The big farewell

This past week has been very full with end of semester events, grading and getting ready for a few weeks of travel. A highlight has been a visit from my friend Heather! She was here my first 6 months in Uganda and was able to come back for a visit before I leave. Heather has been a wonderful guest- cooking for me, being encouraging and having lots of good laughs together. She got to be here last night for our big USP farewell dinner (probably 350+ people!) which was also a UCU farewell to me. Here we are as the event gets started:

There were a lot of nice speeches, both about the students and me, and a very sweet one from the Bartels family. Here are Rachel and Mary in their Ugandan outfits:

It was hard not to feel a bit self-conscious about all the nice things being said. I tried to embrace and enjoy the time with so many people that have become important to me over the past 4 years- the host families, the practicum site staffs, the UCU community and, of course, the USP staff. This year we did the matching outfits again and you can see the results below:

I am definitely grateful for all the ways I have learned from and been challenged by the various people at the dinner last night. During my "farewell speech" I read the quote that is on the side of my blog by Miriam Adeny. Very aptly describes the feeling of leaving Uganda right now.

Tomorrow I leave for Rwanda with the group and will be traveling through the time the students leave May 2nd. Will be back to blogging in May!

My Easter Weekend

This is my 5th consecutive Easter in East Africa (last year I was in Rwanda, the others in Uganda). I really enjoy Easter here for several reasons- the services and traditions of living in an Anglican community, and the heavy emphasis on Jesus and almost no emphasis on chocolate, bunnies or dying eggs. We also get Friday and Monday off which is the only long weekend scheduled for the year, so it makes it extra special!

I did a few things over Easter weekend- Friday to Saturday I went to Jinja with my friend Elizabeth. It was a great (almost last) time together- here we are by Lake Victoria:

My friend Kate came out to stay Saturday night and we had an Easter brunch at my place. There was a lot of good food- we did the somewhat traditional eggs-in-a-bag that turned out quite well.

I also appreciated the different opportunities to remember Christ's death and resurrection. I attended a Wednesday service, a Good Friday service and the Easter Sunday service at UCU. Living here has made me appreciate the liturgy and traditions of Anglican worship, and I love the symbol of the reverends all wearing black on Good Friday and then white on Easter, so beautifully symbolic! Easter morning was a lively worship service, I took one picture which doesn't quite capture it but shows the choir leading us:

One thing I have really enjoyed this Lent season is reading through a daily devotional book with a friend, Pilgrim Road by Albert Holtz:

Everyday he tells a different narrative about his travels, then offers a reflection and scripture to go along with it. I looked forward to reading it every night and will truly miss it's daily insight.

With the end of Lent and celebration of Easter, I am looking ahead to a busier month. The next few weeks will bring final classes, grading and events. Then we leave for Rwanda with the students, plus debrief at the end, with the students leaving May 2nd. This end of the semester is always a push, so I am glad for this long weekend of reflection and rest.

Rwanda Visit: Part Two

As I mentioned in my previous post, the main reason I took a trip to Rwanda last weekend was to visit a friend and see Lake Kivu. It was quite a different experience from traveling with 50 other people (which I"ll be doing in 2 weeks). I flew, which shortens a 12-15 hour drive to a 45 minute flight, and the picture to the left is of our take-off over Lake Victoria. I realized I have rarely taken off or landed during daylight in Uganda so it was nice to see the lake as the sun came up.

I stayed in Gitarama for one night, which is about an hour outside of Kigali. My second day Christi and I took the windy road to Kibuye on the lake. In the picture below I was trying to capture the twists and turns of the road but it doesn't quite do it justice- lets just say the motion sickness medication was very tested.

We stayed at a Catholic guest house right on the lake which had amazing views and surprisingly good food. Our first morning we had crepes and giant fruit bowls. The picture of Christi with our breakfast is a great moment- sitting on the terrace, with good food and looking forward to a fun day.

Lake Kivu is on the border between Rwanda and Congo. Not sure if you can actually see Congo in this photo, but it is in that general direction. Rwanda is often called the Land of a Thousand Hills and it is very obvious why from any point around the lake.

One activity we did was go on a boat ride to an island about 30 minutes out. As you can see below- safety first! It was a pleasant cruise and stop on Amahoro Island.

