Jane's first letter from Uganda!

Dear friends,
So I am here in Uganda. I had a disappointing start to my trip as the amount of luggage that I was allowed to bring was less than it was on the website at the time when the tickets were purchased. Subsequent surveying of fellow passengers revealed that I was about the only person who was stung! Not quite sure what that was about but am definitely not flying Emirates again but anyway the flight itself was wonderful. Lots of Ugandan mulslims flying back from Mecca and shouts of 'Allah Akbar' as we landed and much adulating and cheers of joy that we landed safely!

So, day 1 involved meeting with Simon, our teacher and making a list of priorities. We decided that the school office needed to be up and running and so we bought office desks and a book shelf.

Today involved more furniture shopping - white board, book cases for the class room, display boards, brooms and so on. It is quite tiresome work in the heat and dust of Kampala but am really enjoying it and feeling very productive! We have unpacked all the toys and resources for the school and wow my bias is evident - all books and art and craft things - very little for science and not much for Maths ! Anyway, we will rectify that surely.

The school / house is great. The compound is much bigger than the the one at the house that fell threw and am so excited that we will have a garden to grow food in as well as a large size grass play area. We should save some money buy growing our own food and it will be a big help when it comes to teaching agriculture.

I have been spending a lot of time with Asuman our eldest pupil in our school. Due to his life as a street child no one quite knows his age - guesses range between 10 and 18 - Paddy puts him at 10, Asuman assures me he is a grown man of 18 and others put him at 14. Asuman lives with Paddy and by default me too! We play cards together, he teaches me Luganda, I teach him English. He is unable to defeat me when we play pairs! He dances calypso for me and loves to tell me about Arsenal's recent victories! He really is a delight and we have begun to talk a little about his memories of his family - his big brother. Slowly, slowly I think we will become very close. He told me that Paddy is his favourite person in the world and he loves to live there because he can eat and sleep very well!

Paddy and Rose have also taken in Rose's very very old aunt. Paddy says she will stay there til she rests in peace! So now Asuman and Michael sleep in the lounge, the aunt in the garage, and that leaves the other 6 of us in the 3 bedrooms. It should be crowded but really it feels like a very happy family who chooses to be close to each other rather than far apart!

Yesterday, was sad. I saw one of the teenagers from church with the youth worker and he was very down-ward looking with a cap covering his face. I soon saw why when I lifted his chin - he had been badly beaten by his step-father. His step-father is from the north and as he beats says that 'all my family have been beaten, tortured and killed - why should you be spared?' It is a very difficult situation for the boy and I really felt engulfed with sadness for him and the circumstances he is in. For those of you who pray - pray for him please!

We have arranged our first staff meeting for Monday - we are 5 staff in total and we are waiting for to employ a guard. Also, we are having a 'launch party' on Feb 3rd, a parents meeting and a meeting with all the children before their first day at school on the 5th. I can't wait for the launch party - I will be demanding much drumming and dancing!

Well all for now, please fwd this to anyone who might be interested and who I might have forgotten.

Love to you all,
Jane