I will not set any New Year’s resolutions because I don’t keep them anyway. 

Instead, I will give thanks for the year passed. First, I thank my creator for keeping me, friends and family alive. Thousands haven’t made it this far. 

I am glad He protected you, my readers, too. I don’t take any of you for granted. That anyone takes time to look at this, yet there is a lot of material to read, on top of television to watch and radio to listen to, is reason to be thankful. 

Next has to be my job. Doesn’t mean I’ve stopped looking. I’m just happy I don’t have to tick the unemployed box. More than that, I’m glad I get paid. I could do with a pay raise but until that happens, I am glad to take with what I get at the moment. 

I have friends who haven’t been paid in months. I also know people whose meager earnings are paid in bits of 30,000 today, 20,000 two weeks later…

Moving on to the weather, we tend not to appreciate this until we travel or read about what people elsewhere have to deal with. We had some very hot days this year but it wasn’t anything close to what people in some parts of the USA and Australia went through. 

Imagine losing your home to a wild fire? The other extreme is of course winter. There have been days it’s been cold here. I remember a couple of nights the fog was so thick I worried I wouldn’t make it home safe. Even then, it wasn’t as bad as it happens in Scotland or Alaska during winter. I can’t imagine the chaos if it snow fell here! 

It could happen, you know. Egypt just had a bout of snow and this being the land of a thousand hills, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility. My worry is that we’re not even remotely prepared to handle it, and this in a country that has arguably the best roads in East Africa. I wonder what would happen in Uganda or South Sudan with no proper drainage in place. Aren’t you glad we don’t have to deal with hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, blizzards, tsunamis, earthquakes and the like? The men in this country should also be lauded. 

There’re still cases of domestic violence and rape but life here is a thousand times better than in India, DRC, South Africa and every other place where women are subjected to abuse on a daily basis. 

I have not been harassed by a single man, even on days I’ve worn tight jeans or a short skirt. I might have drawn a few stares but that was it, so to you guys, or at least those who respect women, we appreciate you. 

That women can go to school, drive, contest and win elections, things most women in the Arab world can’t do, I’m glad for our freedoms.

My final thanks go to my landlord for being respectful, mature and above all sensible. He doesn’t raise the rent every few months as some people do. With the exception of the initial payment when I was just moving in, he has never asked for advance. Even the times I’ve paid late, he has been calm.

He minds his business and hasn’t set any ridiculous rules. I have friends who’ve been asked not to cook certain foods, have children or let friends stay over. A couple of my colleagues have also lost valuable items even when the landlord lives right next door and stays home all day. So Mr Amos Kaneza, you take the prize for best landlord. 

To be continued…