We’ve had our first languages lessons – and survived! We have asked for separate lessons and this has been generally recommended by other couples so that we learn about topics that are of interest and relevance to each of us. Andrea is enjoying the lessons but I’m (James) finding it very hard work. We can say both formal and informal greetings. I generally spent the rest of the day recovering.

Steve & Gill Golding arrived from Brentwood on Thursday evening. It was great to catch up with Steve & Gill, especially as we have known them for around 20 years and been on holiday with them twice. However, hearing about people back in the UK made us realise how much we were missing our family and friends.

On Saturday we were all up bright and early heading off to Kampala by public transport. Our guide, Lyn Cooke, guided us through the joys of finding 5 places in a taxi (even though there were only 4 seats). Public transport can be very intimate at times! We were led through the maze of streets to banks, foreign exchange, travel agents and eventually for a very pleasant lunch at “Sam’s”. After a brief foray into a Christian bookshop and two African craft areas we ended up at a supermarket (what joy!). Fortunately I spotted another bookshop and got permission to have a further look for school books rather than food shelves. Finally, we headed for the “taxi park”. I think it should be renamed a “taxi jungle”. These are not the small black London taxis but 14 seaters with a driver and a ‘conductor’. There seemed to be little order to or straightforward way of finding the right taxi – until Lyn just asked someone who guided us to the one we needed! It left within 2 minutes and we eventually arrived “home” safely, even though were hot and tired. It was a successful day because Andrea and I felt that at last we might be able to make the trip into Kampala ourselves. [The photo shows the view from our future home in Ushindi School]