The Fur and Feathers Public House
on Um Zayd wa Atheer (Uganda), 14/Jun/2009 11:11, 34 days ago
I have been in my house for 3 weeks now. The move itself was easy with most of the furniture being left by a previous volunteer. I have 2 beds, 3 wicker chairs, a work table with 1 chair, 2 beds, various wicker shelves, a 2 ring gas burner and cylinder. I think that's it. There are no cupboards, fridge or water heater. Food goes off quickly and the showers are cool. Oh, I forgot to mention I have a flush loo. It came without a seat but I've splashed out on£17 for a new one. I quite like it (the house). It's not bijou but a bit quaint. The verandah faces east and looks over my next door neighbour's maize and beans to Kigulya Hill. I'm living in a terrace of 3 houses and I am the middle one. The Director of Education is on one side and on the other the Special Needs Advisor. It feels safe and there is more exposure to every day Ugandan life which I like. Rose not only grows food but she also has chickens, about 20 at the moment. They are rather too free range for my liking and and the 2 cockerels start their morning call at 5am. Should I look for their beauty and not compare them to nightingales?The chickens are not the only intrusions into my domestic life. Under the corrugated roof there is a large and noisy family of something; they could be bats or rats. There is lot of running around at night. I am trying to tell myself that as long as they stay out of sight I don't mind. One bat did fly around the sitting room but I think that one came down the kitchen chimney.Two Saturdays ago, at 10. 30pm as I was getting ready for bed I reached out to pick something off the wicker shelf in mybedroom. There, stretched across, with his head buried under my things was a snake. It was phone a friend time but who would be awake at such a time and could come quickly? The field was narrow. I settled on Moses, the taxi driver, but I knew that he would also bring a friend. Ugandans fear snakes too. The 2 arrived protected by heavy coats and carrying planks of wood. Even my limited Runyuro told me the line of attack, head first then the body. Only when the corpse was removed to the verandah was it identified, a black cobra. Moses, though understanding of my fear and alarm, pointed out that it had only been a problem because I had seen it. I think he was trying to reassure me. Snake spotting is now part of my nightly routine.I think I still like the house. If I am going to be won over completely it needs to be rid of these creatures great and small. One spin off is that it improves the vocabulary in Runyuro. I now can explain about about my visitors - the embugubugu (bat) the enjooka (snake) and I nearly forgot the ekikere (frog).