It was a great weekend of catching up, seeing a new place and feeling refreshed. It was good timing before the busy month ahead of final classes and meetings then 2 weeks of travel with the students.

One funny aspect of the island we visited was this old playground ride positioned in the water. We were skeptical but after some encouragement climbed on and were pushed in a circle over the lake. I had to take a picture as we pulled out of the contrast between the odd and the beautiful, which sums up a lot of what is enjoyable about traveling to new places.

Rwanda Visit: Part One

This past week I visited Rwanda (Thursday through Sunday), mostly to visit a friend, Christi, and go to Lake Kivu. A blog post will be coming later in the week about that! But another thing I did on my trip was get a chance to visit my Compassion child. This is the third visit with Asumani and sponsoring him and seeing him over the years has been an interesting journey. Here is a brief overview- I started sponsoring Asumani in 2002, soon after I graduated from college and was looking for a way to tithe money from my first out of college job. I chose him from a database on Compassion International's website (www.compassion.com) and chose Rwanda because of the East Africa connection and a vague awareness of the genocide.

When I moved to Uganda in 2008 I hoped that I would be able to plan a visit after getting his letters and pictures over the years. In February 2009 I was able to visit Asumani and his family for the first time- here we are at that meeting:

Through this visit I got to meet the Compassion staff in his area and some of the national office staff. I was really impressed with their work and care for the kids. This picture is of me with Asumani and his family along with a few Compassion staff members:

You can see I got a special red Rwandan basket as a gift from the family. After this visit I arranged for our students to hear from Compassion in Kigali and was able to visit again with Asumani in August 2009- here we are with the student group at the Kigali office:

During the past years I've had other interactions with Compassion- the local office near Mukono where our students volunteer, meeting UCU students who are Compassion recipients, and seeing their work and sites around East Africa. I even had a chance to visit their main office in Colorado Springs years ago. I have been grateful for the insight in to the organization I have been supporting for years, and glad to see all the good work they are doing. It seems that their focus solely on sponsorship allows them to have local offices run by people from the community, and supporting the families in their area.

So this past weekend I had another visit with Asumani. Conveniently he lives in the same town (and within walking distance!) of Christi's house. We recognized each other right away, but he is definitely a teenager now! We were able to visit and talk about school and our families and take some pictures together. I told them (through Christi's translation) that I was leaving Uganda and this would probably be the last time I would visit them. Here is Chance, Asumani, me and his mother at their home:

While I don't think that sponsorship is the perfect solution to poverty, it does a good job of providing opportunity and education. Done well, like with Compassion, it can be more than just relief. Getting to meet Asumani and his family helps me see some of the complexities of their lives- health issues, school struggles, difficult living conditions. I understand that sponsoring someone does not change everything for them but a holistic organization like Compassion that cares about the whole family is a good start.

I wish I had a copy of the first picture I had of Asumani when he was 6, but even in these pictures you can see him growing up. Seeing him this past week made me want to recommit to praying for him and his family even though we might not physically see each other again. I am hopeful for him and the ongoing work of Compassion in the lives of so many.

For the love of visitors

In a few weeks I have a friend, Heather, coming to visit, which will almost certainly be my last visitor to Uganda. I have been very lucky to have several visits over my years here, which is especially appreciated because of the time, expense and commitment to get here!

Having visitors has been a highlight of my time here, because it has meant sharing my Uganda world with loved ones from the States. It has also meant getting to see or do something different with them, traveling somewhere I might not have otherwise gone. So here is a review of my visitors over the past 4 years- I tried to contain each visit to one picture but trust me there are a LOT more!

Visit #1: My parents came to visit a few months after I moved to Uganda, March 2008. We went on a safari to Murchison Falls and went chimp trekking. The above picture makes me laugh for several reasons, but partly because we are trekking away and didn't see any chimps! They were also here for my first Easter in Uganda.

Visit #2: In May 2009, my mom and sister came together and we visited Bulago Island on Lake Victoria. They also helped me move to my current house and we did some day trips together. I love the picture above!

Visit #3: For my 30th birthday in October 2009, my lovely friend Lisa came for a visit. As part of her visit we went to Ssese Islands, also on Lake Victoria, with Adeline. We also did some fun birthday celebrating.

Visit #4: For their spring break, Audrey and Duane came in March 2010. I appreciated their presence in the mid-semester and loved the break of seeing them. They went rafting, but I did not join them (once in a lifetime is enough!).

