Furniture has arrived (sort of)

Just a quick update today. This has been a great week so far. Yesterday we had a crazy rain storm which somehow turned into sunshowers. There was a rainbow which seemed as though it could not have been more than 150 yards from out apartment (see picture). Then today, some furniture came. We have been asked to post some pictures of our place. As we still lack a table, and everything in the bedroom, I have posted the view of our balcony (with the rainbow), our backyard, and the living room. More to follow. Not to worry.

Our home

So we have moved into an apartment. We were staying in a serviced apartment since we arrived that was set up by Deb’s work. While we enjoyed the place, it just wasn’t ‘home’ for us. We looked at many different places ranging from large houses in private compounds, gated townhouse communities (yuck!!) to apartment buildings. In the end, we have settled on a two bedroom (just waiting for you to come to visit!!) apartment with lovely outdoor space. Kampala is made up of seven hills and we are close to the top of one of them. We have great views over the city and get lots of green. We have large enough balconies that we are going to try to grow some of our own fruit, veg and herbs. As long as Deb keeps her thumbs of death away from our garden, we will hopefully be eating our own stuff soon enough. Perhaps the best part of the apartment is that we share a pool!! Deb has already spent a lazy Sunday afternoon ‘working’ by the pool.

We have now been in our place for almost two weeks although it is still difficult to call it ‘home’. We rented the place ‘unfurnished’ and they were not joking about how bare it was. We had nothing in the place. No cooker, no fridge, no blinds, no curtains, and definitely not any furniture. Luckily we borrowed a mattress and have had something soft to sleep on (although we had no pillows for the first 5 nights). We thought it would be easy to find some used appliances and get sorted quickly. Although there are stores here that cater to expats and have the things we needed, most were not good quality and we were always charge way more than locals. Stu has done what he does best and chatted up all the locals to find the best spots for all of our specific needs. It has taken some time but things are coming together. We can now make our own food, keep our beer cold and have chairs to sit on the balcony. Even though it sounds like it has been rough, it has been a really pleasurable experience getting here. We have gotten to choose the things we want rather than what the stores think expats should want and have been to many areas where expats don’t normally venture. Along the way we have been able to enjoy what might be a bit more of an authentic experience.

I (Stu) have been doing most of the shopping and the local motorcyle taxi (bodas) have grown fond of taking me for a ride, talking football (soccer), local events, or whatever else, and then being laughed at as we proceed home loaded up with crates of beer, pop, groceries, tables, chairs, 18L water jugs, or whatever else I have picked up that day. Ugandans are not shy of laughing or enjoying a situation and when they see Jesus (as I am known here to most folk) riding the boda just like they do, they really do love it.

I have had several other brilliant experiences where the locals could not believe I would venture into ‘their’ land. Perhaps the most memorable is from my meeting with the Local Chief of our neighbourhood. Although Kampala is urbanised (there are 1.5 million residents) it is still possible to see the history of what the city and the agriculture was like 100 years ago. There are banana trees growing on our street and chickens and goats are in abundance. The area is also still ruled by the Bugandan king who has a rocky relationship with the central government (perhaps we can post more on this once we understand it better. The simple root of it is that there is a very large following of the monarchy and the government is seen as an outsider who has taken their land). Part of the arrangement with the kingdom is that there will be local representation down to the smallest areas. I needed to meet with the Chief to get a ‘reference’ for the bank. The reality is that it is a small piece of bureaucracy that brought me such pleasure. I was in interviewed for almost an hour about my past experiences, views on Uganda, what Deb was doing here, etc.

So I passed the interview and was told to wait outside with some locals. We got to chatting and for some reason (this seems to frequently happen to me) we started talking about local food and drink. The group were impressed that I enjoyed matoke but disappointed that I had yet to start with my family of chickens. They did promise to help me out once I was ready and would take me to the market to make sure I got a fertile hen and rooster (to keep your chickens going, you need to make sure to leave a couple of chicks to grow up and take the place of your hen once you eat her). I was also was ‘taught’ about several of the different alcohols that Uganda is known for. They make several very interesting alcohols out of banana and a very sweet one out of millet, which you drink from straws out of a communal pot.

After 45 minutes the chief returned with my hand-written reference letter describing me as “law abiding”, “cooperative to his neighbours” and “congenial”. I wasn’t sure he had the right person when I read the letter. Either way, I have made some friends and have popped down several times for a catch up since.

One thing is becoming clear. Although our physical space may not feel like home yet, Kampala is. Our neighbours and those around us are making us feel like we have been here for ages.

