IMME (not ME) is the acronym we use here when we talk about the students in the Intercultural Ministry and Missions Emphasis in the USP program… aka the emphasis I am in, my people, my brother and sisters. For reals, I feel like this group of 19 students from the States and 1 from Canada have all become my family.
We spent the past weekend in the Rakai District in Southern Uganda. We stayed at the Kibaale Community Center, located near the boarder of Tanzania. We had the chance to tour the Center and talk to the missionaries that are working there about their life. They even made dinner for us! Salad, pasta, and chicken curry never tasted so good. Not sure how happy our stomachs were afterward but it was a delightful two meals.
Our breakfast and lunch weren’t too bad either. Actually they were amazing. We brought all our own supplies and made pancakes one morning, french toast another, and had peanut butter and jelly for lunch. It was again, delightful.
About 14 of us went on a hike up a hill that where we could (supposedly) see Tanzania from. We then made a pyramid… kind of. Then we played the human knot game. That was fun. Especially in the scorching heat since we were pretty much ON the equator. A dozen hot, sweaty, smelly, 20-somethings, holding hands and climbing all over each other is always a good time. Good thing we are comfortable with each other.
the pyramid
We also spent a lot of time relaxing. It was so nice to just BE together. We already are pretty much together all the time, squished into the IMME quarters, with computers in front of our faces and headphones in our ears. Being away from the quarters, our computers and our headphones allowed us to spend time talking, reading, playing games, and really enjoying each other. It was awesome to see the way that our relationships have grown so much over the past three months. As we sat around talking one night it hit me; we ONLY have three weeks left together.
lots of time was spent napping and talkling (talking and cuddling)
It was a different way to look at the last three weeks. Instead of being excited and thinking only three weeks until I go home I realized that in only three weeks and I will be saying goodbye. Not just to my host family, but my IMME family, and all of the friends I have made over the past semester. I doubt (unless Dean and Holly invite all of us to their wedding in a few years) that all 21 of us will ever all be together again once we all go our separate ways in just 21 days. It makes me sad but I know that each one of us has an amazing journey waiting for “life after Uganda”.
I know that these last three weeks are just going to fly. There are a lot of fun things happening in the next few weeks like a Thanksgiving Feast! Things are going to be busy. Hopefully I will get at least two more updates in by then. But for now… Happy Thanksgiving to all back home. I will be seeing you VERY soon.
more time spent bonding as we all crammed into the USP van for the six hour ride home!