Visit #5: My friend Teresa came in May 2010 to climb Mount Elgon. I am not sure she knew what she was in for! But we felt very accomplished after completing the hike with our group. In this picture we are on day 2 of our 5 day trip.

Visit #6: My cousin, Erika, and her husband Henry visited in February 2011 before completing a work trip. I have actually seen Henry a few other times as he passed through on work-related trips! Henry and my mom tie for the most frequent visitors.
Visit #7: My final visit with both my parents was in April 2011. We went to Mihingo Lodge in Lake Mburo Park which was incredible. While we were there we did a walking safari to see the various animals, thus the picture above.

It was fun to even sort through pictures for this post and remember some of these visits. I am excited for one last visit and grateful for the ones above.

Reentry Perspective: Rosie

This reentry perspective is from my friend Rosie, who moved from Uganda to England last year with her family. As Rosie explains below she and her family had lived in Zimbabwe and then Uganda for an extended period. I was grateful to spend over 3 years in Uganda with Rosie and we had many fun times dicussing and borrowing books, evenings together watching British TV series and sharing life together abroad. Below is me with Dan and Rosie during our USP farewell dinner where they were guests of honor before their departure:

Enjoy Rosie's reentry perspective:

Dan, Abigail, Alex and I moved back to England in August 2011, after living for eight years in Uganda. Before that we had lived in Zimbabwe for five years, and our children were born there. So relocating to England last year was hardly “re-entry” for three quarters of the family, but just ”entry” (Dan being an American). Even for me, I had not lived in a settled way in the UK since I was 24, so setting up home here permanently (for now…) felt like a whole new experience. A few weeks after we arrived here, we were sent on a “Re-entry retreat,” where we were told that for every three years someone has spent on the field it can take one year to feel resettled back at home. If that is so, we are looking at a very long process, and we are only just beginning…

Much as we prepared ourselves, read books, and talked to many people about re-entry, it has still surprised me how strange it has all felt. I remember early on writing that I felt like a boat adrift, randomly casting out ropes to try to find some moorings. Gradually we have found ourselves more at home in the months since then. What has helped is re-connecting with old friends more than once (ie getting past the “it’s been so long, there’s so much to catch up on” conversations) and also making new friends here in Gloucester. We have been really helped by finding a group of people who were also missionaries and returned a few years before us, so they can relate and be supportive in the right ways. And they have been wonderful to us. Meeting to pray regularly with one of them, Christine, has been a great support.

God has so blessed us also with a lovely cosy home to live in, and in giving our children an amazingly smooth transition into new schools and friendships, which they both love. The fact that they are both so happy, even though missing Uganda, has helped me feel good about our move.

I do still miss our African life very much. Much more than I was expecting. I miss the warmth of the sunshine, the brightness of the light and the colours, the joy of the friendships, the reliance on each other, the love in the handshakes, Florence our house help’s quiet friendly presence (OK and her actual help!), and the beauty of the surroundings, the birds, and even the croaking, zipping, chirping, whooping night sounds.

But there is also a list of things I do not miss, and am thankful to have left behind: the chaos and daily irritation of contending with the traffic, the heat, the dust, the ants in the kitchen and the cockroaches in the cupboards (how they kept coming back…), the soft persistent knocks at the door which always came at mealtimes or during quiet times, the clattering and chattering of workers outside your bedroom window or at your back kitchen door unbelievably early on a Saturday morning… oh, and the power cuts.

And here is a list of things I am loving! Especially right now, the season of Spring – so gorgeous and colourful after the drabness of winter, the promise of warmth in the air, the singing and nesting of birds… And the consistency of the power supply, the safety and ease of driving, the five minute school run, seeing family regularly, old friends, chocolate bars, gin and tonic in the evenings, Doritos, the local library, Alex getting to do hockey and cricket, weekend walking in the beautiful, gentle English countryside. Lots of good things!

So it is a mixture of relief, gladness, sadness, pain, comfort, nostalgia, longing, thankfulness… crowned with a good deal of stress in all the decisions that had to be made when setting up home from scratch here, and missing the friends you had come to rely on in the challenges of life, - the friends back in Uganda!

