I've got just 17 days left in my Ugandan life. And I'm not quite sure what to say here. But I felt compelled to give it one last blog while still a volunteer.
Janurary, Febuary, and March came and went. As did the other volunteers in my group. We came as One United Front, but we leave alone. We seem to slowly trickle out of the country, one by one. Some with our tails between our legs. Some with smiles on our faces and finally exhaling. Some with tears and maybe a bit of relief. And some of us leave not being quite sure if that's the right choice for us...maybe we should stay.
I've been struggling with an exit strategy myself. I certainly don't want it to be sloppy and regrettable. And some days, I wake up and the air is so quite but the birds are so alive and I wonder when I'll get another Ugandan morning after I've left. Change and movement are necessary and inevitable, of course. Sarita and I have always been slight nomads ourselves, growing up with divorce and joint custody and Tuesdays and Thursdays take you to one house and every other weekend... yadda yadda yadda. We've adjusted to this life well and prefer movement. But sometimes, you start to wonder when and where the settling will come. Just when you begin to gain a connection to a place, you leave, often because you 'have to' not because you choose to. So, now I have to prepare for the next move, back to 'home', but also back to a culture that I'll never be quite sure that I fit into.
RUCODEP has struggled on, however. And I hope they will continue to. At the bead workshop yesterday, I had to remind them that Im leaving Kaliro next week. The look on their faces is both so resigned to the idea yet so shocked that they have to let me go. Leaving Kaliro is not something that I'm looking forward to. I'm afraid I will be a hot mess that day and need my cocktail hour to come a few hours too soon just to 'deal'.
And it's been a great past 3 months. I've gotten to aid in Red Cross relief work; I've helped RUCODEP surpass the one million shilling mark in their bank account, all out of their hard work; I've finally enjoyed the services of the Kampala Serena Hotel (which is a much deserved thing for all volunteers to do); I finally got to see the elusive animal known as the "chimpanzee"; I've said good goodbyes to the volunteers from my group whom will always share an awesome relationship.
I'm not the only one who has been getting busy with changes these past 3 months. Uganda faced deadly mudslides, university riots and the burning down of a central cultural institution - Kasubi Tombs (just to name a few). Uganda felt stagnant too, I suppose.
I woke up today with the thought that I could get a lot done - namely pack my house up and start deciding who will get what items of mine as i leave- (if only you put your mind to it!)...but, me being me, I chose to paralyze myself by thinking. So, here I am, chain-smoking, washing clothes and avoiding the inevitable. I may be a nomad, but I'm a procrastinating nomad. I know I have to leave, but can't I just think about that tomorrow??
Well, I'll be seeing most of you soon. I'll try not to be too weird, but there's a pretty good chance I'm gonna be a weirdo for a long time. It's strange to love two places at once and to want them both equally all the time. So far, I've been lucky enough to make my young adult life in many places of my own choosing. I don't see myself slowing down anytime soon!
Here are some links and pictures that wrap up the past 3 months pretty well for me.
Enjoy!
Love
LB
PC Press Release on mudslides
http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.press.view&news_id=1548
Kasubi Tombs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasubi_Tombs
Bududa with PCV's and Red Cross volunteers.
FINALLY! Got my "Testes as chocolatey as it looks" photo. Thanks Cadbury!
Chimp!!! I cheated - it's at the Entebbe Zoo.
2 comments:
Cheater chimp chump.
Hi,are you willing to help me, a graduate student in University of Minnesota, understand the electrical needs of the people in Uganda? Thanks.
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