Home

While I've been getting more and more settled here in Bundibugyo, I've been wondering when it's going to feel like home. When I can down from the Rwenzori mountains about a week ago, I had the feeling that I had been on vacation and that it was now time to go home - a home that was distinctly in Andover, NJ. That felt like the place that I should go after being away. It was hard for me to think about going to Kampala and then back to an empty house in Bundibugyo. However, after spending one day in Kampala, I found myself really wishing to get back home to Bundibugyo. It's a place that I know somewhat, and I was excited to see a lot of people from the community, especially the kids who I've been playing with and swimming with most afternoons. That was the first time when I felt like Bundibugyo was home. (Of course, when I got home I found that rats had wreaked havoc in my unoccupied kitchen. The battle continues.)

The Christmas season is a hard time to be away from home because Christmas and family are nearly synonymous to me. Decorating the tree, putting candles in the windows, singing Christmas carols - these are the heralds of the Christmas season for me, and I have always done them with my family. It's hard to think about waking up on Christmas morning alone. However, I'm very grateful for those moments like the other day when I'm starting to feel at home here.