Firsts, Beginnings and I’ll-Be-Trying-That-Agains

We’re coming up on one week since I left Minneapolis, and I think I can say that the jello is finally starting to set.

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Beginning the internship on Monday has helped a hundredfold, allowing me not only a way to channel my time and skills, but also new walks around campus, new friends and a renewed fixation on baby onesies.

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Additionally, I’ve been spoiled by the generous friendship of a close group of women, without whom I cannot imagine where I would be nor how many experiences I may have otherwise missed. If you’re reading this, thank you. Seriously.

These adventures may have been relatively dismissible for someone who has been in Mukono for a length of time–trips into Kampala, trips into Mukono town, meals at local eateries, sensory overload at the Tuesday market.

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But for me, these short excursions have been monumental to my acclimation, and also my comfort on campus. To know what is beyond the campus gates and feel confident enough to go out and get it is empowering. I think that tenacity may have been what I was missing in my first few days.

Today is Martyr’s Day, a national holiday in Uganda. While three days ago, I received that news in a panic, distraught at the thought of losing a day of internship, and thus a day of purpose, this morning I am basking in the break. I’ve slept in until nearly 9:00 a.m. (significantly later than my normal 6:30 a.m.) after an evening of movies and laughs.

I still have a lot to learn, see and do, but I’m happy with these news beginnings.

best,
– md

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