Dreams & Memories
- Rachel King
- Jan 22, 2020
- 4 min read
"It always seems impossible until it's done." Nelson Mandela
Some of you know that I've traveled a lot in my life and settling down hasn't been easy. I've got something of a restless spirit and a deep sense of wonder lust. Its something that I don't often talk about, but often comes up when I'm at work and I'm talking to customers, after answering their questions about where I'm from. A lot of people pick up on my accent. I don't have a strictly "English" accent, due to how I pronounce some of my words. I've had people ask me if I'm Romanian, South African or German. It always makes me laugh, since I'm not Romanian or South African, and even though my great grandmother was German, it doesn't mean that I'm German. So when people ask, I keep it in a nutshell by saying that I'm half English (thanks to my mum), half Dutch (thanks to my dad) and I was born in Uganda (thanks to my parents' career in missions). It makes interesting conversations about Uganda, as many of the people I serve at work wouldn't consider Uganda as a tourist destination due to the trauma in the unconscious memory about when Idi Amin overthrew Milton Obote in 1971 and the eight years of military dictatorship that followed. The Ugandan Civil War basically ended in the early 1980's, but unrest followed in the decades after. I don't have any recollection of the unrest that took place during my early childhood, and in a way I'm grateful for that. My parents used to hear gunfire outside our home, which forced them to whisk me out of my bed and onto the corridor floor. They have also told me of the twelve hour curfew that ran from 7 p.m. each night until 7 a.m. the following morning, when no one would be outside their homes. In the quarter decade or so since then, Uganda has done a full 180° turn since then. Jinja, a town roughly 80 kilometers (49.71 miles), outside the capital, Kampala, holds the title of adventure capital of Africa. This brings in many thrill seekers due to the various adrenaline activities in the area. Uganda is also home to the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant). Ugandans are a lovely, welcoming people with big hearts and a love for hospitality. Uganda is and always will be my home.
Now as I journey through life with Andy, the biggest think I strive not to loose is my heritage, my nationality being rooted in so many different countries, and at the end of the day its also rooted in God, my heavenly father. Since I moved to England two and a half years ago, I've struggled to some degree with finding my calling here. I've become so used to traveling and staying in each place for only a few months at a time, its something that has reflected in my work since I've got here. Finding work that I enjoy and that fits my personality and character hasn't been easy, and my mental health has suffered because of it. Often I've felt that we've over complicated things in the last thirty years and made it so much harder for someone, like me, who doesn't tick all the boxes, on paper, to find a good job that pays well, that I enjoy. Its been a long road since I got off that bus, two years and six months ago. Since I've arrived, I've struggled holding down a job longer than nine months (the longest was eight months and twenty three days). It hasn't been until my current job that I feel like I've found my stride. I love working for such an incredible company, and yes the work can be difficult and has its challenges, I'm not going to leave. I'm not going to resign and look for another job, though I may have to transfer to another pub at some point in the future, but that's not for a while yet. I'm happy with my current job and most of the people I work with.
2020 may only be a few weeks only, but this year is already turning out to be very memorable and in a good way. I marked my six month anniversary as a bar associate at JD Wetherspoon last week. There are also many changes to come over the next twelve months for Andy and myself as couple, and as individuals. These changes are primarily due to housing and jobs (for Andy, not myself). These topics will evolve and develop and progress as the year does, so I'll be sure to take you along with me during these massive changes!
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