Why I stopped writing and why I should start again ...

Almost an entire year has passed and I have to confess that I have been very neglectful of my blog. Why has this happened I ask myself? Well here is a list of excuses I have made - let's have one for every month of blog neglect:

1) I have to go for a swim.
2) I have to go for a bike ride.
3) I have to go for a run (OK I have to stop this, otherwise I will end up with a list of 12 different exercises!)
4) I had one too many drinks on Saturday night, which makes my brain too fuzzy to write on a Sunday!
5) I have to go to the shops.
6) I have to go to the shops again to try to buy the things that were out of stock when I went yesterday
7) The sun is shining, so it would be a shame not to go to the pool.
8) I have too much work to do and am too tired to write anything.
9) I got engrossed in a good book.
10) I got addicted to House, then Californication.
11) I sometimes feel like my life is not adventurous or exciting enough to write about.
12) I started to panic about how people would judge me for what I am writing.

So of all of the reasons listed above, only the final two approach the truth. Let's start with the eleventh reason. When you first arrive somewhere, everything is new and exciting. You see your new country in full technicolour - the first taste of matooke throws your tastebuds into ... desperately searching for whatever the opposite of ecstacy is ... aaah nausea, disgust, abbaration (thank you Roget's online thesaurus); the first boda ride down a potholed road makes your tummy churn with anxiety as you wonder whether it's a good idea to cling on so tightly to the driver; encounters in the shops and other service areas can fill you with disbelief and despair ... and so on. So what happens when the novelty wears off? You are left with a void. I've already talked about the crazy roads, the 2 hour long wait in a restaurant, and you all politely giggled in the right places at the same time as breathing a big sigh of relief that it wasn't your life.

Now for number twelve. Hmmmm - so many people have blogs here and some share them and some prefer to keep them quiet, using them simply as a personal diary. Some people write a blog to keep friends and family updated on their day to day lives, some like to make bold statements about politics, religion or society and some people just seem to have a public moaning forum. The intention of my blog was always the former, but as the craziness of Kampala life turns into the run of the mill, I started to dry up a little. There is also a need to take care in what one says in these situations. What starts as a funny anecdote can reveal deeper feelings and beliefs and can also cause offence. Many of us also try to convey a positive view of our lives overseas - we share pictures from safari, outstanding natural beauty and adventures. We don't share photos of the supermarket, our offices or the more boring aspects of our lives. Nor do I wish to be tarred with the brush of sounding like a 'spoiled moaning expat' - but more about that later. I want to write a blog not a bloan (cross between a blog and a moan - ok that didn't really work!).

So what now? Well I am going to make a promise to myself to try to be a better and more committed blogger. Why? Partly because I said I wasn't going to write group emails anymore and partly because, when I actually sit still for long enough, I actually enjoy the process of writing them. And what, you may ask, is making me sit still for longer than a nanosecond? Well, there's a rat in the kitchen right now and I'm too scared to leave my room!
Stay tuned - I'm going to try really hard to actually write this thing n