The plethora of choices we have here is probably the biggest difference, and also what most of all makes the transition difficult. Choices in the supermarket – how many types of bread, yoghurt, or toothpaste, do people need? Choices in which supermarket to go to, which power suppliers to go with, which TV channels to have and how many, phone and internet providers, choices in how to pay each of them, choices choices choices. It all seems reckless and out of control. One cringes for the environment, and then tries to work out how to harm it least in this consumer-mad life we are embarking on. Recycling bins proliferate outside every supermarket, but it makes you realise how much STUFF people have, everyone, not only the rich people. Then you think of Ugandan friends, families living in houses with incomplete roofs, the whole family sleeping in one or two bedrooms sharing beds, children having no books or toys of their own, cooking on charcoal. Then it all seems so skewed and, unavoidably, unfair.

But are people here aware how rich they are, how comfortable life is, how good their daily food is, how safe their roads are, how abundant their possessions are? They are not. They are often dissatisfied and compare themselves with those better off than themselves, they grumble about prices, about the government and about the health service… Not everyone though. And actually, this part about people’s lack of awareness of the world beyond theirs, I was expecting. Perhaps it is me who needs to remember to be thankful, not to take the comfort, pleasures and predictability of life here for granted. How though to reconcile the life we are now leading with the years that have gone before…that, I am still working out. I know we want to serve God here as we did in Uganda. People here need a Christian witness in a way more than they did there. How to embark on a new phase of life without divorcing ourselves from what went before, that is slightly puzzling at the moment. It feels like such a different direction that we are taking. But I believe God still has something for us here that we have not found yet. And he will show us his plan. For now, I am just giving myself time, to settle, and to recover. I am realising at this point that I need quite a lot of time, and then… God wil show me what’s next. This realisation has given me peace.

Rosie and her children in England.

Moving: Step #1

One of the things I have been giving a lot of thought to lately is the actual logistics of moving from Uganda to the States. I have accumulated a fair amount of stuff while living here- books, movies, furniture, and decor. Luckily, most of the big furniture will stay for the person who replaces me, so I don't have the job of selling or shipping that. But thinking about the rest of the items, I know I won't take it all back to the States- some of it will go to better use in Uganda and some I won't have the room for.

So last weekend I had a preliminary moving sale of various items. Above you can see my living room stacked with books on the couches and movies on the table. I also gave away magazines for free and had some kitchen and house items for sale. I invited friends on campus to come and peruse the sale. I think I sold about half the stuff so now I am figuring out how to go forward from here. I am hoping to donate some books to a 2nd hand store in Kampala, drop some magazines at doctor's offices and maybe do a final low, low prices sale.

For the remaining items I am going to do a combination shipping, packing and sending with (generous) friends. At this point I don't have a great sense of how much stuff that is, 2-4 suitcases? Many more? I know I'll ship a painting and coffee table (below) that I love but will have to see if any other big items end up in that category.

Having the moving sale made it all seem very official, and the realness of packing and moving will be here soon. I have some travel coming up- Lira this weekend, Rwanda (maybe twice) and debrief in the next 7 weeks, which always makes things go quickly. I am hoping getting an early start on moving will make it more manageable come June.

Reentry Perspective: Peggy

You may remember the first reentry perspective I posted back in September from my friend Lisa. (I am hoping to have more coming soon!) This writing is from a friend who left Uganda two years ago, Peggy. Peggy and her husband were in Uganda for 10 years and I shared 2.5 years with them. Peggy and I share a love of reading, and she is the mother of my good friend, Abby. One of the things she did in Uganda was start a children's library for the community. She is pictured below in the library.

Peggy sent me the writing below about transition and I asked her if I could post it, and she graciously agreed. Enjoy reading a thoughtful perspective that we could all learn from on how to transition well!

Traveling by Raft in the Twenty-First Century

Most people don’t believe me when I tell them I traveled on a raft from the Source of the Nile in Jinja, Uganda to the source of the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. But I did, and I commend your building such a raft if you are contemplating a major transition in your life.

As we were packing up to leave Uganda Christian University after 10 years (2000-2010) as missionaries, a German visitor who had made a similar transition shared a simple diagram from Interaction International using the acronym “RAFT.”

“R” stands for Reconciliation. Do not leave without doing all in your power to be reconciled to anyone you have had conflicts with during your stay. For me this included emailing a missionary back in the U.S. whom I felt I had let down; and inviting a helper who had betrayed our trust to a farewell lunch.

