The Countdown is ON...

One week from today,

aka IN 7 DAYS

I leave Uganda. ……………….

What?!

When I got here last August, June seemed too far away to think about. I remember thinking, “If I just focus on December…” I’d figure the rest out after that. Third term started in September and things were easier; I had the kids to hang out with and get to know, lesson plans to make and football trainings to plan. October claimed 2 cameras, a phone, my license and my Halloween spirit. November came and went with my birthday and Thanksgiving whizzing by, though it did have some shopping trips with kids in there. And finally December came, though it took some momentum in the beginning, it arrived before I knew it! Fortunately, December and January brought me two of my best experiences of the past year: Kenya and a dose of West African life with a month in Ghana.

After nearly 5 weeks away, coming back to Ndejje took some readjusting…again…but we dove right back into work and I was already beginning to feel anxious, in January!, about leaving in June. I knew the next 4+ months would fly by. February, although packed with election craziness and a 2-week quarantine to Ndejje, dropped off the calendar. March began with a new start for 2 of my little friends and their mother and then I found myself on safari. We also had some complications with our program but sorted those out just in time for the holiday beginning mid-April. The 5-week break flew by with some of the best days I’ve had here. It brought new volunteers Alison and Ethan but took Adam from us. And with that, we are closing out yet another month which is completely, totally blowing my mind.

Over the past 10 months, there’ve been certain parts of life in America that I’ve daydreamed about or wished for and lately I’ve been reflecting on those parts of African life that I’ve come to appreciate and will definitely miss…

Being clean: clean feet, clean clothes, clean shoes, clean floors, did I mention clean feet? The dusty roads swirl up in through our windows and cover our belongings with a nice brown frosting. The red mud cakes to our toes, sandals and shoes. One thing I’ve realized is the greatness of a shower. It sounds weird, but it’s such an everyday part of life in America that I never really give it a second thought. Though that clean feeling only lasts here until I step out of the bathroom, it’s still pretty magical. I’d say that I hardly notice the cold showers anymore but that’d just be a lie…

On my cleanliness kick, something I never thought I’d admit but I am very much looking forward to is having a washing machine again… Even though laundry still ranks on my list of Least Favorite Activities, hand-washing my clothes (not to mention bed sheets & bath towels!) TOPS that list, so to the Laundromat I’ll be happy to go!

Another thing I never thought I’d admit was I might have actually missed winter this year. Most definitely, I missed having a change in seasons. Rainy season to dry season and back again didn’t really do it for me, especially since we’re currently feeling drought that’s hitting the region. The sun here is wickedly strong and it feels like it’s frying your skin like an egg. Naturally, I return right at the beginning of summer in the States but once this seemingly never-ending summer actually does end, I will welcome fall, and maybe even winter, with open arms!

There’s a certain politeness threshold we’ve come to appreciate about people in the United States: that line that [most] people don’t cross because it’s just plain rude to do so. Society generally frowns on certain questions, staring too long and obviously or voicing certain comments. In my time in Uganda it seems that threshold is virtually non-existent. We’ve heard some pretty crude things, ugly things and most of the time, they don’t even make sense. The way we’ve been talked to by some adults here is outrageous, but we’ve come to see it as the norm; overly blunt and in your face. I’ve most enjoyed the “I love you me!” or “My size! My size! You are my size!” cat-calls from the disgusting boda-boda drivers…

Similarly, I will actually be happy to be anonymous again, or at least to be the one doing the people watching, rather than the opposite. Of course I knew in coming to a small village in Africa I’d be giving up (some of?) my anonymity, but there were days where I felt so lonely and sad and alienated because of the lack of privacy. It was certainly unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. But today I don’t really take notice of those blank stares and as I walk around, I hear the “mzungu” calls but I’ve learned to tune them out.

