The strains of that mid-90s song by The Shaman keep marching through my mind today. Freddy and I had a very necessary and somewhat painful conversation this morning, wherein I first scolded him for his lack of punctuality, blamed him for my inability to do the tasks I am set to do and then, finally, succumbed to the reality that I am just in the first stages of the mourning process for my impending departure in 3 weeks. I felt the tears welling, totally uninvited, and then trickling down my cheek. As soon as I let them come, unabated, I realized how much I am going to miss this place. I have been bottling that feeling up and trying to place it somewhere deep down so that I could just get on with things and go home.
But, life is never that easy. Freddy and Pascal have become my bosom friends. I love the talks that Freddy and I have about life, love and the pursuit of happiness. I love seeing Pascal succeed with the video camera. He is really showing that in his next life he will be a great filmmaker. This weekend, the two of them will be scouting out locations in southwestern Uganda. We three shall return there in a few weeks and shoot some footage for a promotional video about WPIO and their shoulder-to-shoulder work with pygmy tribes. I am so excited to finally shoot video for this project. Combining the tutoring, the website I am building, the outreach we are doing here in Kampala and the promotional video I will complete when I’m back in the States, will make for a powerful tool when raising awareness and money for future WPIO endeavors.
And, as a capper to my time in Uganda: I had already planned to jump from a plane with my friend, Annalea, as a celebration of our graduation in May. Now, when I return to the States, I will jump from an airplane in the name of the WPIO, while carrying a banner honoring their work (we’ll take pictures to prove it!). Of course, the jump will involve a parachute and a tandem, expert jumper 😉 I would love to receive donations for the cause. Any monies raised above and beyond the cost of the jump will be sent directly back to the WPIO to continue their work here in east Africa. (Thanks for the idea, Jennie!)
Next Blog: The Joys of Civil Disobedience
Posted By Juliet Hutchings
Posted Jul 31st, 2008
2 Comments
Dana
August 1, 2008
Juliet, your blogs are always entertaining and heartfelt. Keep ’em up in your last weeks. And have fun!
Herbert Parsons
August 6, 2008
Juliet, it’s encouraging, as always, to hear from you, in part because you write so well, and are appropriately descriptive of your feelings. I wish you’d include more portraits: the faces, too, personalize your commentary in a way not otherwise possible.
Thanks, Herb