Back Home

I am back home in Chapel Hill safely! I arrived about a week ago, and I feel like not a minute has gone by when I haven’t thought about Uganda. I try to explain what I experienced to my friends and family, and although it is not as hard as when I returned from Rwanda last summer, I still have trouble putting into words how everything that I felt, saw, and did while I was there changed me.
The day after I got home, one of my friends asked me what the most important thing I learned was. I was a little caught off-guard, because so many thoughts flew through my mind. There were so many things I learned about myself, about Uganda, and about the world. One important thing I really realized is that you can be "poor," but still be happy and live a fulfilled life. Of course, I wish no one had to live in the utter poverty that exists around the world, and it makes me flat-out angry that people have to struggle every day just to survive. But the longer I spent in Uganda, the more I began to question the meaning of poverty. It's true that most people in Katosi have very little money, no running water, and maybe not many opportunities for education. And that is awful; it must change. But they do have a lot of other things; they have a community, they have passion, and they have hope.

I think it was that hope that has filled me with an overwhelming sense of love for the wonderful people I met in Katosi. They weren't just acquaintances, and they weren't just friends, they became my family. And I miss my family. I miss the neighbors who I would eat dinner with, make paper beads with, and watch Fresh Prince of Bell-air with (which everyone LOVED!!). I miss the hilarious yet incredibly dedicated primary school teachers who worked tirelessly to make their communities healthier, cleaner, and just better in general. I miss the family I lived with, and the endless waves of random people who came to, and sometimes slept in, our home. I miss the woman across the street, who would give me painfully hard Luganda lessons every time I went to buy a Fanta. I miss the man at the Chapatti stand, who would always gave me free samples of food when I was waiting to pay for my dinner. I miss my porch children, who I would color and play hide and seek with every afternoon, that made each day a little bit brighter. And most of all, I miss the students in Sanitation Club, who came to school every day with positive attitudes, no matter how hard things might have been at home. Every time I think about them, I can't help but smile.

I am sad that this is my last blog post, because it makes me realize that I really am back in the United States. But Katosi and Uganda will always be on my mind and in my heart; I know this is not the end of my experience. I am so glad I get to continue the Kicks for Katosi program for the next few terms, and who knows, maybe next summer I'll be able to deliver the shoes to the kids in Katosi myself:)