Today we had our final meeting before we leave for Uganda on Monday. It was strange to be hugging our instructor goodbye (he will be heading to Uganda tomorrow and will meet us at the Entebbe airport on Wednesday) and saying "see you at the airport!" to the girls. A year of planning and fundraising is behind us and we are finally about to embark on our adventure.
We took some time in today's meeting to reflect a bit on the past year. We all feel blessed for the amazing support we have recieved during our fundraising efforts. The level of generosity has been surprising and very appreciated. Without our friends, family, community members and the college, this trip would not have been possible.
We also talked about our reasons for going, expectations, fears and goals. The two main principles of our trip are to do no harm, and start projects that "have legs when we leave." We are not going to Uganda to try to save lives or change the world. We are there primarily to learn from the Ugandan people. If the opportunity comes up to create change, then we will take it, but the main benefit will be the experience we have that we can bring to our practice here in Canada.
Leaving on our adventure has been and will be emotional. Saying goodbye is never easy and adjusting to a new culture can also be very challenging. But we are five strong and capable women--lookout Uganda!
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