I know the saying "home is where your heart is" is a little cheesy...but I've always loved all things cheesy. This past week I really felt the truth in this statement. You're probably thinking that it's been a year, this should feel like my home no problem but simply moving from one place to another back in America is a completely different experience than moving into a completely new country with a completely different culture. But like I said, this week i really felt this sense of home more than I have in a while.
It's very common towards the middle of your service to have a sort of "mid service slump" and mine came in the form of a bit of homesickness mixed in with a not so positive view on my work here so far. Projects move slow, they don't go as planned, and sometimes I question the value of me being here. So after mid service conference about 2 weeks ago I was ready to be rid of this feeling and ready to tackle year 2 and that's exactly what I did last week.
We have recently gotten nutrition services at my health center, something most health centers already have so I've been working with my counterpart to get those up and running smoothly. The program is meant to bring malnurouished children to the health center, measure their weight, height, and middle upper arm circumference (MUAC) track their progress over time, educate their parents on how to help their children to grow and finally distribute milk to help supplement some nutrients, fat, and protein into their diets that they may not get at home.
This past week my counterpart and I went to a nearby school to educate about HIV prevention and male circumcision, as we are in the midst of our Prepex campaign.
This was then followed by us celebrating that he got paid that day with brochettes and cold beverages and me teaching him the term "pay day".
This was then followed by us celebrating that he got paid that day with brochettes and cold beverages and me teaching him the term "pay day". And finally the big wrap up to my crazy busy yet surprisingly energizing week was attending the baptism of my best friend's umukozi (person who works in their house, cleaning, cooking, helping with the baby but is basically a part of the family).
Her name is Valentine and she is so sweet and I think we bond well over the fact that neither of talk that much. So, after planning the after party all week with my friend Emiliene, on Saturday we went to the nearby town for the big church service.
It started with the baptism of about 30 people followed by a four hour service of singing and preaching.
After we headed back for the after party where we are great food, drank fanta and banana juice, and sang and danced until the sun went down.
Her name is Valentine and she is so sweet and I think we bond well over the fact that neither of talk that much. So, after planning the after party all week with my friend Emiliene, on Saturday we went to the nearby town for the big church service.
It started with the baptism of about 30 people followed by a four hour service of singing and preaching.
After we headed back for the after party where we are great food, drank fanta and banana juice, and sang and danced until the sun went down. I just wanted to share with you all the great week I had and share the fact that not too long ago the craziness and the busy-ness was exhausting and felt like work but now its something I thrive in and look forward to. Not that there aren't daily challenges, they just seem a lot less noticeable on a daily basis.
Thanks for reading my ramblings, it's the only way for you to get the closest glimpse into this crazy amazing life of mine!
<3
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