Week 27 (21 – 27 Jan 2007)

The AIM Conference ended after lunch on Sunday. It was very interesting to hear about the work people are involved in neighbouring countries as well as in other parts of Uganda. Representatives from the whole of the new Central Region came from Chad, Central African Republic, southern Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda – a vast area considering that Uganda is about the size of the British Isles. We transferred to Lyn’s flat in Zzana for a much quieter evening. Lyn was able to tell us about her traumatic time during the last few days as well as updating us on other aspects of her work.

The efforts of the last week caught up a little on Monday and we took the opportunity to rest – and be near a flushing toilet. No graphic details this time, just a slight stomach upset for me which has now cleared.

On our last Friday in the UK we visited the dentist for a check up. Unfortunately, part of a tooth (James’) broke off during the conference. No pain fortunately, just sharp edges. So on Tuesday we set off to see a dentist. Remember, we’re now in Kampala and the thought of a Ugandan dentist did not fill me with joy. I don’t like dentists. But we managed to negotiate the Kampala public transport system and arrived 30 mins early. I was seen early but had a little difficulty working out who the dentist was – she looked very young. I know, Laura, I’m very old. The surgery was recommended to us by our new German team leader who emphasised that they were very good with children so I should be OK! He had provided them with some Christian music to play in the waiting room. It’s amazing how prayer and dentists seem to come together! There wasn’t a serious problem, just some filing which was quickly treated but I will need to return for a crown or two in due course. I would have no problems with this surgery – it seemed just like ours in Brentwood. But they’re from South Africa!

Andrea is looking for some recorders - the sort everyone learns to make a dreadful noise with in primary school (Laura excepted), not the electronic sound storage type. We had seen them in a shop called “Game”, a large multi-purpose western-style place. But it’s in Uganda and they said they had some but couldn’t tell us where they were in the store! We gave up the search after nearly an hour. As we successfully negotiated our way around the city shops we found a music shop by accident. But the recorders were much too expensive. Otherwise, the trip was successful in that we confirmed our flights back to Arua and found the head office of our Ugandan bank i.e. got more money out. Our trip back to the flat was uneventful by Ugandan standards. Just hot, busy and tiring.

After a gentle start to Wednesday we walked up the hill to Matoke Inn. It was hot and there is very little shade on the way. Just as we reached the shady part a cloud came over and as we left it – the cloud moved on. We both drank half a litre of water during the 45 minute sauna. We had lunch at the Inn with some of the short term people we met at the conference. In the afternoon we participated in the first committee meeting to plan for the 2008 conference! Andrea will arrange the worship and music and I’m left with the finances as there were no volunteers and they are under the impression that I can count. Still, it’s the best way to find out how an organisation functions. Fortunately, we were given a lift back down the hill to Zzana as we were still recovering a little from our earlier exertions. Or was it the after effects of a committee meeting?

Thursday was a fairly busy day, beginning with our “Beginning of Term” review for AIM. It was good to chat over what we have done so far and what we would like to do in future with Gregg who ‘inspected’ our house for AIM in June and organised our Uganda Induction. This was followed by a meal with Christine, the AIM Member Care leader who visited us in Ushindi before going back to the UK. Then we went for a swim at the American Recreation Club in Kampala as guests of Angus and Helen. Helen was in our tutor group at All Nations and Angus attended some sessions. They are now living in Kampala with their three children. It was interesting to compare and contrast our experiences – of moving to and settling in Uganda rather than about our swim. Then we returned to Lyn’s flat to pack! The power was off and there has been no hot water since Monday! A good preparation for our return to Arua.

The alarm went off at 5am on Friday. We woke up sometime later but managed to be ready for our taxi to the airport at 6am. Still no electricity. And this is Kampala City. At 6.15am, Lawrence, the taxi driver said that he was stuck. He was in Zzana village but a pile of sand was blocking the road! Fortunately, it wasn’t more that 200m away but it was a bit odd dragging our cases through the muddy path and around the pile of sand in the dark. The sand wasn’t there at 7pm last night and wouldn’t have taken more than half an hour to spread over the muddy area so that folk could pass fairly easily. Anyway, our flight to Arua was straightforward and we collected the car before doing some food shopping. Everything seemed very familiar – except the much higher temperatures, generally over 30°C. We received a very warm welcome back at the school by our neighbours. The house was a bit dusty so had to be cleaned before we unpacked. This took a while as we worked slowly in the heat. Well, Andrea slept for a couple of hours. Then the temperature dropped by 15°C very rapidly and there was a long heavy thunderstorm. This is the hot dry season.

