Week 9 - Birthdays, Airlines, and the Beginning of Another Journey

Location: Kampala

This week we had not one, not two, but three birthdays...well four actually if you count Centurio --Man of the Century (who didn't tell us about his until it had already passed). The celebrations lasted days, beginning on Thursday and finally winding down on Saturday night. We started by gathered with all of our friends at a Thai restaurant to feast, reminisce and enjoy each others company. Our totally was 21 and included the nine of us, Professor Stewart, Dan and Centurio with their respective wives, Olivia, Paul and Martin from PCA, our three new break-dancing friends, and Brian. It was a warm and emotional gathering full of stories and memories. By brother Centurio's request, we were all encouraged to deliver a speech. Everyone had something to say, and the speeches were amazing and so full of love that the thought of the program's ending in a little over one week was overwhelming. The program had creeped to a start, but had surged to a finish before we could even realize it. Encouraged by the warmth of this country and its people I decided to prolong my adventure by staying on after the program.

Many had similar sentiments and had already began planning their summer activities in Uganda. However, it wasn't until we officially decided to change our return flight that we found out that our tickets were only good for a three month period including both outbound and return travel. Since I had left on March 20, to do some traveling around Europe, this arrangement meant that the latest I could return would be June 20, giving me only two additional weeks. To make matters worse, the cost to change the ticket skyrocketed from the expected $300 to over $1000, to account for the change in price of the new ticket, making purchasing a whole new return ticket a much better option. We were crushed. The week had been an emotional roller-coaster --peaking at the prospect the of staying and dropping at the thought of leaving. However, despite the heavy setback, all of us who wanted to stay on (7 out of 9) are staying thanks to the wonderful generosity of parents, fellowships, and grants. So although the study component of our trip is ending, a whole new journey enriched with our own interests and passions is just beginning.