Homeward Bound

Thursday, July 31st:
This is it. I’m in Entebbe, fresh from a hot shower at the hostel and repacking my bags for tomorrow morning’s flight. I can’t believe it’s all almost over.

I’m glad I stuck around for debrief. We had a presentation this morning on the planned program changes for next year and the state of funding (dour), and it felt good to go over a lot of our feedback and it was actually kind of nice to get certificates.

Parting ways with everyone was rough. I got a big hug and a nice note from Dennis. I burned picture CDs for him and Wilber. Some people are staying in Jinja tonight with plans to head in to Kenya tomorrow, so I said goodbye to them after lunch, and rode in Kampala with the others who are traveling to Rwanda and elsewhere. It was okay saying goodbye to most of the volunteers, knowing that we’ll keep in touch and it’s likely that I’ll see them again someday. Saying goodbye to Lucy was tough. She’s been my outlet and ally for so many months and being the only two white people for miles was a pretty unique bonding experience. It’s going to be strange not sharing every waking moment with her and I’ll miss her like crazy. We have a whole lot of memories to look back on.

I had a serious bout of anxiety around lunchtime. The thought of leaving Uganda and being back in American society and saying goodbye to everyone gave me a serious claustrophobic and sick to my stomach feeling. Getting on the road helped and I’m actually really excited about flying tomorrow at this point. I am really looking forward to the movies and food on the plane, and seeing Tom will be so wonderful. Emily’s cookies are something to look forward to too.

Still, looking out the matatu window as I rolled out of Kampala, I realized just how used Uganda I am, compared with how foreign it all seemed at first. It feels like home. While I was waiting for my taxi to leave for Entebbe a vendor came up to my window, and I had him go and get me some cell phone airtime. And I thought, weird, I would never ask someone to do that at home. Everyday living is going to be so much different.

Paul (of the parish) had been calling me about trying to meet up in Kampala on my way out, and we had a brief final meeting at the taxi park. He gave me a drum and a nice card. It was a bit rushed but really sweet of him.

Rich’s friend Robbie, who’s been here working with another volunteer organization, is here and is on my flight tomorrow. It’s a small mzungu world in Uganda.

…Tom’s calling!



Friday, August 1st:
I’m in London! The flight here from Entebbe was great. I ended up being seated next to Robbie, so we got to share in the thrill of the in-flight food and movies together. I watched Cold Mountain, Smart People and The English Patient. Cold Mountain was set in NC.

I’m not experiencing any major culture shock as of yet. It just feels like being in airports on any other trip. I’m not home yet though, so the surprises may be yet to hit me.

I thought I’d be torn about leaving and anxious being around so many white people, but I’m feeling happy and excited right now. I am so pumped to have Tom and Emily waiting for me at JFK.

I’ll post again when I get home and maybe after a couple weeks so everyone can see how the transition goes, but this is about the end of the blog too. It’s been a fun way to keep track of my thoughts and keep people posted but I don’t think I’m cut out for year-round blogging.

See you Stateside!