It is hard
for me to believe we are in October. The last two months have been a whirlwind
of emotion, experiences, and travel. I have heard from many of my readers that
I need to update my blog. Before I get back into the flow of documenting my
Ugandan observations, I want to recap what I have done in the last two months
to get you all up to speed!
Early
August:
My
boyfriend came to visit me in Uganda. This was a huge deal for both of us, and
due to the many personal facets of such an event, I will only say that we were
able to cover a lot of ground in Uganda. He visited this Lukaya project/family
and my dormitory/family in Mukono, we saw a Rhino sanctuary, did a three-day
game drive, saw the source of the Nile, and we even had a date in Kampala that
included pizza and a movie! All in all, we did a lot of driving and catching
up!
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| Dan and I with the same Joseph I fell in love with summer of '11 |
Mid-August:
On my way
back to the States, I was fortunate enough to have a 23.5-hour layover in
London. This turned out to be perfectly timed because most of the chaos of the
Olympics was over, but the great international atmosphere and Olympic landmarks
were still present in the city. I had a great time doing some sightseeing,
eating, and processing the previous six months while walking around one of the
greatest cities in the world.
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| Olympic rings at the Tower Bridge |
Back home I
was able to see dozens of friends and family members. I made it to the beach on
a day trip with my boyfriend. I think I only ate a couple of home-cooked meals
because I went out to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner almost every day!
Six months of village life made me really miss coffee, milkshakes, and options.
OH and a lot of beer on tap was consumed. COLD beer cannot be beat.
Beginning
of September:
I had the
lovely opportunity to visit my little sister in Chicago, where she is currently
starting her first year at University. It was great to see her new turf and be
able to visit with her before leaving the country again. I was fortunate enough
to have made a connection with a wonderful woman while in Uganda who let me
stay with her during that visit. It is a small world if we let it be!
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| Alyson and I at the Bean in Chicago |
After
Chicago, I had another great opportunity to spend a couple of days in New
Jersey with the Directors of Real Partners Uganda. I was able to meet several
key players in the organization as well as catch up with the Griswolds. They
took me out to Atlantic City and although I didn’t see Barney from HIMYM anywhere,
we did enjoy a stroll on the board walk, a quick lesson on the Poker Machine,
and a wonderful Cuban dinner. I even got to have breakfast at the shore, which clinched
my goal to visit three of the world’s oceans in less than four months!
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| Atlantic Ocean in New Jersey |
Late
September:
My reunion
in Uganda was perfect! The children seemed so thrilled that I had returned.
Many of the people in town recognized me and greeted me in Luganda by saying
Welcome Back/Home. My neighbors, John Robert and Ruth (headmaster at the school
and his wife, a teacher at our school) made sure that I was well fed for the
first days back—since I was visibly weak and exhausted from America/travel. My
program got off to a great start with the use of sticker mustaches for all the
kids/teachers in the Health Team. I found it much easier to re-adjust to a life
of irregular power and water than it was to adjust to constant
anything-I-ever-want-of-anything in America. The girls in the apartment complex
can’t seem to get enough snuggle time with me. I swear they will just about
re-fuel their urge to hug me, sit on my lap, and play with me by the time I
have to leave again. I can’t really say anything bad about my return to Lukaya.
I am pleased to be back at work—though I have much to do in the way of transitioning
my programs to Ugandan-hands. I think the next several months will be
productive and worthwhile for everyone on the Team in Lukaya.
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| First day back with Mustard Seed Health Team |
My Reflection:
As
wonderful as it was to be home and to see my loved ones, it was not entirely
easy for me. I constantly had an overwhelming feeling that I no longer belong
in that picture. I’m sure if I was home for a long period of time that feeling
would dwindle and I would eventually forget all the gory details of a life in
Uganda. However, my mind and heart were too aware that my visit home was brief
and I was not able to put aside what I had learned and experienced in the
village in order to relax in America.
I
frequently experienced moments with friends and family in which they acted in
such a way that initially shocked me…then upset me…then disappointed me…then I
always came full circle to a feeling of frustration with myself for feeling
shocked/upset/disappointed with people who are acting exactly the same way I
once behaved. What gives me the right to point out something they are doing
that is an excessive use of materials, or wasteful of food/resources, or making
statements that are neglectful of people like those in Uganda. Don’t we as
Americans deserve (to some degree or another) many of these behaviors?
In the end,
I had to conclude that I was the one who had changed. My world-view has been
altered forever. I cannot, and will not work to make those around me feel
guilty or upset about the way they live their lives because at the end of the
day I must accept that many Americans are privileged. And there are many perks
and lifestyles that come with that—at no fault of theirs.
What I also
must keep in mind (because the two go hand-in-hand) is that many more people
around the world are not privileged. And there are many more disadvantages and
lifestyles that come with that.
Today more
than ever before, I am certain that I am where I am supposed to be in life and
doing exactly what I was created to do. I cannot make the world a fair and
perfect world for all its inhabitants, but I can live my life in such a way
that merges the fair with the unfair, privileged with the unprivileged, and
developed with the developing.
With love,
Kristen
