Settling In

Kampala is starting to feel a bit more like home. I've got a flat organised, just waiting for the landlord to do some redecoration and cleaning. Two of us 'new' volunteers have flats in the same block so we are able to work together to get everything sorted, which is great. Tomorrow is Saturday and we are going to visit and measure for curtains etc.

Yesterday we went to the furniture market with another volunteer who was ready to buy the furniture for her flat. It was a totally new experience for me! There is a big field by the side of the road with row after row of furniture laid out for sale. This is the best place in Kampala for buying wooden furniture but you need to be able to haggle, preferably in Lugandan. One of the VSO staff came along with us and did a fabulous job of getting good prices for the items needed. We plan to go again next week once we have the keys so that we can get what we need. I think we both now have a good idea of what we are looking for. The flats are completely empty so we need everything, bed, dining table and chairs and 3 piece suite.

As well as the wooden furniture we also need soft furnishings like curtains and bed linen. And then there's the gas hob and kitchen equipment. We plan to visit various shops recommended by other volunteers over the next few days to start to pick up what we want.

I've been having a few quiet days as I've not been feeling too well. I think it's the total change of everything combined with a bacterial infection. So I've been on antibiotics, no wonder I feel tired.

The VSO office and garden and the garden at the guest house have been a haven of tranquillity. It's lovely to sit outside in the shade with summertime temperatures as the UK heads towards Autumn and Winter.

The First Week

What a lot has happened in a week!

We've now completed our In Country Orientation training, which was excellent. As well as sessions on the Country Strategy, Phones and Wifi, Accommodation, Finance, Corruption and politics we also went on a tour of Kampala on Saturday and a visit to a cultural centre on Sunday evening.

The centre of Kampala. Yes it really is this chaotic. There is traffic everywhere with 14 seater minibus taxis going all over the town and the Boda Boda motorbike taxis weaving in and out of the traffic. I'm not sure whether I am ever going to have the courage to use the Boda Bodas but the other volunteers do say they are one of the best ways of getting around.

I think all of the volunteers would agree that the visit to the Ndere cultural centre on Sunday evening has to be the highlight of our time here so far. A real opportunity to see the dances and songs from the different areas of East Africa with an excellent compere who kept us all entertained and explained the different dances. The evening ended with the whole audience on our feet joining in.

Hello Uganda!

So here I am!

Yes it was a very hectic weekend and the packing took longer than I thought possible! So I didn't manage to do another blog post before I left the UK. We flew out of Heathrow at 21.00 on Tuesday evening (1st Oct) and landed at Entebbe at 7.30 on Wednesday morning after a very comfortable flight, but feeling somewhat jaded after a night with little sleep!

There are 5 of us 'new volunteers' joining an established and growing team of staff and volunteers in Uganda. We met for a nice lunch at a cafe near our guest house in Kampala yesterday but otherwise had a quiet day to unwind, unpack and catch up with sleep.

Feeling refreshed we started our In Country training today. I now have wifi again and can send another blog post. We also had a fabulous Ugandan lunch, with lots of different dishes to try. If the food is going to be this good I'm in the right place! There is a lovely covered area in the garden where we do our training sessions - I'll add a picture to the next blog.

The weather here is perfect, warm enough to wear a T shirt with a wrap in the evenings but not so hot that you can't move or think. It's the start of the rainy season so we've had some heavy spells of rain but after an hour or two the rain stops. We've also had some sunshine but generally cloudy. It's very green here and both the guest house and VSO office have lovely gardens.

I'm looking forward to the next week finding out more about my new home.

My VSO Journey So Far

For anyone thinking about applying to VSO I thought I would give a brief summary of the past 6 months.

A placement overseas has been something I've wanted to do for a long time. It simply wasn't practical while the boys were small so it went on the back burner. When our youngest son moved out last November we started thinking about the next stage in our lives. We went to a Meet VSO event in Lincoln early in March and I decided to apply.

The application process is very thorough and includes a two stage online application, online video interview and assessment day in London. I heard that I had been successful in mid May. The next step is to match the volunteer to a placement. I completed a CV and profile and waited to see if any partner organisations offered a placement.

I didn't have to wait very long. I heard that I had a placement offer while on holiday in France early in June. This gave us plenty of time to research Uganda and talk through the options before accepting the placement in the middle of June. I then had a wait of a couple of weeks for confirmation of the placement.

At the end of June I handed in my notice at work and starting preparing in earnest with the first two online training courses and a long list of things to find and do.

VSO have helped every step of the way. I now have my passport and visa ready and am busy packing, sorting out my life in the UK and preparing for stepping off the plane in Entebbe. It's going to be a busy weekend and sad to leave my home in York and say 'au revoir' to our many friends. It's exciting and scary both at the same time.

Adventures of the PSC Mug - Part 1

For the past week we've all been in the Lake District for a family holiday. It's been a lovely break between finishing work and the final preparations and packing.

Of course the PSC Mug came with us!

Near our holiday cottage in Portinscale.

Out on the fells. I'm afraid autumn has arrived in the UK and we've had a rather cold and damp week. But the weather doesn't matter when the food and the company are fantastic.

With friends at Honister slate mine.

One of the family!

Sampling the beers on the Hawkshead Brewery tour and tasting!

The End of an Era

After nearly 3 months of handover and completing tasks I had my final day at work yesterday. I'm still officially on holiday for 10 days but won't be in the office. I've been at CVS for over 18 years so can't quite believe yet that I won't be going back.

We had a fantastic leaving event on Wednesday with lots of current and former staff and trustees and some key contacts. Thank you to everyone who came and thank you for all of the lovely cards and presents. It was so good to catch up with everyone.

Note the Priory Street Centre mugs on the table. As is the tradition I was given a mug (in fact 6 on a mug tree) when I left. Watch out for the mugs in future blogs - they are going to travel to Uganda!

Yesterday evening we all went out to an Indian restaurant for dinner. I've heard that there is a very good Indian restaurant in Kampala. It will be hard to beat yesterday evening, good food and good company. Thank you all and I'm going to miss you!

New Beginnings - One Month to go!

Sunday 1st September.

The month of September has always been a new start. A new school / academic year, clubs, societies and village activities starting up again after the summer break and the evenings drawing in. This year, today marks one month before my flight to Kampala. And there's so much still to do!

A returned volunteer has sent me some pictures of Kampala and the other areas of Uganda I will be visiting as part of my work, including this picture of the Old Taxi Park in Kampala.