Some final reflections

At the end of my trip I find myself asking many questions. Did I live out my experience in Uganda to the fullest? Did I do enough? Did I hurt anyone? Did I help make anyone's life a little better? Did I take enough pictures? (The answer to this one is always no - I never take enough but I will always have my memories.) Am I going to miss Uganda like crazy like I did the first time? Am I going to cry when I say goodbyes? When will I come back? Am I going to feel content with my life when I go back home?

Most of these questions don't really have answers and I'm sure some of them aren't even worth asking. And I suppose trying to predict the future is a waste of time but I still can't help but wonder. I feel like Uganda is always going to be part of my life and I'm not yet sure if it will be a small part or a big part or what any of it is supposed to mean. All I know for now is that it is all about the experiences and again I feel I have gained so much real life experience and have seen and done things that many people won't get the chance to experience. And for me and my life I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm only 24 but in some ways I feel much older and wiser and I am very thankful for that. Travel and living in a completely different culture adds an entirely new dimension of understanding, knowledge, and perspective to one's life. Of course there is still a huge list of other things I have yet to experience and don't know much about, but I hope one day I will if I keep challenging myself. Maybe I take life a little too seriously sometimes but when you have witnessed such serious, REAL life problems and situations, it's hard not to be. It's hard to remember to take it easy and laugh at a stupid joke when your mind is filled with images and memories of true suffering and when you have experienced and witnessed moments of joy over very simple things that most people take for granted. It becomes hard to relate to people. But maybe that's ok. Maybe I'll find other people I can relate to on a deeper level. Maybe that's what I need to have happen. I can't live a superficial surface level life where I keep my head down and forget about everything important. I refuse to participate in our distracted money-minded society. Of course I say this now and I know it's pretty easy to get caught up and lost somewhere in the mix but I truly do want to try to go against the grain a bit and avoid conforming to what the majority of our society works so hard to be.

What I want from my life is to learn and to grow as a person, always becoming something better than I was before and sometimes that learning comes out of suffering or being uncomfortable or making sacrifices but I see it as a worthy cause at the end of it all. I also want to love and care for others, to respect other people and to be respected. To be inspired while inspiring others. If we all felt it in our hearts to do kind things for others without expecting anything in return, can you imagine how much better a place the world would be?

And when I talk about being a 'better person' and doing good things for others, I'm talking in terms of my own standards. Based on the goals I set for myself and what I feel a fulfilling and meaningful life looks like. Everyone should have their own version of these standards. I find that so often people are quick to use other people and their actions as a measuring tool for what's good enough or not good enough. I don't really see it that way. It's like how your mom used to say to you, 'if all the other kids in school jumped off a bridge would you do it too?' when you were arguing about how all your friends were doing something you weren't allowed to do. If I was the only person in Canada to go volunteer my time in Uganda I wouldn't feel any different about it than I do now. It doesn't make me feel special that I'm doing things that not everybody does. I feel like everybody could be doing what I'm doing - honestly I would even dare to say that everybody should be doing it - because it's just the right thing to do on so many levels. Whether you're helping in some other country or in your own community, I would love to see it become a normal and regular thing, not something we should necessarily praise people for. My personal standards are based on my set of values and what I believe deep down in my heart is the right thing to do, and how I carry myself is part of my best efforts to follow my heart. Of course logic and the practical knowledge I've picked up in my short lifetime is thrown in there as well. And my experiences in Africa are always adding to my understanding of the world and what my purpose in it might be.

I am beyond happy and proud of myself for making this trip happen for the second time, because it has done exactly what I hoped it would. It has reminded me of what is REALLY important in life, and it has solidified a lot of the things I had previously discovered during my last trip. It has re-ignited my passion for working with a more vulnerable population and has inspired me to want to do more international work in the future. It has also given me some closure that I don't think I achieved last time when I felt devastated about leaving and was so not ready to move on. I have felt like something was missing for the past couple of years and I feel a lot more at peace now. And I now know for sure that Uganda will always be here and if I have the means I can continue to come back to visit and volunteer my time.

I anticipate a part 2 of this post as I still have a couple more days to reflect.. I hope I am not being repetitive. But now that I am alone in Entebbe it is the perfect time for me to unwind and get all of my thoughts out before I move on to the next chapter.

