Each month during your PC
Service you acquire two vacation days for a total of forty-eight days.
Up until March 28, 2014, I
had 40 days. AKA, I had taken none.
It was time that I cashed
in some days to go back to the Southwestern part of Uganda to my favorite spot
in the country, Lake Bunyonyi. The Wall
Street Journal even agrees: The Loveliest Lake.
After a long journey from
the Northern tip of Uganda to the Southern most part, I finally arrived and
felt welcome back in my old home of the UG.
Not only could I communicate in Runyankore again, I knew my way around. The familiarity was comforting as I could
navigate my way around, knowing exactly what it was I wanted.
After a quick stop at the
supermarket for water, I found myself a taxi to take me to Rutinda, the shore
side where I could find a boat to take me to the island. The familiar ride brought excitement and as
the water began to peek through the hills, I knew I was officially on
vacation.
I arrived to find a
motorboat leaving just in time to take me to Byoona Amagara, the resort I would
call home for the following days.
Arriving at reception, I saw the familiar faces of those who I would see
on my weekend trips when I lived down on that side.
After a shower overlooking
the lake, I took myself up to the dining/reception area where I placed an order
for dinner and read my Nook. I met some
other families who were there vacationing, including one from Wisconsin who was
visiting their daughter that has been working at Mulago Hospital in Kampala for
the past two years.
The following day I spent
time reading on various benches throughout the island, exploring the area by
hiking around its perimeter, helping Friday, one of the staff members, in
writing a proposal for water tanks for the community, and taking lots of pictures
to remember this place. I moved into my beloved open-air Geodome home for the
night and took advantage of the gigantic porch overlooking the lake by just
reflecting as I watched the clouds move in.
I challenged the staff to cards and showed them how much this muzungu
girl has learned over the past twenty-two months. My winning strategy even resulted in a free
glass of wine!
That night I watched the
sun set as my cheesy, garlicky, pineapple and crawfish pizza was baking
away. I thought about the fact that this
would be my last time here. That until I
ever returned to Uganda, I would have to live vicariously through other people’s
pictures of the lake.
As I went to bed that
evening listening to the sounds of dugout canoes pass by on the lake, I
realized tomorrow brought a new adventure.
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