This 2 bedroom house shares a compound wall, which is about 8' tall with the house next door, owned by the same landlord. That house sets at the corner of Kiwafu Road and Kansang Hill Primary School Road. At present, both roads are dirt and marrum. Traffic includes pedestrians, bicycles, bodas (motorcycles for hire), cars, taxis (mini vans carrying 14+ people), pickups and lorries (big dump trucks, charcoal trucks, etc). There is a lot of dust when it's been dry for more than 2 days. Lots of mud if it has rained in the past hour or so.
Kiwafu Road is 2 lane, and carries a great deal of traffic. When it is tarmacked, which may happen next month, there will be very little easement on either side, and no side walks at all. Most of the property owners have their compound walls built right at the edge of the right of way.
The road in front of my house is one lane, with several 90 degree turns in its 300 yd length. There is a water drainage ditch along one side, but much of the water drains down the middle of the road making deep ruts and ridges. This road, about 10' from edge to edge, is a connector to Lower Kiwafu Road, and is used as a short-cut by commuters headed to the large, developed area on Tank Hill. The distance from my wall to the road is less than 18 inches. I have fantasized about selling hot coffee and donuts to the communters who often have to wait a few minutes to make the turn onto Kiwafu at the corner.
The plot directly across from me has 4 mud and stick houses, a cooking room, a bath house and a large open compound where the little ones play and the firewood is chopped up each morning. I'm not sure where they find firewood, as there is little dead wood on their plot and not much around. One of the women living there has a small table near the edge of Kiwafu Road where she displays some fruits and vegetables for sale, with tins of charcoal near by. They make a little money, but their prices are higher than the man with the small kiosk who is selling about 50' away.
There is a walkway behind our compound wall that leads to two small houses. The family there keeps chickens, goats and recently added some ducks. So we have all the barnyard noises and none of the work or worry.
About 150 feet towards Heritage School stage there is a small shop where we buy staples when we run out. Christine's shop has flour, sugar, bread, margarine, rice, potatoes, soap, matches, cooking oil, sodas and beer, eggs, along with a few other staples. She used to sell airtime for the cell phones, but found her losses for that item too high. Guess her kids were using and not paying for the airtime cards. She is a great source of information about the goings on in the neighborhood as she has been in that location over 10 years. She and her family live in a house about 20' from the store, which also has a sleeping room in the shop. This past year or so they plastered the house, put on an iron sheet roof and painted it all. It looks very nice from the outside. Christine also has a water tap and sells water to those who don't have one, like my neighbors across the road.
It takes about 10 minutes for me to walk from here down to Heritage School. The eMi office is also close, but takes me a bit longer to walk as it is uphill, instead of down. Of course, given the chance I take a boda to either place, especially if the movement is uphillor rain is threatening.
There is a herd of native cattle (raw boned, big horned, beautiful animals) that sometimes move through the neighbor when being shepherded to new pastures. There are about 20 in the herd, young ones, the moms and a bull. But it is hard to tell the bull from the cows (for me anyway) as they are all about the same size.
Almost all compounds have trees of various kinds. We just have 2 kinds of banana trees. The plot across the road has several paypaya trees, some shade tree and a few bananas. My former neighbor, Petonella, has many bananas, jackfruit as well as some trees with bright yellow flowers that the birds like to eat. There are mango trees in the neighborhood too. Too bad they don't hang over my wall.
Anyway, that is my neighborhood....a good place to live.
PS All three places I have lived in the past 4+ years are within 250 meters of each other.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Where ever you go there you are
Last year, about this time, a neighbor had begun to build on the plot adjacent to the one I rented. The noise, materials deliveries, and sacrifices made late at night, etc were more than I liked and a way opened for me to move out.
This new house has been a wonderful blessing for all of us, even though there is no barnyard to keep everyone entertained and busy. Last week the sound of heavy equipment was heard and felt. It turns out that the plot across my road and down hill about 50 meters has been sold.
In one 12 hour day the bull dozer removed the banana plantation and other shrubs clear to the property lines. A group of 3 dump trucks hauled it all away almost as fast as the loader could pile it on.
On Monday this week the plot was escatvated down about 8 feet or so and a container/office set up. Wednesday poles were driven into place marking the building boundaries. Later in the week, the men dug out the foundation lines and some evenly spaced deep holes.It appears there will be an apartment house built there over the next period of time. Let's hope this one is done legally. So far it seems OK.
This new house has been a wonderful blessing for all of us, even though there is no barnyard to keep everyone entertained and busy. Last week the sound of heavy equipment was heard and felt. It turns out that the plot across my road and down hill about 50 meters has been sold.
