...is only a little surreal! Here at Kiwoko Hospital in Uganda we had our Christmas Party yesterday. For someone coming from Scotland, its very difficult to get used to a mid-winter festival taking place in 28 degree heat, with burning sunshine, no rain or snow, and 12 hour days. Nevertheless, there are some wonderful aspects to a Ugandan Christmas – not least the fact that there is none of the commercialism that is seen in the UK anytime from August onwards!
Our party yesterday was superb. We had what would be known in the UK as an outdoor concert – lots of different sketches, songs, dramas and performances from different groups both within and without the hospital. At the last minute the doctors put on a small sketch of “A Greek Tragedy in Five Acts,” suitably adapted to Ugandan culture – which went down very well: I think as much because they got to see the doctors dressing up in silly clothes and performing as anything else! We had Christmas carols in English from the Nursing school choir, children’s games (enthusiastically played by the adults!), and several speeches about not leaving Christ out of Christmas – a message that probably should be heard more clearly in the UK!
And then of course was the barbeque – as is usual on these hospital occasions, a bull was roasted and cooked throughout the afternoon, ready for a feast of chapatti, BBQ-beef and sodas in the early evening… so far there’s not even a hint of a dodgy stomach!
I’ll be working on Christmas Day itself (I have no idea how busy it will be: I suspect, like in the UK there’ll be plenty of people with stomach/heart complaints later in the day!), so I’ll take this opportunity to wish everyone who’s been following my blog a very Happy Christmas, and to ask God to guide and bless all your hopes and plans for 2008.
Steve
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