What is that saying about how you can’t go home again? We’re going to test the theory somewhat as Bill and I return to Uganda this week, this time for two months.
We’ll be training journalists at various newspapers, mainly the New Vision in Kampala. And seeing son Eric, who is now living there running his non-profit, the Maendeleo Foundation.
We’ve been back home for a year almost to the day we leave. It’s funny how Uganda has stuck with us during this whole time. If I close my eyes I can see the red dirt roads, the kids running out to stare, the little paraffin lamps lighting the markets at night. We have kept up with friends we made there, both Ugandans and ex-pats, and of course have a connection with the place because of Eric. The people we met there are certainly interesting and stimulating people!
Also it’s been front and center even while we’ve done the things we missed in our nine months away from home. We’ve hiked in our mountains, where we end up comparing grizzlies to gorillas, and imagining how zebras would look on a mountain prairie. We’ve taken road trips and 9 hours in the car in the US doesn’t seem so bad after 6 hours bouncing on the Ugandan roads.
And yet, I have to wonder how it will be to return. We are more cynical, certainly, than before, having seen the imbalances for ourselves, and the difficulties of making a sustainable difference. And for some reason we expect things there to be the same, though we know that they have changed, and we might not like that.
I guess we’ll see. We’ll be keeping the blog going (by popular demand!), so check in now and then to see if, in fact, you can go home again.
(And, yes, we have voted – go Obama.)
3 comments:
Go team go! Bless you and have a great time. Write thousands of stories for free!
See you when I see you.
Taz
More cheers to you two. And thanks for taking us along.
Cathy Henkel
Hey Bill and Theresa - I had no idea you were returning to Kampala! Devin, Simmy and I will be there on October 17th, planning to stay for 2 years. Exciting that we will have some overlap!
Will you be staying at Salama Springs again? We'll be there for the first month (we think) as we get things sorted. We're hoping they'll let us have our dog there. We'll see.
You probably know that Torkin and Charles will be there on Wednesday this week.
Looking forward to having some more time with you two over there!
Mark
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