Here we go....again

So yes, the adventure begins here. But not before packing all my things! The excitement of going back to a country, and a continent, that I have come to love over the last couple of years and doing some really worthwhile work, coupled with the nervousness of going away for 7 months, has rather overshadowed the practical elements of working out what constitutes my worldly possessions for the next half a year! But with 4 sleeps left until departure I can’t go on just laying things out on my bedroom floor – I have to face the challenge of getting it all in a rucksack and my carry on backpack! This is a pressing task but another thought holding me back is that this still doesn’t seem quite real! But I don’t think it will until I actually set my foot on the tarmac at Entebbe airport!

Anyway, this all seems very dramatic!! ‘Why is she rambling on?!’, you might wonder, but all these musings ultimately lead to one goal – to enhance the lives of young people in rural areas of Uganda and to give them a brighter future. My main role within this wider goal will be the implementation of a sexual and reproductive health education programme both in schools and throughout the community. Working in partnership with the local health centre we really hope to increase awareness about HIV/aids and other health issues in the community that we will be living and working in.

So what are my hopes or anticipations for my project?! Well I’m not quite sure yet!! Training for our programme starts on 4^th January and I hope this time will really consolidate where I feel I can fit in and get me even more excited for our work, but on a more personal note, I really hope to get to know all the other volunteers really well and learn a bit more about Ugandan culture and of course, the language! And bring on the challenge of living without running water or electricity – I’ll keep you posted on that one!! So here we go....