked in the freight office, went out of his way to help two pretty clueless muzungos find their way around the mysteries of the Ugandan customs system, and even came in on his day off on Saturday to finally handover the boxes to us.  I think this whole episode sums up our view of Uganda so far - the administration and efficiency is appalling, but it is more than made up by the friendliness and good nature of the people.  Contrast this with the efficient, but often 'jobs worth' attitude we so frequently find in the UK then I know which one I would choose.

One advantage of the trips to Entebbe, coupled with long periods of waiting around, was that we got to do some sightseeing.  

The best place we visited was probably the wildlife education centre where another brilliantly helpful guide, Joyce, showed us around what is really a wildlife park for injured or otherwise 'resettled' African wildlife.  As well as seeing the Ugandan national bird, the crested crane, Habakkuk the badger also managed to investigate a termite mound in more detail than he really was happy about.

Sadly, as I say, the honeymoon had to come to an end and our third trip to Entebbe this morning was to take Ronnie to the airport to catch her flight to Juba. We had lunch together in a magical little place just short of the airport where, apart from the ubiquitous cranes and storks, we were joined by a curious gecko who came to see what we were up to.  Seeing amazing wildlife like this up close and just 'there' is part of what we came here for, and so far Uganda hasn't disappointed and I feel sure that South Sudan will deliver in this respect too.

So now Ronnie is in her compound in Juba and will start her handover tomorrow, and I am on my own in Kampala and will begin a week's induction for new staff in school tomorrow.  I have already seen my new classroom, and it pretty much symbolises this whole teaching year coming up - a blank canvas waiting to be filled!

Prayers please for both of us for new relationships; settling down apart after such a special time together recently; wisdom and safety.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Ronnie surrounded by our bags before departure.

I am writing this sat in my study (yes, I actually have a study in my new apartment!) in Luzira, on the Port Bell road out of Kampala with the sounds of the crickets having just begun to die away outside the window.  We have arrived in Africa.  After all of our concerns over the size and weight of our luggage, in fact it proved to be no problem at all and the whole journey went very smoothly indeed.  We were collected at Entebbe by Mateus, a driver employed part-time by the school, and were then driven up from Entebbe, through a bustling Kampala city, to my apartment in Luzira.  Despite it being one in the morning there were still people everywhere and the roads were quite busy, making for an exciting journey.  However, Mateus (who was an excellent driver) assured us that this was nothing compared to Kampala during the day when the streets resemble something like a scene from Mad Max.

The apartment - right hand, ground floor.

Since arriving we have managed to get a great deal sorted out and are finally beginning to feel at home.  The afternoon after our arrival the Rev Charles Okongo, who has been sorting out the purchase of a Land Cruiser for me, had arranged to come over and deliver it to us.  In the morning we unpacked a little and met Andy and Kathy and their two children Joe and Leo who live upstairs.  Andy is starting as a PE teacher at GEMS with me next week. We waited in all afternoon for Charles but he didn't show up.  Finally we had an email from him saying that despite spending 2 hours looking for us at the address we had given him, he couldn't find us.  Might we perhaps be living somewhere else?  It turns out that GEMS HR staff had changed the apartment at the last minute to a larger one nearby - but had omitted to tell me!  Which probably explains why it didn't look like the photos he had sent me. Despite the plus side of being a 3 bedroom apartment instead of 2, it does have some downs as well - not ;the least of which is that there is no wi-fi provided as promised.  In the end we caught with Charles down town the next day, having caught a lift in with Kathy, and we now have our own wheels - which is a great relief.

The kitchen, sitting room/dining area and master bedroom.

We have been out shopping for a few essentials, including an Orange dongle and local SIM for the phone so we are now up and running on the internet again.  This afternoon we took the Land Cruiser out to try our hand at Kamapala traffic and also to go off the beaten track a little.  We did quite well with both, but tomorrow will be the real test when we venture into the city centre as Ronnie has an appointment at the British High Commission there after I have had a quick call into school.

You don't have to go far from Luzira to find the real, rural side of Uganda!

The only cloud on the horizon at the moment is the fact that my unaccompanied baggage appears to have gone missing somewhere between Istanbul and Entebbe.  However, it is only a day late at the moment so there is no great panic - yet!  Prayers for its safe arrival, however, would be welcome. Please also pray that we both begin to develop really positive relationships with our colleagues at our separate places of work.

Ronnie relaxing outside the apartment, by the pool.

I will try to blog again at the weekend just to fill in a little more detail on what has gone on since we arrived. I suspect that we have a few more adventures awaiting us over the next few days before we both start work in earnest next week.

