After two weeks back in Uganda, I can say that it is good to be home. Despite zero sleep on the plane, I found that just being back in the country lowered my stress level a tiny bit, which was a delightful surprise.
As I began my journey to Uganda, I had posted on Facebook that I expected to see my students in chapel. Exams were wrapping up, so while I know that the ones who saw the post knew that I meant it, I didn’t expect there to be too many students in chapel. I was pleasantly surprised at the number who turned up. Canon Moses welcomed me back during the announcements, and there were many murmurs of “Welcome back!” “Archdeacon!” “Well be back!”
Although it was rather stressful to get everything accomplished that I wanted to before I left Virginia (and I would not have accomplished any of it without dear friends’ help), I am rather glad that I returned when I did. I missed one of my exams, and the students let me know that they sat for my paper without me. A couple of the finalists [last semester] students told me that they wondered if they would see me before they left campus, so I am so relieved that I did not disappoint them. Truth be told, I would have been disappointed had I missed them too.
Since there are no secrets in Uganda, as I’ve moved around campus, as people have welcomed me back, they’ve also expressed their condolences. Even people outside of campus have expressed their condolences: I went to a parish where one of our graduates is on staff, and she also expressed her sorrow. We are not Facebook friends, so I have no idea how she knew, but I think the mosquitoes tell people things.
The students will report next week, and lectures begin 9 May. Despite the very short holiday between semesters, it’s very good to be back.
Leave a Reply