From Rwanda we moved to Kabale, Uganda. It quickly became one of my favorite places. I can still picture the streets, the rolex stands (no, not the watch. The delicious chapati, egg, cabbage, onion, and tomato goodness.), everything. It's such a friendly town. This was home to Edirisa, a company that offered us many volunteer opportunities all across southern Uganda. Two of these were schools in Bukinda and Kitanga. In Bukinda I was shown how music can dramatically increase a person's happiness--this was the only school I saw with a music program. I was shown a magic tree which reminded me of how close to nature we should be living. I was shown the rewards of hard work. In Kitanga I experiences the overwhelming power of positivity. We helped at SNEC, one of the most beautiful special needs centers I have ever come across. Each child was unique. All had their own special gifts and talents. Rebecca would cling to us like a little monkey; Joel could capture the world with his smile; Peter was full of perpetual happiness and enthusiasm; all inspired me. Children just yearn to be loved, as does everyone, really. And everyone deserves to be loved. Sure, they were not always kind to each other. Rebecca would simply be sitting peacefully in my lap and boys would yell at her telling me she was destroying private property and causing problems. What property? I asked. She's not doing anything wrong. I adore those children. We can all learn so much from them.
Lake Bunyonyi then presented us with an opportunity to relax and reflect. I was rejuvenated by the water. I could swim out to the happy raft then think and attempt yoga and meditation. It balanced out the constant energy of before quite nicely. We then made our home in Jinja. After rafting the Nile we settled in with Soft Power and painted two classrooms inside and out with Wildcat blue waves. I do hope they brought some sort of inspiration to those beautiful children. This school was also where I took a moment to stop and literally dance in the rain. Sometimes you're just overcome by urges to do such lovely things. You heart flies out into the field and you can't help but follow it as you dance around trying to catch up with your soaring soul...and then proceed to wash your hair.
Our next stop was Mbale where we learned all about the coffee industry. It's amazing how much effort goes into one little cup. The people there were some of the kindest, most welcoming people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They were so open minded and accepting of all.
We were also lucky enough to be able to brave the chaos that is Kampala as various points throughout our Uganda stay. It is also one of my favorite places and for the total opposite reasons of Kabale. You never know what will happen in Kampala whereas you almost always knew what would happen in Kabale. Kampala pushed me out of my typical comfort zone and helped me develop a new one. I loved feeling lost yet knowing that everything would work out in the end. Home will always be found.
Thanksgiving was spent in Sipi Falls which was absolutely beautiful. I loved exploring all of the different falls with the help of local guides and not knowing what was coming next. Exploration has been so crucial to my life. I apologize for the brevity of this post. I'm sure I'll have more reflections on everything after I get back from Nepal and possibly even before that.
Lake Bunyonyi then presented us with an opportunity to relax and reflect. I was rejuvenated by the water. I could swim out to the happy raft then think and attempt yoga and meditation. It balanced out the constant energy of before quite nicely. We then made our home in Jinja. After rafting the Nile we settled in with Soft Power and painted two classrooms inside and out with Wildcat blue waves. I do hope they brought some sort of inspiration to those beautiful children. This school was also where I took a moment to stop and literally dance in the rain. Sometimes you're just overcome by urges to do such lovely things. You heart flies out into the field and you can't help but follow it as you dance around trying to catch up with your soaring soul...and then proceed to wash your hair.
Our next stop was Mbale where we learned all about the coffee industry. It's amazing how much effort goes into one little cup. The people there were some of the kindest, most welcoming people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They were so open minded and accepting of all.
We were also lucky enough to be able to brave the chaos that is Kampala as various points throughout our Uganda stay. It is also one of my favorite places and for the total opposite reasons of Kabale. You never know what will happen in Kampala whereas you almost always knew what would happen in Kabale. Kampala pushed me out of my typical comfort zone and helped me develop a new one. I loved feeling lost yet knowing that everything would work out in the end. Home will always be found.
Thanksgiving was spent in Sipi Falls which was absolutely beautiful. I loved exploring all of the different falls with the help of local guides and not knowing what was coming next. Exploration has been so crucial to my life. I apologize for the brevity of this post. I'm sure I'll have more reflections on everything after I get back from Nepal and possibly even before that.
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