Thursday 5th February 2009 – A Typical Ugandan Welcoming

Thursday 5th February, after three flights and a stop over in Dubai, we touched down at Entebbe airport and things go as expected. We are one of the last off the plane as we had lots of carry on so we are towards the end of the line at immigration, which always seems to take forever to get any smaller. We line up where we think we should be and an official walking around tells me to get in another line, which once I get to the counter is actually the incorrect line for me to be in, so I end up having to go into the original line that we were in and it takes another half hour for me to get through, of which I am now the last. Kathryn having long gone through is at the other end wondering what is happening to me. All our baggage was good so it was off outside to see if we can get a proper kind of welcoming, and it was given. We were met by Pastor Edward, Pastor Frank and Ben Ward who were all too happy to see us and make us feel welcome.

We were now on Ugandan soil and it felt good to be here.  It is funny that when we got home to Brisbane it was almost as if we had not left, sure we missed out on a few things, but we just seemed to be able to slot back into life there.  Now on returning to Uganda we are feeling the same way, it is almost as if we had not left.  We were soon to discover things that should take a matter of minutes can take hours and that it’s ok, because there is no other way to get it done here.  You just go with the flow.

We headed for the hotel for a quick unpack and rest etc, then we met up with Olivia (a young lady from Brisbane that was here for most of the time we were away) and Esther Lawson over dinner.  It was good to see how being here had impacted Olivia and that she had a great time doing a great job with the children.  I am not sure it was exactly what she was expecting, but I know it was a great time for her, and that the people here also enjoyed her being here.  Esther was as bright and cheery as ever, and as usual it was good to see her.

I thought I was still full of energy as we had a night in Dubai which helped us to get over the time differences, but at dinner I started to drift away so we went straight back home and slept the night. 

In my experience I can only say that the typical Ugandan Welcome consists of friendly people mixed with things not going as planned or thought, even if you had been here multiple times prior. TIA!!!

Crunch Time!

Well if we have forgotten anything now, too bad!  In a few hours we will be at the airport ready to fly out of Brisbane.  We are excited about getting there, but not about the flights.  We just wanted to say a big thanks to all family and friends that have helped make our stay in Brisbane great.  We will miss you all, but we will meet again.  Some we are not sure how long, but know that you are loved.

Just this afternoon we were visiting some friends and I said the first thing I need to do on Friday was sort out my Work Visa application, that means that we will be in Kampala and facing a fantastic welcome to Uganda – dealing with stubborn, unmovable customs officers.  But it’s all part of life in Africa, you have to love it, or else you will hate being there!!

We can’t wait to get back now, to get into it and move forward, but mainly to get there and spend forever with the children and others involved with Akanyijuka.

OK then, we’ll see you soon in some other part of the world.