AAAHHHHHHH!!!!

This (exciting news) calls for a "post" so pour the champagne!

 I COS IN ONE MONTH!

• ·         Meaning, I will complete my Close Of Service in just over 4 weeks!
• ·         Additional meaning, I will no longer be a Peace Corps Volunteer in 30 days!

It’s been such a wild ride and I’m so very happy that I stuck with it and saw it through til the end! Thank you everyone for your love and support <3

I’VE BEEN IN UGANDA FOR (OVER) TWO YEARS!

• ·         Here’s a link to a video song parody I made to celebrate my group’s wonderful achievement: Two Years

Last Friday was my cohort’s 2 year anniversary in Uganda. Some of us met up and celebrated with a night on the town and a delicious breakfast the next day :)

I GOT A JOB FOR AFTER PEACE CORPS!

• ·         It’s actually a 10 month internship through AmeriCorps in New York about 60 miles north of the city on the Hudson River as an Environmental Educator/Naturalist.

WOW! I can’t explain the relief I feel after sending in 45 applications for a solid month :P Cheers to this new and exciting upcoming adventure! *clink*

MY SCHOOL GOT A REPLACEMENT VOLUNTEER!

• ·         The new group has arrived and we get to go meet our carriers this weekend.

It was always in my head that my school would get one, but now that it’s official, it’s another thing I don’t need to worry about anymore. I’m excited to see the work she continues here!

Treat-yo-self breakfast
to celebrate all this good news!

Since I only have a little over a month left, I have been spending a lot of time reflecting on the last two years. It’s really difficult to put my thoughts and emotions into words, so for now, I have created lists to give some insight into those thoughts.

THINGS I’LL MISS ABOUT UGANDA

• ·         G-nut sauce with rice
• ·         Matooke with meat sauce
• ·         Pineapple, mangos, avocados, passion fruits
• ·         Cheap produce and market clothes
• ·         Kitenge fabric and tailoring clothes
• ·         Fresh milk and veggies
• ·         My trading center friends
• ·         Kids surrounding me with hugs, smiles, and calling my name
• ·         Uganglish/The way Ugandans phrase things
• ·         “Somehow”, “Wangee”, “Well done”, “Likewise”, “Ka-”
• ·         Low preservative foods
• ·         Funny talks with my teachers
• ·         Making my own schedule and having free time
• ·         Going to and leaving work whenever I want
• ·         Peace Corps friends
• ·         House geckos
• ·         Baking with the dorm girls
• ·         Heavy rains on my tin roof
• ·         Greeting strangers on the road
• ·         A sense of community
• ·         Willingness to help
• ·         Banana trees and the landscape
• ·         Wearing the same clothes multiple times
• ·         Voice undulations
• ·         My Ugandan friends
• ·         Way of going with the flow
• ·         Slow paced lifestyle
• ·         Leaving my front door open
• ·         Notes from pupils
• ·         Bargaining and going to the market
• ·         Quiet time at home/Lazy days
• ·         Minimalist people and imaginative kids
• ·         Always bright mornings and nice weather
• ·         Not paying rent, insurance, bills
• ·         Sleeping under a mosquito net
• ·         My village, trading center, school, and house
• ·         Not needing to turn lights on during the day
• ·         Resourcefulness
• ·         Eating grasshoppers
• ·         Fast food road side service
• ·         Fetching water/Being water conscious
• ·         Easy access to movies and TV shows

THINGS I WON’T MISS AS MUCH

• ·         Rude ssebos (men)
• ·         Women inferiority and sexuality hate
• ·         Extreme religiousness
• ·         Corporal punishment in schools
• ·         Being called “Mzungu” constantly
• ·         No privacy
• ·         Being asked for  money or to take them to the US
• ·         Being harassed
• ·         Being told to marry them and produce children
• ·         “Give me”, “It’s coming”
• ·         Mosquitoes and house bats
• ·         Dry season/No water/Too hot to sleep
• ·         Dirty hands grabbing at me
• ·         Posho and beans
• ·         Loud overnight worship services/Bar music
• ·         No ceiling/Dust in my house
• ·         The constant crying baby
• ·         Nothing being on time
• ·         Dealing with carpenters and business people
• ·         Bargaining (it’s a love/hate thing)
• ·         Site loneliness
• ·         Burning rubbish and garbage everywhere
• ·         Bad roads and terrible public transport
• ·         Over filled taxis that constantly stop and delay
• ·         The heat/Always sweating
• ·         Now vs Now-Now
• ·         Public urination
• ·         Poor treatment of animals
• ·         Picking noses then shaking hands
• ·         Kneeling and required must do greetings
• ·         Meetings
• ·         Back biting/No direct conflict resolution
• ·         Mosquito nets (another love/hate thing)
• ·         Kampala (the capital city)
• ·         Taxi and bus parks/Conductors
• ·         The ssebo spread (men extending into your seat)
• ·         Biting into rocks when eating rice
• ·         Exploitation of child labor
• ·         Plastic water bottles

THINGS I’M EXCITED FOR IN THE STATES

• ·         Food (this is a list in itself)
• ·         Transportation (public and my car)
• ·         Constant power and hot showers
• ·         Being able to be out at night
• ·         Privacy/No one noticing me
• ·         Seasons/Winter/Fall
• ·         Snow/Cold/Sleeping under heavy blankets
• ·         House boots and (fuzzy) socks
• ·         Endless internet data and phone minutes
• ·         Looking up memes and Youtube videos
• ·         Running water and having a ceiling
• ·         No bars on the windows
• ·         Friends and family of course
• ·         Visiting someone for a few hours only
• ·         Holidays/Christmas lights/Fireworks
• ·         Keeping time and recycling
• ·         A variety of music and activities
• ·         Having things to do/Concerts
• ·         Meeting new people and starting a new job
• ·         Drinking from the tap and recycling
• ·         People loving their pets
• ·         Feeling clean/Eyebrow wax/New underwear
• ·         Hair cut/Blow drying hair
• ·         Washing machines/Hot clothes from the dryer
• ·         Highways going around towns
• ·         Video games and AC
• ·         Ovens for baking
• ·         Smelly good stuffs/Bath and Body Works
• ·         Actual (not foam) mattresses
• ·         Wearing Converse outside and being barefoot inside
• ·         Running outside
• ·         Traffic laws and sidewalks
• ·         Being able to look up while walking without risk of falling into a hole
• ·         Opening the boxes that I left behind and rediscovering things forgotten

Here’s to making my last month the best one yet ;)