Day 74: What I will miss about Uganda

So even though I have felt homesick many times while I’ve been here, I have truly enjoyed my time in Uganda. For all its beauty, incredibly friendly people, and yes even the randomness, Uganda will always have a special place in my heart. So in this entry I will list all the things I know I will miss about Uganda.

1. The people: Even though I have dealt with some real ignorant ish here, overall, the people are incredible. I mean, they are so nice, genuine (for the most part) and kind hearted. Mbale is a pretty small town. So we see a lot of the same people- the people who make chapatti, waitresses/waiters, people we’ve played volleyball with, people we’ve met through other volunteers and others around town. I would say 90% of the time, these people will stop us to say hi and ask how we are doing. And no they don’t ask me to leave them my cell phone (See Day53) or ask for money. They just stop to say hi. It’s so refreshing. Considering Uganda (even though it was mostly in the North) has been exposed to conflict, has rampant corruption, and the women are not always treated equally, the people are just so friendly.

2. The beauty of nature: I have mentioned it time and time again. But the natural beauty of this country is amazing. No wonder it’s known as the “Pearl of Africa”. I have lived in the city or a semi-suburb (In NJ) the majority of my life. I have never been exposed to this type of nature for this long before. It’s so nice to watch a sun set and see how the colors paint the sky. It’s so nice to sit on a mountain and look over a city. To see all that God created and see how small a lot of things I stress are in the grand scheme of life.

3. TASO: This organization is amazing! With all the challenges of being in a low income country the staff always greet you with a warm “good morning” or “Milembe (hello in Luganda) everyday. The staff here are incredibly friendly and always willing to help. It’s inspiring to see them do their work day in and day out, when sometimes they don’t have all the supplies, or they’re hungry, or they’ve been in a village at outreach for over 6 hours. I have learned so much while I’ve been here and so glad I was with TASO.

4. Just being in Africa: As many of you know my family (Mom and Dad’s side) are from Sierra Leone. Yet this is my first time in Africa. I kinda had this romantic view of Africa as the origin of civilization and the epitome of all we as black people have to be proud of. Now it has been all that and more -- calming, peaceful, resilient people, and SO beautiful…. BUT it’s also jarring and a reality check. Despite everything there is to appreciate about the continent, they have so much further to go. They have so many strides to make in their mindset and what it will take for true progress to be made. s beautiful and the people are so nice and friendly, but there’s corruption and discrimination and many more strides to be made. Despite all of this there is a level of serenity and peace I have found by being here. When I get older and I’m married and have kids and such I will definitely take mad trips here just to get away from the hectic-ness of the US.

5. Slow pace: This ties in with #4. Early on it was frustrating but now I have come to embrace it. I have grown accustomed to AP (African people for you slow ppl) time. I have learned when someone says I’ll be there in 30 mins…that means an hour. Food takes over an hour to be prepared here. For example, when someone at TASO said they would be back in 5 mins and didn’t come for 2 hours. Things just go along at a turtle’s pace. I’m kinda (emphasis on the kinda) that I don’t have a job waiting on me because I would show up late for that whole first week. It’ll take time to get back into the swing of things but I’m sure I’ll manage.

6. The cheap prices: Now I know I paid $1300+ dollars to get here so it all evens out in the end but everytime I go grocery shopping in the US I will think about how much it woulda cost in Uganda. Mangoes for 4 cents, Avocados for 10 cents, coconut oil (all my natural sistahs stand up) for 75 cents….man it will definitely be on my mind

7. The randomness: Yet another thing that frustrated me at time, but hey it made the trip so much more entertaining. I have tons of stories to tell when I get back and each day it was something different. When I get back something will trigger yet another random Ugandan moment that I will be able to crack up at when looking back.

I know I know this list seems short especially since my next entry will be focusing on the negatives. Ah well…give me a break.