Early Days

Having survived the first night, probably counting the amount of sleep in minutes rather than hours, I managed to freshen up with the face wipes I had brought with me and was able to heat up some water for a cup of tea with the bottled water I had been storing up in Kigali. I then discovered I had also inherited an “umakozi”, a housemaid who comes to the house twice a week to wash clothes and generally tidy up. She was able to go and fetch jerry cans of water from the communal pump and we were then able to roll up our sleeves and start some much needed cleaning. The technique is fairly simple, you just pour water all over the floor and then proceed to sweep it to the nearest exit. Similarly I handed over a bag of rubbish I had accumulated which Florence then went and tipped over the hedge into the field which lies behind my house, I could see from the rubbish lying there that this was common practice.

Once we were all scrubbed out and the place not looking the slightest bit cleaner Florence then took me to the market place where the locals sell their produce every day. By the time we got there, there were very few stall holders but sufficient to buy some bananas, tomatoes and onions and two enormous avocados, enough to keep me going for a day or two.

By lunchtime VSO had sent up a vehicle with my household essentials, a selection of different sized wash basins and another couple of jerry cans, plates, pans and cutlery, additional bedding and a kettle. The joy of having a kettle was quite overwhelming and I immediately made myself a cup of tea and put the rest of the boiling water into a thermos flask.

Feeling quite pleased with myself, I then set off in search of a bank in order to open an account and deposit my first cheque allowance which I had been given by VSO. Its hard to get the layout of the town as my knowledge is based on what lies either side of the main road which goes all the way up to Uganda. Just behind the road is a small square where all the local buses stop and the square is lined with a series of small trading stores. It is hard to know what they actually sell but I am sure eventually once I have a better command of the language I will find out.

Daily routine

I have now started to establish a daily routine which starts at 4.30am with the call to prayer which, although I haven’t located the mosque yet, I can tell you that the speaker fires directly through my bedroom window. (I have been sleeping amazingly well and am having the most interesting dreams probably thanks to the daily doxycycline malaria tablets, you’ve all made guest appearances in my sleep in some shape or form!) This obviously acts as the wake up call for the whole neighbourhood as many people are then on the go from first light, especially those going off to farm on the land.

I get up and boil my kettle ( if the electricity is working) fill my flask and that assures me of several hot drinks for the rest of the day. I then put on 2 pans of water to heat up which gives me an inch of water to cover the bottom of the wash basin for standing in and flannelling myself down, I’m so glad I went for the shortest hair cut possible which requires a minimum of water and shampoo. I then put on another pan of water, which I boil up, leave to cool and then top up my water filter when I come home at night.

Breakfast usually consists of heated up remnants of the night before and 2 cups of black tea so that all I need for lunch is a bottle of water and maybe a banana.

I’m ready for off just after 6.30am with about a 20 minute walk (I’m learning to walk far more slowly so that I don’t arrive looking like a sweaty blob) to the office in time for a 7.00am start. My walk is filled with waves and greetings from everyone I pass and the children will still run out of their homes to watch the “muzungo” passing by. Life at the nearby joiners yard has already started and the queue is already building up at the water pump. When I get to work there is the usual custom of shaking hands with everyone you meet and so begins another day at the office.

 Lunchtime seems to be a moveable feast, I think its supposed to last an hour but in Africa, time takes on a different meaning, I sometimes go back to the house but if its hot I find it too tiring, so just sit in the shade and let the world pass by. At 5.00pm its time to shut up shop and head for home, sometimes going back by the main road which is mainly for pedestrians as apart from the mini buses and the odd truck there’s not a lot of traffic passing. I still need to go and fill my jerry cans ( I only fill them half full as they are too heavy for me to carry otherwise much to the amusement of the loacls) and be back in the house before it gets dark at 6.00pm.

My evening is spent trying to concoct some interesting flavours with rice, pasta or lentils in rotation, tonight I am adding an orange( they are very small and bitter) to see what that tastes like! A little light housework, maybe a recorded TV programme on my computer and then catching up with some emails and its time for bed by 9.00pm. Of course if the power is off, which it quire often is, it’s a very early bedtime!