Four friends, two bikes, and a dirt road

The past month has been stressful to say the least. There were some wonderful things (like having BOTH my mom and best friend come visit me), some tragic things (two deaths in our community), and some big choices (I am officially coming home in the first week of March and applying for grad school at PSU). On top of it all lots of moving- our bosses moved back to Auzzie, we moved into their house, and a new family we hardly know moved in with us.

All of this resulted in a building desire to let go, laugh, and perhaps doing something a bit risky. Apparently being a responsible adult who can move across the world does not exempt me from the mindset of being young and invincible. (then again, maybe that’s how I could move across the world…) Anyway, Chelsea and I called our boda driver friends and explained our predicament. Apparently 18 year old boys with motorbikes only adds to invincibility. Chelsea DROVE all over our neighborhood, up and down the dirt roads, as I rode backwards on the bike in front of her in order to capture the whole thing on tape.

I have done a lot of funny things in Uganda, but never have I seen so many Ugandans double take and laugh hysterically. And never have I been laughing so hard that I almost fall off a moving vehicle. Don’t worry; the only accident was two girls crashing their bicycle as they tried to race Chelsea while responding to the nonsensical luganda phrases I was yelling at them.

And now I feel it’s time to buckle down again. To turn off the hip hop and get back to Mozart and Excel. To focus on finishing the work I came here to do. To turn the corner into the home stretch, pouring my heart into a place I’m going to leave sooner then expected.

But at least I know that I won’t have to rip my heart away in march, because I have decided to leave it here. Not all of it of course, but a piece large enough to keep me tied to the place that has both broken and healed me, a place I love and hate in equal measure. Being a sojourner is a funny thing. I wish I had word and wisdom enough to explain it…

But since I don’t please enjoy a few funny pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021354&l=3242a&id=98301133