Today makes six weeks and four days since I made this daring journey to Uganda. I’ve experienced a lot of ups and downs both mentally and physically… Let’s just say one moment I’m extremely happy, then the next I catch myself crying. I started out as 132 pounds when I got here, now I’m 120 pounds. I have no idea where that weight went. We all have the same twenty-four hours in a day but somehow, I feel as though I have so much more time in one day out here compared to my family back home. Living in the village is extremely different as compared to living in the city. It is almost like going from New York City to Albany except it’s a slower-paced environment here with limited internet connection. I often catch myself thinking about life more than I usually do at home. So many questions start to run through my head. Questions like; am I moving in the right direction towards a medical career? Am I going to be able to support my family when I come home? Am I going to be able to support myself? Will this experience not only change me as a person but will it prove to myself and medical schools that I am worthy? And am I moving backwards instead of forward? There are also times when I get a sudden burst of energy to just clean, read, or write. Here, I have had a lot of time to think and reflect on my life choices and what it is that I need to do to become a better person and role model for others in my community. I can truly say that I will be coming back as a changed person, a positive change of course. This experience has definitely been the mental break I didn’t know I needed and I hope that when I come back home I can catch up to the New York minute I’m accustomed to. That’s the scary part.
Weekend in Kampala, Uganda
Whether you are working in a city, town, village, or country that you’ve never been to before, it is often good to just take a break and experience the culture in which you reside in. An ‘all work, no play’ attitude all the time is definitely not good for your mental health. So last weekend I took a break! I went zip-lining in Jinja, saw monkeys on the way through the forest and went to see the source of the Nile River, and even got some beautifully handcrafted souvenirs. I also went to a concert to watch a reggae artist named Chronixx perform and I did this all in the span of two days. I definitely didn’t know all the words to his music or songs so I literally started listening to his songs as much as possible right before the concert. Later on, Elizabeth and I went out dancing at a place called FAME and there was so much wonderful energy pulsing in there, but honestly, the funniest part about my whole weekend was that night specifically. I knew that I wasn’t in New York anymore when instead of offering to buy me a drink, I got offered a cow from a man named John. He took time out to show me his land, his cows, chickens, and pigs, then told me he would give them all to me as a sign of affection or interest! The whole time John was talking to me, I was really trying to figure out how I was going to get all these animals through customs at the airport. It would be nice to get back to New York and be like “Hey, look what I got from Africa, a whole farm!” I am for sure in a different world out here! All in all, this week has been one full of reflecting and mindfulness about my life and where I am going, as well as one jam-packed with just as many fun activities to help me unwind and get more comfortable with the culture out here. I’ve enjoyed this past week and a half and look forward to more adventures out here!
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