Leaving Kyoga

Wednesday afternoon I came back to the world of consistent electricity, hot showers, and the Internet. I was very surprised by how overwhelmed I was to be back. Maybe it was the hundreds of emails and the dozens of facebook notifications I had to sort through, but being on the Internet after so long was so overwhelming. Not having to think about charging my phone and laptop because of power shortages is strange. I got so used to my rotation of 4 skirts that now my eight skirts and three pairs of pants seem completely excessive. It is wonderful though to be allowed to wear pants again! It is very nice to have a shower and feel like my hair is actually clean for the first time in a month. I never did end up taking a shower when we visited Kampala. It is also so nice to be back with everyone else on our program. I missed them all a lot and it's wonderful to hear about everyone's experiences.

The rest of my time on practicum was extremely challenging, but overall good. It was definitely a great experience, but also one of the most difficult experiences of my life. It was really hard feeling like all anyone saw when they looked at me was that I am a muzungu. Having flocks of children screaming "muzungu, muzungu!" and crowding around me to touch my hair and feel my skin wherever I went just became too much at times. Allison and I were the only white people in the community, so it was pretty alienating. We felt misunderstood, and even disrespected, most days. Some of the living conditions were also challenging. I was perfectly content without electricity and whatnot but our freedom was very limited in Kyoga. We weren't allowed out much at all and feeling so confined was really hard for me.

I definitely take away some amazing lessons and memories from my time on practicum. I met people that I will never forget and heard stories of struggle that will stay with me for the rest of my life, I am sure. I was welcomed so warmly and enthusiastically into the communities I worked in. Many of the people I met send their greetings to everyone I love at home. The homes I visited often gave me gifts of eggs, jack fruit, milk, and sugar cane. These gifts were not just simple gifts for them though, but sacrifices of their only sources of income for their families. Their sacrificial generosity was so moving. One lady even tried giving me her kitten because I liked it so much but I had to say no since I wasn't sure how bringing a pet back to the guesthouse would go over.

Throughout the month, I visited officials at the district and county levels, held three community meetings, visited many families' homes, led a couple of children's Bible clubs, visited schools, and led a career guidance session for high school kids. Still my favorite thing to do was visit people in their homes, where they felt comfortable and were more open to share with me about their lives. It's a bit intimidating after meeting with so many people and being in the community for so long to now be writing a report on what I think the greatest needs are and how Food for the Hungry can meet those needs. It's no longer just writing about community development but my report will influence how FH will affect families I know and have come to love. FH is leaving Mukono in 2012 and I worry about how families will do after that. I don't know how parents will put their kids through school or bring in enough money to sustain their families. I pray that a lot of change happens in those communities by 2012, so they will be ready to function without FH.

It's weird to be leaving that part of the semester. It was such an intense experience that most days I couldn't remember life before Kyoga and couldn't imagine leaving. So it's strange to be moving on to something new, though I am ready. Tomorrow we leave for a safari in Queen Elizabeth Game Park then we will head for Rwanda. I will be in Rwanda for 5 weeks taking classes on community development and peace-building. We will be living in Kigali, the capital city, and will be staying at a guesthouse similar to the one we stay at in Kampala. I will have Internet much more consistently again and will update my blog more regularly. Thank you so much to everyone who leaves me comments on here. They are so encouraging and it helps to know who is reading. In case anyone wants to send me anything, I will have a new address in Rwanda. It is:
Rachel Kleinow
P.O. Box 911
Kigali, Rwanda

Well, I need to spend the rest of the day working on my needs assessment. Hopefully I can finish today so I can just enjoy Kigali when we get there. I hope all is well at home!