10 Days Later
Having 10 days without posting a blog (partly due to my blog burnout and partly due to Uganda's horrible WiFi service) gave me time to put all of my efforts into getting as much knowledge about the clinics in Uganda as well as the culture. In the past 10 days, I had various experiences with the KIHEFO clinics and staff while also attending a non-American Thanksgiving party and Christmas party for past clinic patients. I spent time trying to absorb as much as I could in the short amount of time I spent in Kabale, Uganda.
With it being only 2 weeks long, this trip felt dramatically different from my past two volunteer stints in South America not because of the difference in culture, but because of the group dynamic that us students created. From the get go, Irene, a visiting dietician from Italy, was worried that this new group of four students arriving toward the end of her 8 week visit would take lots of time and effort to become close with. She had become used to life in Kabale and had a weekly routine, involving morning runs, daytime hospital visits, and countless card games before our group of 2-week intensive students arrived. However, we all came to be a very close group within the time we were around each other and I wouldn't have changed one thing about our group. Even now, I do not remember the awkward initial conversation starters like "Where are you from?" or "What are you studying?" because we became comfortable talking with each other so quickly. Or maybe it was because I had been jet lagged after two full days of flights. I may never know, but I will forever choose to believe it was the first option.
Being able to discuss what I see and learn abroad is, in my opinion, one of the most crucial parts of my travels. Everyday during our walks back to our apartments, sitting on the couches in our living room, or over a delicious dinner, our group got the chance to discuss our experiences at the clinic. We bonded over the babies we saw born at the maternal clinic, over the informative yet complicated crash courses on different communicable bacterium, over the adorable children that we got to play with during our downtime. We would all spend time going through our photos of the day, admiring the candid shots that we took of the community and each other. Some days when we were burnt out after a long day, we would end the night with music and one of the two card games we all knew how to play. Other nights ended with silent reflection on the cultural, gender, and racial barriers that Ugandans still face today and what needs to be done to break them.
Our little family of world travelers set out to completely different countries after our time in Kabale, with one person going back to America, one to the Netherlands, Irene to Italy, and me to Paris. We bonded over our last bottle of wine with hope in our hearts that we would one day reunite. I will always remember this trip because even though it did not turn out exactly how I expected, the experience I had was nothing short of amazing.
- Nicole
Luscious Landscape in Kabale
With it being only 2 weeks long, this trip felt dramatically different from my past two volunteer stints in South America not because of the difference in culture, but because of the group dynamic that us students created. From the get go, Irene, a visiting dietician from Italy, was worried that this new group of four students arriving toward the end of her 8 week visit would take lots of time and effort to become close with. She had become used to life in Kabale and had a weekly routine, involving morning runs, daytime hospital visits, and countless card games before our group of 2-week intensive students arrived. However, we all came to be a very close group within the time we were around each other and I wouldn't have changed one thing about our group. Even now, I do not remember the awkward initial conversation starters like "Where are you from?" or "What are you studying?" because we became comfortable talking with each other so quickly. Or maybe it was because I had been jet lagged after two full days of flights. I may never know, but I will forever choose to believe it was the first option.
Our KIHEFO apartments (top) and courtyard/pavilion (bottom):
Being able to discuss what I see and learn abroad is, in my opinion, one of the most crucial parts of my travels. Everyday during our walks back to our apartments, sitting on the couches in our living room, or over a delicious dinner, our group got the chance to discuss our experiences at the clinic. We bonded over the babies we saw born at the maternal clinic, over the informative yet complicated crash courses on different communicable bacterium, over the adorable children that we got to play with during our downtime. We would all spend time going through our photos of the day, admiring the candid shots that we took of the community and each other. Some days when we were burnt out after a long day, we would end the night with music and one of the two card games we all knew how to play. Other nights ended with silent reflection on the cultural, gender, and racial barriers that Ugandans still face today and what needs to be done to break them.
Our CFHI group with Dr. Anguyo and his wife Sylivia:
Our little family of world travelers set out to completely different countries after our time in Kabale, with one person going back to America, one to the Netherlands, Irene to Italy, and me to Paris. We bonded over our last bottle of wine with hope in our hearts that we would one day reunite. I will always remember this trip because even though it did not turn out exactly how I expected, the experience I had was nothing short of amazing.
- Nicole
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