In one 12 hour day the bull dozer removed the banana plantation and other shrubs clear to the property lines. A group of 3 dump trucks hauled it all away almost as fast as the loader could pile it on.
On Monday this week the plot was escatvated down about 8 feet or so and a container/office set up. Wednesday poles were driven into place marking the building boundaries. Later in the week, the men dug out the foundation lines and some evenly spaced deep holes.It appears there will be an apartment house built there over the next period of time. Let's hope this one is done legally. So far it seems OK.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Working in a play
The Kampala Amatuer Dramatic Society, KADS, is performing Sound of Music this May. There are about 45 actors with at least 2, if not 5, costume changes. In the KADS wardrobe are some pieces that will do for for perhaps 20% of the necessary items of clothing. Some of the actors have clothes that will do.
Between now and the dress rehersal in early May, all the remaining items have to be found or made, fitted to actor/ress and labeled, washed, pressed, etc. Since this is amatuer theatre, sometimes the actors take their pieces and do the laundry, pressing, etc themselves, which helps out a lot.
They have a budget for purchasing clothes, cloth and tailoring. What is needed is someone to track it all and ensure that all the bits and pieces get to the right person for them to use. I've helped with 2 pantomine performances previously. Now is my chance to help with a real play.
The actors have been working since 25 February on rehearsals, with the Music Director, Stage Director and Production Manager beginning before that. Rehearsals occur 4 times a week, following a schedule that allows actors to work together for their different scenes at different times. Of course there is lots of time for practicing all the wonderful songs that we all love.
My friend Melody has a singing part as one of the nuns. This was the first play she ever saw live as a child and she is delighted to be part of it now. Learning to do the chant-style singing is a good challenge for her. She has a great singing voice and will do well I'm sure.
I have begun taking measurements for actors and listed out their costume needs, etc, which begins the journey into the world of theatre. There is a chance we can rent the 12 nun habits from a local nunnery! That would save a lot of work and sewing time! We'll see what happens.
Between now and the dress rehersal in early May, all the remaining items have to be found or made, fitted to actor/ress and labeled, washed, pressed, etc. Since this is amatuer theatre, sometimes the actors take their pieces and do the laundry, pressing, etc themselves, which helps out a lot.
They have a budget for purchasing clothes, cloth and tailoring. What is needed is someone to track it all and ensure that all the bits and pieces get to the right person for them to use. I've helped with 2 pantomine performances previously. Now is my chance to help with a real play.
The actors have been working since 25 February on rehearsals, with the Music Director, Stage Director and Production Manager beginning before that. Rehearsals occur 4 times a week, following a schedule that allows actors to work together for their different scenes at different times. Of course there is lots of time for practicing all the wonderful songs that we all love.
My friend Melody has a singing part as one of the nuns. This was the first play she ever saw live as a child and she is delighted to be part of it now. Learning to do the chant-style singing is a good challenge for her. She has a great singing voice and will do well I'm sure.
I have begun taking measurements for actors and listed out their costume needs, etc, which begins the journey into the world of theatre. There is a chance we can rent the 12 nun habits from a local nunnery! That would save a lot of work and sewing time! We'll see what happens.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Play Time
If you have never been in a play production, you may not know what all goes into the few hours of entertainment that is enjoyed by all in the audience.
Before living in Uganda I had only once ventured into a play rehearsal setting. It was not my idea of a good time and I never did it again. But 2 years back I thought I might help out with fixing up costumes for a pantomime. The cast and crew were great fun, the work was easy once I found a tailor to do most of the sewing, but the wardrobe room was dank, full of mold and mildew and a hazard to one's health just to be there for 5 minutes. I decided to not do that again.
Last November the director for the 2009 pantomime asked if I would help with the costumes. I had forgotten at that moment what I had decided 2 years earlier, so said yes. Shortly thereafter, I realized the error of my way but before I could get out of it, learned there was no one else doing costumes!! I met the producer, Mary Kinney, who worked closely with me. She did much of the work, including shopping at Owino Market, something not high on my list of fun things to do. By the end of the production I'd enjoyed working with her so much that I told her, rashly, that I'd work with her again anytime she wanted help.
Well....here we are in the beginning stages of Sound of Music. In the on-line research I found a web site that listed all the costume changes, by scene for each actor in SOM. The children have 9 or 10 different outfits, some worn twice! There are 7 children (and 2 sets of actor/esses). Thank goodness the 12 nuns only have 2 outfits as they are also dancers at the Ball. Maria and the Capt. Have 8 or 9 apiece.
