Arrival in Uganda

 

I spent the weekend looking for permanent accommodation, but in the end, I decided to stay with my work colleague Isah and have been renting out his spare bedroom ever since. We don’t have running water, or western toilets, but we do have electricity (TV, DVD player, radio and fridge) and I have adjusted to washing with a jerry can! I chose to live with Isah because I wanted to live with friendly people, and it is also a lot more affordable than the western style accommodation available.

 

I feel quite safe in my home, and I love the kids I have as neighbours who find me highly entertaining to look at and enjoy distracting me from my book with their mischievous behaviour! They know some English, but I wish I knew some more Luganda so I could talk to them.

 

I find walking about alone in the centre of town is a little intimidating after I had my necklace grabbed, foolishly I forgot to take it off . Do not wear expensive necklaces, hold onto your bag, do not use your pockets for your wallet and you should be fine. Thieves do operate, and have a tendency to target Muzungus (white people) but the statistics suggest they do not want a fight and I have not heard of any violent muggings.

 

Being white here gets you a lot of attention. A lot of people say ‘Hello, how are you’ as I am walking down the street, and they smile when I wave back and say hello, so generally the feeling is warm, and the Luganda I have learned has earned me respect.

 

The social scene has been the hardest thing for me as I am the only westerner working here. I can now see why migrants flock together in a new country! Whilst I can chat for hours with my Ugandan friends and enjoy their company, their culture is certainly different, and there is a bit of a language barrier that becomes hard work on a Friday night when I want to relax.

 

I have been going to 1000 Cups of Coffee, a coffee shop that is relatively expensive, but has a pleasant terrace and is a muzungu hang out. I made friends with a Welsh guy there who is good to talk to, and we went out to some of the other muzungu hang outs near the UK embassy for some western music and food.

 

Saying that, the best night I have had so far was at a Ugandan wedding. The bride’s Grandma challenged me to a dance off/dancing lesson, she was seriously good and we both loved it. She taught me a thing or two, and was the most agile 90 year old I have ever met!