The end is near...

 

Me and the head of the tinsmiths at the stove factory

“I want to see you one more time before I die”…this was the thing an HIV positive friend of mine called to tell me the other night. Keep in mind: not “before you leave” not “before we don’t see each other for a while” but “before I die”…dramatic? You would think so, but it’s actually not, it’s just sometimes how it is and well, after living with the virus for years now and counseling others to get tested for it, my friend Jane has accepted that. Still, I’m not going to lie, it kind of freaked me out. So here’s the long and the short of it: these next 6 weeks before I leave are going to be hard. After 3 years and 3 months in Uganda, it’s time to say goodbye.

You’re probably thinking, man, this blog entry is just depressing. While so serious Heather?

Let’s just say, leaving Uganda is going to be bittersweet. Bitter for all the reasons you can imagine: the uncertainty of when I will come back here and moreover, the uncertainty of who will still be around when I finally do return to visit. But don’t worry, I’m not leaving this place in tears (that’s just not my style). I’m going to do as any Ugandan would do and tell people exactly what they want to hear, whether it’s true or not. Luckily, there’s no word for goodbye in Luo (the local language) so I won’t need to use one. I’ll just say “Rwate Wanen” or “We will see each other when we meet (again).”

Still, no matter how you phrase it, I hate goodbyes and would prefer to not think about it more than I have to, so let’s focus on the sweet stuff. I have loved my time in Uganda and along with a wealth of friends and slightly darker skin, it’s given me a lot, not the least of which is a next step. I’m starting graduate school at Purdue University in Indiana to get my M.S. in Environmental Engineering. It’s a two year program starting in August and I’m tremendously excited. Between now and then, the plan is to wrap things up here and travel.

My work this year with International Lifeline Fund (ILF) is ending on a high note. ILF is really pleased with the results and well, I just couldn’t be happier. My Institutional Fuel-Efficient Stove Program (the one I’ve been developing and managing for the last year) is up and running at full speed and will be self-sustaining (meaning it pays for itself) with 2 Ugandan Stove Officers managing it by the end of July (this is from being essentially non-existent last June). Schools and institutions throughout Uganda are saving a huge amount of money on firewood including my old school, Y.Y. Okot Memorial College in Kitgum and are singing our praises to other institutions. When the Executive Director of ILF visited Lira the other week, he was shocked at how far we had come (being self-sustaining is almost unheard of in the NGO world) and is starting to plan with earnest his vision for the future of the program. I have learned so much about stoves, finance and marketing in the last year and cannot say how grateful I am to ILF for this opportunity.
 

I’ll leave ILF on May 13th, spend 3 days with Peace Corps to finish up and make sure I don’t have any remaining parasites trying to jump ship with me, and then I’m off!...for 3 weeks…I’m spending some quality time hiking, swimming, bargaining and seeing the sites in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda before returning to Uganda on June 5th for my friend Bernadette’s wedding on June 7th (she is a Peace Corps Volunteer who came to country with me and is the only one who extended with me for a third year). After she’s hitched, it’s overland (using public transport) to South Africa via Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, stopping on the way to have some choice adventures and acclimate to the cold weather (it will be winter in southern Africa) before getting on a plane out of Johannesburg on July 3rd (my last and next blog posting will be to post pictures from my last weeks in Uganda and this trip).

And so now to the thing you have all been waiting for: my return.
I will be landing at Dulles International Airport at 330pm on July 4th (Qatar Airways 51) to banter with the customs officers, reintegrate and of course, to see you.

A woman using cooking locally (not using a stove like ours)--source: WFP

As I have told my family, the only thing I feel that I need when I get home is to see fireworks (if you have an amazing viewing plan in DC, let me know and we’ll make it happen), but they for some reason think I may need other things. So, if you are an expert in: buying cars, technology (this includes, but is not limited to computers, clouds—not the white fluffy ones—and anything that starts with “I”), pop culture, the canned food aisle, reintegrating or speaking slowing using small words so I can understand, your services will be needed. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to seeing you and hope that all stays well with you between now and then.

  

My institutional stove construction team

  



2 other PCVs (Bernadette and Rachel) at Bernadette's engagement celebration



A cook using one of our stoves (compare to the woman cooking above)