P.S. I can now answer the question about whether or not I was going to cry like a baby when I said my goodbyes.. totally did. I kept it together as well as I possibly could but there were definitely some tears that got the best of me. It all hit me at once when I looked around at all the kids and started putting my things in the car and I realized just how much I was going to miss them. I'm human, what can I say.

4 days left...

I haven't written in a few days because not a lot has been happening. With Daniella passing away and with me feeling super sick for 10 days with some sort of parasite, I have spent most of my time (whenever I have been able to) this past week in bed or in the washroom unfortunately.

I am now getting to that awkward point of my trip where I know I am leaving in a few short days and it sucks and I start to lose motivation to do anything because it starts setting in that I'll be gone this time next week and I start to feel like 'what's the point?' I know that's not the best attitude to have but honestly it's really hard getting so involved and getting my heart invested here for a short period of time. 2 months might seem long enough, but it isn't when you feel at home. It somehow ends up feeling like a dangerous and irrational thing to do. To come to Uganda and fall in love with it all over again and to get even more attached and then to go back to my normal-every-day-life where everything is completely different and I have to readjust all over again. I remember feeling this way my last trip. The closer it got to the end of my trip the more I started hiding in my room and feeling like laying in bed all day and the less motivated I became to get up and go with the same enthusiasm I had my first day. I am starting to relive those feelings all over again.

Of course I am still going to make the most of the remaining time I have here and try not to be upset, but the end of the trip is always the worst. I just suck at goodbyes and at leaving people. I almost cried today in the library thinking about the fact that I won't be able to see these kids continue to grow and thrive. We have been working with them in the library for weeks as they haven't been attending school and I have seen them blossom and now they finally have the chance to attend school next term and I really wish I was going to be around to see that happen. But I will remember them all and promise myself to get updates from Carli and whenever I come back I will find them and hopefully they will remember me also.

It's always at this time that I start feeling super homesick and wishing I could just go home. If I have to leave, I want to be at home where I am comfortable. But this time I am taking a detour and though I am excited for the experiences I will have in Europe, part of me thinks that August 17th (the day I fly home) seems soooo far away still. I know once I arrive in Copenhagen my spirits will be lifted and I'll be able to enjoy my time in Sweden and all will be wonderful. But at this point in time everything sucks, haha. That's an exaggeration, but I hope you can understand what I am getting at.

Today was my last day at the nursery school for Friday clinics. I didn't remove any jiggers..however only 1 kid had them today which is AMAZING! Our little trooper Hakram is currently jigger free for the first time which was so beautiful to see. And all the kids I have been treating for ringworm have improved greatly. I got the school to get all the kids together to take a group photo and they turned out great:

Bye Mzungu!

Goodbye Daniella

It's frustrating to think that the first goodbye I have to say is one that was not even able to be said, and one that came completely by surprise. As I was just talking in my last post about saying my goodbyes and leaving Uganda, I had no idea that I would have to mourn the loss of a child. Her name was Daniella and she was 4 years old when she died in the hospital early this morning.

I haven't had much exposure to death in my lifetime (lucky for me) but the death of a child is something completely unfamiliar and I don't know how to handle it other than to just cry. I also made a video which was extremely emotional but I felt it would be a nice collection of the memories I have of her and a nice way to pay tribute to her short life. When I heard the news I was truly shocked. I know many children in the village that Carli supports have died in the past, but I had yet to really understand or experience that until today. I just saw Daniella on Monday. The last time I saw her I was reading her a story called 'The Little Elephant'. We knew she was feeling sick and had malaria (so common here) on Wednesday when she didn't show up for reading group. We found out yesterday that she had been admitted to Mulago Hospital (one of the major government hospitals in Kampala) and I remember thinking 'good, the hospital is the best place for her to get the treatment she needs. That means she will recover.' In the early hours of the morning the malaria took her life. I can't even believe it. She was so special. She is one of the children who lives in the family with my sponsor child Margret. We visited their home not long ago and I even posted this photo in my last blog post of the three of us (Margret, myself, and Daniella).

