Last few days approaching quickly

Well hello again.

So, as I'm sure most of you may be aware, I'm quickly approaching my last few days in Uganda.  Friday was my last day at ISU, and it was really hard to believe.  The students made me feel so much joy for having been able to be there teacher for the 3 months that I have lived here.  On the last day, the homeroom teachers surprised me with a combining of all 3 homerooms, sat me in the middle of the room, and had the students tell me all the things they appreciated about me teaching them.  It sunk in, really deeply, that I'm in the right profession for me.

Below are the photos from my last day.  The last picture is all my girl students surrounding me to say goodbye.

Also, another important note to make, is that I celebrated the American holiday of Thanksgiving in Uganda.  It was actually really nice to share a part of my culture, as apparently, us Americans have one.  I spent my time with the girls of the guesthouse that I am staying in.  Below are those pictures.

Happiest American in Uganda, yes, I think I totally was.  I got me some pumpkin pie.  A little slice of home.

To be honest, my last few days are making me homesick.  I know that I will be home very shortly and I think after 3 months away, I'm ready to be back.  The last few days are memories that will stick with me forever.

Thank you to everyone here in Uganda and at home for everything.  

Georgia you are on my mind.

Malaria Test Kits and more

Well, this second to last week in Uganda has been quite an interesting one, I must say.  The week has been fairly good, minus the constant power cuts the last few days and my incredibly sick body.

So, let's talk about this sickness stuff, cause it is quite entertaining.  I have not missed one day of student teaching since I have arrived in Uganda.  That is fairly normal for me, since I rarely call out of work.  However, on Friday, I was feeling absolutely horrible.  Thursday night, I was shivering, upset stomach, mild fever, body aches, and much more.  I ended up being awake most of the night from all of this.  So, likely enough, I missed work on Friday.  Since I had the fever, one of the girls thought that I should get a malaria test kit just to be sure that it wasn't anything serious.  Well, I had one of the doctor girls at the guest house perform the "malaria operation" on me.  Luckily, it came back negative.

So, that's good, right? Not malaria, but then what on earth is wrong with me?! Still, I have no clue.  I ran into my usual boda man and he said that I might need to be de-wormed.

Wait?! What??  De-wormed?  Did I hear this correctly?  Um, yeah, I sure did.  And speaking with the "doctors" that I know, they all were inclined to agree with my boda man.  Needless to say, I am in Africa and any sort of infection is totally possible.  There is a place in Kololo called The Surgery that I need to find time to go to and have a once over.  Just to make sure that I don't bring home any weird diseases that are not easily curable in the States.

However, on a slightly different note, I have a little more than a week left in Uganda.  My time here is quickly flashing before my eyes.  I feel like I have so little time left and so much more that I want to explore.  All of my students keep asking me if I plan on returning and it makes me feel like I've made a positive impact on them.  The fact that they keep asking and then getting upset when I say probably not makes it seem as though they like me.  This is why I wanted to be a teacher, to be popular among 11 year olds.  No, just kidding.

Well, I'll have to keep everyone updated on my strange, African sickness.  Hopefully it is nothing serious and easily curable. That'd be nice.

Until we meet again....

3 weeks left

Hello again,

It's been a few weeks since I've posted an update so I'd thought I'd write one.  Although, the internet is not wanting to cooperate with me today.

It's weighing on me that I only have 3 weeks left in Uganda.  I can remember when I first came, I thought to myself, 3 months is going to be forever.  Now, with only 3 weeks left, I'm sad to leave.

Today in my Grade 6 homeroom, the students mentioned that there is only one month left in the term.  I was reminded that I have 3 weeks left and then one month left until I graduate.

On Sunday, Izzie (a British doctor) and myself took a matatu (taxi bus) to the city of Entebbe.  Matatus are an extremely cheap mode of transportation and only cost 8,000 UGX roundtrip.  That is roughly $3 to go about 45 minutes to Entebbe.  The city itself is cleaner and slower paced than the capital of Kampala.  We ventured to Anna's Corner for coffee and brunch.  Then walked to the Botanical Gardens which has a beautiful view of Lake Victoria.  It is hard not to want to jump right into the water, but there is a nasty parasite called bilharzia (comes from snails) that I do not want to get.  While at the Botanical Gardens, we were chased by black-faced monkeys and a local guy lounging in a shady, grassy area laughed at us.  It felt nice to venture outside of Kampala, even if just for a few hours.

Suddenly, there seems like a lot to do, as I must finish a huge paper, write lessons, buy gifts, and spend time with the friends that I've met here.  Everything seems to all be happening at once and I wish that time would just slow down so I could enjoy it all.

Well, this isn't what I was hoping I would say but it is what was said.

Thanks! and hopefully I'll update with pictures next.