Ive finally arrived in my new abode in Gulu! The minute we started flying over the green bush and red dirt roads it felt like i was home.
After months and months of difficult trials of finical issues, going against the norm and many other things, God finally took me back to where my heart has been. Here i come alive. Here, I’m fearless and adventuress, here I’m not afraid of spiders or cold showers, boda rides or even fish head soup. Its awesome.
In Africa days are much longer, we wake up early and go to bed late. A normal day for us here consists of waking up and going straight to work at Krochet Kids. Its about a 10 minute walk from our house which isn’t so bad considering we make lots of friends along the way and sometimes i like to pretend that by the end of this trip ill of gained some muscle or something from walking so much on the rough African terrain. But thats most likely not the case.
As soon as we arrive, we make a habit of greeting every women that works there, that way we make relationships and they help us learn more Luo. We greet everyone by saying “Achema bae!” which means good morning and they laugh mostly because we might be saying it wrong or because they love it when we speak in Luo to them which makes me want to learn more of it.
After we’ve greeted around 150 women we get to work. Our job as interns is quality control. After the products have been made we are the next people to see the it. All four of us look at different kinds of KK products, we make sure that each product is up to its standards and a lot of times it won’t be and we have to send it back to the lady who made it, which a lot of times can be very hard considering some of the mistakes they make, mean they have to start all over. A lot of our job is recording every single thing that is made, every single label and tag that is used and making sure that every lady gets credit for what they made, which can be stressful considering they get paid for every product they make.
After we have worked for most of the day well usually go home and collapse out of exhaustion. A lot of times we will boda into the city to pick up veggies and some fruit from the market, theres even a pool around here that we can jump in to cool down and other days well go over to other expats' house around the area. I had know idea, but there are a lot of cool mzungu people here. Some work for 31 Bits, a jewelry company in Gulu, some work for invisible children or a high school started by Bob Goff. Everyone here comes from all over the country and even the world. they all crave adventure and they all have a heart for this place, I've gotten to meet some really cool people who have a pretty cool perspective on life.
Even though there is a lot of work that go into our days here in Gulu, everyday feels rewarding, not in the sense that you’re making a difference in peoples lives, but they are making a difference in yours. I learn a lot here and I’m constantly being pushed outside my comfort zone, which is exactly what i came here for.
I am blessed. Even here, living in Uganda i realize that i am blessed. I’m blessed because i know that i have a loving and supportive family back at home that misses me and a big bed waiting for me to return but i also know that i am blessed here in Gulu. Even though we live in an ant infested, no-door-closing, small house, I’m blessed. Just outside our gates we have neighbors living in little grass huts and little boys that i have become friends with. I know all of their names because they wear the same clothes every day. I am blessed.
Its funny how your problems back at home become smaller, you forget about the dumb drama back at home, the times when i would freak out about a stain on a piece of clothing or scream when a spider was in the house make me laugh knowing that thats my life now. Life is simple here and I’m happy and you treat everyday here as a glorious adventure.
I’m so thankful for this crazy life and this calling God has allowed me to pursue.