Though, you can imagine not every person we know here stares long and harsh and not every person shouts out insane comments. There’s Moses, the quiet chapatti guy at the bottom of my hill who has a great smile and perfect posture. There’s fashionable Claire who always invites me to watch Desperate Housewives with her whenever I come to her shop. There’s jolly Jennifer who cracks up hysterically everytime we come to buy fruit and veggies. There’s the chips-and-chicken selling Ruth who is so happy to greet us when we walk by and even more delighted with our attempts at speaking Luganda with her. There’s White Sox supporter Moses who makes my day that much better by having ice at his shop…can you believe he’s even thrown in some FREE snacks before?! What’s more…there’s even are some truly nice boda-boda drivers like Stephen, Steve and Ronald who will happily give me a fair price and a safe ride, something I’ve come to truly appreciate.

While on my boda-boda obsession, another thing I’ll miss getting to be outdoors as much as we do. We get to watch the sunset over beautiful hills every night. It’s even just the simple things like running through the rain with the kids or sitting outside all day drawing, doing puzzles or playing mancala that are so peaceful and wonderful to me. Though I already mentioned my desire for squeaky clean feet, some days it does just feel good to be dirty, worn out and completely exhausted. That’s how I know I really gave myself to whatever project we were working on or whatever I was doing with the kids. I’ve also really been able to reflect on what was happening in my life. I’ve been able to sit back and see what I truly wanted and what was important. It’s all too easy for that time to slip by without notice back home, but the time for insight and reflection has been such a positive here. I’ve been able to recognize what it takes to live simply. Much of that I hope to bring back home with me and remind myself there’s no need for all that excess…queue NYC skyline, ahem!

And, I couldn’t forget to mention the cheap food! Where else will I get a pineapple the size of my head for .70cents? Or an avocado for .30? Kikomando isn’t in the U.S. (yet?!) but I will miss that delicious dinner, certainly at the price of .35cents. The delightful bananas are unlike any I’ve had at home, and speaking of rarities back in the States, you know I have to shout out to the senene I’ve fallen so in food-lust with: the grasshoppers!! I will be making a pit-stop on the way home from the airport for some iced coffee. If you know me, you know I love the stuff but you can’t imagine the hassles and craziness I’ve encountered just trying to get a few little ice cubes in my coffee. To the horror of just about every barista in Uganda/Kenya/Ghana I like plain ol’ black coffee, no milk, no sugar and certainly not whipped or with cinnamon or ice cream! (That barista was German, but from Spain, and had been living in Africa for years…need I go on?). Rwandans though did get it right and didn’t sneer! Delicious coffee, too.

Then there’s of course the soccer obsession that has swept every house in every town and village. After asking your name, you can be sure to hear “Which club do you support?” It’s The Sport of this continent and it has been nice to be around so many supporters of the game I love. At home I’d be hard-pressed to find people crowded around TVs or bars packed because of an EPL game, but this past World Cup did give me some hope for the future of soccer in the US. That said, I’m daydreaming about bleacher seats at baseball games this summer and still hoping to finally make it to my first NFL game in the fall… Still, soccer will always be #1!

One of the last things that I will miss is actually all that utter whackiness and complete bizarr-o-ness of truly living in Africa. All those TIA moments. Every contradiction we had to discover and figure out again and again. Like why people are so focused on cleanliness, so much as to sweep the dirt path outside their house (picturing my grandpa sweeping our curb under our mailbox when I was little), yet they will throw trash anywhere they feel like. Or simply, why is Celion Dion the Western singer of choice? I learned I could never predict what was around the corner, yet somehow I always knew. I guess I have settled in here more than I’ll know until I’ve returned back to the States…

I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun!

Though this week is my last, it’s bittersweet. It will be fun, for sure, but I have to say goodbye to these kids in 7 days and it’s a crushing weight on my heart right now. I’m of course excited to be returning home but I have no idea how to express that on top of processing the other emotions tied to leaving the kids. Saying goodbye is this band-aid that’s been stuck on since returning from Christmas break in January and I’m dreading ripping it off. I’m trying not to think about it, but all the kids know the countdown is on and I can see it on their faces. Everyday they come over afterschool I feel it. I’m going to need some serious strength to keep it together when saying goodbye to these fantastic, beautiful children I’ve absolutely come to love!!