All of the children we meet and support are special in some way, but some seem to touch your heart more than others, and Daniella was definitely one of those cases. She was recently hit by a boda boda (motorcycle) and nearly died but miraculously was recovering and we were getting so excited for her to return to school in September. Now her precious life has been taken much too soon and we are only left with the reminder that this is part of reality in this village. It is not uncommon. This is the piece I struggle with as I try to sort out my feelings about this tragic event. When someone dies here, their body is buried as soon as possible (usually same day or the next day) and people pay their respects and attend the burial and some might cry but not usually. People eat food and when the day is over everyone carries on with their lives. There isn't a huge mourning period. Where I come from, death is such a big deal - especially the death of a child which is thankfully much more rare - and people take various amounts of time to mourn and it's pretty socially acceptable to be upset for some time. We don't really have time for that here... tomorrow is the monthly sponsorship meeting where all of the families that are sponsored come to check in, and we have many new children coming tomorrow who still need sponsors. These families need us and it is back to business tomorrow. Though my relationship with Daniella was brief, it had an impact on me and so does her death. All I can do is hope she is in a better place now and cry myself to sleep in the privacy of my bedroom because that is all I know and that is what feels normal to me. I just pray that tomorrow is a better day. 

Here is the video I made in loving memory of Daniella who will forever have a special place in my heart. 

 

goodbyes suck. period.

So the countdown has now been started.. I have about 12 days left at Carli & Robert's. Then I'm in Entebbe for a few days until I fly out early on the 2nd of August. And a month today until I'll be back home. The little kids at home are counting down the days - but only because they have figured out that the day I leave is the same day the new visitor comes who will be bringing them toys. Haha, so maybe they aren't sad to see me go but that's ok, I can't take offence to that.

As with all good things, this trip must come to an end and I know that. But I have been dreading saying my goodbyes since the day I arrived. And though I haven't had to say any goodbyes yet, I know what's coming. The hardest thing about coming to Uganda is having to leave Uganda. It's such a struggle. I think because it feels like home here even though it's nothing like the home I'm used to. I have a hard time walking away when I know what I am leaving behind and when I know how much more work I could do here. I definitely still struggle with that. I get this overwhelming feeling that I won't be nearly as satisfied with anything I am doing back home in comparison to what there is to do here. But that should be a lesson that I need to keep pushing myself forward and doing better and caring more and striving for greatness so that I will feel satisfied. There are certainly things I can be involved with in Vancouver, it's just that a lot more people are already doing them whereas here in the village we are pretty much the ONLY people doing good things for the community. So you end up feeling a lot more motivated to do such things and a lot more appreciated and useful when you do. I'm not saying that because other people already doing good things that we should all sit around and let them continue, but I am just saying that the motivation is much stronger when you know that a lot of people are relying on you. And it is that feeling of purpose that gets me through my days. The positive side of all of this is I can honestly say that so far any expectations I might have brought with me on this trip have been met or exceeded and I feel as though I have accomplished what I hoped to accomplish, if not more. So with that said I know I can comfortably leave without feeling like I have any unfinished business. This feeling was definitely lacking at the end of my last trip here, so this is a good thing for sure.

This week I have actually been quite sick - some type of bacterial infection I think - so it's been a bit of a write-off for me as I've been trying to rest and get better. So that sucks..now I am down to one "work week" left. I've starting thinking about the people I won't see anymore and the special ones who I have to figure out how to say goodbye to and it just breaks my heart. I'm gonna miss the village children...so many of them we have seen a few times a week and they are so sweet. My memories of them will always be in my heart. The way I feel about saying goodbye to people is the same way a child throws a temper tantrum. "But I don't wanna!!!" (along with flailing arms and stomping feet). It's dangerous making connections with people - at least close ones - when you know that at the end of it all you've gotta pack up and go back home to your life. And this time I somewhat reluctantly allowed myself to open up and get close to someone here and now I am kicking myself for it because it doesn't feel fair to either person when the end is inevitable. Especially for the other person who has to stay behind and watch me go while I get to move on to other adventures. But I suppose that view is debatable - I could close myself off and not let anyone in just to avoid feeling hurt if I wanted to. And would that be better? To sacrifice the joy of human connection in order to avoid the potential pain? I suppose I wouldn't be doing myself much justice if I went through life that way - as there is always a potential (if not a guarantee) for pain and an ending in everything we experience.

To cope with the goodbyes I tell myself that I'll be back again so it's not really goodbye, more like 'see you later'. My hope is that it'll be a bit easier this time because I still have a few more destinations on my list: Denmark, Sweden and Amsterdam. Since I have those things to look forward to, it makes leaving seem not so bad. And I'm sure once I arrive in Denmark and am met by my friend, my sadness about leaving Uganda will start to fade away. But I'll never forget about the relationships I leave here and the experiences I feel so blessed to have.

picking sides

I find myself feeling very conflicted at times during my stay in Uganda. I am always somewhere between two sides. I have conflicting feelings about going home and staying, about whether I am excited for tomorrow or dreading it, about whether I love Uganda or hate it. Let me explain myself and elaborate on these points.

