Responsibility

This week is a school holiday for our children in Kampala. The equivalent of American Spring Break- an entirely different academic year from the UK system! The children are back at school next week, but will also have the long Easter weekend away from school.

For this past week of school holiday, Joel volunteered to look after the class pets- a tank of tadpoles! I agreed without grasping the actual responsibility that such a task would mean...!!!

The responsibility started on the day when I collected the tadpoles, along with a car full of children, from school. We had 2 tupper-ware containers full of special pond water, with carefully placed rocks and sand. Plus the little tadpoles swimming merrily around inside each tub.

As we climbed into our hot car, I started to be concerned about how the tadpoles would survive Kampala's equatorial heat, which permeated our car. The temperature was a far cry from the cool of the stone-walled classroom the tiny tadpoles had become accustomed to!

In my mind, I imagined the drama if the tadpoles were to die- the sobs and tears of a classroom full of 6 and 7 year olds, distraught by the demise of their class tadpoles! I knew at that moment that I had just taken on a huge duty to do all I could to help these creatures to survive! I had to avoid mass sorrow! I must not be to blame for upsetting a class full of young children!

We started the drive home. And I discovered another potential problem: how could we keep the water (and therefore the tadpoles!) in the tupper-ware containers as we drove home? As I have mentioned on previous blogs, Kampala is VERY hilly. Driving uphill and then downhill with a shallow tank of water and trying to keep the water level is no mean task!

Thankfully, Esther boldly took on the challenge! She sat in the front seat, where she could better anticipate the steepness of each hill- and she tried to tip and angle the containers as we drove, to minimise any spillage of special pond water!

Next, it became apparent that the rocks and sand were shifting and that the tadpoles were being swamped by masses of rock and sand in their little tubs. HELP! We grabbed an empty plastic box we happened to have in the car and put the tadpoles' tubs in the box. We then removed all the rocks and placed them around the tupper-ware tadpole tanks to secure them and to stop the rocks from squishing the mini pond life. Pond water started to splash out over the sides of the tupper-wares, but we had thankfully contained it in the plastic box and could replenish the water levels once we stopped the car!

By the time we had reached home, I was a little frazzled! I was keen to see these tadpoles placed in a safe place with their pond water and rocks replaced- and peace restored.

The tadpoles tanks were set up in Joel's room:

Imagine Joel's excitement just two days later when one of the tadpoles emerged from the water with his new legs all intact- in fact, no longer a tadpole, but a tiny, cute frog!!

This is the best photograph I could get, considering how teeny tiny the frog was:

Joel was thrilled! He talked of telling his teacher and showing his classmates! He spent ages in his bedroom just watching the creature and the other tadpoles.

I was in the kitchen a short while later when Joel came in, concern written all over his face, to report that the frog had leapt out of the tub and disappeared behind his bookcase! What should we do?? I had more flashing images of distraught children crossing my consciousness.... We must save the frog!

Joel and I emptied out his bookcase and pulled it away from the wall- and thankfully found Mr. Tiny Frog on the wooden skirting board behind his bookcase. Hurrah!! Joel scooped him up and gently replaced him in his tub.

We then decided to cover the tub with a cake-net, normally used to keep the African flies off my cakes when we eat outside. That way, the frog could jump out of his water but not get lost. Great solution!

When Andrew came in from his flight, he was invited to view the frog, but was under strict instructions (from me!!) to replace the cake-net after viewing.

Then came the great question: what do small frogs eat? How could we keep him alive and well fed? We used Google and discovered that a diet of fresh grasshoppers and worms would be suitable. Ugh!! Happily, Joel, Ben and Ben's friend Matthew were delighted to be given the task of collecting this tasty food for the frog! Minutes later, grasshoppers and worms were being passed through the bedroom window!

There was some debate about whether dinner should be served dead or alive, but this problem was solved when we found that grasshoppers are tricky to keep as snacks, as they kept hopping away before we could feed them to the frog! Their heads were duly squashed between the fingers and thumbs of small boys- and the frog had plentiful food in his cake-net universe...