Already on vacation

Well lots has happened since our last post.  We apologise for falling so far behind and hope that this post should answer most of your questions about what we have been up to over the last month.

It is hard to believe, but when we posted last time it wasn’t even Easter.  We were lucky enough to time our arrival in Kampala with a long weekend right after we arrived.  In our heads, we were thinking that it would be a great time to get organised, tour around the city to orient ourselves, and to have some fun.  Well we ended up doing one of the three.  Uganda is a fairly religious country with almost 85% of the country practicing Christianity.  There is church music playing in the malls, markets and bars.  Needless to say, we overlooked this and learned that everything would be closed on the weekend.  While we could have stayed at home and walked around, we decided instead to have some fun and headed out to Ssese Island with Paul (from Stu’s master’s at Sussex) and Shilpa (an MPH student working in Deb’s department at Old Mulago hospital).

The Ssese Island lie south of Kampala in Lake Victoria.  Ssese Island is doted with small resorts which offer everything from camping space to luxury cabins.  Most places include board with the room.  Having no idea what we were in for, we randomly called up and lucked into a 4-bed cabin.

There are three options to get to the island.  The first is a three hour drive from Kampala followed by a one hour ferry and then a 45 minute drive to our resort.  The second is to get one of the local fisherman to taxi you across to the islands.  However, these boats are notorious for capsizing in rough weather when it rains (almost daily being that it is the rainy season).  Although our guide book does not advise against taking the local boats, it does recommend that “rather than rely on a lifejacket, you should purchase a plastic jerrycan with the top screwed tight and then tie it to your body”.  Needless to say this was out.  We decided to take the third option, a three and a half our ferry from Entebbe (one hour from Kampala).

The ferry departs Kampala in the early afternoon and returns the next morning bright and early.  It is captained by a very interesting Tanzanian man who has worked on boats all over the world following a scholarship to ‘sea school’ in Norway 40 years ago.  The boat is normally filled with freezers of Talapia and Nile Perch (which is also sport fished and get up to 450lbs).  However on weekends (especially long weekends) it is filled with those looking for a relaxing weekend away and sandy beaches.  The boat apparently has a capacity of 180, but as it departs from Entebbe port, it is clear that there were that many people standing in the car area alone.  There was no worry about safety, but it was a gentle reminder that we were no longer in rule abiding England, or polite Canada where the crowding would not be acceptable.

The journey was wonderful.  Although the 3.5 hours seemed to take much longer, it was beautiful slowly making our way across the lake.  We sat on the deck, chatted with several Ugandans and partook in several Ugandan national drinks (AKA beer…they LOVE it).  When we arrived at the other end, we knew that we had made the right choice to forgo the busyness of Kampala and come and relax on the beaches of the Island.

We spent the next couple of days lounging around between meals, walking the beaches and forests, and sitting around the campfire.  The food consisted of typical Ugandan fare.  Lunch consisted of a buffet (always!....yum) of matoke (boiled plantain), rice, potatoes, beans, roasted chicken, goat, stew, liver, sweet potato and vegetable mix.  Dinner was similar but always had an assortment of bbq to accompany (liver, chicken, pork).

Perhaps the most eventful part of our journey was the return boat trip.  We should have known that we were in for a long day when we got woken up by a panicked resort staff member at 6:15 am telling us that we needed to leave immediately because the boat was getting full.  The boat was scheduled to leave at 9:00 but has in the past been known to leave early once it gets to capacity. It was a good thing we got rushed out because by the time we arrived, there was already very little space and no seats left.  Paul and Stu opted to stay outside in the fresh air, while Deb and Shilpa grabbed some seats to try to get some more sleep.  Both groups were soon sorely disappointed.  As soon as we left the port the sky began to darken and a slight drizzle was falling.  Soon after, we were stuck in the torrential downpour.  Unfortunately, no one was comfortable.  Paul and Stu were instantly drenched and freezing (it was incredibly windy and despite the temperature, it chilled to the bone) while Deb and Shilpa were stuck in a sweatbox with people camped all around them.  Needless to say the journey took ages.  However, there were upsides.  Ugandans are so friendly (I am sure we will write this in many of our stories) and we shared our sweaty or freezing misery together.  Stu and Paul worked their way into the captain’s room (which had a heater) and were regaled by stories of northern England (Hull actually) during the early 70s when the captain had a stint up there.  Deb was busy downstairs helping a woman take care of her three children under 2.  She even some how managed to change a baby in the middle of all of the chaos.

