Christmas in Kampala

Happy new year,

I know it was a couple of weeks ago, but in Uganda if you haven't seen or talked to someone since the new year that is how you are greeted even if it is three weeks later.

So Christmas has come and gone a few weeks ago. I have been quite busy the last couple of weeks.

Right before Christmas I found an apartment to move into. Apartment hunting is different in Uganda. There are no websites that you can browse through ads to see nice pictures and descriptions before going to see a place. Here you need to know somebody. I used the broker that EMI typically uses. The process involves phoning the broker and explaining how big a place you want, how much you want to pay, what area of town you want to live in. Then you wait for the broker to check his contacts and get back to you. So I went with Brittany from our office to look at a bunch of places, about ten of them. I was hoping for a one bedroom apartment near our office. Of all the places we looked at there was only a single one bedroom apartment, the rest were two or more. A couple of the places were houses that were more than I wanted to pay. Two were very close to the office but one we couldn't see inside as the landlord didn't pick up the phone. Getting a hold of people can sometimes be a challenge here. The other close place didn't feel very secure. The remainder of the places were further away than I would have liked.

After thinking about these places I decided that I should keep looking. I phoned the broker and asked him to keep looking. After not hearing anything for a week I assumed I would be homeless soon. But he phoned back and said he had two places for me to see nearby. One of the places worked fine for me. I told the broker to contact the landlord. Then I got some money so that I could pay the deposit because a place is not yours unless you have paid some money. I went through the apartment with the landlord to show him what needed to be fixed before I moved in, things like locks on the windows, leaking toilet, doors that wouldn't close, windows without screens, etc. No place is perfect around here. But I now have a place to stay and to settle into. I think I have moved enough over the past year (From Canada to England back to Canada, to Uganda with the interns, house sitting in Kampala for two months, and now to this place) so it is nice to have more permanent base. I have all the basics, a bed and kitchen stuff, I can eat and sleep. But it is lacking on the rest of the furniture.

Kitchen

Living Room View

Living Room

Bathroom

Apartment Building

 I bought a motorcycle from a friend who was moving to Lebanon. It has been fun to learn to ride it. It is much easier to get around now and I have a sense of freedom and flexibility now. Driving in Uganda is different. They drive on the left side of the road, most of the time, you really drive where the road has less potholes. I am enjoying it.

My Bike

I spent Christmas in Kampala. It was quite different from my typical Christmas. The weather was sunny and 27 degrees, so there was no snow. I was not surrounded by family and friends from Canada. The buildup to Christmas was different as well, there is not as much hype here. I don't see all the commercials, advertising, store displays, etc that appear before Christmas. I had an enjoyable day but it didn't feel like it was Christmas.

On Christmas Eve I went down to one of the slums in Kampala with the staff and boys from Doors Ministries to spend time with the street kids there. We talked with them, played a game of football and gave them a meal. It was a great experience. Mark, one of the Ugandan men that works at Doors, told me that one of the street boys asked him why we would all come down there to spend time with them especially those of us who were from other countries. Mark replied it is because we love you. Such a great way to show God's love to these kids who most people pass over as hopeless.

As I saw these kids in the slums I was reminded that the boys who live at the Doors house all came from that environment. Living on the streets, stealing to get food, sniffing gas to get high and dull their senses. It feels like such a hopeless place. But looking at these young men at Doors you would never know that is where they have come from. The are young men who love God, love each other, they have hopes and dreams and they have compassion for the kids around them. It was a great reminder that no one is hopeless in God's eyes. If He can change their lives He can change anyone's life.

Christmas day I spent at Doors. We went to church in the morning. Afterwards we came back to the house for breakfast, some delicious pancakes. We spent some time together singing and worshipping. We had a Ugandan meal together for lunch. Beans, rice, posho, sweet potatoes, chicken and beef. It was a good time. After lunch we played some team games together, wheelbarrow races, piggyback races, relays, etc. It was a lot of fun and good to see others have fun. Afterwards we played a game of football (soccer) in the yard. I have never done that on Christmas day before. We finished the day watching a movie with a projector on the wall outside. Overall is was an enjoyable day spent with my family here in Uganda.

The only snow in Uganda, cooling our drinks.

The men, dressed in their new shirts and ties.

Team Relay Games

So that is how I spent my Christmas in Uganda. After Christmas my dad and brother came to visit me for a week and a half. I will share more about that in another post.

Thank you for reading and God bless. 

Matt