It’s been a long month and a half since the morning I sat in the Entebbe airport writing my last blog post, with no clue what the next chunk of my life was going to be like. I was processing the last 4 months and was overwhelmed, to say the least. I was anxious [although excited] about all the question marks in my future and honestly worried about my re-immersion. Uganda is still on my heart every minute of every day. I am doing what I can to use what I've learned here in my own community. I am already excited for the day I get to return to a place I called home.
Before I left Uganda, one of my best friends Cody asked me if I was going to continue my blog once I got home. My immediate answer was of course not – I won’t have anything to blog about. After a little more chatting with him and a lot more thinking with myself, I realized how sad that actually is. Shouldn’t we all have something to write about, even if only every few weeks? Shouldn’t everyone be living blog-worthy lives??
I was [and still very much am] on a Donald Miller HIGH. (If you haven’t read his books, then read them!) One of his books, “A Million Miles in A Thousand Years,” introduces this idea of living a good story. He talks about making choices because they will create good memories and how you will look back and be glad you made those decisions later.
Continuing my blog is my way of holding myself accountable to living a good story. I don’t care if anyone else reads it – because it is for me. So we’ll see how good I am about keeping it updated.
My journey HOME began with a few days in Dubai. It’s difficult to explain what it was like going from extreme poverty to a city of air-conditioned bus stops, 32nd floor luxury apartments, diamond-rimmed cars, malls and indoor ski resorts. But it was surreal. It was too surreal to even feel the affects of reverse culture shock. Nothing felt real since it was so insanely different from what I was used to. I missed the comforts that became so familiar to me in Uganda. Nic and Tim were wonderful tour guides and hosts and we had a great 3 days. We sight saw, swam, go-karted, and frequented many different malls. I am super grateful I was able to visit such an exquisite city.
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Next was London, which was incredible and surprisingly refreshing after being in Dubai. The best part was meeting my dad and spilling everything to him about how I was feeling. London is a “rich” city. So much amazing history and background, we barely skimmed the surface in our quick 3 days. It’s definitely a city I can imagine going back to for a longer period of time.
By the time I got back to Denver, I was already re-immersed into ‘wealth and normalcy,’ it was actually a relief to come home to the bland city, full of average-ness, hippies, and Toyota Prius’s. I went into hiding my first few days back. I had some necessary rest and recovery with my mom, and slowly started to venture into real life, catching up with friends, and beginning the tedious task of networking and job searching.
So over the last few weeks, I spent a lot of time with family, started getting our apartment unpacked and organized. My mom adopted a 7-year old, white, 3-legged cat. His name is Sir Toby and he is a sweet addition to the family.I’ve really been enjoying the things I missed over the summer – the close-to-perfect Colorado weather, cooking dinner for Felix, sitting on our front porch. We're entering the incredible [but quick] fall season here, and it is beautiful. We're enjoying 75 degree days, bike rides, and eating outside. If this season is anything like they usually are, we should have snow in the next few weeks.
By far the best day this month was the day I picked Felix up from the airport. 4 ½ months was a long time to be apart, but we didn’t miss a beat. Being back home with him has been so great.
Without going into too much detail about my mini job search, I met with a few organizations/non-profits and I wasn’t blown away. Being the impatient, want-a-solution-NOW kind of girl, I began to get a little discouraged and worried about my plans. In the next few days, I was referred to a home in Lakewood, CO to work with at-risk teens. There was a part time position available and I thought it could work for a short time while I continued searching for full-time work. The second I walked in the door, I knew it would be a good fit.
That morning, a full-time, overnight position became available. After the interview, I accepted a position as a Youth Treatment Counselor at Gemini House, a residential home for at-risk, court-ordered, and runaway teens. Gemini was perfect for me for may reasons – but mostly, there are no bells and whistles. They are an interim home for troubled teens, doing what they can to keep them safe and prepare them for life after Gemini. There’s nothing fancy about it. It’s not always the most pleasant place to be, but it’s full of love. And if there’s anything I learned in Uganda, is most of the time, all someone needs is a little love.
As I sit here writing this at 5 am, my overnight shift is almost over. It’s been a fairly uneventful night (which is a great thing!), and I can once again say that I feel very much where I am supposed to be.
I’m learning how non-profits are run and seeing a unique side of the business and of the kids while working overnight. A got a reminder recently from someone who’s opinion means a lot to me. He reminded me of a blog post I wrote towards the beginning of summer: IT IS ALL WORTH IT. And it’s true. I know I will be glad I did this down the road. This is invaluable experience that I am in the perfect place in my life to be getting right now. Life really is just a sequence of decisions we make. Some may not seem right at the time, some may feel rushed, and other may feel perfect. But the second we become scared to make these decisions is when we stop living good stories. I’m already living a story, now I’m just trying my best to keep mine good.Happy Thursday!