“A” is for Affirmation of the place where you have been living. In my journal are entries like these: “African violets the size of lilac bushes; lively Sunday worship with over 500 Ugandan university students; exposure to a culture where people take priority over things…”

“F” for Farewells, not neglecting these in the busyness of packing or in fear of the emotions they would call up. My husband and I were guests of honor at many farewell events, from big ones to smaller parties hosted by groups like the Literature Department, where I taught occasional courses. The latter gave me one of my favorite gifts: a carved wooden map of Africa with a poem and my students’ names taped to the back.

Finally, the “T” of “Think Destination,” which I shortened to “Think ahead,” helped balance the sadness of leave-taking with hopes for the future like better access to our stateside children and friends and a return to the particular beauties of the other three seasons (Uganda being “perpetual summer”)…

After I pulled my raft up on the banks of the Ohio River where I live near Pittsburgh, I climbed off and began a new/old life here in the house where we brought up our children. Despite the advantages of flying on a 747 with inflight movies and reclinable seats, I commend embarking on a handmade RAFT for the emotional and spiritual part of any journey where you are moving from one home and ministry to another.

Uganda is #Trending

I noticed yesterday that a video about Uganda and Joseph Kony was trending on facebook, and I was very surprised! You can look up the video by googling Kony2012 or just looking on facebook. The conflict in Northern Uganda with the LRA has gotten a lot of press in the past and is one of the main things people are able to identify with Uganda. But to see it being posted by so many different people was interesting- former students, friends I am in touch with, friends I only see on facebook, etc.

I would say the reaction to Invisible Children in Uganda is pretty mixed, like most NGOs there is some good and some bad. And I would say that sums up the video and it's message- good effort but maybe not the best vehicle or way of going about it. I have read a few good critiques of the video that are here if you are interested:

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/07/guest_post_joseph_kony_is_not_in_uganda_and_other_complicated_things

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-what-s-the-story?fb=native

I think the bigger question though is how Americans/ Westerners should "help" Africa. People have asked me over the years what is the best way to help, what does Africa need- probably hoping for a succinct reply that they could act on. Unfortunately, it is just not that simple- if only we could just write a check, send a shoebox, or sponsor a child and that solved any issues of guilt or helping.

One of the best books I have read on this exact question (and the first thing I thought of after seeing the Kony video) is When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. This is a book we read with our students that discusses how helping can affect people's lives in ways we don't realize- and not always for the good. The discussion of the difference between relief, rehabilitation and development is extremely helpful in recognizing that we are often seeking to provide relief when that is not what is needed, and is actually harmful. So, I think instead of buying an Invisible Children bracelet you should buy this book:

Then think and pray about how and what you want to be invovled in. One thing I will take away from my time in Uganda is that we can have the biggest impact and ability for relationships in proximity to where we live. So volunteering somewhere that you can build relationships. Getting to know people who others would identify as poor will be harder and more time consuming than writing a check, but closer to how Christ lived his life and we are called to live ours. I have thought a lot about how to apply this to life back in the States when I return, and this was a good reminder that being intentional, informed and prayerful will have to be a priority.

The Beginning of the Lasts

Now that it is March and today marks 2 more months for students and 3 more months for me in Uganda, it feels like the end is coming quickly. I have started having some "lasts"- my last rural home stays, my last weekend in Sipi, my last waterfall hike (see picture below) and planning a last dinner with American friends who leave this month. I think these moments will start to pile up and it will be hard to appreciate all the last things. Also, life is still moving along with regular work and routine responsibilities so I can't be in the "last" mode all the time.

Several people asked me how I feel about my final rural home stays. Right now I am glad to be done and be back home. However, I think I will look back on my times in Soroti and Kapchorwa with fondness and nostalgia in the future. Since I can't process every last thing in the moment, I will have to be able to look back with appreciation.

The following is a quote I first read when I was studying abroad in Kenya (12 years ago), and it has stayed with me. Enjoy the quote and the final picture of a small lizard I may never see again (also, all picture credits to Rachel):

You couldn't bear the thought of seeing things for the last time, and things included all that had become a part of your affection and anger, or even the vague feelings which you couldn't corner or define. Things included people, objects and situations. Whether you were glad or sorry to be rid of them you couldn't bear the thought of seeing them for the last time.

- from In the Castle of my Skin by George Lamming