When we left the UK we looked up what the temperature might be in Uganda and DRC. The BBC said 29 degrees, which, we thought, would be hot but OK. Well, the BBC were wrong. In DRC it is 35 degrees during the day. At night it is about 30 degrees and only gets down to 26 degrees first thing in the morning. We are told this is the hottest time of the year.
After leaving Kampala at 6:40 am (to avoid Kampala traffic) we were driven to Arua - Ugandan speed humps have to be seen to be believed. We had a very pleasant couple of days with Alan and Anne, who we know as link missionaries from our home church. Some food shopping and we finally got to Aru, in DRC, on Monday 25th Feb.
Arriving at the Cathedral we were greeted by two lines of about 30 people, singing and dancing. Gill took the right and side and Peter the left, shaking hands with each person as we progressed to the door. Wonderful and humbling at the same time – it seems this is how things are done in DRC (and probably other parts of Africa as well). A short welcoming service and we were shown to our home.
We are being given time to settle in but we’re not sure when we will feel settled, if we ever will! Life here is completely and utterly different
·
We have no electricity, so no fridge or any
means of keeping things cold
·
We do not have running water. Water is fetched
for us in jerry cans. Before we drink it it has to be boiled and filtered. Any
drinking water is always lukewarm – yuk.
·
No hot water – water is boiled and put in a
large bucket in a big box which is surrounded by wood shavings. There is a wood
shaving filled cushion which is placed on top. The water remains warm for two
days. This is, apparently, a “hay box”.
·
No shower. Washing is done by standing in a
large plastic bowl and mixing the aforementioned hot water with cold and
pouring water over by using a jug
The result is everything takes longer, and nothing is done quickly because of the heat. We are slowly getting used to it!
We have employed three people,
·
a ‘cook’, who cooks our lunchtime meal, heats
the water, (both over a charcoal fire) washes up, cleans, washes our clothes,
etc.,
·
a ‘gardener’, who assists the cook, tidies the
area around the house and collects the water
·
a ‘sentinel’ who guards the house at night - what from we're not quite sure....
The idea of employing all these people may seem lazy but we wouldn’t know where to start fetching and heating water, etc., etc.
Pete started work on Friday (1st ), with the Development Department. There are many community development projects, many of which are struggling and his job seems to be to try to improve matters. Gill will be starting on Monday (4th) with the Christian Education Department. There are other possibilities to pursue as well.
This is being drafted on Saturday 2nd and it was intended to post the blog at the weekend but there are problems with the internet provider and, currently, we cannot get on the internet, despite numerous phone calls. Even when it is working it takes forever and pages don’t always load here – it took an hour to log on for email the other day!
Hopefully this is being posted on Monday - 'hopefully' because until we do it, we don't know whether it will!
A bientot
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