Coping with equanimity with what the day brings is, I am learning, key to staying sane and (reasonably) focussed. Today was not untypical.
6.30am Wake; make breakfast while JoJo gets the boys up; eat breakfast and assmeble school bags.
7.20am (Peter and Tom) 7.25am (Alastair) walk up the hill and down, past the red-tailed monkeys, to the Button's house for school run. It's our turn to drive (in the Button's Land Cruiser).
7.55am At left turn to avoid worst of traffic and circuit round SW Kampala, feel the power steering give way; driving - including avoiding pot-holes, boda-boda motorcycle taxis, etc - v heavy work for the rest of the day
8.25am Arrive at Ambrosoli School ten minutes late on account of appallingly heavy traffic. Consequential exhaust fume overload leaves both boys feeling sick (though Tom blames it on the shorts he has decided are too tight for him . . . ); I leave them with bottles of water, soothing words and understanding teachers - and am relieved to receive no calls on the mobile thereafter.
8.50am Arrive at Lugogo Mall shopping centre and collapse into upmarket coffee shop for Eggs Benedict and a mocha. Stay there holed up in a corner with my laptop, NIV and Greek NT working through the letter to the Romans, noting the Apostle's usage of 'in Christ' language and parallels. Write an entry for my INSEAD class 20th anniversary yearbook.
11am Espresso; then walk to the South African chainstore GAME to purchase huge canisters of bottled water for our dispenser, and lightbulbs; then to supermarket Shoprite for bread (none except sweet bread available here), bin bags and other essentials we have yet to track down for home.
11.30am Commence horrendous two mile journey to a Forex office in the centre of Kampala to change Travellers Cheques. Main artery through the city closed creating gridlock in the heat of the day. Finally park at 12.10pm, bathed in perspiration, purchase strip of parking tickets (1000 Uganda Shillings - c 33p - for five), and change money. Walk back to car and handover two tickets to roadside parking attendant in orange tabard.
12.30pm Uganda Wildlife Authority office on north of city, between Br High Commission and National Museum, to pay for a night of tented accommodation at Lake Mburo on out trip to the SW at the end of June. Short wait and hand-written receipt - everything is receipted here, normally by hand and in triplicate - USh 80000 for two tents - c£23.
12.50pm Find supermarket which has suitable bread!
1pm Drive to FOCUS Uganda site in Mulago - surprise visit to Beatrice and Vincent Langariti. Great time with them both discussing our forthcoming trip to Tororo (E Uganda) for Beatrice's sister's 'Introduction' (formal engagement), future visits from Wootton to FOCUS, possible links Beds schools - Mulago Child Project, etc etc. Time flies and after a delicious sweet bread and egg sandwich (!) I say good bye at 2.30pm. They are coming to see us in Mukono on Friday.
3pm Pick up Alastair and Tom, & Abigail and Alex Button from Ambrosoli, ply them with biscuits (successfully) and water (less successfully) and drive back to Mukono.
3.40pm Arrive back. Phew! Report steering problems to Rosie Button! Local mechanic quickly confirms a belt has parted - fortunately no further damage. Phew!
4pm Locate flash drive and walk down to General Studies office - crowded with students - to print off tomorrow morning's lecture (Matthew - prepared last night) on the sole printer there.
4.30pm Tea at home with JoJo, Lucy (who really has been poorly, with a sickness bug and fever all day - our maid Alice told JoJo it was bound to be malaria . . . Lucy seems better now and was well enough to eat supper. . . a maid at the Guest House told me a cold sore on my lip - now vanished - was certainly malaria . . . ), and the boys; then (checking e-mails and the test score on BBC Sport website - 7 Windies 2nd inningds wickets down) in the study preparing a powerpoint for the lecture.
6.30pm Supper - wonderful Indian meal prepared by JoJo (Alice has been ironing all day)
7.30pm Read one of 'Nelson Mandela's Favourite African Folktales' to the children at bedtime. Check test score - we won by an innings and 283 runs!
8pm Collapsed on the sofa with coffee and (for Peter) Ouma's Buttermilk Rusks to watch the gripping last three episodes of BBC's Bleak House - borrowed DVD and borrowed laptop. There is little good TV here so people tend to have good DVD and video collections!
10am Tea and bed after one of those days where fitting in what brought us here - spiritual and ministerial reflection, a spot of research, aspiration to find unhurried time for Bible study and prayer, has all taken second place to other issues! I am on site tomorrow (Tues) and after the morning lecture hope to find a bit of space . . .