The next day, we had visitors with 3 young children. Sadly,the cake-net was moved aside- and none of us have seen Mr. Frog since. :-(

We have searched high and low... but he is nowhere to be found. It is with dread that I anticipate breaking the news to Joel's class on Monday! We tried our best with the great responsibility of Tadpole-Duty! We did not fully succed!!

Thankfully, one of the other tadpoles is growing his back legs, so we may have another frog to present to Joel's class on Monday. That is, if I can successfully drive the tubs of tadpoles and froglet safely back to school on Monday morning!

The next time my child volunteers for Tadpole-Duty, I will be thinking more seriously about the great responsibility it entails and will definitely want to declare a disclaimer of blame for any loss of pond-life!! Pet tadpoles are more work than I had imagined!

Look who is Seven!!

Joel has just celebrated his seventh birthday!

The actual birthday was a school day, but thanks to Joel's kind teacher, I was able to go into his class with his birthday cake and join his classmates in singing "Happy Birthday" to him :-)

The class also sang this little ditty to celebrate Joel's special day:

The next day was Saturday, so we had a small party down by the local swimming pool with some of Joel's friends and his big brother and sister. The sparkling birthday candles on his (second!!) cake provided lots of entertainment!

This past year has seen Joel growing in confidence and finally settling into life in a new country after the upheaval of leaving Juba so abruptly, which affected him deeply. We have seen how God has brought healing into his life and we are so thankful for this more settled period in peaceful Kampala.

Over the last 12 months, Joel has become proficient in riding his bike and swimming on his own and also reading and writing independently. As parents, it is always fun to see our children growing up and we enjoyed celebrating Joel's seventh birthday- and now look forward to seeing what his eighth year will bring!

Happy 7th Birthday to Joel!

Making the most of TIME....

We had the fabulous privilege this weekend of  receiving hugs from friends from England!!

 Some of our friends from St. John's Church in Burscough were passing through Kampala on their way home from 10 days of volunteer work with "International Needs- Uganda".
(For more information on the life-changing work of this organisation, see this website:  https://www.internationalneeds.us/who-we-are/)

Time was short, but we were excited that our friends could swing by into the car-park of a local shopping centre near to our house!
Their mini-buses turned into the entrance and ground to a halt in the middle of the crowded car-park. The mini-bus doors slid open and our friends emerged!

It was a joyful reunion!! There was just about enough time for quick hugs, a photo with a couple of  friends and a speedy catch-up! Then it was time for them to climb back aboard their transport, make haste out of the car-park and return to the main road to Entebbe airport, ready for their flight to the UK.

And on the subject of time, Joel's class recently celebrated 100 Days of School this academic year! To mark this timely occasion, all the pupils were asked to dress up as a centenarian!! Joel was disguised as a one-hundred-year-old man and made his doddery way to his class-room...

To encourage his son, Andrew tried on the facial-hair and fake-glasses- perhaps giving me a glimpse of who I have to look forward to as my husband in another 60 or so years??!?

Not to be outdone by all the dressing-up that seemed to be happening in our family, I found myself donning these charming glasses just a few days after Joel's 100th day-of-school experience:

I had been asked to lead the Primary School Assembly at the children's school and the topic was "Open the Eyes of Our Hearts". These outrageously over-sized glasses came along at just the opportune moment to serve as a striking visual aid!

Finally, it has been a season of birthdays this month! We have marked the passing of another year for Andrew, my brother, my Dad and our brother-in-law, as well as friends.  I love birthdays, as we celebrate the gift of time: the years passed and time to look forward to what God has in store
for the year ahead.
This weekend, we celebrated the birthday of a good friend in Kampala. As guests to the birthday celebration, ladies were invited to wear wigs and gentlemen to wear moustaches. I duly found a wig in a Kampala city shopping centre and even some stick-on whiskers for Andrew! And here is our portrait to give you a bit of a laugh...!!!

10, 12 and 40-something

We've had lots of reasons to celebrate over the past few months.

In December, Ben turned 10, entering the double digit stage, never to be aged as a single digit again!

In January, our daughter turned 12- just one year away from making Andrew and I parents of a teenager!

This month, Andrew celebrated 40-something (a prize to those who can guess what the "something" is ;-))

Next month, Joel will also celebrate his birthday, making these 4 months a true succession of celebrations! (and if you want a challenge, try saying those last 4 words quickly!!)

