I've had a few moments over the last couple of days that made me stop and wonder... how did I ever get here? Not just how did I ever embark on this trip to Uganda, but how did I get where I am in my life?
Every year when the ice melts off the lake I yearn to get on the water. The first time out seems so surreal. It's as if I've never been on a boat, never taken to the water, never floated in this mass of liquid. There is something so invigorating about getting the wind in my hair and seeing the whole valley from a different viewpoint again. I was hanging on tightly to my husband as we raced across the lake. I realized there was nowhere else I wanted to be. This is strange for me because often I am thinking of exciting new adventures to pursue. Here I was, completely here, in the moment. I hope I can be completely in Uganda while I am there...
I was driving home tonight thinking, "This is where I belong." I could see the expanse of the prairie sky and the tree struggling to survive, marking my half-way home point. The sun was so intense on my windshield and I determined one truth: I really truly do live in the most beautiful place in the world.
At my school the other night, I was listening to students share their creative writing. I couldn't stop thinking about how talented the students are! As I listened to them share their stories, their poetry, their hopes and fears, I realized how lucky I am to know and to work with such youth. The emotion, the fear, the courage - how these young writers can express such life experience in their short lives! I felt the evening captured the very essence of being a teenager.
I see myself in these students all the time. I enjoy talking with students about their futures... it is an amazing experience to relive the excitement and the fear of "growing up" along with them again. How did I know I wanted to be a teacher? How was I so sure?
I was at our awards ceremony the other day and I was thinking - what outstanding kids we have! Athletes, musicians, artists, leaders, volunteers. I hope I always feel this way about the students I work with! It is easy to complain and become discouraged with students and the education system here in Canada. I am hoping teaching and learning in Uganda will provide me with a new kind of perspective...
What do I expect from my trip? In all of my travels, no matter what my expectations were before I arrived, I have always been surprised by the intensity of the experience. Foremost, I expect to learn. I would not be participating in this exchange if I did not expect to learn as much as I share with others. I expect to be challenged. I live a very sheltered life as a North American. Some situations in Uganda will shock me. I expect to see things that like shake me to my very core. I pray these experiences will help me grow. I do not want to live my life in oblivion of the rest of the world.
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