I am realizing I only have about 21 days left in Uganda, only 18 at Carli & Robert's (as I have to decided to spend a few nights in Entebbe before I fly out for logistical reasons) and I am not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand I find myself missing some of the simple comforts of home like the food and my friends and family and 'normal', peaceful and - for the most part - easy life. And on the other hand I know I am going to be so sad to say goodbye and I know myself well enough to know that after a couple weeks of 'normal' life, I will be longing for the excitement-filled days of Uganda. But what I have learned from the past and from my own reflection is that I need to find ways to get excitement out of life in Vancouver and I think I have set myself up pretty well for that this time around. I feel a lot more prepared to go home this time and I think that is going to be extremely important in the adjustment process. I'm not ready to go home tomorrow, but I know I can't stay forever.


One thing that I am always conflicted about is being around kids. I love them but they drive me absolutely nuts sometimes. I will admit that. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not a 'kid person'. In knowing this, one would find it confusing why I would want to go to Africa and live in a children's home with 20 children. Well that's just me. I think the exposure is good for me. I enjoy the stress and the challenge of having to build my patience and keep my cool. Not sure if I'm always successful but I try! And every so often, when I find myself on edge, I witness such a beautiful moment that is sweet enough to bring me to tears and I remember the best things about the kids. For example, today when Robert came home and all the little guys ran to the gate to greet him before he even parked and got out of the vehicle, Akiz yelled out after them 'watch out for Zion or daddy will knock him with the car!' The fact that this 5 year old boy had the concern for his baby brother to tell the others to look out for him just totally warmed my heart. These little moments happen every so often, and it is always when the kids aren't even aware that they are doing something good that it is the most special. Like baby Zion asking for food so he can take it to Justine (Carli's newest daughter who is 3 years old and disabled from having cerebral malaria as an infant) and giving it to her because he noticed she was hungry. The care that they have for one another, blood related or not, is so inspiring and is a constant reminder of the importance of being surrounded by a loving, supportive and nurturing environment. Of course it isn't always sunshine and rainbows - but these little moments give me some relief.


Sometimes I wake up feeling prepared for the day, and go to sleep feeling like it was a good day, and other times I go to sleep completely burnt out and wake up wishing I could stay in bed all day. It's always a mix. The work we are doing here is not easy. Even if nothing extremely eventful happens, it is always draining. Just witnessing the extreme poverty day in and day out is enough to tire me. There are at least 7 programs happening each week, with anywhere from 1 to 5 of them happening on any given day. This doesn't include any emergencies that come up (and trust me, they always do) or the regular things that take place daily like picking up and dropping off the young kids from school. Monthly sponsorship meetings, home visits, paperwork, logistical matters, etc. Oh and we also have some income generating initiatives we are trying to maintain happening all the while. It is not a 9-5 job where you put in your hours and go home. It is a massive operation. The connections we make with people and the positive outcomes of our work and the appreciation that many people have is what gets us by I think. Of course we love what we do but at times it is easy to forget that with the stress that comes along with it.


And lastly, of COURSE I love Uganda. But there are definitely some things I hate about it too. Like the corruption - which I have already mentioned in a previous post. The fact that police officers expect and even welcome a bribe so you can get yourself out of getting a ticket that you likely didn't deserve in the first place is a pretty good example of how frustrating the level of corruption is. Another thing that frustrates me is the education system. Too much I could say on this subject. But it is what it is and I won't get into it. Next: the lack of 'resources' or perhaps just the lack of education or the problem of having the money in the wrong hands EVERYWHERE in the country. Human life is so undervalued here. People are seen as dispensable. This means a serious lack in the department of medical care, hence why people still die of malaria which is one of the most easily recognized and treated diseases in Uganda. It costs $2 for the treatment. But it kills lives - especially children - when it goes untreated. The saddest and perhaps most frustrating things about all of this is that a lot of educated people in Uganda (who aren't in positions of power) are aware of these issues yet feel helpless or at a loss of how to turn them around (this is where I refer you back to the section on corruption, lol). I could go on and on about things that I don't like but instead I would rather end with the things I love and will always miss about Uganda:

The extremely kind people I have met. The children. The culture. The dancing. The colours. The scenery. The smells. The simplicity/basic living. The generosity. The faith. The resilience. The learning experiences. Seeing change take place. Being part of something greater. The beauty. The teamwork. The smiles. The language. The excitement. The challenges. The village life. My new friends. And most of all I will miss my Ugandan family and Carli, who is one of the most amazing women I have met and someone who I am proud to know and call a dear friend. The journey is much more enjoyable when you are surrounded by good people who you can share a laugh with among all of the chaos and despair.

