The end of an experience

I've returned for what might be the last entry of my Mbarara blog...

Our project has wrapped up very nicely. We went above and beyond our original 1300 goal and recorded 1615 total interviews. The data has been entered and sent back to U-M; we'll get to delve into the analysis later in August/September once our brains have had a chance to relax. Three of the Ugandan students at MUST will be joining us at the end of August for a one month stay in Ann Arbor. All I can say is that I can't wait to take them out for some of our traditional pasttimes (rollerskating is at the top of my list).

I'm sitting in my hotel in Entebbe, 7 hours away from my depature, thinking about how I could possibly sum up what's been the most monumental experience of my life so far. There's much that could be said about what I've seen, what I've done, and how I feel about it all. I can't help but think I should just keep it brief. Only so much can be - and should be - described here...

I haven’t traveled the world yet, so I can’t really make comparisons - but I can verify that what I previously read about is true: the people of Uganda are spectacular. I've been surprised countless times when people have gone above and beyond in helping me without expecting anything in return. It’s made traveling here so much easier and pleasurable. Our project leader, Godfrey, has also been the most gracious host we could ever ask for; I'm going to miss him this fall.

I’ve actually started to realize I'm going to miss a lot of things; the gorgeous views of rolling, fertile hills, the brilliantly sunny sky that woke me almost every single day, the amazingly cheap price of beer and local, organic foods, the beautiful children running up to say “how are you?”, the wind rushing by while riding a boda and the generally relaxed pace of life. Of course, many things I’m happy to depart from; the armies of bugs that seem to defy physics and enter airproof containers, relentlessly strong bacteria that preyed upon my foreign skin, supermarkets filled with a bunch of things I don’t want, a general lack of privilege that attest to how lucky and spoiled Americans are, and that everlasting, stubborn brown stain on my heel.

Uganda is special - I truly believe it's "the pearl of Africa" and I know that one day I must return. But no matter what happens, it has etched a special, sacred place in my heart that I'll keep with me my entire life. Farewell - for now.