Apparently quitting one's job and going to volunteer in Uganda for three months is not a financially savvy move. It took us awhile to recover from what we have been calling the PUFC (Post-Uganda Financial Crisis) and it took me awhile to regain gainful employment. It was only in August that things started to look up for us again - I had been working for a few months and Al had a new job and thus we managed to put a little bit of travel back on the agenda. Our first plan was to celebrate our 10 year anniversary, and having left it late to organise a cheap trip abroad on a bank holiday weekend we opted for something in the UK. This trip was a little different from our usual types of forays in which ... read more

It has been really difficult for me to write this final Uganda blog, I had trouble summing up the experience in my mind, let alone on paper. Three months in Uganda gave me such a range of experiences, made me question things I didn't think I would and exposed me to great beauty and staggering hardships. I wanted to be able to express everything, without being negative or adversely glossing over anything. After Al's blog on his week visiting me in Uganda I had exactly a month left before returning to London. The atmosphere in our household had changed, and Kristina and I began to feel uncomfortable. In hindsight I think it was due to differing expectations. They have had many Westerners stay with them and give them money, gifts and clothes. Kristina and I had ... read more

Washing dust off my feet, handwashing, drinking Fanta Pineapple, having cold showers, making beads, riding in matatus....these are the norms of my life in Uganda. It has been an incredibly interesting time so far, and living in a semi-rural area between Kampala and Entebbe has given me a lot of insight into the lives of those Ugandans around me, and how they cope daily with things Westerners may struggle with. Dust This may not be an issue in all parts of Uganda but where I am living dust invades everything. I have dust on all my clothing, in my hair and I am sorry Al, but also all over our cameras and laptop. It is a daily battle to keep it out of the house, and the compound is swept daily and the floors are wiped ... read more

Sitting under a jackfruit tree in a quiet compound in Kigo, surrounded by 15 women making beads out of old magazines and calendars it was hard to imagine that I hadn’t always been here in Uganda. Village life was continuing uninterrupted around me, people were doing their washing and cooking, and I was just another pair of hands working on the long bead making process. Having gotten fed up with my job I made a snap decision that I was going to leave the black snot of the London underground and spend some time volunteering. After searching through numerous volunteering opportunities I settled on the Women Empowerment Programme run by the International Volunteer Network (Post script - although I loved my time in Uganda - I would not recommend this organisation - check my blog 'Pearly ... read more

Our taxi driver from the airport to our hotel in Amsterdam chatted away non-stop, with advice about where to visit, how to get to the centre from our hotel, how German beer is stronger and even told us about his most recent vacations. The friendly conversation was exactly what we needed after a nightmare trip from London. Our KLM flights were due to depart from London Heathrow and with less than 2 hours to go we discovered that they had been cancelled. As we were travelling over the Bank Holiday weekend all the flights were full and they drove us to London City Airport (back past our offices!) before flying us to Rotterdam on a Focker and then busing us to Amsterdam's airport. Our taxi driver's cheerful nature was indicative of all the other Dutch we ... read more