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