I have tried numerous times over the past few weeks to blog about my last bit of time in Uganda, but weeks have turned into days and days are quickly turning into mere hours before I depart from the land of green bananas and giant trash-eating birds. How am I supposed to talk about what it is like to leave a place I have come to call home?
I think I’ve written and erased twenty different sentences tonight, all of which attempted to convey my thoughts on leaving, but none of which adequately express them. As an English major I find it frustrating that I’m unable to put words together to effectively communicate what I’ve been experiencing as I prepare to leave Uganda. But I’m coming to terms with the fact that I just don’t know what to say and I’ve stopped trying to figure it out for now. But I’ll give you the basics: I am coming back to California in just a couple of days and this transition is one I anticipate with intense sadness and great joy. Let’s leave it at that.
I will say that whether happy or sad, I’m embarking on yet another adventure, which excites me. I’ll be living with the parentals in a new house (we sold the house I grew up in), looking for a new job, and reconnecting with old friends. There may be some fun stories to tell—even blog-worthy—from the adventure of the impending “transition phase.” My stories won’t include arguments with boda-boda drivers but who knows—maybe I’ve been away so long that I will commit cultural blunders in my own culture worth retelling online. Stay tuned!
Until my next post stateside, please know that no matter what I am feeling about leaving, I am truly looking forward to seeing friends and family in California again soon. I appreciate each one of you and am eager to catch up on each of your lives. Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Love,
Megan
P.S. I’ve written one more boda-boda anecdote. If you want an example of how I go about settling a price for a boda-boda ride from my friend Emily’s house to a favorite breakfast place called “Java’s” (located at a gas station called “City Oil”), see below.
I stand on the side of the road looking towards oncoming traffic and flag down a boda-boda driver without a passenger. The Boda-Boda driver slows down, looks at me and says: You go?
Me: Mm *raise eyebrows, stick out lips*. I must go to City Oil on Bombo Road. You know it?
BB: Mm *raise eyebrows, stick out lips*.
Me: You know? How much?
BB: Four-thousand.
Me: Eh! No, that is too high. Make Two-five. Two-five is fair.
BB: No, it’s so far—four thousand.
Me: No, it is not far—it is close. I go all the time for only two-five.
BB: But fuel is so much and it is far.
Me: No, it is not far, and fuel is the same. Come, two-five is a fair price, Ssebo.
BB: Ok. Make three.
Me: No, three is too high. It is a Mzungu price!
BB: *Grin* It is not a Mzungu price. The fuel—
Me: Two-five.
BB: Ok, we go.
Notes:
This conversation has many variations and can go on for many minutes.
“Mm *raise eyebrows and stick out lips*” is a Ugandan way of saying yes with very little effort.
Four-thousand Shillings is about $2.00. Yes, I argue a difference of $0.25.
Two-five means 2,500 Shillings.
“Ssebo” means “sir.”
“Mzungu” means “white person.”
