Sunday, May 23, 2010

Almost time to leave for Uganda!!

Oh my gosh, we are leaving for Uganda tomorrow! I think I am still in shock from school and everything, and it hasn’t completely hit me that I am going to be halfway around the world before I know it. I’ve traveled a pretty good amount in the past (to places like Singapore, China, and Rwanda), but of course I am still really nervous about this summer. I have never really gone to another country without an adult, and I have lived my entire life in Chapel Hill. I guess spending two months in Uganda this summer with a bunch of other awesome UNC students will make me grow up a lot.
On the way to Uganda, we even get to spend the night in Dubai! We are going to arrive there pretty late, and I will probably be soooo tired from the plane ride (which is actually my favorite part of traveling because you get to just sit in one place, sleep, watch TV, and have people bring you food!). But anyway, I am for sure going to go exploring in Dubai. How could I be there and just go to sleep in my hotel?? I cannot ignore Dubai's palm tree-shaped islands and buildings with rotating floors. I do not care if I am up all night, I AM going to have an adventure in Dubai. The next morning, I am flying through Ethiopia, then I’ll arrive in Kampala and stay there about a week before I head off for my internship in Katosi. How baller!
I am going to miss Chapel Hill so much, but I think I am ready to experience something new and exciting! Since the semester ended, I have been frantically running around saying bye to my friends, hanging out with my family, and spending my entire life savings on every possible thing I could ever need in Uganda. I have a tendency to over-prepare and over-think things, especially when I am traveling. I pretty much been living with a mountain of things to pack in my room, which has almost given me a nervous breakdown a few times, haha! So at this point, I have done all the preparing anyone could possibly do. I think I am so meticulous about getting logistical things ready because I know there are so many other things I cannot possibly prepare myself for. I am going to be sad, homesick, and probably incredibly lost at some point during the summer, but I also know that, no matter what happens, I am going to learn so much.
colleen

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