Frustrated...

It was going to happen sooner or later… At some point I was always going to get a bit frustrated at life in Uganda, compared with back home. This weekend was it, possibly the first time that I’ve felt a bit fed up! Fortunately it didn’t last long, and had an underlying cause. The couple of weeks since I last posted a blog have been very busy – apologies if you’ve been waiting for an update – and this combined with several poor nights of sleep managed to turn me grumpy!

So yesterday I was feeling a bit fed up. A bit isolated, miles from anywhere, with no personal means of transport; A little annoyed that I’d have to spend most of another Saturday travelling into Kampala to do some food shopping, carrying everything back in a matatu afterwards; Definitely annoyed at the kids who run around noisily outside all the time with no concept of allowing any privacy or any sense of what may be someone else’s garden; Very tired due to two hot nights with restless sleep and one night where the village disco was blaring music until 4am; Frustrated that all the things I’m planning to do and develop here at the hospital are taking a long time to sort out; Arrgghh – as you can probably see, I got a little overtired!

Fortuntately I was able to finish work on time yesterday, and got out on my bike for a ride around the local area. I can really recommend exercise as a good way of letting off steam, but riding around the local dirt roads and tracks, seeing the houses and the way people live, and being greeted by the children and adults alike, all brought home to me in so many ways just how much I have here compared with the rural population, and also reminding me why it is that I’m here, and who I’m here to help. The alteration in perspective was very welcome, and I arrived back after an hour very hot, tired and dusty, but also happier and more fulfilled. I just need to try and prevent it happening again now, or at least recognise it sooner.

There have been many good times here that I now remember fondly! The weekend before Easter was especially busy. I got to Kampala on Saturday morning to get a large car battery for emergency power, and had a particularly successful shopping trip – just because something is there one week is no guarantee that you’ll see it again for months! Then Saturday evening was party time at the Nurse training school. You may remember that the prize for the winning “house” at the sports day was a bull – well Saturday was the bull-party (nothing to do with a stag party in case you’re confused!). Being a Muzungu, I was of course one of the guests of honour (they are really into respect here – it goes both ways) and the party was fairly long and involved. We had games, dances, speeches, more dances, amazing barbequed bits of bull with roast potatoes, and a great time! I think the cultural thing here is to perform by putting on a tape/CD of some music you like, while singing/dancing along to it (a bit like Karaoke). For encouragement, other people then dance up to you from the audience, join you for a couple of minutes and then press a gift into your hand – a sweet, a coin or even a flower. One apparently popular girl had about ten different people giving her gifts all at the same time, or perhaps she was just so bad they wanted to make her feel better by encouraging her! After several hours of this I was ready to leave, but then they got on with the less formal part of the evening, and I was dragged up to dance for a while… I really wish I had more natural dance rhythm! The students all thought it was great of course (or perhaps they too were being polite!).

Then Palm Sunday was spent in one of the local churches, which was fairly lively and good fun, and humorous at the end when they had an auction of local market produce to raise funds – quite a surreal way of ending a church service! Then the afternoon and early evening was spent at the Training School “Easter Carol Service”. This turned out not to be half a dozen Easter songs, but in fact was a three hour Passion play put on by the students, interspersed by a dozen different Easter hymns. After the initial shock when (as of course a guest of honour) I was given the programme, it actually turned out to be a really good spectacle, with only a couple of dodgy theological moments! One memorable bit was after the crucifixion scene – cue darkness, thunder and lightning, with the devil running around going mad and celebrating. Of course we call it Good Friday because through that crucifixion, the devil didn’t gain a great victory but was in fact defeated….

I’ve then been on-call for surgery all week and weekend, hence the slightly run-down state by Easter Monday. I have at least found time to connect up my new emergency power supply to the house lighting system, so I now have electric light whenever the mains is off. I’ve also been getting a bit more involved with the musical side of our morning hospital meetings. Every morning we have fifteen minutes of sung praise and worship before a talk and prayers, which is a fantastic way of starting each day, recognising who ultimately is responsible for the work that will be done that day, and entrusting it all into God’s hands. I’ve been helping lead some of the singing, and have been slowly introducing a couple of newer songs. Everyone seems very enthusiastic, and this morning’s praise was especially good.

Next week I’m doing the talk on Friday morning. I’ve not been given a topic, so I’ll have to put something together myself. I’m actually a little apprehensive, as although I’m sure I’ll be able to stand up and say something, I think that the Ugandans working here perhaps have as much knowledge of God as I do, and put their faith into action much more readily, so I feel a little under-qualified to preach to them! I think some prayer of my own is required!

So no medical stuff to describe this week! Those of a squeamish nature will be grateful – those who love the gory detail will have to be patient until next time. Happy Easter, and God bless you.

Steve