Living the Lira Life

Getting acquainted with the chickens I share a home with

Written by

Dieter

Published

March 5th, 2023

In

Lira, Uganda

“These pastries contain too little sugar”

Complains the nurse who is dumping the third soup spoon of sugar in her tea. She goes on warning me about the dangers of obstipation if I eat too much of those unsavoury balls of fried dough called mandazi. Fortunately for me, all the other local food (and mostly the liters of oil it’s been cooked in) hasn’t been too nice on my gastro-intestinal tract, so a little constipation would be highly appreciated. Welcome, dear reader, to the reality of traveling adventurously.

Where to even begin?

Probably at the beginning would be the easiest. The cultural rollercoaster the last week has been, started when we left the safe haven of our hostel in Entebbe and drove to Lira. We left “a bit after ten” (aka midday) and arrived some six hours later at the place we’d be calling home for the next 3 months. In a big rectangular walled compound, the three of us have our own living, sleeping and cleaning spaces, just like four other families we’re sharing the compound with. It means the place is never (too) quiet. Whether there’s babies crying at 10pm, dogs fighting and animals being slaughtered in the midst of the night, toddlers running around and screaming from the top or their lungs, floors being swept at 5om, or roosters establishing their dominance – there’s never not a moment of qui… I mean, boredom.

Lunch Garden

The communal garden is the central living piece of our community. During the evening it turns into a big kitchen, when cutting knives and small charcoal fires are brought out to cook delicious Ugandan food. Multiple times during the day it’s a washing area where clothes and linnen are washed by hand and hung to dry in the daytime heat. Sometimes, the place turns into a club with loud music, or into a parking lot for the van one of the families owns, or in a swimming pool when the rain pours down. And at all times, it’s a playground for the children and the hunting/breeding grounds for the numerous chickens roaming the place.

Big city life

Contrary to what we were told, we do have electricity – which is a real gift when it gets pitch dark right after 7pm. However, it did seem not to work for quite a few times, and by that I mean there simply was no electricity (one time lasting almost 24 hours). Walking around the room and going to the French toilet is just that tiny bit scarier in the dark, when you know there’s generally ants, mosquitos, frogs, termites and spiders that consider your bathroom communal living space. Luckily full days of sunshine and heat more than make up for those minor inconveniences once in a while. And there’s running water – which means that I can take ice cold showers whenever I want (and if you know me, you’re probably wondering in what unwashed condition I’ll arrive back in Belgium in a few months).

There’s so much more I should write down in order not to forget it, or to make you jealous maybe? Because when you step outside the gates of our small community, that’s when Africa really hits you in the face – and by Africa I mean a meandering cow, goat or pig, or a literal motorbike or truck. That cultural rollercoaster hasn’t even reached the peak of its chain-pulled course yet, but I’ve already seen glimpses of the turns and swings that are about to come – and I can feel it’s going to be a pretty adrenaline-rush ride. So stay tuned for more!

Also, as usual, please let me know how you’re doing! And if you’ve been trying to reach me over Facebook or Messenger, know that I’m probably not ignoring you – these things just don’t work here. Make sure to swing by on Whatsapp, or to send me pictures of European life via e-mail. Lots of love, and talk to you soon!