Saying bye to Uganda and Bonjour to France!

Crazy to think that today I left Uganda. After four months I left a place where I will always remember, where I will always look back on with a great contentment in the knowledge that I will never, ever be the same. I find it almost comical the way this time ended, almost completely full circle. In so many ways I am in the exact same place. I’m sitting in seat J, I ate the same meal, I spent my last night where I spent my first night, I came on the first and I’m also leaving on the first, and many other uncanny similarities.

I love these similarities because they help me realize how much Uganda impacted my as well as how much I’ve changed. I started smiling on the plane just thinking how I came into the semester compared to how I’m leaving. I’m so thankful for all the amazing people I’ve met, the experiences that I can no only say I went through but that I conquered.

The last two weeks of my time here we traveled to Rwanda and then two different places in Uganda for debrief. About 19 years ago to the month, Rwanda experienced a Genocide, a large unimaginable and history changing event for the country. In such a short amount of time I again had my perspective changed. I saw and heard unthinkable things, saw restoration and forgiveness that I can’t even start to understand and had my worldview challenged yet again, for like the ballionith time.

I think the biggest thing I can share with you all is something I realized in the past couple weeks. After some rough couple of days I realized that hardships had lost their control and power over me because I saw God the most clear, most relevant, most near that I ever have before.

Throughout this blogging experience, or lack thereof J, I haven’t blogged much because I don’t want to exaggerate, misrepresent or create ideals of my trip. But I’ve also realized that this is really happening, we are getting amazing chances, encountering seemingly impossible challenges and hardships, and living half way around the world. Sometimes my experiences don’t really seem all that amazing simply because this is life for me right now. But I really want to say a public thanks to my parents who have allowed me to experience the amazing, encounter the hardships and have enabled me to come out stronger as a result.

Have I changed? Yes and no. I still am about the same build, although man, those rice and beans left some deposit behind for me to remember them by ha! I still have an American accent. I still can be short-tempered when I get stressed or overwhelmed, sorry mom and dad in advance J. I still have a desire to love and be selfless and see things that most thing people miss. I still see flaws in myself. But, I have changed in that I see hope, I’ve seen and met God in ways I hadn’t before which has changed my perspective. I could say millions of ways God has changed my perspective, but you’re going to have to ask me to find out because I’m still realizing them (and I’m an external processor so I really do you need to ask!)

Next, I’m off to France and Europe for the summer for what I’m sure is going to be another whirlwind of an experience. Even through France is basically a complete opposite culture compared to Uganda, I’m so excited to see the new challenges and experiences I’ll encounter. Stay tuned and I’d love to bring you in on my experience and would love to hear from anyone and everyone!