Not much happened on Saturday. The rain had dried by the time we surfaced and we pootled around sorting out things and finding some new routines. The toilet door had swollen so needed to be chiselled a bit so that it would close and one of the window mosquito net frames has warped badly and needed repairs. And that’s about it for this week. At least we have a week to settle, prepare lessons etc before the start of term on Mon 5th Feb.

Week 26 (14 – 20 Jan 2007)

On Sunday we were seeing friends at Brentwood Baptist Church and gave an update on our progress so far with photographs. It was an African 10 minutes (nearer 20 mins in the end) but with so much to tell the time went too quickly. We were also late for lunch as again we were ‘fighting against time’ as we spoke to many friends after the service. We had a good time in the evening with Gill, Steve and Emma but it was much too short.

Monday was spent trying to pack our cases with throwbacks to July. The cases are too small and everything is too heavy. Yet again, we had to leave behind some things. My trainers now have an inferiority complex as they have now been rejected twice. Serves them right for being cheap ones in the first place! There were various other things to sort out and finish off so it was a fairly busy day.

We returned to Brentwood on Tuesday to have my attempts at cutting Andrea’s hair assessed – favourably, but then Paula has to be kind to keep our business! Last minute shopping and a visit to Doris and Dennis were priorities but meant we didn’t have time to visit school again. Pity, as we wanted to see some other friends. Brian kindly arrived at 4pm to take us to the airport. The cases were closed (just) by this stage but the hand luggage just wouldn’t fit. BA only allows one bag on the return so the laptop had to be put inside a rucksack. Heavy! We arrived on time and the flight was delayed by 2 hours due to a faulty valve which was replaced while we were on the plane. It left at 11pm.

Our arrival on Wednesday went smoothly although we had little sleep and the film entertainment system wasn’t working. We booked into the AIM conference hotel with no problems and had time to rest before others arrived later in the afternoon.

Thursday was one of those traumatic days. At 7.30am we were told that the 15 year old daughter of an AIM (US) family had just died of malaria with complications. Andrea and I had not met the family, who were working in Jinja, Uganda and have four other younger children. Many others at the conference new them well so the atmosphere was very subdued as we prayed for them and those, such as our friend Lyn, who were with the family and sorting out funeral and travel arrangements back to the US via UK.

Although many of the key people from the conference committee and AIM were unavailable for the conference it went ahead as planned and very little was changed. The accommodation and food was good although the programme left little time to chat with other folk. We made the most of the free time and renewed friendships as well as meeting some for the first time. With three from N Ireland and three from Scotland there was a considerable Celtic influence – and some interpretation was needed! On Saturday evening we had a bar-b-que by the swimming pool where Andrea and I had a brief swim earlier. We celebrated two birthdays, with Lyn being 31 again. It was very pleasant sitting outside as the sun set before retiring to one of the conference rooms nearby to play a board game.

Week 25 (7 – 13 Jan 2007)

Our second week in the UK was so busy that I didn’t get a chance to do any blog entries. And that seems to be one of our main reactions to coming back – our different lifestyle in Uganda characterised as ‘slowly-by-slowly’ is such a contrast to the UK. So many more things are possible and done faster so we try to fit even more into each day, and that’s not always healthy. The greater number of choices and decisions can be overwhelming. However, it has been great to see so many family members and friends and simply spend some time with them doing everyday things.

On Sunday, Keith, Ros, Barney and Elsa visited us in Winchester. I’d forgotten how far away and how hard the floor is while playing cars and garages with Barney (our great-nephew I think). Andrea was forced to be quiet as Elsa (the youngest member of the family) slept on her shoulder.

We took a trip to Stourbridge on Tuesday (returning Wednesday) so that Liam, Molly and Eoifa could count our grey hairs and tell us how old we were. They couldn’t believe that their Mum (Mary) had a brother even older than her! We had a great time, apart from the feet tickling, playing with the playdough, hamster and chemistry set. But not all at the same time. For now. I’m sure Liam will try some chemistry experiments on the hamster or mice soon.

On Thursday we had a very pleasant meal with Libby & Brian at a garden centre before taking Mum to visit Dad. He seemed to be more wide awake than on previous visits and was even telling some jokes. It’s always difficult to say goodbye and leaving Winchester again wasn’t easy. But Laura was waiting for us on our arrival back in Romford.

