What this Mzungo Learned- Part 1

So we are going on day 4 of being home and Ja and I are stilling waking up at 4am. I don't know how much longer this can last, but I do not like it.

I am still trying to process what I seen in Uganda. It almost feels like a wonderful dream that I don't want to forget. These last couple days have been a struggle for me. I feel like I left my heart in Uganda. I know this seems like a real cliche thing to say but it is true. I loved everything about Africa.

It took us task oriented Canadians a little time to adjust to life in Uganda. To make the change in our minds that we were not there to build a building. The reality is that they didn't need us to build this clinic. We could have sent over the money that was raised and the people in the village are more than capable of doing it themselves. We were there to build relationship, to make friends.

Another thing we had to get used to was the fact that we would never be on time for anything. Relationships mean so much more to the people than any task or appointment they may have. Relationships take precedence over material things because they have very little. I think this is why the presence of God is so evident there. They don't have the "Material Gods" that we have here in North America. Everywhere we went people would make sure that we had a place to sit and a pop to drink. The great thing is that it was all very genuine.

As I have said before we were so blessed by the friends we made in Uganda. Douglas, Jackie, Raphael, Edgar, Paul and Phillip. I don't think I can put into words what a blessing they were to us. I do know for sure that our time in Uganda would have not been the same, or probably as meaningful without them. They all are really passionate about their country, people and what we are doing.

The one thing that did come naturally to the 13 of us was getting along. I was really worried that by the end of the 16 days we were going to be ready to kill each other. But God is great, and somehow sustained us. Everyone just seemed to find there own little part of what we where doing and run with it. I had so many interesting conversations on this trip, and had a lot of time to really process my thoughts on religion and my faith. I will tell you more about this in part 2.

So what did this Mzungo learn in Africa? I learned that I have a part to play in the world. I know now that I can help change the world, because doing something is better than doing nothing. I learned how important it is to have Hope and feel Loved. How much power there is in education and clean water. I think that the most important thing I learned is that we are all the same. People in Uganda love their kids and try to do the best they can with what they have. They may be poor, but I came home not feeling sorry for them. They have so many things figured out. If we could take the good things in both our societies and put them together we might get on the right track.

So where do we go from here? Well I will keep you posted. Thanks to the people that donated to this project so I could go. Please know that your donation did so much more than send an Alberta girl to Uganda. You are helping to change the world one village at a time.

I will be finishing Part 2 of my blog in the next couple of days. Please continue to read.