Having been back in the UK for 10 months
now we have been reflecting back on our time since we returned from Uganda. We
are very grateful for the blessings we have received that have eased our
transition back into the UK. A great house, jobs which allow us both to balance
work and time with the kids, Noah and Emily both settling down and enjoying
what Bristol has to offer, being much closer to family and being part of a
great church in Woodlands are all things we greatly appreciate.
However we are also finding ourselves
missing Uganda very much. One of our best friends out in Masaka, Sarah Beale, will
be getting married in just a few weeks. We will be very sad not to be there for
the celebrations. Also, it’s been a very exciting season for Synergy, with some
astounding achievements and exciting prospects that require their very own blog
entry which will be posted in the following week or so.
But more than that, there are every day
things about Uganda that we miss. People, places, certain routines and ways of
life and the weather are just a few of the obvious things. However, there are
also things you’d never think you would miss but do. With that in mind here are
5 of our top 10 unexpected things that we miss from our days in Uganda:
(1) Our Noisy Neighbours
We never EVER thought we would say this but
there are times we actually miss our neighbours' nightly prayer vigils lulling
us to sleep! Okay, so perhaps not when they were at their raucous demon outcasting noisiest, or ear splitting tone deaf warblesome worst, but certainly when they
were at their more tuneful and gentle best, backed up by the chorus of
crickets, it was actually quite pleasant, and bedtimes are just not the same
without them!
(2) Limited Electronic Connectivity
Dodgy
internet connections and network problems often seemed like the bane of our
lives in Uganda. But reflecting back now there were some great advantages. We
miss the simpler way of life less dominated by social media and fancy phones
where people spend more time looking and speaking to each other rather than
staring at their phones. Sarah often mentions that after all these years of me
being happy with a crappy £10 phone with only basic call and text functions, it
frustrates her that I now have a smart phone where I spend all my time looking
at the news or the latest football scores! And it’s true! Do these things
really make our lives better??
(3) Crazy Drivers
If we had a Ugandan
shilling every time we found ourselves berating Masaka’s drivers for death defying
maneuvers, we would probably have had enough money to bribe our way to a serious campaign for the Ugandan presidency! We thought that coming back to the UK would bring
with it the pleasure of sharing the streets with people who follow the rules of
the road. However it turns out that there are stupid drivers here in the UK as
well! At least in Uganda it was somewhat amusing to see a taxi made for 5 but
carrying 12, with a shattered windscreen and door held on with a bit of wire, swerving towards you at breakneck speed in order to miss the 4 foot pot hole
that the council filled with soil instead of tarmac the day before it was all
washed away by the rain! It’s just not the same when some annoying businessman
in his BMW rides up your backside before overtaking you like a pratt on
Henleaze Rd!
(4) Posho and Beans
Even now it is a joy
to go on our weekly shop to Aldi and see the plethora of delectable goods on
offer for us to fill our faces! It is wonderful to have such variety! However,
there are times when we just crave a good old plate of Mama Kat’s posho and
beans! Tim spent his first year in Uganda eating it almost twice daily and swore
then he'd never miss it. But he does, he really does!
(5) Poor literacy
Are you one of those
people who gets annoyed when a shop sign has the apostrophe in the wrong
place? ME TOO! I never thought poor literacy would be something we could miss,
but the wonderful spelling mishaps of many of our Ugandan brothers and sisters
brought such confusion, amusement and laughter to our lives. Whether it’s
enjoying the fact that you’re reading a school report for literacy that says
“Congranulatons” for your child passing, or spending hours trying to work out
when and where you have bought a ‘weliballo’ (using the powers of deduction and
the fact it was a hardware store receipt, we finally realised it was a wheelbarrow!)
our lives are poorer for the lack of these literary lapses!
Perhaps some more next time! But before we
sign off for now it wouldn’t be a Team Crow blog without some sort of plug!! So
here it is! This weekend we will be taking part in the Bristol 10k to raise
money for the charity Love Running. All money will be split between Syrian
refugee children, and projects working with vunerable people here in Bristol.
We have a target of £500 so if you fancy sponsoring us for this great cause
please head over to the link below! Thanks.
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