Have you ever felt the joy of being someone’s partner? I’ve felt special on many occasions in life, but obtaining a dependent visa with a job offer already in hand and having my relocation costs fully sponsored made me feel a kind of special that words can hardly describe.
Maybe someone whose spouse has won the lottery, or a newlywed whisked away just after exchanging vows, can relate. It’s that rare scenario where one party puts in all the effort, and the other walks right into the fruits of it all. This has been one of the many beautiful rewards of walking beside my partner Fred since 2013.
I feel like my family was handpicked and guided by an invisible hand that orchestrated and fulfilled the plans while we slept. Relocation brings with it many fresh starts, but it’s all about mindset, openness to new challenges, and the willingness to embrace the adventure. I didn’t hesitate to put a long-standing career on pause for the sake of my family, children, and relationship with Fred.
Leaving Familiar Ground
When I boarded the flight from Uganda to the UK, I carried with me a decade-long career in healthcare, four children under the age of eleven, and a heart filled with questions about what lay ahead. In my home country, changing careers after that long is almost unheard of. Your school performance curves your professional path, and most people stick to it.
Back home, I was working as a Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist with a non-government organisation called the Infectious Diseases Institute. In my role, I supported monitoring project activities, data analysis, timely reporting, effective use of program data and conducting evaluations in relation to project objectives.
We relocated on a dependent visa, and like many dependent spouses, I faced the bittersweet decision to resign from the job I’d dedicated over ten years of my life to. Healthcare had always been my comfort zone, but with the move came the need to pivot fast.
Settling into a new career journey in a new country required nothing short of a mindset overhaul and a big dose of courage.
But I’ve always desired to work in an IT or telecoms-related field. I just never imagined how it would unfold, especially with my limited IT background. Then came the opportunity of a lifetime: a role with the Simwood operations team, who not only offered me the job but also sponsored our relocation from Uganda to the UK.
Embracing the Porting World
The flexibility offered in this new job made all the difference. As I adjusted to UK life with four young kids (the youngest just two years old), my work gave me the space to breathe, balance, and be present.
My role with the porting team introduced me to a whole new world full of acronyms, new processes, and some good-natured confusion. I had to get familiar with terms like LCP, GCP, RH, COW – Cancel Own port (which still makes my colleague Saba and me laugh )
Coming from Uganda, where cows are traditionally considered a sign of wealth and sometimes part of cultural marriage customs, you can imagine our reaction the first time we saw “COW” on a porting request (it stands for Cancel Own Port).
With a grin, my supervisor, Vicky, once asked, “So… did Fred have to bring any cows? I just smiled, remembering all the hilarious moments from our wedding journey… but that’s a story for another blog!
But beyond the acronyms and laughter, there’s been a solid amount of learning and real work involved. I want to thank Vicky, who trained me on the job, introduced me to all the required processes, and provided the tools I needed to do my job.
Here’s a glimpse of what my daily porting responsibilities now look like: managing porting inboxes, which involves handling import requests, acceptances, rejections, and escalations, chasing overdue responses to ensure timely processes, and handling exports to other providers.
A New Routine, A New Me
From a homemaker and full-time mother starting the day with early morning school runs to joining huddle discussions on Slack and requesting Letters of Authorisation (LoA) before approving or rejecting export requests, I’ve learned a completely different workflow. My attention to detail has been stretched and sharpened.
Best of all, I’ve been able to do all of this while working from home, with flexible hours. That means I can balance supporting porting operations roles while still doing school pick-ups, meal preparations and without missing bedtime stories.
As I write this, I need to pause—someone’s yelling “Mum!” (probably a Porridge urgent need 
My kids currently attend the same primary school, which makes school runs more manageable. Luckily, my youngest also goes to daycare at the same school, which has made it really convenient. We’ve been in the UK for almost a year now. Our first winter was a bit tough, but I can now say we’ve cruised through it and we’re looking forward to summer (hopefully it’s a long one!)
Looking Forward
This journey hasn’t just been about a career shift, it’s been about trusting the process, embracing change, and finding joy in the unknown and above it all, being teachable. Motherhood doesn’t have to be at odds with career growth.
I never imagined I’d be in IT or Telecoms, but here I am, grateful, firm, and growing.
To anyone facing a life reset, moving countries or balancing work and family: it may not be easy, but it’s possible. With the right mindset, a strong support system, and a bit of humour, you’ll surprise yourself.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to approve an export request and chase some imports.
Have you sent your import requests to Simwood yet?
