Helen Vanstone worked in Uganda for eight years as a voluntary head teacher at a Christian school. Earlier in her career in UK primary school education, she had faced a number of setbacks, including a poor Ofsted report, depression and bereavement. However, the opportunity in Africa turned her life around, fulfilling the calling she had received from God at a young age. Her experiences of living in a different culture and leading a school in Uganda are described with humour and honesty. They provide a unique insight into the challenges she faced, from confronting a deadly black mamba on her doorstep to introducing a more creative style of teaching within a rigid, exam-based curriculum.