Friday was busy. The morning was spent in a successful mining expedition in our storage followed by a dental check-up and brief visit (by James) to Sawyers Hall School. Richard arrived in the evening.

And on Saturday, Ian (Andrea’s brother) and his wife, Pat, visited us. We were treated to a ‘proper’ Christmas dinner (turkey and all the trimmings) and Christmas pudding. So we’ve experienced both a hot Ugandan Christmas and a more traditional celebration at home – thanks to Andrea’s Mum who has worked very hard looking after us and even lent us her car while we were travelling around. Our trip would have been much more difficult and less successful without her help.

I’ve had to mention a lot of names in the blog this week because there is still the possibility that I’ll meet some of them before we leave! A few have made subtle requests for more ‘funny bits’, shorter entries and more mention of them by name. I wouldn’t want to embarrass them by saying who has made which ‘suggestions’, at least not until the end of next week when we are far enough away! (Hope that’s Ok with you, Laura.)

Week 24 (31 Dec 2006 – 6 Jan 2007)

Guess what? The service today started on time! And it was only 1hr 20 min. The seats were padded and we recognised all of the songs! There were many similarities – the warm welcome and having to “introduce” ourselves with two minutes warning! It was good to catch up with friends at the BBC (Brentwood Baptist Church) but our voices were beginning to feel the strain by 1pm. The rest of the day was quiet and we had intended to go to a New Year’s Eve party but by 9pm (midnight in Uganda) we were struggling to keep our eyes open and gave in at 11pm for a very sound night’s sleep.

The ‘jet lag’ or just being back in the UK left us a bit drained on New Year’s Day so we had a quiet day fixing video/DVD/Freeview/TV connections and doing some computer file tidying and backup – such a luxury with a permanent electricity supply! It should be easy to remember when it was done. But my memory disc is not as stable as a CD ROM. I think mine is a FOM (Forget Only Memory). I had thought of a better label but ….

Tuesday saw us in Selsdon with the Elcomes – it’s hard to believe we’ve known them for over 20 years. Well not all of them – and Hannah & Abi aren’t 20 yet! It was great to catch up – even if one of them only reads the ‘funny’ bits in the blog and thinks the entries are too long! We (did I say we?) talked so much that we were still there when Rebecca arrived home from work.

Hannah is 20 today, Wednesday. Happy Birthday! – although it’s belated by the time you read this! Andrea visited the doctor to have her head examined and I saw the optician (but only when I had my glasses on). My glasses are fine but Andrea will be returning for a further appointment. Enough said. But in case anyone is worried that the doctor didn’t find anything it’s OK – it was just a minor query. At least that’s what she told me! We buzzed around the shops in Brentwood for a bit gathering the few bits & pieces that will make life just that little bit easier when we get back to Arua. Like half price shoes and more re-chargeable batteries. We’ve taken up hopping and the batteries will keep us going for longer. Unfortunately I lost my paper diary somewhere in the High Street but everything in it is duplicated elsewhere – except the list of things I was going to get for Arua!

After (an excellent) lunch we set off for Heathrow. Not to return to Uganda but to visit Robin and Carolyn (Hi! again if you’re reading this.) We were all at Aston together in the 1970’s and Robin & Andrea were at school together. We compared moving house stories – I think ours was easier! Then we looked at our travel photos – New Zealand and Uganda are very different. Eventually we arrived in Winchester to stay with Mum.

So far we’ve not experienced any significant reverse culture-shock because everything seems so familiar. Until Thursday morning. We visited the local Tesco superstore for Mum’s shopping and managed fairly well until I looked for some lemon squash. I couldn’t find any amongst the 50 different flavours. Yes, 50 flavours. And that’s just the squash. Sometimes it’s hard to make decisions when there’s so much choice. We’ve got used to having squash or not. Simple. After lunch we took Mum to see Dad at Chandler’s Ford. He was looking well and the home seems to be comfortable and clean. It was good to see him in his new surroundings after so long in a rather dismal hospital ward. Libby & Brian entertained us in the evening as we caught up with old photos and news of the last seven months.

We returned to the Winchester shops on Friday morning so that Andrea could be immersed in a craft shop of the wool and material variety. I suppose its creative therapy. I had to force myself to spend the time in the book and stationery shops. It’s a hard life! Even harder because I didn’t buy any books because any that looked interesting were too heavy. Most people just compare prices, we compare weights. Or ‘masses’ now that I teach fisicks. Later, we spent a pleasant hour with Dad and had afternoon tea together. He asked for potato bread with his tea but we were given three cakes. Normally one each – except that he scoffed the lot! Some things haven’t changed.

