OUR HOME AND NEIGHBOURHOOD

OUR HOME & NEIGHBOURHOOD

We have finally started to settle in to our little unit.

We are so grateful to God for providing us a nice, safe, new little unit.
We live about 8minutes BODA BODA ( motorcycle taxi) from the hospital.

We live in a little compound with the landlord and his family and 2 other units ( but no people in those yet)

The area is surrounded by old little houses and mud huts also.

People all around us here live in fairly traditional African ways.

We lose power often, but usually only for few hours at time or no more than 24hrs.

Except when we lost it for almost 4 days!!!

This was difficult especially as we were still waiting for our gas bottle ( things take a while here) and so we had only been cooking on a single burner tiny element. So for 4 days we lived on bread and bananas pretty much.

Rob works long hours so having no power and him gone for anywhere from 9 – 14 hours made the days so so long especially when all our phones etc where now flat.

I don’t go out much alone. Actually not really at all. I meet Rob sometimes for lunch or something, but a Boda boda picks me up at the door.

Although Lira is a fairly safe place, I don’t really walk places on my own, just to be sure.

Rob and I go for a walk to get me out if he gets home before dark. Which isn’t very often.

 I spend my days doing all the traditional things, washing clothes by hand, sweeping the endless dust out with a long grass broom and mopping. Cooking takes up a large part of the day also when we only have limited power, cooking utensils etc etc.

I iron all of Rob’s work clothes when we have power – they are very particular on clothes being neat and ironed here !

 

A grassed area about with a water pump. Early mornings and

late afternoon you see so many people gathering their water for those who don't have water to their house/huts.

I am still in awe of how they carry the water on their heads - even little girls

 

I hope to try and find some volunteer work soon.

Our landlord is lovely and his English is good but he works away and his wife does also. There housegirl is nice, but very very limited English so morning, how are you is usually all we can say to each other as we hang our clothes on the line.

They have 2 gorgeous girls, one who understands a little bit of English. The people in surrounding areas also have limited English and can usually only manage hello. The kids often have better English.

Neither Rob or I know the local language... the two Languages I have been learning, are not ones spoken very much here... so its like starting all over again.

I pray that I’ll find a friend or someone to at least talk to but Rob is taking great care of me and we are loving life together.

A corner shop near our house that sells bread and bits and pieces

Another corner store

Some of the homes in our neighbourhood.... Rob stood in front of it to trick mum that this was our home!

THATS OUR COMPOUND... and our landlords little girl.. She is adorable

OUR LANDLORDS HOUSE

The water pump and COMBINED CLOTHES LINE AND CHICKEN PEN

 

THE ORANGE BUILDING IS THE 3 UNITS - OURS IS THE OTHER END

Ours it the very last one on the left ( rob is there working )... the door that's open is our landlords house. So we are very close together!

 Our little unit - the front door is the glass door - our little tiny kitchen is the door on the right on verandah. Its normal here for kitchens to be on the outside... bit annoying at times when your in your nightie.... but we are thankful we have a proper sink in the kitchen!

 

Our lounge, dining room, sewing room and everything else you want

You walk directly into this from front door

Tried to make it feel like our home with bits and pieces I snug in from our wedding

 Our bathroom - shower comes directly off the wall right near toilet. You could sit on toilet and have a shower if you wanted to. The curtain we hang from lounge room to try and give some privacy.
Otherwise the landlords kitchen door would look right through to our toilet.

Our bedroom is directly across from the sink

Our bed room - so thankful for the great mosquito net I bought from Australia and our bedspread from Australia.

I have already become quite attached to our bits of furniture made by locals here.

Found a use for our MR and MRS from the back of our chairs from our wedding