Hooray!

When I posted this blog, it was just about 256 hours 'til I'll be leaving Modum, bound for Mbale. It's crazy that the time at Hald is really going towards the end. In many ways, it feels as though it was yesterday the puzzled girl arrived here with no clue of what she had signed up for. At the same time, it feels like I've been here for ages. In this relatively short period of time, Hald has become a home away from home. Even after the week-end I went home to Vikersund, I thought of going to Hald as going "back home". People often say that "home is where your heart is", and I think that might be the case with Hald. With all these amazing people and good things going on, it's no wonder Hald is starting to feel like home =)

So it's no wonder I "jump" every time I realise that something is happening for the last time in a long time. This is for example my very last Sunday at Hald in more than seven months. There's simply not much time left here, meaning that it's starting to look bad for my plans of going horseback-riding for the first time, sleeping outside and becoming a "regular " at the yellow café on the corner in Mandal. But there's really no need to whine, after all, it's merely about 220 days 'til we're back again! Hooray! And those days will probably fly by, filled with wonderful experiences and a lot of good people in Uganda! So, hooray to that as well!

Mbale, here I come (in merely 22 days)!

(Picture from Wikipedia.org)

The tickets are booked, all the vaccinations are done and I've stacked up a seven-month supply of Lariam. The fact that I'll actually be outside of Norway for over half a year, straight, is slowly dawning on me. Sure, I've known that I'd leave in the beginning of October the past six months. But there is a huge difference between knowing the answer when being asked: "What will you be doing next year?" and actually having an idea of how the next year is going to be.


That is an almost impossible question to answer. But I'm pretty sure that's what the
precourse at Hald is supposed to help us with. To give us an idea of how our lives are going to be this year. Through the lessons given here, we get prepared to live in another culture where people have world views that are worlds apart from our own. The "international students" (from Brazil, Peru, Nepal, China, Lao, Thailand, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Cameroun) living at Hald also contribute to our education on this subject.

Some of the things I've learned and experienced at Hald, have shook my nerves a bit regarding the next seven months. But I've definetly been more reassured that my stay in Uganda is going to be a good one after I came here. The slightly queasy, nervous feeling I got when I thought of Uganda, is turning into pure exitement. And a very important reason to this change is my lovely team-partner, Marthe. And, to me, looking at this picture further validates my hopes for a good year!

Marthe and Silje, the "Mbale-mzungos"!