No! It wasn't arranged!

Some people are better than others at making new friends. And I mean friends, not acquaintances. I am having trouble in that department at the moment. I thank God that I get to meet quite a number of people but I feel like I don't know how to make new friends. How to start from scratch- eh! Its not easy being the only person in a group who doesn't know anybody. Having a husband helps. Sometimes I find that I am upset with people who share names with my friends back home but are not the ones! Maybe it is hard because I think about it and I am conscious of the fact that I need to make friends. Am I being impatient? Most of my friendships took years to build maybe I am asking for too much too soon. I guess it is just hard coming from knowing very many people to this.

One of my friends back home used to get excited about making new friends because they provided a new platform for her kaboozi(stories). Her old friends would have heard them repeatedly and stopped realising how funny and rich her jazz was- something new friends would appreciate.

Well, many people here ask how we met (my husband and I). Many of my old friends are bored with the story because they have been hearing about my husband long before we even started dating. People here wonder because he had been living in Bulaaya for years; he left and returned with a wife. When telling the story(the abridged version), I say that we knew each other from childhood because of friendship between our families and our relationship grew until marriage was clearly the next step. Once I was having dinner with someone who asked, 'So it was arranged?' That's when I realised how our story sounded!

It sounded like my husband had come to Africa, got a bride to whom he had been betrothed as a child and brought her back to Bulaaya to save her from poverty or whatever!

Anyway, just to set the record straight, our marriage was not arranged! We were in love before our wedding and knew each other's names.

Dear Future me...

Hi,
I'm guessing you are reading this 20 years from now and it may seem strange that I wrote to you earlier but I am doing it for 3 reasons:
1. Just in case time travel is possible - it would be nice to get there and have mail. You know how much we love mail.
2. I have watched the Bourne movies (Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum) - its about some guy who loses his memory. I guess it just made me want to make sure that I always remember what is important and NO!! you are not a fan of action movies - you are a romantic. Hopeless in fact.
3. Growing up, I realise that as we go, we keep changing. No one is the same as they used to be. It concerns me. I just don't want to wake up and I am someone I don't want to be. I want to be able to remember what really mattered so that even if I let it go, it has to be for really good reasons and I would be making a conscious change- knowing the gravity of it.

You love God and are passionate about your faith. You gave your life to Jesus as a child and even though it was in P.7- it really made a difference for you. Believing and walking with the Lord has changed you. You know that He is the reason for your being. You don't believe in Him just because of your parents. Their faith has inspired you but you have seen the Lord for yourself. Remember that time in your room when you called out to Him. Also those vices that He helped you fight. School stuff(Foods and Nutrition and Med school) that was hard and you didn't think you could go through but He showed up and you know it was Him who enabled you overcome.

You love your husband to bits and you know that he is the one for you. He is home for you. And Grace, he loves you- so much that it overwhelms him.

You value your family and have a special relationship with each one. Also you have many friends and are grateful to God that some have become really close- please stay in touch with them, you know you need each other.

You have many gifts and abilities- Do your best to continually seek opportunities to use them and to grow in them. By the way, you also want to be a radio presenter- good luck! And you have a passion for the underprivileged- I know that God will help you find a way to serve them. If it hasn't yet happened, just don't give up the passion because you know that He put it in you.

I guess there are many more things I could tell you but that's all that comes to mind now. I love you and I think you look beautiful with everything in the right places ;-) God is at work in you and if you remain in Him, even if everything that counts is taken from you- you will be alright.

Hugs :-)

Much more...

Sunday evening. It used to be one of my hardest times in the week. Aaaargh! I hated the feeling. Notes in my stomach because I knew that the only way I could bring back the weekend was by going through another week. Another whole week. There was no way out. Monday was practically staring me in the face with what I thought was an evil grin on its face saying : you can run but you can't hide!

So, yes, it is refreshing not having to go to work tomorrow (my love to the rest of y'all :-) May you know God's sufficient grace).

Today, my husband and I left the house for a walk in the cool of the evening. Nothing fancy. Except of course the mugafumbira in me was amazed at how there are parks and gardens in our neighbourhood for 'just'! Eh! No reason.. no celebration.. not near the minister or president..not even as part of a business venture. I can not forget to mention that walkways actually exist! Nice paths completely off the road for cyclists and pedestrians. Nicely paved with shade and flowers in some places. Anyway, I still have 'maaaaaaaaaaaaalo'!!!!!!

OKay.. this one isn't really in my 'neighbourhood' , its a little closer to the city but for now,its my favourite.

For a brief moment I looked up at my husband and I was amazed at the man who was holding my hand. Its a bit hard to describe but in his face I saw that God had given me much more. Much more than I could ask for or imagine or think about..God has given me so much more in this man. I am grateful for this man and look forward to loving him the rest of my days.

I hope that in the midst of the hustle and bustle, you too can take a moment to thank God for His blessings and if you are still in a place of struggle, I encourage you to trust God to do 'much more' for you.

 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Eph 3: 20-21

Ug Independence celebrations begin in my Bulaaya

Last weekend I discovered that there is an organisation / society of people from Uganda here! They even have meetings and of course, a facebook page :-)

In view of the upcoming Independence day, we had independence celebrations that began with a football match with our Kenyan neighbours. Our boys were wearing nice black jerseys with flag colours on the sleeves. The match was interesting with local beats of Chameleon, Radio n' Weasel (to mention but a few) in the background. It felt like I was at the Makerere pitch! Uganda led with 1 - 0 in the first half but we were beaten with Kenyans scoring 3 in the second half and our brothers only managed to score one more.

The celebrations continued later that evening with a grand dinner held at a certain 'Africa house'. Watoto was there and made a performance. There was also a fashion show, Kimere and lots of dancing.

I still haven't met another mugafumbira. Maybe I will.. who knows? :-)

Boite de Postal

Today I needed to visit a friend of mine here and I asked for her address. She did. I had not been there before but I took a bus(or two) and twenty minutes later, rang her door bell.

This was an amazing experience for me! She didn't have to tell me about the major ant-hill, 'huge mango' tree, garbage bin, primary school or billboard on the way. All I needed was an address.

You may not believe it but I learnt our actual home address in Uganda(including the name of the road, plot number etc) only a few months ago when I was filling out some visa application forms! I had lived in that home for about 4 years and I just discovered that I had been living on Grace road! It even had a fancy name :-) In my former life, address had something to do with P. O. Box... which we checked like once every 4 - 6 months. I even wonder how one gets one of those!

Well, this was another one of those days when I thank God for my phone. I'm grateful that it tells me where I am (you have no idea how useful that can be!), where I am going, how and when I can get there and how I can find my way back home.

Technology Banange!!!!!