New year, new job, new look blog
on Thea's Blog (Uganda), 23/Jan/2010 18:28, 34 days ago
Three weeks in the UK eating, sleeping, taking the dog for muddy walks, throwing snowballs and catching up with the Archers, have done wonders to restore my enthusiasm for this whole African adventure. I read somewhere over Christmas that cold climates help to concentrate the mind, and I certainly found myself doing some pretty serious navel-gazing on the snow-clad fields of wintry Somerset (not literally because that would be quite cold). The upshot of it all is that I return to Uganda revived, refocused and ready for new challenges.Ha ha. New challenges eh? So I knew it was overoptimistic to expect a welcoming committee with a bunch of flowers as I took up my new post of Resource Mobilisation Advisor for Fort Portal’s own Mountains of the Moon University. A scheduled induction was also clearly unrealistic. However, my newly inflated balloon lost a tiny puff of air when I was told on my first day that my position still hasn’t been approved by the new Vice Chancellor, and I can’t start until he’s okayedit. It sagged a little bit more when I discovered I don’t have a desk or a computer or indeed much of a job description. This latter I will basically be developing myself and then, it seems, presenting to the VC on Friday (that was actuallyyesterdaybut it's taken all week to post this blog entry) in some kind of court hearing. Again I am reassured there is nothing to worry about as it’s more about the big man exerting his authority than any question over my placement. Although it’s a little frustrating, I have been filling my time munching like a rabbit through my abundant crop of lettuces, dislocating my limbs at aerobics then trying to pop them back into place at a new bi-weekly yoga class.I have been in Uganda long enough to understand that things here happen Mpola mpola (slowly, slowly– a versatile phrase, particularly useful for screaming in the ear of over-keen boda boda drivers). I am pretty certain that I am wanted and needed at the university and there will be plenty for me to do once I get started. Most importantly, unlike my previous placement organisation, there is absolutely no question about the importance and usefulness of the university to the region. Patience is not a virtue here, it's an essential survival skill.