Welcome to my
blog! This is the space where I will
give regular updates on my life in Uganda!
I thought I would start off by telling a bit about myself and what this
next stage of my life entails.
A lot of people have asked
me, “why Uganda?” or “why do you want to move halfway around the world?” I read a quote the other day that I felt
really summed up what I’ve been feeling:
(from the film The Queen of Katwe)
I’m a big fan of
motivational and inspirational quotes – just look at my pinterest and you’ll
see that! But this quote rang
particularly true for me, as I’ve been struggling in the last year or so trying
to figure out where my life was going and what it was I really wanted to
do. While I was comfortable, I realized
that I was a little too comfortable and perhaps even stuck in a rut. I had a great job, a great place to live, had
great friends and family close by, and nothing really to complain about; and
yet I didn’t feel like I was living my full life.
So, what do you do
when you’re in your thirties and feel stuck?
You take a huge step out of your comfort zone and go after something you’re
passionate and excited about. And you
bet I have a quote for that one too:
Of course I’m scared
to move to Africa by myself; but I’m also really excited – I know this is the
right decision at this time in my life.
When I first saw the job posting for the position in Uganda, it piqued
my interest, but I immediately thought it would be crazy, scary, and a logistical
nightmare! Thankfully, God put the right
people in front of me, and the passion in my heart, to overcome my fear and
doubts. Wait for it…
I leave for Uganda in
6 weeks. I have moments of feeling
nervous and scared, and the occasional “oh my word, what am I doing?” moment,
but mostly I’m just really looking forward to going. That alone makes me realize that this is truly
part of God’s plan for my life and though it won’t always be easy, it will be
exactly what I need.
People also ask me
what I will be doing there and inside I laugh a little bit and think, it’s
Uganda, so I’ll likely end up doing things I never even imagined. I like to think Africa and Big Brother share
the same tag line: expect the unexpected.
But here are some of the things I know I will be doing: working with the sponsorship
office team who work so hard to administrate, organize and keep track of all of
the children, their sponsors, their gifts, etc.; helping to host the many teams
that come to Kibaale, and basically help out wherever I am needed. I am going with an open mind and a willingness to do what needs to be done!
I got my degree in
International Community Development because I am passionate about seeing the
cycle of poverty broken and people being empowered through education, training,
proper healthcare, and opportunity. This
is exactly what Kuwasha is doing in Uganda, so I’m pretty stoked to be able to utilize
my education and do something I’m truly passionate about.
If you’re interested
to hear about what Kuwasha does, the impact that they have, and want a visual
of what Kibaale looks like, check out this video:
Stay tuned for my next post - it might be from Uganda!
