Culture Shock

There are so many new things to get used to in Uganda which is interesting but can also be difficult at times. For example, on Saturday morning I did my washing by hand for the first time... It was a lot harder than I thought, and I did have pretty sore hands afterwards as I had been warned! But it was a good experience and at least I didn't have to wash in the pouring rain unlike Kathryn - I wish I had taken a picture!

Beef and vegetables with rice and avocado

Anther thing to get used to is the money. In Uganda the currency seems to be pretty inflated as it is about 4,000 Ugandan shillings to the pound. It is very weird carrying around 20,000 and 50,000 notes! However, the cost of living here is a lot cheaper than the UK - the food is cheaper but most notably the travel is much less expensive. For a taxi ride to Kampala it is about 1,000 shillings (about 25p) and a Boda ride is seen as expensive usually 2,000 or 4,000 shillings for a long journey (50p or £1).

Beans, vegetables, rice and avocado

The food has taken me a while to get used to but I am much better with it now than when we first arrived, I think I just needed time to adjust. In the Smile House we have 3 meals a day with breakfast being cereal or toast and dinner being the main meal of the day - it is quite similar to the UK in this respect. The cooked meals are the most different, they usually consist of rice, potatoes or pasta with a kind of stew which contains meat (sausages, mince or beef) or beans, as well as some vegetables. The sauce is a mixture of boiled down tomatoes and stock of some sought. This taste took me a while to adjust to but now I really enjoy meals and I think that that distinctive taste will make me think of Africa if I ever have it in the future!

Finally, the weather here has been a big change of course! Most of all the heat, especially in the middle of the day, can be sizzling! In the last few days the highs have been about 28 or 29 degrees. Evening is the coolest and often people stay up late and you see loads of people out in Kampala in the evening. It gets dark here at about 7 every day which is when it gets cooler, and when the mosquitoes come out!