I am
not a coffee drinker, but I can say boldly coffee has been
a getaway for an ocean of abundance throughout my life!
You see both my mum and dad worked in the coffee industry, then known
as the Coffee Marketing Board of Uganda. So when you think about it
all life's basics that came my way like food and clothing came through the hands
that give through coffee.
When it was time for me to join primary school there was a lot of disarray
amongst the powers within, mum and dad disagreed on the perfect school for me.
My traditional mum had gone ahead and registered me at a catholic boarding
school and oblivious to what this meant I was ready for the journey. My forward
thinking dad wouldn't have any of this and I have to say the best thing that he
ever did for me then was set his foot down and say his 6 year old daughter was
not going to a boarding school.
To the rescue was my maternal grandfather, a coffee exporter the late
Cyprian Matte Kaddu. He proclaimed he had the best solution for my foundational
years, and this was none other than Kampala Parents School a selective
independent school which had a very progressive curriculum that contributed
immensely to the person I am today. I can say with confidence my grandfather's
many years and dedication in the coffee export trade was the pathway
to many meaningful relationships one of which led to his knowledge and
connection to this illustrious school. For the first two years in this school I
spent many an afternoon in my grandfather's office and it is here that after getting
bored playing with the coffee
beans that I got into my newspaper reading habit that I believe
birthed this occasional writing flair. I saw first-hand then, the daily tasks
around the coffee trade that led to the realization, albeit hazy that
the coffee bean was a great absolute for my family as many of my uncles and aunts
worked here and it is from this trade that the extended family received their
daily bread.
Over the years coffee became
a vibrant part of me, in many ways even without drinking it, it was like the
warmth of the sun and its aroma is always
refreshing to me. My dad
did go into retirement while I was still very young, so instead I got to see
my mum work on in the coffee industry. Because of her great work, I
was able to see 1st hand the difference between Arabica and Robusta coffee
that helped me ace my social studies in school as it was a big part of the
curriculum back then. My first vacation
job was at a coffee plant, which led to many new experiences and in school for
many of my assignments while doing my undergraduate I would run to many
examples of the coffee industry and coffee continues to be an
active ingredient in my life.
So this year as my mum celebrated another year of gracing earth, being miles away as I thought of a meaningful way to celebrate her and with her, a coffee cake broke it down. Through her work in the coffee industry that she continues to do today, all joy, all health, all good things have continued to flow to me, my siblings and extended family. This beautiful plant represents the full bloom that is my life.
