UGANDA I HAVE COME HOME

UGANDA I HAVE COME HOME

Well maybe this is a bit exagerrated, but coming back to Uganda certainly does feel like a good fit, and it took less than a day to start feeling like this is a good fit, at least for now. But before I go to far, lets cover a few background details.

In 2009 I spent 2 months volunteering in Gulu Uganda with the Concordia Volunteer Abroad Program (CVAP). This year I am back leading the trip of students from Concordia University. Yesterday morning I arrived with 6 volunteers, and in a few short hours there will be 5 more arriving. This year I am the one with a bit of knowledge and experience here. And best of all, it didn't even take a day for me to start seeing friends here that I haven't seen in 2 years.

The past few months have been a bit chaotic, between planning this trip with my boss, Ms Jamie Robinson, completing my degree at Concordia, graduating, working on Beads of Awareness, (I'll write more about this shortly) and then getting my life in Montreal prepped to be put on hold for 4 months. I'm so glad that I had the time to visit with friends and family, and get a few things squared away. Originally the plan had been for me to travel to Uganda in May and to spend six months here, but political unrest and a few other factors forced CVAP to cancel the first student trip for May and June. In hindsight this was fortunate for me, as there was really no way I would have been able to do much to get my life in order if 3 days after finishing my last exam I had jumped on a plane to Uganda. It also gave me the chance to attend my graduation ceremonies with some of my best friends and my parents, so while for many of the student volunteers postponing the trip was frustrating and disappointing (some were unable to re-arrange their lives to travel for July and August), for me it was some good luck.

We fly out of Montreal July 2nd with donations and bikes to carry beyond our own luggage, and quickly hit a roadblock when British Airways wanted to charge us extra for carrying extra baggage. Thanks to some great ingenuity by the B.A. staff in Montreal in the end we were able to bring all our donations and not have to pay hundreds of dollars to bring them. Thank you so much to the B.A. staff at Trudeau airport, you almost made me cry but in the end solved all my problems and I was ready to kiss you all. We flew through Heathrow in London, where we had a 12 hour layover. The student volunteers all went in to London for the day to sight-see. I had visited London a couple times in 2009 on route to flying to Uganda, and found it always cost me almost 100 pounds for the day, so instead I took the advice of my boss Jamie and spent the time in a day spa in the Sofitel hotel attached to the airport. Such a good investment of 25 pounds. The hot tub, steam room, relaxation room and many different lounge chairs to sleep on were delicious. I'm not that great at sleeping on planes, (which is weird because I am a professional caliber sleeper anywhere else, and often struggle to stay awake in cars) so being able to sleep for hours in a comfortable chaise lounge was worth every penny, although the dreams were extremely vivid and still are making me scratch my head.

July 3 we jumped on the plane in Heathrow at night to fly to Entebbe airport, outside Uganda's capital Kampala. Met by my boss and other employees of CVAP I was quickly seeing friends again I haven't in years, and it is so humbling to see that they are all as excited to see me as I am them. Driving through Kampala was an instant shock to the system and reminder of just how similar and different life is in Uganda as compared to Canada. The crowds of people on the street, the crazy drivers and seemingly suicidal motorcycle taxis (boda bodas), all the smells, colours and concentrations. In so many ways as a foreigner here life seems more intense.

For the next few days we will be staying at the Guest House at Mackerere University in Kampala, and right away I am reminded of just how friendly and kind people are here. People make time to speak with others, even complete strangers, and all my many ridiculous questions are met with smiles, laughter and patience. While Kampala is overwhelming in so many ways, the people that live here are every bit as kind and warm as those I know in Gulu. I can't wait to get back to the north of the country, smell the fresh air, work in the garden and feel the soil beneath my feet, and see the intensity and clarity of the stars at night, but I can't also forget or ignore Kampala as it is every bit as eye opening and amazing as Gulu. And fortunately I have already seen so many friends.

I need to sleep now, so I will write more later, and hopefully get an internet connection to post this. My eyes are closing from exhaustion while my fingers are still eager to continue flying. There is so much to write but I need to sleep. The spirit is willing but the flesh so weak.