Living in Uganda for six months seems pretty simple until the middle of a 13-hour flight from Toronto to Addis Ababa. Shortly after “The Martian” ended (neat movie, by the way), reality came screaming in as fast the aluminum cigar tube carrying me and three of my fellow IYIP interns.
Six months away from the home I’ve known for twenty-four years. Friends, family, and every creature comfort are now across an ocean on a continent thousands of kilometres away.
My heart lurched at the thought, pounding hard like the engine of an overloaded cargo freighter. An entire life is behind me in a trail of jet exhaust. I thought for a moment about how easy life at home would be.
But then, I would not have an opportunity to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Or see the sun rise over the eastern edge of Africa (sorry, no pictures). Or live and work for six months in a city on the edge of Lake Victoria, mere kilometres from the source of the Nile river. Life would be “business as usual”, and there is nothing wrong with a big helping of the unusual.
This was really nice to read Russell! You got this, you are going to do so well 🙂