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A gorgeous evening on Chicago's Foster Beach.
Ugandans have told me the following adage a number of times: “Americans are on time but Africans have time.”
Well, this American has not been timely with the blog posting. I think I spent too much time in Uganda…
It has been a crazy two months since we’ve returned. We’ve visited family in Minnesota and Rockford, and friends in Chicago, Washington DC, Philadelphia, the Jersey shore, and New York City. We’ve done a little bit of hourly work at Northwestern to relive the old times, attended an amazing Broadway musical, hung out on the beach, babysat our nephew, and cheered at Northwestern and University of Minnesota graduation ceremonies. A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated our one year anniversary by visiting the Art Institute of Chicago’s Modern Wing, wandering Millennium Park, doing a little shopping, and having a fantastic dinner at Le Colonial. So, our two months of freedom (which we also call our retirement, sabbatical, or unemployment, depending on the mood) have been filled with wonderful things.
Looking back at our time in Uganda from this vantage point, I have so many feelings. First of all, I miss it terribly. I miss the visits at friends’ homes, taking tea, eating a handful of matooke, and taking pictures of their families. I miss our neighborhood, Munaku, SO much… the old lady who sat by the big tree and always greeted us in Luganda, the boda boda drivers at the stage, the calls to prayer from the mosque across the street, the feeling that everyone knew us and was looking out for us – the village bazungu. There are a couple of things I really don’t miss, too. I don’t miss the limitations when cooking, I don’t miss cockroaches, and I don’t miss crappy internet. I feel a little confused about how Uganda will be a part of our lives going forward. Will we continue to study and work on Ugandan issues? Will it be a place that we have friends to visit, but nothing more? Only time will tell, I suppose.
All of that being said, I cannot wait to go back. I don’t know when or how, but I hope it is soon.
Treading Softly 