I honestly cannot believe that my time in Uganda is done, this has been the fastest summer of my life. Hard to believe that in three months time I made so many new friends, had so many experiences and LIVED IN AFRICA! This has been one of those adventures that will be in memory for the rest of my life.
One of the people that I work with asked me what I would miss about Africa, and when I thought about it, there are only to things that I wont miss. (1) Cold showers and (2) the dust. Everything else in some way made my time here what it was.
The study abroad program at UW is having a photo contest so i went into the neighborhood that I live in and took some pictures with the kids. I also gave them some candy, so I think they had fun.
I will never forget the people here, in the Baganda culture it is customary to give someone a ‘remembrance.’ Although these people have very little they try to share what every they have. Several of the traditional healers gave me food, papaya, mangoes, passion fruit, bananas, I didn’t have the heart to tell them that I cant take it back to the US :( One of the healers also gave me some flowers.
Some of the staff and the people who live in my neighborhood I’m Kampala gave me some mats, baskets, and a traditional guitar or entongooli. Now the challenge that I'm having is trying to fit everything back into my suitcase…Ive started ditching clothes in favor of the gifts I got. The 4 year old boy who lives near the forest school and sometimes brings me things brought me some weird fruits that looked like some sort of melon, they were raw cacao pods.
The inside was slimy and full of seeds, but the goop was very sweet and tasted nothing like chocolate.
It is also customary when you make a new friend to give a present to their parents, so I’m bring a couple of baskets and a mat home for Mom and Dad.
My flight leaves Kampala tonight at 10:45 but we need to leave Kawempe at 6 because of traffic. All of the people from the staff and the local interns are escorting me to the airport so it will be nice to see everyone right before I leave. On the way home I will spend a couple of days in Brussels then be back in Maple Valley on the 20th. Then school. These next few weeks are going to be busy.
This will probably be my last blog, thanks for everyone who has in some way helped me to have this amazing adventure.
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