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  

Ugandan life

AUGUST 6th

Although so far we still do not have our own home. Up unril a few days ago we were still staying with some officer friends who I met 3 years ago and have known rob a long time.

During our time with them I was reminded of how much I miss washing machines.
I think this will be something I will miss greatly.  I have washed my clothes by hand every time I have come but now it will include bed sheets and everything!
It really is a whole days work.

Life in Uganda is so different.

Most women cannot work due to the fact that the smallest thing takest forever here.

I will never ever complain about that big pile of washing anymore – that I can just throw in the washing machine.

For now that washing will take me all day especially when you include bed sheets.

And cooking a meal is a big job.

Most people if they are blessed will eat 3 meals a day. But many will only eat 2, and some only 1.

But whether they eat 3 or 1 guaranteed 2 of them will be hot and a big proper meal.

Full of carbohydrates.

Rice, posho ( ground corn maize and water), irish or sweet potatoes, chappati’s, beans, peas or green vegies leaves and if blessed chicken or beef stew.

Breakfast is usually left overs or plain bread or an egg.

Because every meal is a proper meal, and they cook usually on gas or charcoal stoves, you pretty much cook from one meal to the next.

This is cooked green banana's - MATOKE - normally they mash it but sometimes not - it is usually served with meat and a stew of some sort..... its a savoury dish.

BELOW IS MATOKE mashed.

Another part was Learning to cook a lot of the local foods.
Although we hope to still be able to eat more Australian food.
Those ingredients will be much more expensive.
So I did lots of learning how to cook local foods.
My favourite

Chappatis

 

I had to show you this gorgeous video of me learning to cook chappatis.. but my favourite part is the little girl towards the end. She is one of the officers children here at the headquarters and Africans do family life together so people just eat with whoever etc etc and spend time with whoever.

This little girl has funniest personality very strong and spritely. Very independent and has great English for a little girl so I get to laugh a lot with her.

Rob makes funny noises which she thinks is hilarious !! ENJOY

 

Church in Kampala

CHURCH

I miss my church in Australia so much.
But I certainly love church here too.
For many different reasons.

We don't know what church we will attend when we move to Lira, as there is no Salvation Army there.
But while in Kampala and whenever we come back we will worship with our friends at The Salvation Army church at their headquarters.

Church in Africa is always lively, and runs long but people are lively and full of praise so you don't notice how much later it goes.

Church starts at 10am but most don't arrive till between 10.30 and 11am :) or even later
And people come all the way through.

Church services amongst the salvation army are mostly in Swahili, so its vital I learn this language.

But the sermon is in English and many things during. At least in Kampala. Other salvation army churches we attend Rob whispers transltions in my ear. Depending on the language sometimes I can follow enough with the words I know and their expressions. :)
And they translate testimonies etc.
But singing is usually always Swahili - sometimes its great when I know the song in English so I sing and dance along in English.
Otherwise I dance and clap and enjoy the sound of the worship. Doesn't matter how many people they are it always sounds amazing.

Even with still being unwell I love church here.

There was an extra special blessing this morning with the young people doing the service.

There's always lots of worship and dancing and usually a choir item, but there was a drama and a gospel dance as well this morning.

Rob had to go and check on our farm today to see how long till harvest so he missed church.
Its amazing how quickly life becomes normal to be with someone else.

I miss him so much when he is gone and going to church feels so strange without him now.
Even though we have only been doing it about 8 weeks

Rob bought two cabbages home to show me.
We are praying now that God will provide wholesalers or a boarding school to take them when harvest comes in a few weeks.

We praise God that later this week we found a seller for 800 of our cabbages!! And this is only the first part of harvest. Sadly due to the drought they are not as big so will not fetch the same price as they normally would but we are counting our blessings as so many people have lost everything!

God is so good to us.

Still not feeling well but feeling so blessed today with God's provision for us..... even if we don't have enough money for food.... we can live on cabbages at least.... :) hahah now that could be interesting.. :)