I moved into my new house yesterday! While I only had 5 suitecases and a fridge and stove, it took until after 6 to finally move in. This being because as always, I had to wait. The morning started off with a bang...literally! I awoke to the sounds of thunder and lightening and rain much like we get at home in the fall. It was a downpour! (Which I had been wanting since it had been 2 weeks without rain - but not on moving day) I got to the office and luckily, Jimmy the driver was able to take me to the guest house to pick up my bags and check out.
Side note...I have a lovely lady named Angela coming to live in my "boys quarters." The boys quarters is three rooms at back of the garage. The first room has a sink, toilet and shower; the other two are empty rooms. Angela and her 3 children are moving in on Wednesday. Angela will work 3 days for me doing some cooking, cleaning and laundry and will work the other two days for Sonya and Bruce. She is a lovely Catholic lady who has been out of work and is trying to support her children since her husband left her. I am very happy to be able to provide her with a job and a home for the next three years.
Back to the story...Angela came by the office right on time, and we agreed on a monthly amount and when she would start. (I thought Wednesday and she wanted to start right away!) Sam the driver, took us to the market to pick up supplies then down to the house so Angela could start cleaning. The plan was for Sam and I to drop her off, then go on to Game to return a kettle and to Uchumi to pick up my fridge and stove. But in Ugandan fashion, my friend Vincent in logistics called and Sam had to go back to the office to take Jane to the bank. So, instead of sitting around moping, I tagged along on the trip to the bank. I like driving around town and getting my bearings. I also get to have interesting chats with the drivers. We got back to the office, waited around for a while, then I went off again with Sam and Simon. This time we took Elsa to a meeting with the World Health Organization. While she was in the meeting we headed over to Game to get the kettle fixed and to Uchumi to pick up the fridge and stove. Success!!!
By the time we picked up Elsa and got through Kampala's rush hour traffic, it was around 5:30. (I forgot to mention that I didn't have time to eat lunch. I was running on the eggs and cereal I had at 8:00 am for breakfast!) We loaded up the truck with some of my bags and headed down to the house where Angela had been cleaning all day. Sam, Simon, Angela and I unpacked the truck, the boys drove Angela home then they went back to the office to get the rest of my bags and the bed that I will be borrowing from FH. By the time they came back and unloaded the rest of the stuff, it was well after 6pm.
Now I was all alone on my fairly large property. I locked the gates tight as well as the front door. I put on some music and started the process of unpacking. I discovered that there was no light bulb in the bathroom light and that there was no water in the kitchen sink (I learned this morning that this is affecting the whole area) But I had my headlamp and I plugged along unpacking suitcases. There was a screw missing for the bed, so I set up the mattress on the floor. Due to an issue with not being able to take any further money from the bank right now, I haven't been able to make any of the basic purchases for my house. So I have a stove with no gas tank or pots and pans and a fridge with no food. I have no furniture, no light bulbs, or even a mop and broom (I had to borrow that from the Go-Ed guest house). It sort of feels like camping in your own house! But my friends are supporting me and I am so happy to have started putting together my new life.
It was very weird to be all alone last night. There were new sounds and the problem of cars beeping at gates and not knowing if they were beeping at mine. I enjoyed a dinner of cheese crackers and Australian Shiraz while I unpacked. I brushed my teeth and washed my face with the light of my headlamp, then lay down to sleep. I was worried I wasn't going to be able to sleep, worrying about every noise. But God kept me save and let me have my sleep. And today is a new day. Still no money, but I love my house!
Side note...I have a lovely lady named Angela coming to live in my "boys quarters." The boys quarters is three rooms at back of the garage. The first room has a sink, toilet and shower; the other two are empty rooms. Angela and her 3 children are moving in on Wednesday. Angela will work 3 days for me doing some cooking, cleaning and laundry and will work the other two days for Sonya and Bruce. She is a lovely Catholic lady who has been out of work and is trying to support her children since her husband left her. I am very happy to be able to provide her with a job and a home for the next three years.
Back to the story...Angela came by the office right on time, and we agreed on a monthly amount and when she would start. (I thought Wednesday and she wanted to start right away!) Sam the driver, took us to the market to pick up supplies then down to the house so Angela could start cleaning. The plan was for Sam and I to drop her off, then go on to Game to return a kettle and to Uchumi to pick up my fridge and stove. But in Ugandan fashion, my friend Vincent in logistics called and Sam had to go back to the office to take Jane to the bank. So, instead of sitting around moping, I tagged along on the trip to the bank. I like driving around town and getting my bearings. I also get to have interesting chats with the drivers. We got back to the office, waited around for a while, then I went off again with Sam and Simon. This time we took Elsa to a meeting with the World Health Organization. While she was in the meeting we headed over to Game to get the kettle fixed and to Uchumi to pick up the fridge and stove. Success!!!
By the time we picked up Elsa and got through Kampala's rush hour traffic, it was around 5:30. (I forgot to mention that I didn't have time to eat lunch. I was running on the eggs and cereal I had at 8:00 am for breakfast!) We loaded up the truck with some of my bags and headed down to the house where Angela had been cleaning all day. Sam, Simon, Angela and I unpacked the truck, the boys drove Angela home then they went back to the office to get the rest of my bags and the bed that I will be borrowing from FH. By the time they came back and unloaded the rest of the stuff, it was well after 6pm.
Now I was all alone on my fairly large property. I locked the gates tight as well as the front door. I put on some music and started the process of unpacking. I discovered that there was no light bulb in the bathroom light and that there was no water in the kitchen sink (I learned this morning that this is affecting the whole area) But I had my headlamp and I plugged along unpacking suitcases. There was a screw missing for the bed, so I set up the mattress on the floor. Due to an issue with not being able to take any further money from the bank right now, I haven't been able to make any of the basic purchases for my house. So I have a stove with no gas tank or pots and pans and a fridge with no food. I have no furniture, no light bulbs, or even a mop and broom (I had to borrow that from the Go-Ed guest house). It sort of feels like camping in your own house! But my friends are supporting me and I am so happy to have started putting together my new life.
It was very weird to be all alone last night. There were new sounds and the problem of cars beeping at gates and not knowing if they were beeping at mine. I enjoyed a dinner of cheese crackers and Australian Shiraz while I unpacked. I brushed my teeth and washed my face with the light of my headlamp, then lay down to sleep. I was worried I wasn't going to be able to sleep, worrying about every noise. But God kept me save and let me have my sleep. And today is a new day. Still no money, but I love my house!
2 comments:
I'm glad you finally have a house, hopefully you will be able to buy things for your house soon. I'm wondering if you will be able to post any pictures of your new place?
It sounds like you got a lot accomplished. I'm so glad you are well and safe and I look forward to hearing more as you settle in and get to know the family staying with you. 3 kids! My goodness, you're all lucky to have each other. God has a plan. :D
anita
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