Not quite ready

In a few short days I will be saying goodbye to Tororo. Every day the children continue to tell me how much they will miss me and it makes me sad. Juma is a 12 year old boy that our team has grown very close with and he is so sad about us leaving, every day he reminds me that we are leaving and he doesn’t want us to go. He fears that things will not be the same without us and that bad things will happen to him so I kept telling him that he will be ok. A while ago I taught him what a pinky swear is, so I pinky swore him that I would see him again someday, if not on earth than in Heaven. I think that helped ease his mind a little when he realized that there will come a day that we will meet again. I wish I didn’t have to leave him behind but I told him that he is in my prayers to grow up to be a strong spiritual man and leader and I was joking saying that he might be the future president of Uganda some day and he got a big smile on his face. He needs to hear words of encouragement because it’s not something that he often gets.

I’m going to miss the crazy ways of the hotel that we live in. We come to get our complimentary breakfast every morning having to bring our own coffee and juice only to have our waiter ask to try it, along with the times we order something on the menu only to find out “it is finished” I will miss African greetings where they say “hello…how are you…well done” And I’m especially going to miss the girls on my team. I have spent so much time focusing on the fact that I’m going to miss the kids and woman at Smile but I have forgotten that I will have to say goodbye to my new family. The six of us girls have bonded so well and it is going to be bittersweet. We plan to meet up again but I’m so used to seeing their faces 24/7 literally so that will be a definite adjustment when I get back. Its so amazing at how well we all got along. Of course we weren’t perfect but we never had any major issues and I think that is a testament in itself. I feel like we truly displayed a sense of team work even from the first day upon arrival at Pearl River when we did a team building activity and we were told that we were the first group to actually complete the task given to us, we were shocked because it seemed so easy to us so I just wanted to say a thanks to God for allowing us all to be together and fit so well. It has been a lot of fun.

Today we went to Sipi Falls and thought we were going on a stroll to see some waterfalls and little did we know it involved hiking down a steep mountain but with the help of some local boys we made it and once we arrived at the bottom we all jumped in the water. It was so fun we were screaming and laughing and then screaming some more but I just wanted to post a few pictures so show how close we really are. I’m clinging to Jessica because I’m freezing and we’re all holding on to each other helping one another and I even had a freak out moment when Stephanie verbalized her thoughts on if leach’s were in the water and I went crazy but we all survived and made it out alive. I love these girls and this beautiful country of Uganda.