DAY 7 | My Weekend in a Nutshell

I woke up at 8 am Friday morning because I was the first one to be picked up from homestays at 9 am. I took breakfast with my Papa, he gave me a “thank you” letter he had written for me, and he and my Toto shared the Ugandan name they’d given me- Ainapakin. They told me it meant “peace/comfort” because I had given them so much comfort during my stay. Sweetest thing EVER…and I was so excited I had a Ugandan name!

My Toto gave me the gift she had for me- roasted g nuts and oranges. Almost immediately following breakfast, we heard the Range Rover pull up to take me away. It was a very sad good-bye. I gave my Toto a hug and was on my way. Once I had been picked up, we drove to Dave’s compound to pick him up and I had to say a second good-bye to his family, who I’d grown close to as well. It was a tough morning! The two of us were driven back to Margaret’s, where we boarded the coaster bus and were driven to the spot where we’d meet up with the rest of the students.

It was a lot of waiting around, and Katie was in the last group to be picked up, so when she got out of the van I’d been waiting forever and was so excited to see her. Once we were all present and accounted for me, we boarded the coaster and made our way to Sipi Falls. It was about a 3ish hour drive and when we got there we were given our rooming assignments, time to get settled in, and then instructions on where to meet for tea and debriefing.

We had a huge group discussion about our time with our families, and talked for the majority of the time about gender roles and how they differed in the two cultures. It was hilarious- there were about 5 guys in a group of 38 and they were pretty much entirely terrified to speak up about their take on gender roles. That night we had dinner, and headed to bed soon after.

The next morning I awoke and went to breakfast where I learned Katie had been sick all night. I was planning on doing the all-day hike, but I didn’t want her being by herself all day so I ended up hiking to the first big waterfall and then coming back to check up on her. When I got back I hung out with her for awhile, ate lunch, and ordered lunch for her. When everyone else had gotten back from their hikes, I took off with a small group to go on a tour of a small, local coffee plantation. I don’t even like coffee, but I definitely enjoyed the tour and even drank half a cup (it wasn’t half bad). Unfortunately, the caffeine kept me up ALL night and I slept in way late, missing the worship service and arriving to breakfast when everything had been picked through. We packed up the bus and vans and headed back to campus which was about another 4 hour drive.

The instant I got off the bus, I grabbed my bags, ran to my room and got my butt in the shower. It was by far the most amazing shower I’ve ever taken. Period.

That concludes my week! Hope you enjoyed it!!! And props to you if you actually read everything.