DID SOMEONE MENTION BRAVE AND ADVENTUROUS?
- or -
Group Hug Time!
Yes, opening a team account with Barclays Bank was a hard-won victory. By the way, in the interests of honesty -- and because he might read this blog someday -- I must admit that said victory was due almost entirely to Phillip Shero's valiant efforts, not mine. In any case, like most victories, there was a price to pay. The price of this particular victory? Oh, right around $4,200.
You see, the team money now lives in a beautiful blue and white building several kilometers away from my office. This is a much safer situation than when it resided in a small gray safe two meters away from my desk; however, since Uganda still remains a cash-only society, I will need to visit the money every now and then, partly to make deposits and withdrawals, and partly to make sure Barclays hasn't given the money away to some random stranger. (See postscript on previous post.) Unfortunately, as a white female in Uganda, walking to and from a bank on a regular basis will almost certainly begin to invite attention of a sort that I would rather do without, as in attracting would-be African Robin Hoods trying to equalize the wealth at my expense.
On a happier note, in addition to needing to make frequent bank visits, my job here has grown in other ways to include additional responsibilities besides merely "keeping books." It will hopefully continue to grow over the next year, especially as the team goes forward with work on LivingStone International University.
Frequent bank visits + added responsibilities = need to be able to travel around Mbale without hitching rides everywhere. The answer?
Meet the Mzungumamamobile!
Yes, thank you very much, God has blessed me with a car! And I do mean THANK YOU! So many of you have supported me over the past year with your encouragement, prayers, and with your hard-earned dollars. I cannot say this strongly enough: I would not be here if not for you. And now that support has allowed me to buy a car. When the exact car I needed came up for sale, the funds were already available, thanks to you all. So everyone gather around. Are you ready? Good. Group hug time! [Insert big group hug here.] When I come home for a visit, I'll do my best to give each one of you an individual hug.
And now, if you'll excuse me, brave and adventurous Mzungu Mama is going to take the Mzungumamamobile out for a spin!
Okay, what side of the road am I supposed to drive on?
And why is the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car????
(Yes, I promise to get back to work on Safari Chapter Two now.)
1 comment:
Yay Mary Beth! A car!! God is so awesome! Can't wait to see it! And even more fun-- see you! We're counting down the days. Guess we have to go get shots now.....
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