Month four started out with a lot of energy! Vietnam has been my favorite month so far, my team was in a great place, we were going to our next continent, and it was our second debrief!
Debrief is always great. It’s filled with fun (I whitewater rafted down the Nile and only almost died once!), laughter (we had a talent show that was awesome), love (we have time for one on ones with our coaches/mentor/squad leaders/and squad mates), and worship.
The rest of the month did not hold the same level of excitement. Going from Vietnam to Uganda was more difficult than expected. We had a lot of freedom during the day to go and do what we wanted because of our set schedule. In Uganda our schedule was more relaxed and our living conditions more constricted. We weren’t allowed to go anywhere without a chaperone. Being 26 and not being able to go on a walk with a teammate and needing to take along the 14 year old that we lived with was a difficult pill to swallow. Much of the first week/week and a half was spent in our room.
To make things even more difficult, it was the holidays. I was missing my family and friends more than ever. I took to carrying around my dad’s iPod, listening to songs I used to hate, because it made me feel like I had a piece of home and that was all I wanted.
As the days went on, and we started integrating ourselves into the daily chores alongside the family, things started to get better. They realized that we were capable adults and let us go places on our own. It took me to long to realize the special situation we had in Uganda. We were given a family for the holidays. Up until this point we hadn’t lived with a family, and now we were becoming a part of one.
Even though I didn’t get to spend Christmas and New Years with my family, I did get to spend it with my Ugandan family. And that’s pretty cool!
QUICK UPDATE
For month 5 we are in Rwanda! Seriously loving it so far and it has only been a few days! Unlike some of the other teams on our squad, we are not near the capital this time. We are actually only about an hour away from the Rwanda/Uganda border. It is awesome! The view is beautiful and our host is the best! This month will be very different and I am excited for it!
However, there is extremely limited Internet. So I will not be available. Please email me and/or comment and I will respond as soon as I can! Love you all!!!
Until then, later days!