On Saturday I managed to do some laptop file sorting and storing etc – and not worry about battery life!! John (James’ brother) and Amanda came for lunch and we had a good time catching up on news and travels. Three of us visited Dad in the afternoon although he was a bit sleepy. It was good to be able to speak to Dads older brother (Uncle Jack) in N Ireland and give him an update on Dad and our adventures in Uganda.

Week 23 (23 - 30 December 2006)

Sunday was a bright sunny but slightly cooler morning so I took the camera with us for our early morning walk to church. We were joined by a group of youngsters who were going to the same place and their company made the hills easier to climb. We arrived at 8am to find that they had swapped the Lugbara and English services around but had forgotten to tell anyone! Rather than wait around in the heat for two hours we decided to walk back again then decide what to do later. We managed to get some good photos. After a rest, Andrea was prepared to walk but if I was to go I would drive the long way around. Our neighbours said they were coming too but there was a little confusion about whether they were walking or going with me in the car. Eventually, we all went the short, rough road by car and were only 10 minutes late. We had a quiet, but hot, afternoon sitting outside most of the time. At 5.30pm we left to collect Anne and Christine from Ringili to take them to town. All the mission partners have been invited to an informal gathering to sing carols, switch on the Christmas tree lights and eat ice cream! It was only for a maximum of 2½ hours and there were NO speeches! We were all given a candle to hold and a small children’s group led the music until it was too dark for them to read the music. We carried on singing, sitting outside as the sun set. Our hostess, Sherry, read some verses from Luke Chapter 1 and then the lights were switched on. All 15,000 of them. Yes, the number is correct. The tree is 19 meters tall. It’s a real live tree so is outside the house. It made a very atmospheric backdrop as the UK group sang “Come and join the Celebration” and a group of German girls sang a wonderful piece (in German). We all sang the German version of ‘Still the Night’ too. After the carols we had a buffet of the bits and pieces people had brought along with the 16 flavours of ice cream that Sherry provided. By 8.30pm we were beginning to feel a bit chilly but when we got into the car the thermometer showed just 25°C! This is a bit worrying considering the lack of temperature we will be experiencing on Friday evening.

Christmas Day started early. I suppose every day starts early. But because the service was at 10am we didn’t start walking until 9.30am. It was pleasantly bright and we were joined by the same group of youngsters we met yesterday although the three boys were proudly wearing their new Arsenal shirts. The service was a bit prolonged and lasted until 12.30pm but the church had been decorated since yesterday. Our walk home was a bit hot, but bearable because of the entertaining company. John and Brenda had changed their plans so that we could eat Christmas lunch together but asked for a lift into town later. The time of eating was not clearly determined and thus a bit stressful for those who like their food hot but eventually a group of 8 of us sat outside together sharing our food. We had a relaxing time later in the afternoon sitting outside chatting with Ronald and Lillian just watching the local wildlife and the beautiful scenery. Later we moved inside to watch a DVD and have a simple tea together. We’re still not sure what or where or when the children had their lunch, which was a bit disappointing as we had hoped that they would join us. Perhaps this reflects a different attitude towards children.

On Boxing Day Anne and Christine came for lunch and afternoon tea and we spent all the time just chatting. It was pleasant and relaxed – and we ate when we had planned to eat with not misunderstandings or miscommunications! The sunset was wonderful on the drive back after taking them home. What a privilege it is to be able to live and work in such surroundings. Many of the local people recognise our car so often wave to us before we wave to them and it is a real pleasure to see them smiling and the children shouting in greeting as we pass.

Wednesday was “Packing Day” or “Suitcase Day” rather than Boxing Day. We slowly tidied things up in preparation for the ‘dusty’ season, chatted with the neighbours and eventually packed one case – and that wasn’t even half full. I don’t think we’ve ever travelled with so little even at home, except possibly for a one night stay. Still, with an empty case we can fill it with new undies, chocolate, new shirts, chocolate, books and might have a little space for some chocolate! Some of our preparations were delayed as the leaders, speakers and delegates arrived for the Scripture Union Youth Camp which is taking place on the school site. At one time we had thought of staying to help out and regret missing hearing the main speaker, the Bishop, and having time to get to know him a little better. We did get to know one speaker who latched on to us mid-afternoon, invited himself for tea and finished off all our remaining bread and jam. It’s sad that sometimes we meet Christians who are more than a little insensitive to those around them and tend to dominate and even insult people they have just met. We are not easily riled but the presence of one person made us glad we were leaving the next morning. I’m glad to say that he is neither Ugandan nor, as can be the case with such extrovert personalities, American. He’s Canadian. Eventually, we finished our preparations, later and a little more tired that we had planned.

