Oh my travel stories..

Well of course it couldn’t be easy. Well maybe it could, but not for me. I was so close to wanting to turn around, go back to the car, and just go home. But I didn’t, and here’s my story of coming back to Uganda.

Saturday was a good day. Woke up and had coffee with Mom and Dad on the front porch, enjoying a beautiful morning. Then had a slow morning getting ready, finishing packing, visiting with friends and family that came in and out, and really wasn’t getting that stressed or overwhelmed – which some of you know that this is typically how I get before flying – or really traveling in general. Around 5:00 we got all of my luggage upstairs and out to the truck and headed towards the airport for dinner where we were meeting some friends. My flight wasn’t until 10:25, so our timing was perfect – we got dinner at 6:00, then went to get ice cream because we had spare time, then got to the airport right around 8:00, which was perfect. It was tough saying good bye to some of my best friends, but I was excited and thought that this high could carry me tear-free through the airport.  Oh man, oh man.
We get to the airport and wait in line to heck my luggage and as soon as I hand me boarding pass to the guy behind the counter, he looks at it and says, “You missed your flight, it just took off.” Standing there stunned, watching as he circled the flight time “20:25” I immediately knew what I did wrong and started crying. I messed up the 24-hour clock and thought that “20:25” translated to “10:25” and not “8:25”. I was embarrassed, humiliated, and had no idea what I was going to next, or how much it was going to cost me to fix this pretty epic mistake. And what I think bothered me most about this, is I don’t make mistakes like this. I’m not used to messing up, and I didn’t know how to handle it. Then somehow Mom saying “Someday we will laugh about this” really wasn’t helping.
I then had to get in the ticketing line, because there really was a flight at 10:25 p.m. and there was a possibility that I could get on that. So after waiting a while to talk to the next lady – who, praise God, was as sweet and as helpful as can be, because I was still a mess – we finally got up to talk to her and she said that the flight was overbooked and I was on standby but there was no guarantee that I’d be able to get on it..more tears. But then as she was looking at my info, she questioned me having a one-way ticket into Uganda and said that in filling out my Visa information I needed to have a return ticket booked to even be let in. Well my travel agent who I used didn’t know/mention this, so again another hick-up. So long story short I had to book a return ticket right there, and by the time we finished I was the only one left in the check-in line and I was terrified even if I could fit on the flight I wouldn’t make it. But she said that since booking was closed, there was a seat that I could fit on and that I would have time to make it. So after really quick good-byes to my family, still crying, I rushed through security and to my gate.

Another long-story short, I knew a girl on my flight, who was a friend of a friend, who lives in Kampala who was heading back to Uganda too, Mallory. Well seeing as I thought I was on the 10:25 flight the whole time, I thought we had the exact same flight, so that was such a blessing being able to find her after getting to my gate and being able to talk and be comforted by her! Then we get on the flight, and we head to London, for about a 10-hour layover. Well Mallory, my now friend(!), had a friend from Uganda who lived in London going to seminary there, so we were able to meet up with him and take on London! It was great being able to get out of the airport and we took the London Tube (metro essentially) to Kensington Station, the museum district, got sandwiches at a little shop, ate outside, then went to the London Natural History Museum. It was fun but after talking later, Mallory and I thought about how much more interesting and special going to a museum was for Derrick, her Ugandan friend, who grew up in Uganda and museums were something so new and exciting for him. That sure put things in perspective, and definitely humbled me in thinking about how easy it is in the States, especially living in Virginia, so close to D.C., to go to museums, and then in thinking about how really incredible they are. I’m very thankful for that reality check, especially in heading to Uganda and thinking about what the next year of my life is going to look like. Plus, it was exciting to get out and about in London and do something and see something I haven’t before!!

Mallory and I then took on the Tube by ourselves to head back to the airport and we both were close to falling asleep multiple times and we nodded in and out. Getting back to the airport we still had some time to spare so we got dinner and just hung out. Then we were on the plane again. I slept just about the entire flight to London, but definitely had a harder time on the way to Uganda. I did sleep but was definitely more in and out on this 9-hr ride. I think I was very worried about getting my Visa and then getting all of my bags – which if you remember from last time did not happen. Well looking back now, after saying good-bye to my family it was really smooth sailing from there, and I am very grateful. My Visa was really no issue, and all three of my bags came:) yay!

Job was in the airport waiting for me and it was wonderful to see a familiar face. We hit no traffic in Kampala because it was a national holiday, Martyr’s Day, so all of the offices and most stores were closed. I was thankful for how that worked out! Then we got to Jinja around 11 in the morning and it was so great! I don’t think I stopped smiling as I was greeted by the mammas that remembered me in saying “Auntie B, Auntie B, you came back”, then in going in and hugging Em H., and then being swarmed by kids. Sam hobbled over to me, a little shocked and quiet, but hugged me and sat on my lap, and other kids were all over me. Zeke non-stop was yelling “Auntie B, Auntie B” in his deep, excited voice, which was wonderful! I then spent the next couple of hours hanging out at the house, helping with school, and checking out all the changes that have happened at the house over the last several months. For lunch we had rice and beans – my fav lunch option, which I thought it would be since it was Monday! Happy to see the lunch schedule hasn’t changed haha! Which also meant that today was mukene (little fish, not that appetizing) so I avoided that! Definitely the little things:)

Then yesterday afternoon I headed down with a couple of other volunteers to the new “volunteer house” which is right down the road that Em W.  (she comes back from the States on Friday) and the volunteers live in (the garage has been turned into the volunteer room). There is also an office room that I will live in. The bed they ordered was supposed to be here on Monday, but since it was a holiday it didn’t come. Go figure haha. But I did have my mattress so I was able to sleep on that. But as of now I don’t have any shelves or anything so my stuff is still in a my suitcases and it has been quite difficult trying to find anything in particular and I usually have to open every one before I find what I need. I guess actually moving in will be quite the process!

Last night we went out for dinner for my first night and it was fun going out to a place that was so familiar in the fall! Then we came home, went to bed, and I was woken up this morning at 12:00, by another girl who is here who didn’t want my sleep schedule to be too messed up! I was very grateful for that! After getting ready this morning/afternoon I headed into town by myself to run errands – bank to get money, café to get a little bit of internet, grocery store to get phone minutes and a little bit of food, Orange store to get internet, then on a boda headed back to Ekisa. I got back right after lunch and I had such a similar greeting as yesterday. I’m not sure if anyone really believed that I was really back haha. After hanging out for a little bit outside I went back to the office and to read through files and whatnot and hung out with Samuel, our counselor, and Diana and Joseph, our new social workers, to get caught up and all that has been happening and trying to figure out what comes next. It was fun just catching up with everything!

Then we went back to my house, ate dinner, and came back down to Ekisa, because I really wanted to be here for the post-dinner, post-bath, pre-bed time! Probably my favorite part of the day! The bigger kids come out in their pj’s and then there is either music, coloring, Bible stories, or other activity for about an hour until bedtime. I was really hoping it was music night, but it was Bible stories, so I got to read some stories and hang out with the kids, then go around and tuck some of them in and kiss them all good night! Gosh I love these kids and am so incredibly blessed to be back!

That’s about it for tonight, sorry for writing a book, but there it is for my trip here and my first couple of days! Thank you all for keeping me and this incredible ministry in your prayers!