You Are Most Welcome

Kept my memorial bracelet on throughout the flight, to keep my cousin Tony with me. "Be Strong & Of Good Courage." 

Stepping off of the plane in Ethiopia was surreal. 13 hours on a plane was actually pretty fun, the food was great and we all spent a good amount of time wandering around the cabin area, chatting with each other and stretching our legs. The food was surprisingly good, and the airplane had one of my favorite movies—The Prestige! 

We deplaned onto the tarmac, which was a first for me. As soon as we landed, we heard the news... Trump was in the lead. 

The 33 of us split up to gather around two TVs, and I watched in dismay and awe as votes kept coming in for the candidate I had thought would never win. Already in the midst of my transition to living in Africa, I'd thought I might feel distant from the American election; as if it no longer related to me. It turns out that, while I don't feel as alarmed as I'm sure I would if I were still living in the US, I still feel a sense of trepidation because I'm not sure what Trump's opinion on the Peace Corps will be. In spite of the election, I feel proud to be a representative of America in a foreign country, because I don't believe that we'll allow everything we've built together as a country—all of the steps we've made toward equality—to be undone by one man. 

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous when we landed in Uganda. We'd been traveling for a calendar day and a half—there was no turning back now. What if I didn't fit in? What if I was too overwhelmed by the cultural differences to function? Well, I decided I'd just have to make it work regardless. I felt too comfortable in America, physically and emotionally. So, here I am in Africa, waving goodbye to my comfort zone and hello to a myriad of new experiences. 

The drive from Entebbe to Kampala was beautiful. The last time I'd made this trip, as a high school senior (almost five years ago now!) it was around midnight. That time I had been seeing a new country without really seeing it—our bus windows were open, I was experiencing all of the sounds and exotic smells of a new country, while surrounded by darkness. It was much friendlier to be able to view everything illuminated with sunlight and a bright blue sky in the background! 

We arrived at the compound we'll be staying at for the next month, for our initial stage of training. Everyone was waiting to greet us with tea, bananas, and samosas (fried pastries, filled with veggies or meat). They introduced themselves and each added, "You are most welcome." Their love and excitement was palpable, and I knew I would be happy here.