Just to keep you up to date, here are a few photos from our recent birthdays, as we thank God for His gift of each person and for each year that He has blessed us with...

Ben's ambition at 10 was to jump off a 7 metre diving board at a hotel pool in Entebbe. He managed the 5 metre board brilliantly.... but we'll have to go back next year to try for the 7 metre board :-)

 
He brought 3 class-mates along to enjoy the day at the pool and they all had lots of fun....

... as did we all in our family! Joel repeatedly launched himself with ease off the 1-metre board

Esther nonchalantly jumped from the 1-metre, 5-metre AND 7-metre board! She's a courageous one, is our Esther!

And I think this splash was Andrew after a dynamic dive off the 7-metre board! Being a pilot, he had NO excuse not to fly off each diving board!

And to top the day off,  friends who had won an AMAZING cake from one of Kampala's top hotels (at a school Christmas event) generously donated their cake to Ben! What a fabulous birthday cake!!

Just over one month later, Esther enjoyed her birthday cake, along with a gaggle of girls, as we celebrated at our home: 

Not just cake, but singing and dancing and crazy games made up part of Esther's birthday morning:

In the evening, to mark Esther's birthday with just a few special friends, we took Esther to a restaurant in town and celebrated her 12 years with some special birthday glasses:

Andrew celebrated his birthday last weekend, but in a low-key manner and there are no photos to share! However, another special birthday happened recently: the birth of a beautiful baby girl, a gift to my good friend Grace from South Sudan!

Grace and her MAF pilot husband Dut welcomed their second daughter and I was privileged enough to get to the Kampala hospital to visit Baby whilst she was barely 12 hours old. So special! What a cause for celebration :-)

Body Invaders!!!!

You've no doubt heard of Space Invaders.

Well here in East Africa, we have encountered several Body Invaders!

Body Invaders, 2010

Back in Tanzania during 2010, our tiny son Ben was invaded by vile scabies!

It was a horrid, itchy experience for Ben. For me, it was an exhausting experience, as I washed sheets and pillow cases galore in an attempt to kill off these tiny mites which had invaded Ben's body.

Ben's little legs at 2 years old, riddled with scabies:

Click on the web page below if you want a refresher on that saga:

http://from-behind-my-mozzie-net.blogspot.ug/2010/04/ups-and-downs-in-dodoma.html

Body Invaders, 2017

After Juba, we arrived in Uganda and visited the local clinic for a blood test. Upon receiving our results, we discovered that we had all tested positive for bilharzia.

Bilharzia, a nasty infection, is contracted through contaminated water where infected snails carry  microscopic, infectious worms. These worms burrow into your bloodstream and consequently multiply, carrying disease throughout the human body.

More information on these invaders can be found on the NHS website:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/schistosomiasis/

And just to put you off your next cup of coffee, here is a charming image of the flatworms which carry bilharzia:

https://render.fineartamerica.com/images/rendered/search/poster/images-medium-5/schistosoma-flatworms-thierry-berrod-mona-lisa-production.jpg

We all took a course of treatment, which involved swallowing uncomfortably large pills with a particularly repulsive taste. These pills can make you feel nauseous and dizzy, but worse than the unpleasant side-effects was the drama involved in getting our 11 year old daughter to actually swallow her medicine!

Since Lake Victoria is full of bilharzia-carrying snails, we do regular blood checks to ensure that we keep up to date with treatment in case of reinfection. Esther, Ben and Andrew have all sailed on the lake since our last treatment, so we are due for more blood tests soon in case we have been re-invaded!!

Sailing on Lake Victoria- Esther and a friend:

Ben The Sailor:

 Body Invaders, 2018

Take a look at this delicious local fruit:

It is hard to imagine that these innocent-looking mangoes can attract other-worldly insects that cause great discomfort. Yet it is true!

Mango flies are infamous little bugs which can lay their eggs on your washing as it hangs outside to dry.  Then we wear our lovely, clean clothes, not suspecting the imminent invasion...

When we put our clothes on, the tiny eggs come into contact with warm, human skin. They then hatch out and the larvae burrow under your skin. Ugh!! The tiny little worms then develop in a blister just under the surface of your skin and start to wriggle around, making you very itchy.

