Can't believe I've been heere a week already, it's gone by so quickly! It's really difficult for me to translate what it's like over here... but I shall do my best! My journey over to the camp, it is far to say, was a bit of an adventure in itself. Denis collected me from my hotel at 9am and drove me to Kampala (the capital city). Kampala is a bustling city choked by cars and motorcycles darting in and out of the traffic. In Kampala we went to the Prime Minister Refugee Office to collect the letter allowing me to work in Kyaka II. What should have been a straight forward visit turned into a two hour negotiation session as the man who had my letter was out of town (nothing is ever straight forward here....) However eventually I left, letter in hand, with Denis to head to the bus station. After a few minutes' drive we pulled over, Denis put on my big rucksack and I put on my other one and Denis muttered something about there being too much traffic to get to the bus station. I assumed we would be walking. Oh no. He then hails down a "Boda Boda" (motorcycle taxi) and within five minutes I was one of the people dodging the Kampala traffic, my big bag over the handlebars and me wedged between the driver and Denis. Denis then put me on the bus and bade me farewell. The bus journey was long but I was sat beside a woman with her adorable baby who at one point told me to "hold her child" whilst she got off the bus to get some food (the duration of which I was praying she got back on the bus before it started moving). I got off the bus at a town called Kyegegwa where Mugenyi, the head of the Camp, met me and drove me along the 18km dirt track which leads into the settlement. Kyaka II is a refugee settlement rather than camp. It spans over 81km2 and has over 10,000 refugees of mixed nationalities (lots of Congolese). The area is very green; lots of matoke (banana) plantations and the surrounding hills are beautiful. The climate is great; it is normally about 25o every day and the skies vary from misty grey to cloudless blue (the latter is colouring the sky today). I am staying in a guest house in Base Camp which is fairly basic but comfortable. The toilet is just a hole in the ground and a bucket of water substitutes a shower. The headmaster, who is mastering in Geography and History, was telling me that in his studies he comparing the Development of Britain to Uganda, and that currently, Uganda is where Britain was in 1870. It's crazy. The main thing about the camp, however, is the people. Everyone is SO friendly and welcoming. Wherever I go I am waved and smiled at and told I am "welcome". Just as non-magical folk in the wizarding world are called Muggles, White people here are called "Mzungu". Unfortunately for me, skin colour is more easily identifiable than magical ability so everywhere I go I am ushered by calls of "Mzungu! Mzungu!" Untill yesterday I was the only "Mzungu" in the camp. It is Ugandan tradition to welcome somebody new into your home and serve them a meal which is always carb-filled and accompanied by some form of meat (normally pork, beef or goat, although sometimes it's best not to ask). I always find this so awkward as these families have next to nothing yet they want to serve me endless sodas and food and I can't say no or else they will take offence... So at this rate I will be rolling out of Uganda...! I am teaching at the secondary school which is called Bujubuli. Every morning I teach PE from 7.30-8.20 (although Africans are ALWAYS late so by the time we start it is normally about ten to eight). I then help out where I am needed and after school I meet with the netball team every day who are training for a district competition on the 23rd. There are three boys in the school who call themselves "Dynamic" and are really talented musicians. They are a hip-hop/r&b group and they have asked me to help them with their music. When they want to peform bigger numbers they invite the "Chuma Family" (of which I am now an official member) to join in. They write all the music themselves and teach the rest of the kids the music. For Women's Day they wrote a song (in a mix of Swahili, French, Ugandan and English so everyone can understand the message) which they taught to the group and then performed (me included) on Women's Day yesterday (i'll upload a video of it asap). As I said, yesterday was Women's Day which was marked by a public holiday and celebrations that went on well into the night. One of the main features of the day was a football game between Base Camp staff and a team of Refugee Women. It is safe to say that I never ever imagined that I would be playing football on an unkempt, ant-ridden pitch, in 28o heat, in rural Uganda, whilst wearing a canary yellow strip against a team of royal blue-clad fiesty refugee women... in front of over 200 spectators... Being the PE teacher there was quite alot of pressure to perform (those of you who know me well will, I'm sure, be laughing right now). We lost, 1-0 however, not too bad a result and in the grand-sca;le of things I think a Refugee victory was the favourable result. I have so much to say but am aware that I am going on a fair bit... So untill next time! JHJ