READY FOR THE OFF

The moment has nearly arrived and we are ready for the off at last.  The good news is that the Embassy in Juba have decided that they don't need to see Ronnie until the 25th - and the really good news is that they have suggested that she should pay a visit to the High Commission in Kampala before she arrives.  So we are travelling together on the same flight, and we have even managed to get seats next to one another, all of which means that it should be a much more enjoyable trip.  It also means that we will have a week together in Kampala before either of us have to start our new jobs - so an unexpected holiday awaits!

The other big news is on the beard front.  It went from a full set, to a goatee, to a military moustache in the space of three days - about the same time as it takes England to beat India in a test match these days.  How long the moustache lasts remains to be seen.


We are both slightly concerned about being over the weight limit for our flight, but we are praying that BA will be lenient.  Tomorrow Charley is dropping us off at my in-law's place where we are staying the night, before Sue drops us at the airport on Sunday.  Holly and boyfriend Dan are also joining us all for a farewell lunch tomorrow so it will be an emotional send off.

The next blog, all things being well, will be sent from Africa.  Exactly when that is will depend on such things as getting the internet connection sorted etc!  Please pray for a safe journey.

A WEEK OFF

I will try hard not to make this a 'what I did on my holidays' blog, but I can't promise not to as all I have done since I last posted was go on my holidays!  As the picture to the left shows, one of the highlights was watching Sussex beat Durham at Hove last Tuesday in what was one of the most thrilling 50 overs matches that I have seen.  I can honestly say that even if we had lost I wouldn't have minded (too much) as the cricket was great to watch regardless.  As it was we won in an exciting last over run fest and we returned to our campsite very satisfied indeed. The rest of the week was spent touring National Trust sites in God's own county (with an occasional deviation into Kent). This has tended to be the way most of our holidays have worked out in recent times, albeit in different parts of the country, but this is perhaps unsurprising since we decided to purchase life membership of the NT a couple of years ago.  

Outside Batemans

We had a blissful time at Nymans, Bodiam Castle, Scotney Castle, Petworth and Bateman's - the latter being particularly relevant since I plan to use Rudyard Kipling's writings as my theme for classic literature next term :-)  We stayed in two perfect campsites (found on the 'cool camping' website, which I thoroughly recommend if you like your camping basic and unadorned as we do).  

Relaxing by the camp fire

Ricard working his charms at the Green Cross

We also had a wonderful meal out in a pub which had the perfect saloon bar cat called Ricard (his brother Pernod sadly came to an untimely end on the road outside a while before).

Isabella, Ronnie and 'Badger' on the new slide

We returned in time for our grand-daughter Isabella's 4th birthday party today, refreshed and ready for a final week of preparation for departure to Africa next weekend.  My unaccompanied baggage is collected on Monday so once that is gone I will really feel that the move is properly under way. After we have handed the campervan over to Charley, the final major event will be preparing the house for being empty for a year.  First though, we have the really pleasant prospect of going to worship at, and then sharing lunch with, the church that we attended for 3 years and at which we were married nearly 16 years ago.  I am really looking forward to renewing old friendships tomorrow.

STEADY PROGRESS

Not much to report this week to be honest as we have just been getting on with the niff-naff and trivia of getting everything together so we can have a few days camping in Sussex.  However, we do need to be ready for Africa before we go as we will only have a few days left when we get back prior to flying out on the 17th.  The biggest pain has been trying to order things online, such as US dollars and rugged cameras (there is always room for an additional gadget) when your bank account is registered somewhere between Stafford and Shrivenham!  Oh yes, and BT are still messing about with reconnecting you to the outside world (they were here this morning but have left without actually making anything work, although they have promised success before the day is out - hmm, we will see).

Those of you who have been fellow athletes in the past will be pleased to know that I have been getting out and running again at last - hence the rather scary photo of me at the start of the blog this time.  The other good news is that Chad has received his first full report from Madeleine Faulder who has given him all 1s for effort - we are very proud of the young chap. This despite the fact that he has apparently been giving displays of mouse juggling and rodent swallowing in front of the kitchen window.  Some things will never change I guess.

My unaccompanied baggage is now boxed up and will be collected on the Monday before we fly, hopefully, to arrive in Entebbe a couple of days after I do.  It has been very difficult to decide what to pack and what to leave behind, especially when it is so expensive to send items out. As I have agreed to run another after school film club in Kamapala I have had to pack up all of my video kit, which is of course pretty heavy. Books and printed material is the other issue as that really does weigh a lot. In the end I suspect that I will have packed a lot of things that I will never use, and will very quickly realise that I have left behind some things that would have been very useful.  Ah well, that is the nature of hindsight! 

Right, since the test match came to a satisfactory conclusion  yesterday, the main distraction is now the Commonwealth Games so it is back to watching one of the few sporting arenas in which GB can do well - a cunning idea holding a competition where we don't allow those tricky Americans, Chinese and Europeans to take part don't you think!