The first 4 weeks

We have now been in Uganda for 4 weeks and are beginning to realise we are not on holiday. It has been a major culture shock adapting to the Ugandan way. The heat and the incredible rain showers no longer phase us.We justsweat and paddle about in the mud like every one else. Travel is a major issue in masindi. Our house is 15 minutes walk from the centre of town which is ok during the day but a challenge we have been advised not to take at night. So far we have been lucky and been able to beg lifts if we are iut at night.

Maggie has been to Kampala twice this month for shopping trips. No surprise there but in reality if you need anything other than basics you have to go to Kampala. This is a day each way. As the house is completely unfurnished she has needed to buy a fridge and washing machine as well as material and "luxuries". The process of purchasing is relatively simple but how do you then get the goods back to Kampala. Those in the know arrange a pick up or if necessary arrange to put it on a lorry or bus bound for Masindi. It some how arrives intact a few days later. We have been greatly helped in all this by Sally and her staff who seem used to helping out naive muzungus.
We have finally moved in to our house this week.We do not have a postal addresswe just tell everyone we live on Kuzungu hill, (the white mans hill) opposite the resevoir.We are having furniture made locally a 3 piece suite for 200,000 ush about £60. Reasonable for solid oak furniture.
Being house owners we have had to employ an Ascari or night watchman. Soloman comes at 7.00 pm and stays patrolling our compound throughout the night to disuade intruders.We have had to supply him with a torch, flask,coat and gum boots. these had to be brought from Kampala but the boots arrived as a pair of left boots!.It is just one of those frustrations you can not nip back to change them.Various people keep arriving to offer their services as domestic staff. Unemployment is high and people are desperate for work.There is no real system and it is difficult to recruit staff who will be happy to work and reliable.There is a big element of hope it all works out.
The house already has some uninvited lodgers. There are lots of geckoes which are fun to watch but maggie refuses to share the shower with. There are bats and unfortunately some lve above the bedroom and leave there deposits on our bedroom floor!We have lots of birds in the garden and inthe early mornings you can hear the monkeys on the roof and in the trees.Early mornings are a reality here.People start moving around about 5.00 am. We are regularly woken by the mosque and singing and chanting from the local church.
Our social life revolves around other volunteers at the moment. Sunday has been a swimming trip, Monday is Swahili lessons,Friday is food and a drink at Murchisons bar in Masindi.
Maggie has been advising in the kitchens at Court View hotel, she is realising that food preparaqtion in Uganda is a little different from the UK. She has also visited a local seamstress training school run by Felicitas the wife of a local American missionary.Gradually Maggie is finding a role but sensibly not rushing in to anything yet.
I have managed one trip with the community team to visit a local school.Masindi public school is one of the primary schools in Masindi. Over 1000 pupils, classes oversubscribed with one class of 117.The head struggles to provide a service to the pupils with very little resource. The main issue he identified was no water on site,the tap has been vandalised and the kids are all hungry. Many of the children arrive not haviing eaten and will have nothing for lunch. It is a surprise if the manage to learn at all.

mutterings from Masindi

Things never go quite as planned in Uganda! Our lift could not take all our luggage so we had to leave several bags behind in Kampala. We were supposed to leave early afternoon but did not get out of Kampala until after 6. This meant we broke rule no. 27 in the VSO handbook which says you should not travel after dark. Luckily Suliman the was an experienced driver and got us to Masindi safely at 10.30 despite the state of the roads and the lorries with no lights. Apparently many Ugandan lorries travel with no battery. Once they have been started the driver takes the battery out in case it is stolen! There is a belief that driving with lights slows the vehicle down. The Ugandan highway code seems to be 'size matters' - the biggest vehicle has right of way. As our house isn't yet ready we had arranged to stay at Court View Hotel. Unfortunately, as we arrived late they had let the room but luckily the wonderful Sallie found us another hotel (we were serenaded all night by a frog under the bed - not the the wide-mouthed one!). We returned to Court View the next day and still remain. (Maggie is enjoying the hospitality, especially the red wine!). We have had several dates for moving into the house. Today we have been told it will be ready by Wednesday. Good news is that Maggie returned to Kampala and has bought a fridge. As we speak, our bed and table are being made locally (though with all the power cuts, who knows when they'll be ready). Power seems to be off more than it is on so we've stocked up with candles.
We're slowly adapting to the pace of life and keep being told to stop trying to get to the end of the race before it's started. Why is it that driving is the only thing that happens quickly in Uganda.
The hospital is incredibly short of resources but very busy. Malaria is the commonest problem. If a patient has had a fever in the last 3 days you presume malaria and treat, if the fever has been for longer you do a blood smear, if it is positive you treat for malaria. If it is negative you do not believe it and you treat for malaria. Unfortunately the hospital pharmacy has run out of adult dose Co-artem the recommended treatment. HIV and TB are common and there is a real shortage of drugs for opportunistic infections. There are no xrays and few reagents for blood tests. This makes diagnosis a real clinical challenge and Chris has a lot to learn from the clinicians here. The remarkable thing is that people seem to survive and it is a sobering thought to learn how resilient the human body is and how great the will to survive.
The social high spot of our week is a trip to Kinyara sugar plantation's swimming pool. A trip denied to most of Masindi but gratefully accepted by the VSOers.
Please keep us abreast of your news. The outside world seems a long way away.