One Year On...

It is just over a year since we left Uganda. Can't believe it has been that long already. For me the first half of the year went by soooo slooowly. Everything seemed to be difficult and challenging; it seemed like I was climbing an interminable mountain of tasks and church visits. But in about March, when the church visits were over, we started choosing how to spend weekends, we stopped travelling about, and when life settled into more of a routine, then life quickened and became manageable, work became less scary and more under control, and things suddenly started to rush along. I began to feel as though I was building a new life, making new friends, actually enjoying things. It partly coincided with my embarking on my chocolate cure... And largely was just a matter of time, as relationships and involvements do grow slowly.

So suddenly I find myself struggling to believe we have been here a year.

Looking back on my experiences, I would probably give these tips to anyone starting out on the returnee lark...

Give yourself plenty of time, as in, don't rush into any commitments or job if possible, and allow yourself to have breaks, weekends to yourselves as a family, or with your family or familiar friends, every other weekend at least. It is tiring and you need downtime...
Don't expect to feel at home for ages. Don't feel sad if you don't yet feel at home.
Treat yourself to the things you have been missing... I didn't let myself indulge in either much chocolate or much alcohol until about February. I don't know why really - partly because I was doing the shopping, and I was trying to keep within a very small budget.
Don't pretend you know what is going on, but ask all the questions (eg what was that TV show, what does that word mean, how do I pay for a parking ticket...), - keep asking for help.

That is just a few things.

I asked Abby and Alex what things they are still missing and what things they are enjoying about living here, one year on.

Abby is still missing the campus life, the freedom to roam and play over such a big green open area. And she said she is missing the lovely swimming - the few pools we have gone to here are so crowded in comparison to the Colline or Kingfisher. She is also missing the food that she liked in Uganda, in particular, the sausages there! English sausages are all too spicy or peppery. And the Paramount gouda that the rest of us tired of - no cheese in England is that perfect blandness for her...! But, she loves her school and the friends she has made here, and seeing her grandparents and cousins so much more often.

Alex is also missing the freedom of campus and all the playing outdoors barefoot. He misses his friends on campus. But, he loves the fact that there is so much to do here, as in places to go for day trips and outings, and the sports he is able to do here - hockey club and cricket club. He loves the ease of getting things he wants... (he has just spent all his saved-up pocket money on a stunt scooter - ordered on Amazon and it arrived in two days.)

I am enjoying the countryside and almost daily walking, the constant change of the trees and the appearing of new flowers; still loving the smooth roads, the convenience of life in general (atms everywhere, post offices everywhere, a corner shop to buy milk just a two minute walk away,) the electricity being on all the time, internet working all the time; seeing my family often; variety of diet; being able to drink sherry or a gin and tonic while I am cooking, and anytime (don't worry, I am not drinking very much at all!); being a normal anonymous person everywhere I go. The things I still miss about Uganda, as well as friends, are: the sunshine, the light and warmth in the air; being able to throw on a t-shirt every day without thinking about it; the warmth of daily encounters with Florence, students, colleagues and neighbours; the birds; the beauty.

So it is still a mixture, and it probably always will be. Looking back, it hasn't been an easy year, but, we have been through an unavoidable valley and we are coming into the new land.