A Day in the Life of a VSO Volunteer

Yesterday was a fairly typical day. There was the VSO Volunteer Committee meeting in the morning, which I'm a member of as I'm the Chair of the Kampala Volunteer Cluster. So I headed up the hill in search of a boda to the VSO office, which is in the opposite direction to work.

I should explain that I am using bodas again at the moment as the RAV 4 decided that without Glen to keep it in order it wouldn't start. We decided there isn't any point in trying to get a mechanic for the last few days before I fly back for Christmas. The car is safely in the compound and will wait for us both in January.

So I picked up my helmet (white full face!) and walked up the hill from the flat in search of a boda. I was lucky and met one before I got to the main road. This got me to Tank Hill 15 minutes early so I decided to check out the gift shop there, which I have passed so many times but surprisingly never gone inside.

Tank Hill, VSO on the left, Tank Hill Parade with the Italian supermarket on the right.

In Uganda greeting everyone is a very important part of social life. Not just friends and colleagues but everyone you meet, especially if you want to buy something from them or travel on their boda. 'Good morning Ssebo, how are you?', 'Fine, how are you?' 'Good thank you. I need to go to Tank Hill Parade!' After a bit of haggling over the price (3,000, no 2,000, 2,500?, no 2,000 is a good price!) I climb on the back and off we go. I still haven't got over the need to hold on tight to the bar at the back and never feel quite secure, especially over the road humps!

After the Volunteer Committee meeting, some of the volunteers decide to go for lunch together. Because we are based all over Uganda it's always good to meet up and compare stories. This time we were laughing about the amount of Ugandan English and Ugandan habits we have picked up and how strange everyone at home will think we are when we greet everyone and ask after their health!

After lunch and a quick trip to the supermarket it's back on a boda and on to work. There's a theatre festival on in Kampala at the moment and several people were heading to the National Theatre to see a play at 4. Sadly I have too much to finish before I fly home to take any more time off.

There is another downpour in the afternoon but luckily after I'm safely back at my desk. It's a daily occurrence at the moment, the sky gets very dark with rumbles of thunder and then the rain starts. It's almost as if someone is emptying buckets out of the sky.

I leave work shortly after 6 after getting an e mail follow up to Thursday's meeting and various monitoring spreadsheets e mailed out to partner organisations. Luckily by then it's stopped raining but it's very wet and muddy underfoot. I'm carrying my helmet, which acts like a magnet for every boda in the vicinity. However, I decide against a boda as I want to find a pineapple and some milk from the roadside shops on the way home. Also bodas when the roads are wet and muddy are not necessarily the best option.

Halfway home I'm passed by a pick up truck with stacks of speakers, loud music and a man with a microphone speaking in Lugandan. I've no idea what it was about but it was unbelievably loud close to.

Milk and pineapple bought I'm home just as the sun is setting. As I head back down the road to the flat the people in the village at the top are all saying 'hello' and 'how are you?'. The children call me 'Muzungu!' The young adults 'Maama!' Several people have asked 'Where's Mr?'. It's just not possible to be incognito here, just by being white we stand out and people notice what we do.

The pineapple needs preparing straight away. It's fantastic to be able to get super fresh produce in season, pineapple, avocado, mangos, bananas, tomatoes etc. So it's a simple supper of pineapple, cheese and bread (I know, I bought that cheese at the Italian supermarket again!)

Next Friday I'll be back in the UK. It will be quite a contrast from my final Friday of 2014 in Kampala.