Worlds Apart

KAREN

As I sit and write, I am wrapped up in a pair of jeans (tights underneath!), 2 vests, a t-shirt, jumper, 2 scarves, and a big woolly cardigan- slightly extreme for the Uganda hot season you may think…but no, unfortunately this is not the case…I am back in the sub-zero climate of the UK! The food poisoning episode pre-Christmas didn’t leave me feeling at my best. Combined with a diet whereby I was tolerating little more than marmite on toast, and unable to tolerate antimalarial medication, it was decided that the best course of action was to return to the UK for a couple of weeks. And arriving in the snow – what a shock to the system! One day I was in the 35degree Celsius heat of Gulu, the next I arrive in Manchester where the temperature was minus 12…a 47degrees Celsius drop!


The weather is just one example of the extreme comparisons I have experienced throughout the week. To leave an area of relative poverty and then return to an affluent United Kingdom is another. Its like reverse culture shock! It is hard to comprehend such extremes and allow yourself to enjoy living back in the ‘comfort’ of Great Britain. To be able to turn on a tap and drink a glass of water, to know there is power when you turn on a light switch and to keep the milk cold in the fridge, to think ‘what do I fancy to eat’ and know ample choice is available…it has all felt very decadent! And to enjoy a hot shower – simply amazing! All things that I will never again take for granted! When I went to a small supermarket the day after arriving back, I was over whelmed – the choice of products astounded me – and then I spotted the poor-quality wine that is sold in Gulu in the ‘bargain bin’ and smiled to myself – a little piece of Gulu in Manchester!

Returning home comes with such mixed feelings as it was never in the plan to come back early! It has certainly been a bonus to see my family and friends and enjoy some home comforts. But how I miss Debbie – my partner in crime, who is continuing the good work back in Gulu. Whilst the work we are doing at the hospital in Gulu is certainly a challenge, to be living and working in an African country where you are made to feel so welcome is an opportunity not to be missed and I’m longing to return and get back to work on the ward!