This is what happened to Joel 2 weeks ago! He started to sprout blisters on his hands and arm which became most uncomfortable. Eventually, we realised that mango fly worms had taken up residence under Joel's skin!

The cure?

A good friend, well experienced in mango fly invasions, told me to rub Vaseline on the spots, then sprinkle a light layer of sugar on top. The worms start to wriggle their way out to get to the tasty sugar, but as they exit they are suffocated by the Vaseline! Brilliant!

Joel was delighted at the taste of victory when he tricked the minuscule worm out of its hiding place, through his skin and into a bowl of water! The worm is barely visible and yet had caused Joel  considerable irritation.

Joel's open blister and his offending invader (look hard at the centre of the bowl of water to see it!):

Joel's arm and hand are now healing nicely and we are taking care to iron all our laundry as it comes in from the washing line. The heat of the iron kills off the bugs and makes our clothes safe to wear. Horray!

Let's hope we can avoid further Body Invasions for the foreseeable future!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!!!

Christmas celebrations started early in Kampala this year. At the beginning of December, I joined some friends for one of the first of Kampala's many musical events.  

This initial event was a performance of Christmas music by internationally mixed choir, The Kampala Singers, up at Namirembe cathedral. It was a beautiful sunny day as I headed up to the concert!  I enjoyed the uplifting performance by this talented choir.

A week later, I took a boda up the hill again to the same venue and joined the atmospheric "Carols by Candlelight" service:

This was clearly a favourite event for many Kampalans and the cathedral was packed out. It was tricky to find a place to squeeze in on a pew!

A formal event, the Ugandan choir processed slowly down the aisle before the service commenced with a solo of "Once in Royal David's City".

As darkness fell, the service was more reminiscent of a Carol service format from back in England and it made the season come to life for me!

At the end of this lovely Christmas Carol service, I took a couple of photos of the choir leaving the service- and of the view behind me to show how popular a service this annual event is.

The next Sunday, Esther featured as Herod's assistant in a church Christmas play. Her dramatic flair came to life and she did a great job!

The children led us into some singing at the end of the play and we all raised our voices with some more Carols:

At school, Esther, then Ben and a week later Joel all took part in school Christmas concerts. Here is a photo from Joel's performance, as the younger pupils from the school delighted us with their singing:

Part of our Christmas time for us as a family always includes Ben's birthday, so it was fun to celebrate his 10 years this 2017! We got together with some friends in Kampala and enjoyed a posh cake which a friend had won at a Christmas fete and very kindly shared with Ben for his birthday!

It's been a special Christmas season for us- and a lot easier than last year, when we were new to Kampala and feeling a little forgotten and lonely, lost in a new city full of very busy people. We hope you have had a lovely time celebrating this special time of year and we send you our very best wishes from Uganda!

Anniversary Adventure

On Thursday Andrew and I celebrated 14 years of wedded bliss ;-)

To mark the occasion, we planned a fun day out.... an adventure to explore some of the prominent sites of Kampala. I chose five venues to visit on our day tour.

We set out just after 9am on Andrew's motorbike, our helmets firmly in place to brave the chaos of Kampala's traffic!

We teamed up with another couple, who had arranged to ride on local boda boda (motorbikes). Their obliging drivers were set to show us the way to visit the five sites that I had requested.

• We started at the palace of the local tribal king- the Buganda king, known as "kabaka."

Apparently, once we entered the compound, all women automatically become the property of the king and have to cover themselves with propriety- which in our case turned out to be an orange rectangle of material! I'm not sure how Andrew felt about giving his wife over to another man on our anniversary!

Tour guide Augustin led us around the grounds of the palace and related the rather bloodthirsty history of the kings of the Buganda tribe. The actual palace now lies empty because all the blood shed there makes it an unappealing residence for the current king.

Part of the tour led us into the dreadful torture chambers used by dictator Idi Amin during his reign of terror. In this dingy, dark, underground hideaway, Idi Amin ordered the torture and death of over 19,000 men.
Following on from Amin, Obote retaliated against those who had been loyal to Amin. A further 7,000 men were condemned to die gruesome and cruel deaths in the belly of this concrete monstrosity.

