Reverse Culture Shock

Things I noticed/ dealt with upon returning to America:

• Seeing a myriad of colorful faces
• My skin complexion no longer being the majority
• Drinking the tap water
• Brushing my teeth with the water
• Not having to wait 20 min after turning on the water heater to have a warm shower
• Flying over mansions with their own pool & tennis courts and thinking about the concept of necessary space to live comfortably 
• Riding to the New York airport in a taxi with just me…and paying $35 for the taxi
• Understanding everything people say
• Being able to use my cell phone everywhere
• Feeling the need to reconnect on social media
• Not saying hello to everyone I pass/ not having them speak to me
• Paved roads
• Missing natural beauty because we walk around on a mission

Solo Traveler

Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace

I had a 10 hour layover in London so I decided to explore the city since I’ve never been. I had never traveled alone in a foreign city before so I was nervous, but determined. While in the Entebbe airport, I looked some things up about how to navigate London, but of course none of it was applicable because once I arrived I discovered that the tube (subway) drivers were on strike. Instead, I had to take the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and then figure out the bus system. A nice older British gentlemen who now lives in Texas sat next to me and told me which bus to take from there.

In front of Buckingham Palace

In front of the London Eye

Big Ben

With my map in tow, I found my way to Buckingham Palace. In fact, I happened to get there just in time to see the changing of the guards! I then found my way to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. By then I was starving and walked into a nearby pub for lunch. Of course I had to order Fish and Chips…when in London. I happened to sit next to two women from Columbus, what are the odds!? Afterwards, I took a 45min river cruise to see the London Tower, all the major bridges, and some other historical buildings. I was mostly glad to be sitting. 

Earlier at the restaurant, I was able to use their wifi to download a bus app and get the directions back to Paddington Station. Despite having the directions, I was nervous that I had gotten on the wrong bus, but thank God I did it! It felt so good to successfully navigate being a solo traveler. It was liberating just knowing that I could do it. It was a short, but wonderful experience. I would definitely like to come back to London someday and experience more of the famous city. 

Until Next Time,

*Nicole 

On the river cruise

The 6 Hour Journey

Last day with my class

What a beautiful last day I had. Blue skies, warmth, and sunshine dawned Kaihura. I woke up for breakfast to say goodbye to the team before they left for work. It was nice to hear that they enjoyed me being there and felt like I was valuable in helping them navigate the transition into life in Uganda. I’m glad they were so willing to receive advice. After they left, I hung around the house, helped wash the socks, finished getting my things together, and decided what i’d leave behind. I enjoyed spending my last hours with all the different people that work within the compound. For lunch we had millet, a traditional Ugandan dish. I remember disliking millet last time, but it was surprisingly pretty good. Maybe it’s because Agnes is such a great cook! It was perfect to have something so authentic before leaving. 

Laundry on the last day

Around 2:30pm Steven and I headed to town to wait for the bus to Kampala. He teased me for it, but I was adamant about taking the bus and not a matatou (taxi van) because I wanted to have my own seat for the 4 hour trip. 1 bus passed us, but it was full. Many matatous passed, but I just didn’t want to do it. The matatous are packed with as many people that can possibly fit and they stop frequently to pick up and drop off passengers. I wasn’t too worried because I had given myself plenty of time (I thought). We sat and sat and sat. Steven started to get anxious so I agreed to take whatever came next and wasn’t full. I then prayed real hard that it was a bus!

Millet

A little before 4pm, a full matatou stopped. My friend William and I laughed because we just knew that wasn’t the one we were going to take. Steven went to talk to the conductor and then waved for me to come on. My heart dropped and all types of thoughts about how bad the trip would be raced through my mind. We got in and I had to share a foldable seat with another girl. It was a 15 person van…we had 19 people. We stopped frequently and the driver drove fast, dodging trucks, cars, motorcycles, and people. At one stop, 5 people were getting on to go to Kampala. Of course I didn’t see any room, but they somehow got in. We waited there for about 15 minutes. I wasn’t sure what was going on because Steven and I were in separate rows, but the other people in the van were getting upset shouting at the driver and conductor out the window. One man kept hitting the side of the van to indicate “Let’s go!” I couldn’t understand the language, but I knew they were ready to go and so was I! I later found out that we had been waiting for another person in that party of 5, but he wasn’t ready so we ended up leaving him behind. 

About 30 min into our journey, the 2 people sitting up front with the driver got off and Steven motioned for me to join him in the front. That was the deal he had made with the conductor back in Kaihura, that we could have the 2 coveted front seats when the other people got off. They never put more than 2 people up front with the driver, I think it’s to more easily get past police check points without them realizing the van is indeed overcrowded. I was so thankful. We had tons of space up front! (Or maybe Africa has skewed my idea of spaciousness) We had great conversation and the ride as a whole wasn’t bad. I’d actually recommend it, BUT you must sit up front. 

Steven's son Joachim is a Duke fan too!

Half way through the trip we stopped in a city for people to be able to buy food. We quickly hopped out to use the bathroom and find someone selling my ultimate favorite- chapati! Once we were back in the van, people kept coming up to the window trying to sell us drinks, fruit, meat on a stick, etc. There was a little traffic when we got to Kampala, but nothing too bad. By then it was 8pm and dark. We had to walk from the old taxi stand, to the new one in order to get a taxi to Entebbe. It was really hectic. We were in the heart of Kampala with my big suitcase, duffle bag, and backpack. The sidewalks and street were incredibly crowded so there wasn’t enough room to roll my suitcase, meaning Steven had to carry it under his arm. Steven was a typical overprotective brother and was very worried about me. He looked back every couple seconds to make sure I was still there. We walked for about 10-15 minutes. 

