Just arrived in Kampala and already hooked on endless mugs of spicy African milk tea ☕️? Join me as I navigate the city’s quirky cash hacks, tackle WhatsApp shopping surprises, savor street food bargains like a local, and even conquer driving without Google Maps 🚗. From first birthday parties to fresh fruit deliveries at the office — here’s a taste of my chaotic, colorful new life in Uganda!

Touching down in Kampala, I didn't waste time easing in. I dove straight into the rhythms of the city — and liters upon liters of African milk tea. Thick, spiced, and somehow both comforting and electrifying, it quickly became my fuel as I started figuring out the logistics of settling in.

Cash turned out to be a daily puzzle. I tried it all: exchanging euros and dollars for Ugandan shillings — not great rates. Withdrawing from my German bank account? Also a no — too many fees, too much hassle. Then came the winner: TapTap Send. I could charge up my MoMo (mobile money) account and withdraw cash from almost any street kiosk, even the ones tucked behind boda stages. The only trick? Always carrying the right phone — and of course, that’s never the one with my online banking. Kampala teaches you to get organized, fast.

Soon after, I got invited to a first birthday party — the kind with balloons, cake, and twenty toddlers in matching outfits. It felt like a sweet stamp of welcome.

I started experimenting with WhatsApp shops and deliveries. Sometimes, it worked like a dream and sometimes I didnt get what I ordered. But at least I always got a refund :)

Of course, food was my ongoing research project. Street food became my taste test and budgeting exercise in one. My strategy? Never ask for the price. Instead, I’d point at the chapati or fried cassava and say, with great confidence, “Give me for 1,000 shillings.” As if I’d been doing it for years. The result? A decent portion more often than not — and even when not, at least a smile.

Then came the turning point: I bought a baking form. There’s something about baking a cake in a new city that makes it feel like home. The smell of warm vanilla and sugar turned my apartment from temporary to lived-in. That led to more nesting — new balcony chairs, a shoe rack, the whole DIY expat starter kit.

And perhaps the proudest moment so far? Driving to the office without Google Maps. I only got lost twice, and that’s practically a win in Kampala traffic. From the office, I discovered I could even order a box of fresh fruit — pineapple, mango, watermelon — delivered to my desk by 8:30 a.m. All for around one euro. Breakfasts, sorted.

So here I am: a few weeks in, finding my way around the city one boda ride, one chapati, one mobile money trick at a time. Not everything is smooth. But everything is vivid, alive and extremely WONDERFUL.