This is just the costume side of things. There is set design and construction, props, publicity, music, and of course all the practicing of lines, songs, movements, etc. We don't practice in the Theatre itseld untill the week prior to opening. In the meantime, there are 4 practices a week for the actors. The Music Director, Play Director and Production Manager are all very busy people in their real lives, and now are moving at the speed of sound to bring this together for 8 performances beginning May 6. Can we do it??!! YES, WE CAN. (to paraphrase Bob the Builder)
Before living in Uganda I had only once ventured into a play rehearsal setting. It was not my idea of a good time and I never did it again. But 2 years back I thought I might help out with fixing up costumes for a pantomime. The cast and crew were great fun, the work was easy once I found a tailor to do most of the sewing, but the wardrobe room was dank, full of mold and mildew and a hazard to one's health just to be there for 5 minutes. I decided to not do that again.
Last November the director for the 2009 pantomime asked if I would help with the costumes. I had forgotten at that moment what I had decided 2 years earlier, so said yes. Shortly thereafter, I realized the error of my way but before I could get out of it, learned there was no one else doing costumes!! I met the producer, Mary Kinney, who worked closely with me. She did much of the work, including shopping at Owino Market, something not high on my list of fun things to do. By the end of the production I'd enjoyed working with her so much that I told her, rashly, that I'd work with her again anytime she wanted help.
Well....here we are in the beginning stages of Sound of Music. In the on-line research I found a web site that listed all the costume changes, by scene for each actor in SOM. The children have 9 or 10 different outfits, some worn twice! There are 7 children (and 2 sets of actor/esses). Thank goodness the 12 nuns only have 2 outfits as they are also dancers at the Ball. Maria and the Capt. Have 8 or 9 apiece.
This is just the costume side of things. There is set design and construction, props, publicity, music, and of course all the practicing of lines, songs, movements, etc. We don't practice in the Theatre itseld untill the week prior to opening. In the meantime, there are 4 practices a week for the actors. The Music Director, Play Director and Production Manager are all very busy people in their real lives, and now are moving at the speed of sound to bring this together for 8 performances beginning May 6. Can we do it??!! YES, WE CAN. (to paraphrase Bob the Builder)
Friday, April 2, 2010
Fasting Again
There ae so many types of fasting!! Did you know that you can fast totally, without food or liquids? This fast is a short one, and has to be really led by the Lord.
There is fasting from all food and liquids, except for water. Maybe this is what Jesus did when he went into the wilderness. The Bible isn't specific on the details.
There is fasting from food, but taking water, juice, etc.
There is partial fasting, with no eating or drinking during daylight hours, then having a meal after dark and/or before dawn.
And, not related to food, but to the addictions that creep up on us, there is fasting from almost any and all human activities: negative talk, TV, movies, sports, reading, media of various types, etc.
The duration of fasting is up to the person doing it. There are articles that say it takes a minimum of 3 days to fully experience the impact. Some are for one day a week, but for many weeks.
When food and drink are involved, categories of people are recommended not to do this activity: pregnant and nursing women, children, the ill and elderly.
The main reasons for fasting are to learn more about who we are now, and who we can become. God really likes to talk with us but we get so busy, caught up in our habits and trapped by the things of this world, it is difficult to hear Him. Fasting is one means to open up the communication and put other things on hold so there can be quality time......unless other addictions interfere.
For me, the total fasting from food was easier than this time of taking one meal a day. But for each of these periods, one of the things coming to light is my addiction to computer solitaire. Friends and family already knew that this is an issue for me. But now I can't gloss it over so much. Good thing there are lots of demands on my time for now.
If you haven't tried something like this, you might want to try it out and discover something new about yourself.
There is fasting from all food and liquids, except for water. Maybe this is what Jesus did when he went into the wilderness. The Bible isn't specific on the details.
There is fasting from food, but taking water, juice, etc.
There is partial fasting, with no eating or drinking during daylight hours, then having a meal after dark and/or before dawn.
And, not related to food, but to the addictions that creep up on us, there is fasting from almost any and all human activities: negative talk, TV, movies, sports, reading, media of various types, etc.
The duration of fasting is up to the person doing it. There are articles that say it takes a minimum of 3 days to fully experience the impact. Some are for one day a week, but for many weeks.
When food and drink are involved, categories of people are recommended not to do this activity: pregnant and nursing women, children, the ill and elderly.
The main reasons for fasting are to learn more about who we are now, and who we can become. God really likes to talk with us but we get so busy, caught up in our habits and trapped by the things of this world, it is difficult to hear Him. Fasting is one means to open up the communication and put other things on hold so there can be quality time......unless other addictions interfere.
For me, the total fasting from food was easier than this time of taking one meal a day. But for each of these periods, one of the things coming to light is my addiction to computer solitaire. Friends and family already knew that this is an issue for me. But now I can't gloss it over so much. Good thing there are lots of demands on my time for now.
If you haven't tried something like this, you might want to try it out and discover something new about yourself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