Waiting for the bus with Steven & William

Our van to Entebbe filled up quickly and we were on our way. The traffic was horrible! Entebbe is maybe 35km or so from Kampala, but it took almost 2 hours. We were at a total stand still several times. The driver actually turned off the car. Once we arrived in Entebbe, we had to get another taxi to take us into the airport. We finally arrived to the airport a little after 10pm. I was extremely exhausted after the crazy 6 hour journey!

Saying goodbye to Steven was hard because before I walked off, I realized this was likely the last time I’d see his face in person for a very long time. It’s as if in that moment, things became very real. Saying goodbye to the people I’ve come to love never gets easier… 

I slept 7 of the 8 hours to London. 

Until Next Time,

*Nicole

Independence Day

4th of July Party

Our outdoor kitchen

Our Ugandan July 4th was a big success! I typically love spending Independence Day abroad. I feel more patriotic when I’m away. Maybe it’s because I stop taking for granted the comforts of home when I’m somewhere foreign. We made hamburgers, hot dogs, mac & cheese, fried pineapple, cream corn, homemade potato chips, brownies, cookies, and guacamole. Everyone chipped in to help, it was great. We had about 25-30 people in total. Following that we went to the soccer field to play a game of 2-hand touch American football. People in town were fascinated watching us play because they don’t have American football. Football to them is soccer (I’m not sure why we switched the name

since our football isn’t even played with your feet). It was refreshing to get some cardio in after eating all that yummy food. Finally, later that evening, we lit fireworks that someone had found in Kampala, the capital. This was one of the most fun 4th of July’s I’ve ever had.

Reunited with my teachers from 3 years ago

My time is winding down and I’m torn between feeling like it’s time to return home and knowing that it’s likely to be years before I ever return to Uganda. I often said it was my heart and not my head that led me back to Uganda. I came back for my relationships with the people I love and I’m so grateful for the ability to do so. 3 years later and I feel like we picked up where we left off. My goodbyes at school went much better than last time. A couple students cried, and while I definitely got teary eyed, no tears actually fell. I think it’s party because didn’t spend a full 2 months at the school this time around. A ton of students however wrote me letters. Reading them will be difficult and I know that when I do read them I’ll instantly long to return. 

My second to last morning we woke up and discovered that the town didn’t have water so we had to go fetch it from the well. Each jug was about 30-40 lbs. The walk wasn’t too far but with the heavy water it felt like it took a while. Plus, it was uphill and muddy. Talk about a morning wake up call! 

The group after we climbed a nearby mountain

Until Next Time,

*Nicole 

Blessed

One day this week we all decided to help out at the construction site because they had the daunting task of moving 2 large piles of bricks. The truck that delivered the bricks decided that the path to the actual site wasn’t clear enough and so they dumped the bricks further up on the hill. 10-11 of us made an assembly line and threw bricks to each other. It takes some coordination, but once the line was in sync the bricks moved fairly quickly. The hardest part was keeping pace since the bricks were heavy and depending on where you were standing you may have been receiving them on a slop or throwing them pretty far. We threw them from the original pile to the middle and then had to form our line again from our new middle pile to where the men were actually laying the bricks. At the end of the day it didn’t even look like we had made a dent in the brick pile. My body was so sore the next day. I have a lot of respect for the Duke students whose placement is the construction site, they do this type of physical labor all day everyday. 

Some of the students came to help move bricks

Every Thursday around 11am the school holds fellowship. A group of students lead praise and worship and then a young local pastor gives a short message. This Thursday, Matt (pursuing a Masters of Divinity at Duke) preached and did an excellent job. He talked about the fruits of the spirit and being sure that we are good ground for God to sow into. He learned all of the fruits in Rutoro (the local language) and the kids just loved it. It means a lot to them when foreigners put the effort forth to learn their native tongue.

Volleyball Practice

Jamie, Matt, and I were asked to coach the school’s new volleyball team. This is the first time most of the students have played volleyball and they had a game in a week! I’m not sure how the teachers expected them to be ready. I was impressed by how much the students improved each day from the beginning to the end of practice. I think their physical lifestyle helps to breed athleticism. Soccer (they call it football) is the main sport in Uganda and I’m amazed at how long they can run up and down the field. It’s fun to watch the community together in the evenings and on weekends to play sports. 

Babies caring for babies

My afternoons at Home Again (the orphanage) are still great. The kids love being held. I can’t blame them for wanting attention. I can’t imagine growing up in a house with dozens of other children and only a handful of house mothers responsible for everyone. How often do they get one-on-one attention? How often are they held? This isn’t the fault of the house mothers, it just comes with the territory of a children’s home. I previously mentioned the game a couple of us came up with called “pee or water?” Well I failed the other day. I was peed on twice in one day! That seems like a lot, but I’m sure that’s nothing compared to someone that works there all day. Once again, I have a lot of respect for anyone that volunteers full time there. It’s a joy, but it can be emotionally taxing knowing that you’re helping out, but these kids lives will remain the same when you leave. They probably won’t get half as much attention until new volunteers come. Realistically, most of them won’t be adopted and Home Again will be all they’ve ever known. I sometimes think about how different my life would have been if I was in their shoes. I had the privilege of being born into the American foster care system instead of a Ugandan orphanage and that’s made the world of a difference. Blessed is the only word that comes to mind. Through no deeds of my own I ended up where I am. I am blessed.  

Until Next Time,

*Nicole