I feel that I am letting Kampala down, not posting about it all yet. Today marks 3 weeks since I arrived. In that time I have accomplished quite a bit, really. I am established in my apartment , work found it for me, I simply came and approved. I have my local phone number/SIM card, activated wifi, set up and loaded my mobile money and have sufficient local currency in supply. Basically by myself, so pretty good.
But I haven’t seen much of Kampala at all. I walk to work – less than 5 minutes which is my best “commute” ever! I walk to the supermarket and bring my groceries home in my backpack. I scoped out a gym but won’t be using that one. I have a line on a gym through a new friend so hopefully I will be back on the workout wagon soon, and with vigor. So for now I will share that my neighbourhood has been fairly easy for me to adapt to.
The heat and humidity lie somewhere between Harare and Phnom Pehn. Far less hot and humid than Cambodia but certainly more so than Zimbabwe. The hardest adaptation for me is the absence of air conditioning. In Cambodia I was always sweaty due to humidity when I was outside, but both my bedroom and office were air conditioned. In Zimbabwe, while it could get up to 30 celsius, there was not the humidity to contend with. And there was usually a morning breeze which moved the air around nicely. Not complaining really – at home it’s been -47 with the wind chill. Eeek!
I have discovered in the last two days that I need a better deodorant. And I learned that something I noticed is true and usual for most people. One armpit is usually smellier than the other (I’ve only noticed one of mine)! The right pit. I didn’t read far enough to learn why, but there’s a something learned for you. Sorry if it’s TMI on my odor situation. I don’t think it is enough for anybody but me to notice and I am taking measures now 🙂
I am working at ICCO Cooperation, a Dutch NGO. I am going to talk with communications and do a post about the organisation and my role there. I learned at a workshop in Kenya that they are open to workers sharing on social media. Oh yeah, I spent a few days in Nairobi, mainly at a convent for a team workshop. I’ll share some about that in another post!
Here are a few pictures from my first few weeks, in addition to the shot above which is the view from my ceiling terrace:
First of all, my apartment, while very nice, is built for a giant. This is the top of my head while I am standing underneath the cabinet for my dishes! LOL!
I’ve working on establishing a walking route. I live in an area with busy roads and dead end streets so it is taking some exploring. This is a taste of Muyenga, the section of Kampala I live in.
I’m not allowed pets, so this little dude is as close as I’m going to get. And as I regularly say when posting these on Instagram – #betterthanspiders
I will endeavour to post more about my new life in Africa. I’m hopeful that this short term contract is just the beginning of a new career path! Cheers!
A Travelling Accountant 