Tag: Uganda

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College Personal Self Discovery

Trees, mountains, water.

This morning I woke up to a gold full moon, lying low on the horizon. Took the ferry across from Langdale to Horseshoe bay, and the got onto the bus as the sun rose. So peaceful. Last evening we hiked up Soames Hill and watched the sun set. On our right was a brilliant golden sun dipping behind the trees and mountains; on our left was a pale, almost translucent moon coming up. The forest trail down felt so safe. Comfortable. Familiar, though it was my first visit.

I’m going to miss the daily routine of the teacher’s life, which I got to experience the past few days. It felt so right. Stef and I went with her mom to work every day, and I got the opportunity to drop in on several different grades in the school. I felt exhausted at the end of each day, but wonderfully so. I know I definitely will love working in the field of education, with others who share my passion. I guess it’s something I’m really looking forward to, anyway. Two days ago we got to attend a teacher’s workshop, and there we had many insightful conversations with experienced teachers all over the coast. Right now, I get to look forward to my B.Ed program. Stef and I were talking about our (near?) future when we can attend teacher’s workshops together. It’s so meaningful to share our passion, especially since we were with each other in Uganda.

I love living in BC. Growing up in the city, I never got to experience the comforts of “BC Living”: surrounded by trees, mountainscapes, ocean bodies. I guess I get glimpses of the North Shore from various beaches and points in the city. It’s totally different being away from the city. I love it.

It was still really comforting to bus into downtown this morning– I am a city girl at heart. Pulling into UBC made me feel proud; I love this community of students, I feel at home here.

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Personal

homesickness

 

June 20, 2011- 3:45pm
the afternoon rain (Uganda)

The sky darkens, and a cool breeze refreshes the sweaty afternoon. The clouds roll in casually, not intrusively this afternoon, and begin to sprinkle the dusty ground with cold droplets of water. The light drizzling wafts a clean smell into the library, and I am no longer drowsy with sleep. It smells like home, like a light rainy day in Vancouver.

September 19, 2011
Two days ago I walked out into a drizzling Saturday morning. It reminded me of something familiar, and it wasn’t just the familiarity of Vancouver. I guess it reminded me of the moments I remembered home, when I was away from home. How beautiful. Who knew I would miss Busolwe the same way I missed Vancouver? And now, they are both part of who I am.

Categories
Personal

Kampala nightlife

Last night Hannali and I were escorted by two guys we knew to the ‘uptown’ club scene. They have similar districts like our Granville St., or our Yaletown area… but with a sketchy twist. It still kind of felt like we were just driving into a cheap parking lot, where the club stood. In the day time it’s probably not that impressive. Anyhow, the music was really good– there was a good mix of music from East Africa, and it was really fun to dance to all the different beats. People just love to dance here, and they do know how to treat the women well. Around midnight, we hopped to another club, which was considered more expensive (the cover was almost as much as those in Vancouver!)… but of course there weren’t any women around, only rich Ugandan men. As soon as H and I hit the dance floor, the whole place was dancing, so that was flattering in some ways.

Around 2am, we took a break from dancing, which was when things started to go sour. The guy that I was with got really clingy and kept professing his love for me, going on about destiny and fate…. I did not take him seriously, told him he was a stranger to me. Which was horrible timing, because then a song came on that sang, “I fell in love with a stranger tonight”. After that I just pushed him away and kept waiting for them to take us home. He made a lot of lofty promises, how he will be there for my graduation, how he will treat me like a lady, etc etc. In my tipsy state, I got really annoyed, and just started to ignore him.

Got home, hit the bed. Men were indignant and upset that they didn’t flatter us. Honestly, Ugandan men think that they are supposed to convince you to like them, as if they are trying to prove something. Flirting with them is impossible; they are so cheesy.

Slept for most of the morning, am back in a coffee shop reflecting on this amusing experience.

Watching Harry Potter tonight, finally!

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