This is the front of my new place, with the traffic of pedestrians and untethered goats.
In Uganda when you move to another house, you “shift”. I shifted this past weekend.
Typically, a tenant here pays three months rent in advance. I was just completing my third three month term at the end of April. There had been some break-ins in my neighborhood, and Matthews was always concerned I could be a target. Both Matthews and my Iganga father Simon did not like the low easily accessible walls around my compound. Adams was also unhappy with my landlord. When I arrived in August, Adams wanted a written lease. My landlord is illiterate, however, so he refused to sign (put his thumbprint on) anything. He recently decided to raise my rent when Adams felt he had it fixed for my duration.
While I was at Youth Technical training, Matthews called to say he wanted to show me a new place to move. I also received an email from my language tutor Azedy, who has become a good friend, and he mentioned he had available separate living quarters with three rooms at his home compound. It turned out to be the same place Matthews wanted me to see. It looked good, and was the same rate, but needed the cement flooring to be finished and smoothed out along with paint and varnish. A previous tenant had lived there for awhile in its roughed-in state. So after being a bit indecisive, I gave the word Thursday, a Peace Corps representative inspected it on Friday, and I shifted Sunday afternoon. While before, I was about a kilometer north of my office, now I am 1/2 kilometer, at most, west of the office. In fact, when I go about 100 yards from my place to the road, you can see my office. This place is also near the Gilgard Guesthouse, where Bugeri Rotary meets, and Bukooli College, where my Educate Club Youth Group meets.
On Saturday, with Azedy’s help, I wrote a little speech in Lusoga on a card to explain to the mothers on my route I would not be passing by any more and fist bumping and swinging their kids who run out to the road to greet me. But I will try to come by every so often. I told my next door neighbor kids I would pay 5,000 shillings if they were ever able to find and corral Meowri for me. I will probably return this weekend to say good bye to my bore hole manager, and also to Godfrey, the preacher at the church across the street. I will miss Godfrey and his efforts to save me. I will miss the church music on Sundays too.
Last year, I had moved out of my suburban home into a two bedroom Denver condo, so this was comparatively easy, yet somehow it still was a full weekend getting ready. Simon and Hellen came with his truck Sunday afternoon to help out. I brought Faizal along and Simon brought two boys with him. My carpenter Mwando kindly took apart my bed and and then reassembled it for me. We were finished in two trips. I even took all of my vinyl flooring along. The cement needs more time to dry, so I have stuff all piled up off the floor as much as possible. It might be at least a week like this. I’m going to stay home as much as possible so I can open the windows to help the drying. But once it gets dark, you have to close up due to the mosquitoes. It gets humid then. The first night I laid in bed and thought it seemed really strange. No wonder, I realized I hadn’t installed my mosquito net! That reminded me to also set up my middle of the night pee bucket :-). Nicer house, but I am still in Uganda.
As the pictures show, this is a pretty nice property. Almost “Posh Corps”except I still don’t have running water. Azedy is a teacher working part-time at the moment, while his wife Margaret is a full time teacher. Simon recognized Margaret from grading P-7 final exam papers together in Kampala. They have five boys. Margaret said they gave up trying to produce a girl. Three are in boarding schools outside of Bugeri. Living at home is Aiyeman Fayed, soon to be six,starting P-1 in January, and one year old Aimre. The only other resident here is Maria, who acts as a nannie and helps with various chores.
The family invited me to a “welcome” dinner Tuesday night. I heard the chicken getting slaughtered so it was pretty fresh meat! I realized later I should have volunteered to help pick out the feathers. In Uganda they will offer the guest of honor the gizzard, but it is OK to decline, which I did. I learned that Azedy, who was raised as a Muslim near Iganga, was the 8th of his mother’s ten children and the first male. His mother was one of five wives of his father, who ultimately produced 50 children. Ugandans always point out the easy acceptance and frequency of divorce in America, but are never too disconcerted about polygamy.
Over all, I think this was a good shift.
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On the left side of Azedy’s home is the door to access my place, A thief would need to scale that wall too.
The front of my place with doors and windows open to help the cement dry.
Azedy and Margaret’s place. There are unfinished rooms inside. Slowly but slowly. The garage has no car, but it is Azedy’s next dream. He also has needed a computer since we met. He would send me emails from an internet cafe in town.
This is Aiyeman Fayed, who is very curious about his dad’s friend. He’s wearing a Denver Nuggets t-shirt. I met him last fall while Azedy tutored me, and he had a Hooters t-shirt, with the famed “Owl Eyes.” I thought it was amusing anyway.
This is a small courtyard in the back with several things to note. Bottom left is a water tap. No more lugging Jerry cans from a public bore hole. Margaret says it holds steady during dry season but doesn’t work when the power is out. I still need my Jerry cans, but I just carry them about thirty feet. Above the tap are clothes lines with the first clothes pins I have seen in Uganda. The tree is one of two lemon trees and I may help myself. Behind the tree is a wall in front of an open bathing stall with no door (I have my own in my home). To the right of the stall are three pit latrines. I get my own padlocked pit latrine! On the rear left is a deep hole to receive water from the bathing stall. I’m not sure if this is a good situation for the one year old as he starts to wander.