SHIFT

When I last posted about events in my life, I had a helper called Apolot. She has long since returned to her village in Atteta. Apolot and Mich were hissing, purring and barking at each other like cats and dogs. Having enough issues to contend with, this was not one to add to the number. She didn’t quite appreciate life in the city. When asked to clean the bathroom, she would stare at me as if to say, “ you’ve got to be kidding”. Her cleaning patterns were a little odd, she insisted on using a brush instead of a rug to mop and evidently the floor didn’t sparkle, in fact at times it looked worse. Thinking I was a little too particular I let her settle in. Out of a burning curiosity I asked about her cleaning strategy, and found out she had never cleaned a tiled floor before. She’d lived in a mud hut all her life. To clean a mud hut floor, all one needs is a local broom, do not make the mistake of using water , unless of course you are planning to create a mud puddle. For a new look, the floor is plastered with fresh mad or dung to smooth it over and then left to dry. So it’s possible that to Apolot, the tiles looked perfect the way they were.

One fine day, I came home to a resignation letter asking me to “be easy” – the “it’s not you, it’s me” story. I was somewhat glad that she had taken the initiative, we talked it over but when the time came for her to leave, she had second thoughts. Unfortunately I was already geared up to resume my duties; wake up at 5:30am, take a shower, get Mich ready, prepare breakfast , drop him off to school, get back home, clean, cook, have some alone time then pick Mich up and usually that was where my day begun or ended. I would listen to his stories, answer questions, engage in play and small arguments. Bath time, dinner, brush his teeth, read bed time stories…wakeup at 5:30am, take a shower and so on. By the way, Mich passed his P1 interview, yeee!!

I was gladly settling into a routine when I received a phone call from my former place of work. My supervisor asked me to begin work in a week. Whoa! That was going to be tricky without a helper. Panic!! I didn’t have a backup plan.
DAY 1 – Sam picked Mich, took him to grandma’s, I rushed home tired and that night we ate some leftovers.
DAY 2 – Sam picked Mich, took him to grandma’s, I rushed home tired, managed to whip up a meal.
DAY 3, 4 – Crazy weekend. Aunt’s introduction ceremony and search for a helper.
DAY 5 – Sam picked Mich and worked from home.
DAY 6 – Mom came up with a brilliant idea and viola! I have a helper. Thank God for moms. Hellen and Mich get along like a house on fire. By the way, I’ve been on cloud 9 since Mich begun to read on his own. It’s a wonderful feeling.

For 3 years now, I have been a house wife. I have enjoyed looking after my husband, loved watching my son grow. I carried out the duties of a stay home mom – cooking, cleaning, shopping – the works. That I have been blessed with a job in this fast paced Uganda is a blessing. That my former employer would have me back is an honor.
I give God thanks. In my next post I will tell about my challenges returning to work after being a stay home mom.