10 Things I'll miss

...in a sort of 'top ten' format, this is really not an exhaustive list. I've just been looking through a few of my photos and appreciating some features of my life over the last 2 years. In three weeks I'll be back in the UK.


10. Ants - OK so I didn't say they were things I would be sorry to miss, but it's funny how used you can get to constant lines of ants (usually at least 3 in each room) going from floor to ceiling. You don't like to think what would happen to you if they all turned on you at once but as long as they're just feasting on the bat droppings in the roof it's not so bad.


9. At first glance, having a concrete floor to your home may not seem like the most attractive option (especially when you drop something), but on a hot day it's hard to beat taking your shoes off at the front door and enjoying the soothing cool under your soles. Until, that is, you try to get the dirt off your feet.


8. Four poster bed, Uganda style. This is definitely the best way to hang a mozzie net and, even if it isn't quite big enough, this cotton 'cage' has saved us a lot of blood over the past 2 years. I might just stick four posts on my bed when we return to the UK so I don't wake up in the night feeling vulnerable and insecure.


7. Cool front garden. It's pretty neat having a football pitch for a front garden. Keeping the grass short is a bit of a 'bind' though!



6. Goats around the house. I love it when I drive up to our house to find that our garden has been selected as the grazing area of choice for our 13 goats for the day. What they lack in personality they make up in.... well I'm not sure actually, but they're usually good for a bit for a laugh. Until the point in the evening when you get surround-sound bleating, that is.


5. The Lake from my house. The Lake turns every different colour you can imagine from deepest blue to lilac to silver gray. We see sunrise and moonrise reflected in it and most of our storms come rolling in over the water. I think it's going to be one of those things that I only really miss appropriately when I don't open my curtains to it any more.


4. Signposts that make me laugh. Usually due to an East African interpretation of the English language. This one always makes me thing of beleaguered teachers in the staff room at lunchtime.


3. Saturday football. It's been such a joy to have had regular football every Saturday morning with the EU football league. I've been representing Ireland (and the two guys in green next to me are Americans) but it's been great fun. I've learned that all the stereotypes are true. The Germans are efficient and outperform more talented opposition in the big games. The Israelis are theatrical divers. The Danes can easily be imagined as vikings. The Italians go for the 1-0 lead and then sit back and defend. And the Irish? Perform heroically but go out early on as a result of some grave injustice. Morning football has been nicely augmented by watching the Premiership (all games televised!) at the American Club in the afternoons. It's been a lot of fun. Even if I've had to watch it with Americans (only joking Brad and Matt!).


2. The River Nile. The best natural feature of Uganda in my humble opinion. There's plenty of competition too with the game parks, mountains and volcanoes. However, whether it's camping out on the banks, white water rafting or enjoying all the hippos, crocs and bird life in the national parks from a launch, it truly is everything that every little boy imagines it should be. Stunning.

1. I'm not allowed pictures, but the boys we work with take top spot. They are unbelievably resilient to the effects of so much horror and pain in their lives. They are friendly, helpful and desperate to seize every opportunity you give them. They are truly the most deserving recipients of love I've ever come across and, on top of that, they love Jesus. I think I'm going to miss them when if I find myself working with young people in the UK again!