I'm Home!

I am laying in bed, not sleeping, being affected by jetlag. Good times. While laying here I decided that it was the perfect time to write my blog telling of the end and what is going on now. All of my papers and finals went well, don't really know how, but God definately blessed me in that area! The farwell dinner was Thursday night and we were given all day to spend with our family before going. It was such a beautiful time, just being present with the ones that Kristina and I love was such a blessing to both of us. Much of Thursday we both read while our family went about their normal routines and then at five we left for the farwell dinner. Our brother Sammy was in Kampala and wasn't able to come (even though he promised and was later harangued by Kristina and I. Our maama went with us and our brother Alex showed up later in time for the food:) The evening was wonderful! We had speeches from students in a group and one of the host maamas spoke and did a great job. Awards were handed out and our maama was given one for the first aid training that she participated in before we arrived. It was exciting for all. One aspect of the night that I really enjoyed was seeing all of the students with their host families, for we all hear of each other's families but we hardly ever see them, so it was wonderful to have that opportunity even though it was at the very end. The students were given certificates from the program and then we ate and had cake. It was a wonderful night of fellowship and celebration.
Friday we were also given all day with our families which was fantastic! We had to finish packing in the morning for they came by and picked up all of our luggage but the rest of the day was just spent with our family and having that time with them was an excellent reminder of the many reasons why I love them all so much. They are such an amazing family and I miss them with my entire being. Their love for each other and for Kristina and I was very apparent and it definately made it harder to leave. We left Saturday morning and walked to school a little teary-eyed, thank goodness I was able to hold myself together instead of bawling the entire way to school and being mocked by all the children and stared at by all the shopkeepers. Oh wait I think this happened anyway:) We proceeded to leave for Entebbe for a couple of days of debrief that ended up making me more nervous about coming home. I realized before Entebbe that reverse culture shock would be a problem but I hadn't realized that it takes some people up to a year to feel normal again. I was like 'Oh boy I don't like where this is headed.' We read e-mails from previous students, some of which were having a really rough time, and to be honest it made me not as excited to return home. But by the end of the couple of days I put many of my fears to rest because I was SO excited about all the movies that I would be able to watch on the plane rides:) Our last day was spent on the beach of Lake Victoria, it was such an amazing to just be with the people I love in a non-academic setting and not in a circle telling of our fears (p.s. I had been sick most of debrief so between sessions and after dinner I had to go right to bed and wasn't able to spend time with people then, unfortunately). The group of people that I had the wonderful opportunity to study abroad with were fantastic and I miss them a great deal already. They are such incredible people and we formed a closeknit family between all of our trips together and being crammed in the IMME quarters for long periods of time:)
You are all probably hoping that I cut this off soon and I will. I promise. The flights home were long but successful in their mission. I did watch several movies and even though the food screwed me up a little it didn't taste too bad. I finally arrived home the 16th and have been trying to stay warm ever since! I am not really enjoying this weather and I am hoping that my body adjusts swiftly. I am happy to be home, and though I have reached some low points of just not wanting to be here and desiring to be home in Uganda I really am glad to see family and friends. I can't wait to see everyone but for those of you I won't be able to see before I go back to school I hope you all have a wonderful time with family and friends over the holiday season!