My last two days were a whirlwind of activity. On Wednesday I had my final assembly with the students, and spoke to them at length about the importance of maintaining a growth mindset and the importance of the power of "yet". I then answered their questions about any and everything, including zumba! While I spent the majority of the day in the office, I had a LOT of visitors, some who just wanted to chat, some who wanted advice, and some who just wanted a selfie. I also met with one very grateful parent whose son was the beneficiary of one of the sponsorships my family and friends helped to provide.
 |
| Some of the sponsorship recipients |
After school I met with the student council and attempted to video call with our SGA back home at CHS, but the signal wouldn't allow for it. Then came my going away party. We got started late, so while we waited for the head teacher, we had a good time dancing (or in my case attempting to dance) various dances from the different parts of Uganda. There were speeches, gifts, traditional clothing, and lots of hugs. I made one final presentation of a sponsorship, this time for Angel Namutebi, a young S2 student at Temangalo High School that I met when I visited there with Diana. Angel's parents refuse to pay her school fees, so she works every night until 11pm waitressing at a restaurant to pay for herself. The party would have been perfect, except something I ate made me ill and I spent all of Thursday throwing up.
I only went to the school for a short time Thursday, in order to meet with the chairman of the Board of Governors for Kyambogo, who also happens to be the dean of the history department at Kyambogo University. We had a very good talk about the state of education in Uganda, and the changes needed if Ugandans are to be competitive in the future. After that was packing (including yet another new suitcase) and waiting for Madam Helen and Mr. Okech to pick me up for the airport.
I did not expect all of the challenges that I would face when coming here to Uganda, but I like to think that I managed them well and did the job that I was sent to do. This has absolutely been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. These people are proud of their country, proud of their religious beliefs, and want the best for their children like all parents do. They are SO kind, helpful and accommodating. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it anywhere. I truly want to come back one day-- sooner, rather than later. I will miss everyone here. I won't miss that traffic though!
Until the next adventure...