So sometimes conflict can be a good thing. Even when I fall on different sides of the scale depending on the day, I always know in my heart that I am so grateful for the experiences I have had in Uganda, good and bad. I am someone who can always see both sides of a situation and I think that's how I stay balanced. It can't always be all good, but it's never all bad. There is always hope for a better tomorrow - if you allow it.

live simply so others may simply live.

Ok, so I have so many things to say on this subject that I'm not even sure where to begin. This phrase 'live simply so others may simply live' is very straightforward but has soooo much meaning. Especially here in Uganda. During the month of July, Carli Travers of Abetavu (where I am volunteering) is trying to raise a large sum of money ($30,000). I am helping with this by filming and photographing our daily activities so that people can see what Carli and Robert do here in Uganda and maybe they will feel compelled to donate.

Let me tell you something, fundraising is one of the most difficult and testing tasks out there. Some may think that asking for money is easy and that maybe you aren't really working for it and that you're just asking for a handout. Well you would be wrong to think that. It is extremely frustrating and even disappointing and discouraging at times when there is a lack of support. Especially when the basis of everything you do for your family and community relies on donations. That is the case here at Abetavu. Of course they try to bring in some income through various activities and are trying to expand this in making and selling things locally, but when you are living in a household with 20 children and pretty much supporting a whole village on top of that, it's a little hard to have a steady 'job' which actually gets you a paycheck. The work that Carli does she does for free. She doesn't get a salary or a paid vacation - or any vacation - and her job is 24/7 365 days a year. I'm not saying that she didn't sign up for this, but she's definitely not asking for money so she can put it into her own pocket, she's asking because it's the only way she can keep doing what she's doing. Making a difference in the world.

In my experience with fundraising, people just get annoyed and want to ignore you because they think 'someone else will donate money' or 'I work hard for my money, why should I give it to someone else doing something on the other side of the world' and others just don't care. Nobody is denying that we don't all work hard for our money, but let me give you something to think about. What is the point in working 'so hard' for your money when you can't use it for something good? Why do we all hang on to money so tightly and feel so unwilling to use it for something positive for humanity yet we can easily go and buy ourselves a new cell phone or outfit or fancy latte or tickets to a concert, etc.? I'm also not saying I'm perfect either - I've got my own issues with shopping and buying new clothes that I have seriously struggled to change for some time. Even my daily coffee or meals out would add up so quickly due to my hectic lifestyle going back and forth between two full-time jobs and hardly having time to prepare a proper meal. If I saved all the money I had spent on coffees and fast food, I probably could have saved $50 a week or more easily.

What I am challenging you to do is to really take a moment to think about how much you value those extras that you spend your money on. Would you be able to go a day, a week, or even a month without them to do something bigger and greater with that hard-earned money? I'm not saying that we should all give up all of our luxuries and donate all of our money to charity - that's not realistic. But to live simply so others may simply live - and I mean this from the bottom of my heart - lives can be saved with just a few dollars. I know I'm probably sounding like one of those world vision commercials right about now but it's the truth. There is hardly a doctor in our village...children are dying of malaria when the treatment only costs like $5. And no, that's not your (you, the reader) fault. But would it not feel good to know that you have contributed to saving one of those lives? Or to providing a better quality of life to many others? If you've ever felt the slightest bit touched or inspired by any of my blog posts or Facebook posts (for those of you who follow me on Facebook) then I ask you to consider donating something to Abetavu Community Development Organization at www.abetavu.com.