It was a sobering visit.

We finished the tour with a walk around the photo gallery that chronicles the family members of the Buganda Royal family from the late 1800s, when photography first reached Uganda. It was fascinating to hear and see history from the Kampala region.

• Our next venue was the Catholic cathedral of Rubaga, set high on one of Kampala's hills.

I would like to say we zoomed up the hill, but that's not quite true! The motorbikes we use here are not known for their speed! Just for their resilience and for being large enough to fit passengers (sometimes several!!) behind the driver!

We arrived at the cathedral and parked the bikes under a nearby, shady tree:

Rubaga cathedral boasts some beautifully constructed stained glass windows. Sadly, though, these windows portray the tragic stories of some of the 46 Christians murdered for their faith by Mukasa II- one of the Buganda kings. He had felt threatened by the rise of Christianity in his kingdom. Several of the windows show the martyrs receiving baptism before being forcefully taken to their death at Namowongo, just outside of Kampala.

It was a sad kind of illustrated history lesson.

Our lovely guide, Rose, also showed us the ancient organ donated from Germany over 100 years ago. She unlocked the wooden cover - and was most obliging when I asked if I could try my hand at playing a few notes! 

I enjoyed the colours chosen for the church interior- definitely bright and cheerful and a great reflection of local choice!

It was a cathedral well worth visiting. I was gaining a better understanding of this city we live in as I added to my sketchy historical knowledge of Kampala.

• Our third stop was Namirembe Anglican cathedral, to visit their small museum. 

I have visited this venue several times for inspiring musical events, but Andrew and our friends had never been and none of us had visited the cathedral's Cultural Centre. 

We collected another guide. This time, Rosetta led us around the cathedral's "archive chamber". This spacious room was packed with photographs, information boards and models depicting the history of the churches which had stood on this site.

The current cathedral is the fourth cathedral constructed here since the 1880s. Lightening strikes, gale force winds and ambitious architects have all contributed to the volume of buildings!

We learnt more about the martyrs and some history of the Anglican bishops sent from England to support the church here in the 1800s- one of whom was captured and killed for his faith by the local king. 

Another died of fever before even reaching Kampala. 

Yet another was a key figure in a spiritual revival which swept through Uganda. 

We even read about one church leader half a century ago who felt compelled to sell his motorbike in order to dedicate himself better to serving God. I wondered what he would have to say if he heard of us riding around Kampala on Andrew's bike today!

We took some time to get a few pictures before leaving this impressive cathedral site:

• After this, we four mounted our trusty bodas to set off into the heart of Kampala city to visit Kampala's- and indeed, Uganda's- first ever shopping centre!

Andrew and the other boda drivers deserve a medal for their incredible feat of driving through the utter CHAOS and bedlam that is Kampala city centre!

 I would have loved to have taken some photos! However, it is ill advised to have the phone or camera in your hand as you squeeze between trucks, buses, other boda drivers, pedestrians, cars or traders staggering through the crowded streets with heavy sacks of goods balanced between their shoulder blades. The risk of either dropping your phone or having it swiftly swiped from your hand is high!

After a hot, hair-raising and incredibly fascinating and colourful ride, we made it into Kampala's gritty downtown!

We dismounted, left the other two boda drivers in charge of all three motorbikes and headed into "Pioneer Mall". The slogan above the entrance says it all: "the first and still the best mall in Uganda" !!

We ate our lunch at the advertised "Antonio's" cafe. I was so hungry that my trademark East African "chicken and chips" was polished off in no time!

• Happy, with out tummies full and with the glow of having survived a motorbike ride through the labyrinth of Kampala's busy streets, we embarked on our final destination.

In stark contrast to the noise, heat and rather interesting (!!) smells of the city centre, we headed back up the hill into Kampala's hotel district. To finish off our anniversary tour, we enjoyed a most civilised cup of coffee at the newly constructed and somewhat opulent "Pearl of Africa" hotel.

I thoroughly enjoyed our 14th wedding anniversary! What a way to celebrate being in Kampala together- and to now look forward to more years here with a better understanding of the place we live in.