Where Do I Begin???

Friday January 6, 2011

Where do I begin?  We have been in Uganda now for about seven days and have already had many experiences so it is hard for me to decide which experience to write about first.  I guess I will start with the obvious, our apartment and surroundings.

The apartment is huge and very nice by Kampala standards.  In fact I feel somewhat guilty as we enter the guarded gates.  Lucious green palm trees surround the lovely salmon colored building. Why the guilt you might ask, because within walking distance there are people living in shacks made of mud and straw, discarded pieces of wood and tin and in some cases home is probably just a tree to lay under.  The housing situation here is extremely poor to say the least. However our apartment is very nice and very large even by American standards. 

There is not much in the way of decorative items just the essentials that are needed.  The only complaint I have is in the kitchen area.  I cooked my first meal in my new kitchen and to be honest I am exhausted and throughout the entire four hour ordeal I was so frustrated.  First of all the stove only has one large burner that is electric and one small burner that is electric… the problem with this is that you can’t put two things on together because the pots won’t fit. So I really only have one burner.  The other thing is the oven does not work so I guess no baking for me.

I won’t even mention the fact that I have very little in the way of dishes.  I have one serving bowl and I use lids for platters to serve the food on the table.  Heaven forbid that we might have company for dinner; we would have to eat in shifts because I don’t have but three plates/bowls and three forks.   

I could go on and on about the items I don’t have to make my life easier, but then I would once again feel guilty for complaining because just around the corner there is a women cooking her family dinner over a fire outside and using only one pot.  I can see my mother and mother in law shaking their fingers at me saying “Shame on you for saying this much” “You should count your blessings”.  Hopefully they are still proud of me and will understand my frustration.

            Needless to say life is not easy here for those who live here permanently and as for me well I will certainly appreciate the things I have and stop complaining and make the most of it.

PS. I am sure some of you might want to know what I made for dinner.  Dinner consisted of Dolmas made from cabbage (the stuffing was a mixture of onion, carrots, tomatoes, rice and a little beef), pasta, and a salad with tomatoes, carrots, green peppers in a little salt and olive oil.  For dessert we are having fresh pineapple (which Steven will be cutting up)  Yes that took me at least four hours!!!!!!!