So here I am in this beautiful country called Uganda. When driving from the airport to the house in Kampala at 01h00 in the morning, the humidity took me right back to Grenada. The lush green vegetation, the bird life, the heat on the sweltering days, the feeling of island life, it is really beautiful here.
We live in a ‘compound’ style manner, two families, a staff member, a full time gardener, two full time ladies working in the house and with the children, a security guard from sunset to sunrise, 4 dogs and a farm yard of hens, chicks, roosters, ducks and rabbits. These animals provide us with endless hours of entertainment and learning. Having these animals also allows Joshua to now be responsible for various duties which entertain and educate all day long.
We have started a food farm which will soon start producing good crops to feed the household. Our current garden consists of, butternut, garlic, onions, beetroot, spinach, carrots and hot peppers. The herb garden consists of chives, dill, parsley, coriander, borage, red basil chervil and chamomile.
As of August we will begin harvesting which will have a positive impact on the health of the families and the weekly spending on vegetables from the local market place. We currently spend 160 000 UGS on fruit and vegetables on a monthly basis, which feeds 8 people twice a day along with fruit snacks in between.
The current exchange rate is: 1 USD = 2500 UGS
So with the current exchange rate in mind, we are spending, 64 USD per month on vegetables and fruit for a family of eight. I think that is pretty damn good considering we are eating fruit and vegetables every single day!
The municipal water here is pretty disgusting. So we are ONLY able to drink bottled water. Some days the tap water is clear but on most days the water is brown and smells like fish. Yugggghhhhhh! We use tap water to wash and cook with and bottled water for brushing teeth, drinking and washing the fruit and vegetables. The fruit and vegetables are soaked in a vinegar and bottled water solution to rid them of any farming poisons and residue from bad water that the locals use in the market place to wash the produce with.
Recycling is a part of our daily lives. Every single packet, piece of cardboard, plastic bottle, wood, nails, lace curtains, piping and wire is reused somewhere in the house or in the garden. All raw peels from the kitchen are thrown into the ‘big hole’ along with used tea bags. This method produces the best compost which then goes into the vegetable gardens. We are on ‘big hole’ number two already since the 3 June. It’s amazing how much a household produces which in city homes, is just tossed into the bin instead of being used in other ways.
The local shops are just outstanding. Living local is again proving to be the way to go. They stock something of everything and if you are not fussy and happy to live local then you will be able to shop comfortably at the funky purple wooden shop down the road. Being vegetarian helps a whole lot too ;-).
The local market is half the price of the fruit and vegetables available in the big shops. I absolutely love spending time wondering around the market. There are hundreds of stalls in the Nakawa Market. A never ending variety of, bright healthy fruits, vegetables, beans, rice, flour, maize, herbs and spices. All sold per kilogram. The produce is packed in plates on display with prices so the prices you see are those you pay. There are however stalls that don’t display prices and those are usually the ones that try and charge you higher prices than those that the local people get.
The market also sells ‘used’ clothing and shoes which comes from America and China. It’s crazy, simply because their ‘used’ is like our ‘new’ back home. Again the prices are pretty good and even better when you shop with a local.
My shopping buddy is Vivien, one of the local ladies that work in our house. Vivien speaks the lingo and gets local prices. When I refer to local prices, each item is usually 1000 UGS cheaper than what visitors and ex pats are charged.
The food stores offer most luxuries that we find in Jozi. Here in Kampala we shop at Capitol Shopper, which is like a Pick n Pay Hyper, it’s a two level store and the variety of products on offer is outstanding for an African country. There is a Shoprite and a Game here where you can find Rooibos Tea if needed, otherwise the local brands are all good. I find it pretty easy to settle into the local brands, afterall why travel to different countries and stress to find those SA brands that you are used too. You travel to experience other countries in every way including food.
My week is pretty busy with teaching, laundry, growing seeds, planting seedlings, digging and spending time with Joshua. I teach the staff different ways to get their chores done, ways that are ‘green’ and smart. Vivien could only cook stew, beans, rice and spaghetti, now she cooks spaghetti bolognaise, pasta salads, green salads, three bean salad, filled pancakes, fluffy rice, pizza, meatballs, hamburgers… shoo the list is now endless. The cool thing is that Vivien is now a competent cook who can cook a variety of delicious meals for a family of eight.
Our garden is huge and drenched in vegetation, which brings the most amazing variety of birdlife into very close proximity. So close, you can clearly see the colors and markings on the birds. The skies are alive with storks and cranes, what a sight, seeing fifteen storks all sitting in a big tree. The birds of prey fly overhead all day every day. From Yellow Billed Kites to Vultures! Yip, great big ugly vultures in the trees above.
It is now Uganda’s rainy season which means rain almost every day. If you don’t wake up to the rains then you will have a down pour in the afternoon. Sometimes daily chores are easy in the fine rains but when the heaven’s open and the rain pours it’s time to retreat indoors unless you have foul weather gear. All indoor work is done when we are unable to go outdoors.
Baz works just over the road from the house, which is AWESOME! He starts work at 08h30, so leaves home on foot at 08h25 (if he hasn’t pulled an all nighter), then pops back over for tea at 11h00 and then lunch at 13h00. On installation days Baz is on site 2 hours away and then we see him at breakfast the following morning. It’s pretty cool having that small luxury of eating three meals a day together. A luxury, that city life doesn’t offer families these days.
Life here in Uganda is good. The food is plentiful, the people are friendly and it pretty much rains all year round.
Love the life you live and live the life you love.
Peace love and happiness always.
Blu
