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| My silly kids |
I went and visited the children’s home for the last time. I
held up pretty well until I got to one of my students that asked me every day
if I would come back to Kaihura. He was hesitant to even give me a hug, my
heart throbbed and I quickly moved on to hug the rest of my students so I could
leave. As I was leaving he came for another goodbye and I couldn’t do or say
anything but wrap my arms around him. That’s when I lost it. What touched me
the most was that he said “Madam, it’s okay. Don’t cry!” Our roles had totally
switched! I was supposed to be telling him that. I figure that the emotions are
so real and I believe it shows strength to allow them to flow freely. I was in
no mood to act tough, so I was true to my feelings. Tears streamed down my face
and as I looked down at him and he said those words to me I could tell that he knew. He knew that I genuinely loved him.
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| Kings of Kaihura Volleyball Team |
Our last night of volleyball was fun and we actually played
pretty well too. Once again, we had another round of goodbyes to say. Afterward
we went on a final hike as a group up a big hill on the side of town. We didn’t
take a trail, but instead treaded through tall grass to create our own path. I
can’t help but think of the symbolism between the hike and our entire trip to
Uganda; an unconventional, life changing
summer. We may have faced challenges
along the way, but in the end it was a beautiful sight and well worth it. The
view on top of the hill was great and we got to watch the sun set. It started
raining on our way back down. Kenneth pointed out that it rained on our first
and last night in Kaihura. We had come full circle. The rain was like a total cleansing. We are now starting
afresh, life continues to move on and so must we. The rain washes away, but you
still see the remnants of it and never forget that it rained. As much as I
hated to leave, at this point my heart was ready
to go.
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| On top of the hill |
We had quite the meal for our last super. It was one of our
favorites, fried food night! We had fried Irish potatoes, fried eggplant,
beans, pork, and my personal favorite chapatti.
As expected, our Wednesday morning departure was pretty
emotional. A bunch of people in the village came to say goodbye. Before getting
in the van we made a big prayer circle and Faith prayed for our safe travels.
Talking to our friends for the last time made me feel really good because I
know that by just being myself I
touched other people’s lives. I don’t think I did anything extraordinary, yet I
was sincerely loved. I feel like Kaihura was way better to me than I was to
them. If I had a dollar for every time I told someone in Kaihura I loved them
and sincerely meant it, I would have hundreds and hundreds of dollars.
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| Our Ugandan friends that lived with us and helped us out so much! |
We spent 3 days in the capital city of Kampala. It was a
culture shock for most of us because we drove 4 hours and went to an entirely
different world. Kampala is just another big modernized city. Big buildings, hundreds
of people, malls, restaurants, and pretty much everything we have.
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| The busy city of Kampala |
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| Our last dinner/ cultural dance show |
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| Rafting in "The Bad Place" |
Thursday all of us went rafting in the Nile. Most of us had
never rafted before, but that didn’t matter. We were convinced that we wanted
to do the most adventurous thrilling rapids there were. 15 beginners went class
5 rafting. Class 5 is the highest you can do in a raft! I am a thriller seeker,
but no way was I prepared for this. A full day of rafting is a big workout and
I woke up pretty sore the next day. Our last rapid before we got out to eat
lunch was called “The Bad Place.” Little did I know that it certainly earned
that title. It was the toughest of them all; we were all thrown out of the
boat. It seemed like I was underwater for an incredibly long time. I can’t help
but to remember that while I was underwater I told myself “this was it” and
said a little prayer. For those few moments I actually thought I could die.
Water is incredibly powerful and fighting it is a lost cause. My body was
literally beat up by the waves, just thrown every which way. I ended up very
far from the raft and had to be rescued by one of the safety kayaks. It was an
experience and it’ll be some time before I attempt rafting again and an even
longer time if I ever do class 5 again.
Sunday8/5 (excerpt from my journal):
“Touch down in D.C. in 20minutes, yet I already feel like
Uganda is so far and so long ago. That’s exactly what I was afraid of. I know
I’ll never forget, but I desperately want everything to stay fresh and relevant
in my mind. I want to remember all the scary, good, funny, and absurd times we
had. It’s time to go home, I want to go home, but I’ll forever miss everyone in
Kaihura. Relationships like that don’t just disappear.”
There are just so many people I love here. Other than
school, this was the longest I’ve ever spent anywhere away from home. Life goes
on, but I’ll never forget Kaihura, Uganda as long as I live. It will forever me
a part of me. Kaihura helped make me who I am today.
And because it happened, I smile.
This is the End,
*Nicole
*Nicole
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