Gerry has asked me to let you all know that the internet where she is at the moment is very unreliable and although she has prepared blog updates, she is unable to post them, or even send them to me by email so I can add them to her blog from here.
She will post the updates when she gets back to the UK early next week.
If you are on Facebook you can friend her and then you can see some photos and news items.
best regards Norman
Innocent had arranged for me to meet Charles, the Director of Brain Trust Nursery and Primary School, who is a good friend of his. Charles told me a little about his school and I could tell by the way he spoke he really cared about it. I signed the customary visitors book and then it was time to see who I had come to see, the children!
I knew immediately that it was a happy, well run school as soon as we entered the first classrooms. The children stood and greeted me enthusiastically but politely and listened to Charles as he introduced me. What impressed me was that Charles knew every one of their names and each child seemed thrilled as I repeated, or tried to repeat their names. It was a few of the Muslim names I couldn’t get my tongue round!
I visited each class in turn except for P7, at 14 years old they were busy sitting an exam paper preparing for the Uganda National Certificate in November, the most important certificate to obtain.
I promised that I would return next week to do activities with each class and I can’t wait!
I know I am in Uganda when I wake up to the gentle sweeping outside my bedroom window, also knowing it is best to stay out of the way until the sweeping is completed otherwise you are likely to get a lung full! I can here the young mother next door already digging in her garden trying to make the most of the rainy season to get new crops planted and her two small children Gaster and Gift playing in the coolness of the early morning. I can hear Innocents pigs telling him it is there time for breakfast too! The day is waking up and I am feeling totally relaxed!
Yesterday was a day of relaxation and getting used to my Ugandan home. Innocent was busy getting in supplies such as charcoal and matoki while the ladies, his mum Judith and a friend Sarah cleaned the house and compound and started to prepare food for the day. They allow me to do very little work while I am here claiming that I need to rest when I come to Uganda! But I do manage to sneak a bit of help in to their amusement – even just sweeping the floor brings laughter on! Today when I saw Sarah preparing the banana fronds for wrapping the matoki and sweet potato for steaming, I just had to insist I had a go. As you see by the photos I was reasonably successful though I did cut into the leaf several times making it useless for the proposed use! I was rather nervous with the sharp knife too as one slip of it would have had my hand off!! The ladies were quite impressed, though its difficult to tell when they chat on in their own language, shaking their heads and with big smiles on their faces!
When I am outside which is most of the time, there is a small but constant stream of people passing the end of the compound and each and every one of them slows their pace waiting to catch my eye and acknowledge them with a wave. Immediately they respond with a smile, then carry on with a lightness in their step! I find the great majority of local people are lovely and welcoming and, they don’t ask me for anything unlike some places I have lived in Uganda. I hope to be meeting some of these children soon as Innocent has arranged for me to visit their school later today. I’m looking forward to it!
Though I enjoy visiting my family in Jinja town I always look forward to getting away from the hustle and bustle and to what I call the real Uganda. I shall miss little Selah but no doubt will see her and her mum and dad over the next couple of weeks as we have several outings lined up.
I had been spoilt living with Alex and Hannah and on our way out of Jinja I told Alex I would like to treat myself to some basic wooden shelving as it is killing my back having to get down to floor level all the time, and I wanted to treat myself to a fan as Innocent now has electricity in his home. Alex knew exactly where to go of course and first call was to some young men in Jinja town making furniture in a side alley! It wasn’t too long before Alex was loading two of the units onto the roof of the vehicle helped by several others.
They were secured by several lengths of black ties made from old tyres! I think I made the makers of the shelves very happy by purchasing not only one but two of their creations! Then it was round the corner to one of his old school buddies for the fan which, as I write is keeping me nice and cool!
We dropped Paul off at his boarding school but poor lad wasn’t allowed to register for the term because he had forgotten to bring three brooms which is one of the requirements! So off he went to buy some locally as we continued on towards my next Ugandan home!
As soon as we got to the outskirts of Jinja I felt myself relax and enjoy the ride to Innocents home travelling through countryside of plantations and swamp lands broken by several trading centres where people were going about their lives doing little businesses while looking after their families. I noticed several groups of children heading back from school after their first day of term many dressed in colourful uniforms – bright pink with green collars or purple with orange trim. Soon I would be arriving in my new home and visiting a local school myself. Exciting times!
Innocents’ girlfriend Sara was there to welcome me as Innocent had to go and do some business down at his little bar Wallets Pub, he runs but he was soon back, the vehicle unloaded and my room set up for my stay which includes my quite comfy en suite!
Innocent and I walked down to his bar before the sun went down and intended to be back but the weather caught us out, another big storm with very heavy rain! It didn’t let up so we carefully made our way home, on the motorbike which had been stored at the bar, me hunkering down behind Innocent to keep dry! Was it worth it…..Yes, the Nile Beer was cool and delicious!!
It’s the rainy season!
PS I’ve been offline while trying to figure my newly bought Wifi modem out and now can’t quite believe I have Wifi in Uganda! Mind you the signal is not great so I have to send my news when the connection is strong enough!
Most of yesterday was spent in Jinja town with Alex trying to cash my Moneygrams as I had few Ugandan Shillings left from my last visit. It is always slow and over complicated to do any transaction here in Uganda but yesterday was even worse as the systems in two of the banks had gone down and you’re only told of this after you have filled in the forms and waited in the queues for what seemed hours! Eventually I got the money and gave Paul, who had travelled with us, his school fees to pay this terms bill and money to buy his ‘requirements’ for the next ten weeks. His list ranges from shoes to washing soap and loo rolls – they have to provide many basic items. He went off to sort his shopping and Alex and I headed to the supermarket to buy my ‘essentials’ for the stay with Innocent – water (lots!), tea, rice, cooking oil, matches, loo rolls, soap x 2 one for my personal use the other for washing my clothes, curry powder, salt, sugar (for Innocent!!), etc. Alex got my Calor gas cylinder refilled so that I can at least boil water for tea without having to light a wood or charcoal fire!
Next on my list was the MTN mobile phone company as I had decided to try out a Wi-Fi modem to communicate with you all but needed to check out that it would work far away from Jinja town! Fingers crossed I have been advised right. The proof will be in the pudding – you will know I was wrong if you don’t hear from me once I get to Innocent’s place!
All day Alex was on the phone chasing Hannah’s luggage up that should have been delivered earlier in the morning. The man bringing it reported that he hadn’t left
Luggage delivery!
Kampala because he had a flat tyre, didn’t have a spare and, worrying of all had decided to bring the six cases (one’s still missing!) to Jinja by public transport! Any of you who know Africa and other third world countries will know that these vehicles are not the most reliable!! Eventually late in the afternoon Alex got a call saying the man was stood at the side of the road near to the Nile crossing with the cases! Hannah was relieved to see her belongings but still awaits the seventh bag!
Selah still continues to be wide awake and night and fast asleep during the day so we are all doing a little to help Hannah out. I’m doing the least but this morning I had her for a ‘shift’ and as the sun was shining but the heat hadn’t built up we sat outside watching Uncle Paul do his washing in preparation for the start of school tomorrow and got to know a very friendly cockerel who kept following as I walked Selah around!
Selah enjoyed being outside watching his Uncle Paul doing his washing!
The house cockerel kept Selah’s attention too as it scurried around us!
Gerry's Uganda Projects 