From poolside service at Lake Victoria Hotel in Entebbe on
Saturday to discovering tiny red ants in my peanut butter at breakfast on
Sunday, my life in the Peace Corps takes me on a roller coaster ride every day.
After a demanding, exhausting yet overall inspiring week of
Teacher Boot Camp in Kira Primary School we (the volunteers) were treated to
our very first weekend off in a month.
IN A MONTH!! It’s December 6 and
I’m lounging at a ritzy pool in Entebbe not far from President Museveni’s
compound enjoying a cool swim with my friends, a hot cheesy pizza and a COLD
beer. Okay, maybe two. This is Africa??
Yes, at least for one day.
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| Lake Victoria Hotel in Entebbe |
I woke up Sunday morning to the warm sunshine beaming
through my window and the resident roosters crowing. Best alarm clock
ever. Ah, another day off...YES! A day to do laundry...by hand, write lesson
plans, update my blog, (if the Wi-Fi is working) organize my “stuff” and maybe
get in a run. First things first,
breakfast. Right now one of my most
valued treasures is a jar of peanut butter I bought at a local market kept tightly sealed in a Ziploc baggie.
A banana with peanut butter was on my breakfast menu.
Horrors!! Tiny red
ants invaded my baggie and were crawling all over my treasured jar of
peanut butter. In this moment I was as
far away from yesterday’s poolside experience as I could be. Yes, THIS is Africa too.
The Peace Corps is tough some days...actually a lot of days.
It's amazing how something so small and in reality rather insignificant, like ants in my peanut butter, becomes a moment of defeat. The ants won...but only if I let them. Because sprinkled in among the tough days, the "ants in my peanut butter" days,
are precious small moments that make it all worthwhile. The moments that bring me
back to center and reaffirm why I’m here in Uganda in the first place.
Moments like this...
And this...
And
this...
Moments like this...
And this...
And
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| My P3 students and co-teachers at Kira Elementary. |
