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Published: March 8th 2008
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I thought that a description of my working day (not that I've done much work yet) would give you an idea of how things are in Kampala.
I aim to be at work by about 8am … this means I get there at about 8.20 as things always take longer than I expect. I get up at about 7am, having listened to the world service news for a bit. It goes into a programme in Swahili at some stage, and that’s my trigger to wake up properly. I have a shower, which can be a bit tricky if the plumbing is uncooperative and the only options are boiling hot or cold. In Uganda you can call anybody or anything which doesn’t do what it’s supposed to stubborn. I think I will adopt this phrase when I come back to England - Paddy’s kitchen underfloor heating and Lizzy and Rik’s plumbing are prime examples!
Breakfast is prepared and laid out by Becky or Benda and varies from day to day - sometimes scrambled egg, or fresh fruit chopped up nicely. The toaster is broken at the moment - I think it was buzzed by a power surge - and has
been taken to the hospital to be mended. I picture it on a drip somewhere - see how my medical knowledge is improving! We also have coffee (from proper ground coffee) or tea and whatever juice is available.
I set off on my walk to work, wearing walking shoes which get pretty filthy with the African red dust - no mud yet as it’s been pretty dry. I have to dress smartly for the office so I change into my ‘office’ shoes when I arrive. My walking route takes me up our track to the main road, along it for a little bit and then down another track past various compounds - very difficult to have a nosey at the houses/inhabitants as everywhere has high walls and gates. I turn left at the half-built but grandly titled ‘Landmark International Hotel’ and walk along past more compunds to the main road. There is a delightfully titled ‘Disney Kindergarden’ which looks quite posh and is full of very smartly dressed children. I cross the road - avoiding bodas (motorbike taxis), 4 x 4’s and whatever else is zooming around. The next bit of track goes through a much poorer area - some very makeshift looking shacks and the distinctive smell of cooking files. There is a primary school along this stretch so there are usually loads of kids in the morning - I think they find the sight of this muzungu woman trudging along hilarious! Somewhat incongruously there are at least 3 stalls where you can buy mobile phone airtime on my route - I don’t know how much business they do as they always seem to be unmanned when I go past. The last little bit of my walk is the most treachorous as it’s fairly steep downhill and you have to avoid bodas, chickens and big holes in the path. Then in through the hospital gate and round the front of the building - a quick shoe change and upstairs to the 2nd floor. Alternatively I can go up the fire escape on the outside of the building straight into the Finance department, but I avoid this having alarmed my new boss Anita on my first day by appearing from nowhere! My first day went rapidly downhill from then as I was sent to have a medical, which included being stabbed in the hand for a blood sample as apparently my veins were 'too shallow'! Walking around with a giant plaster on my hand made me stick out even more than Iwould have done anyway.
My work at the moment is mainly an induction programme which everyone goes through and is aimed at making sure I know about all of the various departments in the hospital. I'm supposed to be doing this with some newly recruited doctors but they never turn up - presumably busy doing medical things. I think I’ll be thrown into ‘real’ work quite soon as people have started asking me to do things, but I’ve appreciated being eased in gently. The office is fine - open plan as I’m used to at home and quite sociable as all sorts of people pitch up at various points in the day - usually asking for cash to pay people. It’s quite noisy at the moment as they’re busy doing work on the floor above in preparation for the new University (more of this another time!). When the drilling stops I can hear Byron’s home-made work soundtrack - mostly 80’s pop music which makes me laugh to myself. The other day there was Dolly Parton from somewhere else in the office. Do you think I should play them some Ramones??? Or any other suggestions to instil 'Western' work ethics please.
Lunch is a choice between food from the canteen - free and brought up to the office in 2 giant vats - or something I buy from the café out the front of the hospital. The canteen food is quite heavy for lunchtime - matoke (famous mashed green bananas) and stew or a similar combo so usually I have a snack from the café and coffee. It takes about 15 minutes to order and get this (only a slight exaggeration!) but it’s a good place to hang out as I usually bump into at least 4 people that I know and can observe hospital life safely from outside.
I leave work at about 5pm and do the same walk home - a bit harder on the way back as it’s mostly uphill. I often stop off for a mooch round the Italian supermarket and try to avoid the temptations of the delightful wine garage. Once home I have a shower, change and eat dinner at about 8pm … we do have a telly but programmes are a bit random so I usually read, chat or do some hand-washing. Most of our laundry is done by Becky and Benda but we have to do our own underwear and it’s amazing how quickly it stacks up!
That’s all for now - it’s Saturday so I’m going to attempt to upload this with some pictures and then head off into town. My first attempt at travel on a mini-bus taxi (matatu) and negotiation of the city centre on my own. I have the incentive of a leaving Kampala party for someone I knew at Cambridge - quite freaky that he is leaving Uganda just as I’ve arrived. And also the need to buy a hat and a Kampala A-Z - such a thing does exist!
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Alison Lay
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Lovely blog - keep it up! Love from Denmark.
Lovely blog - keep it up! Love from Denmark.