We discovered another reason for not staying on Thursday morning. The music for the morning devotions woke us up at 5am. We didn’t have time to ask why such an early start was programmed. That will have to wait until we return. So if any of you think about complaining about 7am starts – just be grateful it’s not earlier. And it’s not because of the heat because by the time we surfaced at 6.45am most people were wearing heavy outdoor coats as they found it so cold. Early and cold. Anyway, we left at 7.30am after saying our goodbyes. It will be nearly a month before we return. We left the car at Cathy Asiki’s house and she gave us a lift to the airport. Not long afterwards the Bishop and his wife arrived to see us off which we thought was very kind of him until we realised that he had come to welcome and American team who were participating in the SU Youth Camp then working at Kuluva Hospital! But it was good to see him again and he wished us a speedy return. And so we arrived in the slightly cooler Entebbe with no problems or delays and booked into the ‘Golf View Inn’ where we stayed in 2003 with Richard and Laura. We even got the same room. As our check-in time is between 7 and 7.30am it’s good that we are now close to the airport and it is giving us a breather before the journey home. A few things will take us a little while to get used to again – cold drinking water, constant electricity and not having to worry about the laptop battery time. And of course flushing toilets. Andrea nearly fell off because it’s so much lower than the throne we have got used to! Just as we finished our evening meal the AIM Central Region Director (Steve), his wife and daughter brought Rosemary Brown to visit us. Rosemary and Andrea were at school together and we met her in Nairobi just before we came to Uganda in July. It was great to catch up with them, although I think we did most of the talking about Ushindi!

Our journey plans on Friday went smoothly and we arrived safely at Heathrow at about 4pm. Fortunately the weather was mild so the lower temperatures weren’t too much of a shock for us. Brian and Jane kindly met and drove us to Andrea’s Mum’s home in Romford. We had a wonderful surprise – Laura was waiting for us too and Richard arrived a short time afterwards! We though that we wouldn’t be able to see them until our last weekend here. They had come down specially to see us even though both had to leave early on Saturday. It made a good start to our break.

After a quick look at a few photos we took Richard, then a few hours later, Laura to the train station. It was good to be able to see them, even for a short time and we greatly appreciate the time and effort they made – and the surprise. Being Saturday, I visited the shops although of a slightly different nature than the last seven months! A brief visit to our storage was like playing ‘Kerplunk’ and at one point I looked at what was on the floor outside and the space left inside and began to think that it had expanded in the mild weather. In the evening we visited some friends at short notice as we weren’t sure how tired we would be nor how we might feel after our journey.

However, I also discovered some reactions to the blog entries. The true authorship of the entries is now in the open. Andrea has denied all responsibility – she has only read the first few entries. So all mistakes are due to the technology and faulty internet connection! At times the ‘diary’ entries have been written with specific people or questions in mind and although some readers have appreciated the detailed descriptions of how life is for us in Arua, others may have found some of the images rather too graphic, especially those of the lavatorial nature. It hasn’t been my intention to offend but to be realistic and accurate and it’s possible that it’s due either to my science background or spending too much time with teenagers. I blame my family and am sure that I’ve inherited my sense (or lack) of humour from my children. So how will the blog develop in the New Year? Will Andrea insist on editorial rights before publication? Will the more basic descriptions be omitted or developed further? It’s hard to tell yet, but I may reflect on the reactions and questions we are asked during the next few weeks. But I could equally well ignore them and continue as before! Colour coding is a possibility, with blue for the “Parental Guidance” sections. If you have any comments, please let me know via the blog or e-mail. It is encouraging to hear how many have been reading the notes – and even remember bits that I’ve forgotten! This is the last entry of 2006 and I may take a break during our visit to the UK. But then I might not and some of your comments may find their way onto the web! If further entries are published I will try not to mention too many names or be too embarrassing but there are some things I’m not very good at doing. So Gill, I’ll make an effort just for you! I will also try to add photos as this is too difficult while in Arua.

We wish all our readers, wherever you are in the world, a Happy New Year.