With all of the footage we've collected I created this short video to hopefully touch the hearts of some of you out there and to at least spread the word about what is happening here and to hopefully gain Carli and Robert some more support. But also to give you a glimpse into the work we do. Please at least watch the video and share it with your friends via Facebook, etc., if for no other reason than to admire the work I put into creating it. I've never made one of these movies before and I'm actually super proud of it and I hope those of you who watch can enjoy and appreciate it :) So I will leave you with this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6kh_AnwyoQ or you can watch the video below

The Journey to Masaka

So last week I journeyed to Masaka, Uganda to visit some Douglas College friends who are staying there doing practicums. Really I just thought a few days away would be good for me; I could hang out with the girls, relax, lounge by the pool (yes..they have a pool at their accommodation =O), and potentially visit some practicum sites. I was looking forward to a short rest.

The journey is always an interesting one when you take public transit. Which was the only way I would have done it. Masaka is about 3 hours away from Carli and Robert's and to hire a driver costs about $80 US each way..which is expensive for one person. Public transit cost me about $7-$8 each way. This includes 2 taxi rides and 2 boda rides each way. The taxis are these 15 passenger vans (shown in the pic below) which I like to refer to as rattling death traps. They are just these metal boxes with rows of seats that they sometimes shove up to 20 passengers into and they travel at such high speeds that you feel like the vehicle will either collapse into pieces or spontaneously combust into flames. The taxi park is crazy..it's essentially a football field of taxis and every conductor you pass is grabbing you asking you where you are going and trying to get you on their vehicle. It's super overwhelming..especially when you are literally the only white person among hundreds of people - you become quite the spectacle. However, with all of this said, this is one of the most common forms of transportation in Uganda (aside from bodas) and I haven't had any problems with them so far. It isn't the most comfortable option but its super affordable and it works.

This is an image I found on google of the Kampala taxi park so you can try to visualize the insanity of it.. Also it isn't possible to have your camera out to take any pictures unless you want it stolen lol.

My days in Masaka were great. I got my relaxation/fun time in, I got to go into town and I got to see Masaka Referral Hospital and Kitovu Hospital. I hadn't spent much time in Masaka prior to this trip so it was nice. The referral hospital is their main government hospital and Kitovu is one of the private hospitals. Both hospitals are pretty basic but since Kitovu is a private hospital it seemed to have a bit more of the extras but still extremely basic compared to anything you would see in the Western world. The reason I visited Kitovu is because I really wanted to donate blood because I know I won't be able to donate in Canada for at least a year after traveling in a developing country. Also I find Canada is so ridiculously particular about the blood they take that the process is a hassle (and of course, rightfully so - it is a serious thing). But in Uganda the major concern is just that you are a healthy person free of diseases and that you have enough blood to give. So I went with one of the girls on her practicum day and gave blood. The blood bank was very very basic. Just one guy working there, one chair to sit in, and the office seemed to be shared with the photocopying area where a couple of men were watching some Ugandan station on a small tube TV. Some of the girls had told me that I was brave to be giving blood there but to be honest, the whole process was completely sanitary and the tech knew what he was doing and that's all I really care about. For me, giving blood is something that was always a fear of mine and I could hardly even get through a blood test without feeling like I was going to faint. So I keep pushing myself to conquer that fear, and what better way than by giving blood in Uganda?

The whole weekend really got me reflecting about life and taking risks and chances and trying things differently. I don't want to live a life that is always comfortable. Some people thrive on comfort and security but that is just not me. I have come to realize that the more I push myself to take risks and face my fears and to say 'I can' instead of 'I can't', the more interesting and exciting and worthwhile life gets. This seems like common sense but it really isn't. I am not judging people who don't live with this philosophy, but I am starting to learn that if that's the way I feel I want to live I should go for it and not worry that others don't agree with me. While also not expecting everyone to feel the way I do or to understand the choices I make. It's important to live life on my own terms (to an extent of course) because it's MY life and if I keep waiting to be validated by other people I will never be content. 

So after the trip I got back to my home in Uganda and I was super happy to be back in the village. I actually find it comforting here. I'm starting to learn the names of a lot of the kids and to recognize faces and places and it has that small town vibe where everybody knows everybody and I like that. I got back and hit the ground running again, with one of our library programs starting about an hour after I got home, haha. So as usual there was little time for rest and you are just thrown back into the work. But I wouldn't have it any other way. It seems that at the end of each week I am retiring to bed at around 9pm and Carli and I say to each other, 'it's been a long week', but honestly, EVERY week has been a long week. As I am now a little over halfway through my time in Uganda I am realizing I need to take advantage of every opportunity I can before it's over.