Last Blog Post In Africa

Wow.  I can't believe I'm actually at this point.  I knew I was going to study abroad in Uganda since about senior year of high school and it actually happened and now its basically over.  


I have had an amazing time here and I've learned so many things and had my eyes open to perspectives I never would have thought about.  I have formed amazing relationships with new American friends and with Ugandans, especially my family, that will never end or be broken. 


So after four months in this amazing country, I'm ready to go back home.  I'm excited to see my family, Logan, my friends and youth group people that I have been missing for this semester.  I'm excited to sleep in my own bed, use American toilets with toilet paper every time, and drive my car - but im scared I'll end up driving on the wrong side of the road! Its a little hard to picture driving right now actually... 


BUT, even though I'm excited, I think it will be way harder to adjust back to American life more than it was adjusting to Uganda.  For one, I wont encounter poverty on a daily basis.  I will have a million more choices to make every day, every hour even.  And everything will be easy, and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.  


So, it would really help me if would please avoid saying: 


- How Was Africa?  Because, if you knew me at all you would know I'm in Uganda and its a completely different country than all other African countries.  If you ask me this I'll just say great, and nothing else...


- I'm glad your back safe.  Because, I can't really think of a time when I felt unsafe. 


- Please don't make any comments about you being glad I'm not in a third world country.  Because yes, I'm in a developing country that has a lot of things holding it back, like corruption of government, etc.  But this place is amazing and there is so much beauty amidst the things like poverty that Americans could really learn from.  See blog post about presence!  


Those are the three things I can think of off the top of my head, but I'm sure there is more.  All I am asking is to please be patient with me and realize that when I don't want to spend money doing certain things or I try and take a more simple approach to doing life that its just what I have been personally convicted about and I'm not trying to change all of you.  I know that no matter how hard I try you wont be able to fully understand my experience here, and thats totally fine.  


So if you like to hear more about my experience, there will be a lot more processing and understanding of my experience, plus hopefully some more summer adventures!  So thanks for sticking with me these past four months and sharing my journey with me.  Also, if you have any specific questions or things you have been wondering just let me know, I'll have a lot more time to answer questions and put up pictures, etc.  


Webale nyo bassebo ne bannyabo.  Weraba!  


P.S. Rwanda for the next 10 days, Mukono for a night (hopefully at home!), Entebbe for four days, and then I'm back on American soil May 4th - 2 weeks from today!