Although the boat trip back could have broken our spirits and ruined our weekend away, it in fact did just the opposite.  It showed us what true Uganda and its residents are like and encouraged us to keep exploring.  The Ugandans have showed us that no matter what we are faced with, we will all get through it together.

Arriving in Kampala

There are so many things I (Deb) can say about our arrival in Kampala. Let’s just say it’s a good thing I’m writing this post several days after our arrival. But within the span of two short (and long weeks), I have a completely different view of the city – it really is an amazing place. Here’s a round-up of all of the things people have been asking us about and we were anxious about: 

Getting off the plane in Uganda: To quote our dear Gareth, I was overcome with a sense of having ‘arrived’ in Africa and Stu’s response was, “hey look, I’m not wearing any socks!” 

Driving to Kampala from Entebbe (where our flight landed): Intense. Exciting. Scary (mostly due to the drivers…more on that later). But most of all, real. For two people that have never been to Africa before, the drive crystallised our Uganda expectations and imaginations. We are not in Kansas anymore, Toto. 

The Weather: Yes, it’s rainy season and boy does it rain. Fortunately, it mostly rains, well pours so hard you can’t see through the rain, during the night and in the morning and then it’s clear and sunny in the afternoon and evening. The afternoons are hot and sunny, about 25 degrees. The heat is lovely if you are standing still in the shade, but considering Kampala is built on seven hills and you seem to always be climbing up a hill, we sweat when we move. So we don’t move too fast and neither does anyone else, so it all works out. The evenings are cool; I wear a sweater, Stu wears sandals (Stu’s sandal wearing obsession is now in full force). 

Food, Shopping & Entertainment: Kampala has a restaurant for any type of food craving – Italian, Greek, Indian, Chinese, Lebanese, English pub, burgers, ribs & steaks, and pizza to name a few. This kind of surprised us, but is a welcome surprise. But also, Ugandan food, well what we’ve had in Kampala, is great. The staple food is matooke, which is cooked and mashed plantain served with groundnut paste, which is a thick peanut sauce. Both are very delicious. There is also great meat (chicken, beef, goat) cooked in a flavourful stew or BBQ’d, also delicious. As for shopping, there is lots of that from crazy markets to malls. Truly anything you need can be found in Kampala. And entertainment also abounds. There are several nightclubs (which we haven’t explored yet) and many bars (which we may have visited a few). 

Finding a place to live: This is by far the trickiest thing to do. There is such a variety in what’s available from huge houses in a compound to apartments and cottages and everything in between. We have been going around with a few agents, but it’s hard to get out of the trap of being charged triple the going rate because we are expats. We are trying to find a place close to where I work (Mulago Hospital) which is difficult as the places closest are quite expensive. But we are keeping our fingers crossed. And not to worry, we are getting a two bedroom so that you can all come and visit! 

Ugandans: It seems there are a couple mandatory requirements for being Ugandan – you need to be extremely friendly and helpful. We have met the most lovely people in the past couple of weeks. Everyone is so friendly and willing to help out. There are many people through my work and that we’ve met being out and about that have been helping us find a place to live, telling us where to go for dinner, hooking us up with drivers (you need a few ‘private hire drivers’ in this city….explaining transport is another post), etc. It’s been a really great introduction to the city. 

Oh, there are so many more things to explain, but all in due time. We hope you’ve enjoyed the blog so far. Please do send us a message and let us know how you are and if you have any questions about life in Kampala…we will definitely go out and find the answer!! 

xoxo

Packing Up and Saying Goodbye

Leaving London wasn’t easy but thanks to friends and family it was memorable!  After a few frantic days, we had our Brixton flat packed-up.  We shipped some items to Uganda and other items were ‘donated’ to neighbours and friends.  It’s amazing how much stuff two people can accumulate in 18 months (ie the length of time we were in the UK)! 

The packing up and last minute errands were memorable.  Mostly because I (Deb) kept reminiscing every time I had to pack-up an item and Stu kept replying with, “Yeah Deb, that’s great but we are moving to Africa in 24 hours, so keep packing!”  Ah! 

But what we really hate to love about leaving London is celebrating the end of an era with all of our wonderful wonderful friends.  Between the BBQ party at our flat and a few dinners and drinks, we definitely left London on a high note.  We have so many great memories and it’s a really good thing they don’t need to be packed because I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t fit in our shipping box which you can see Stu sealing up in the photo. 

Alas, after a few last phone calls to family, we boarded the plane for our 24+ hour journey to Kampala.  We left our flat on Saturday at 4pm and flew London – Dubai – Addis Ababa – Entebbe – and finally arrived in Kampala on Sunday, 28 March around 6pm.  Phew!