Not always great

Here it is.

Rwanda.

The long awaited trip, the time spent with friends, time spent at the Widow's village, Star school, and around Kigali.....
Nope.
Well, not quite.
I arrived in Rwanda on Thursday evening, the 9th of August and had a good evening.
Friday morning I was sick as a dog. I pretty much slept/laid in bed starting Friday morning to Monday evening... Throw in a couple of super fun hospital visits where I thought I might actually be poked to death or bleed to death. It was crazy!

Word finally came on Monday-When I was starting to feel better, that I had pretty severe food poisoning and my white blood cell count was going down and I was on the mend.

Let me tell you. This experience was crazy.

Amidst the miserableness, I did have great caretakers, but some of the days they had super important commitments that they had to leave for and I was left home alone all day long with a house girl that speaks no English. Talk about difficult.
In the midst of all this I may have evaluated and re-evaluated my "crazy" plan of coming to Africa to spend the entire semester, and I may have wanted nothing more than to teleport myself back home and never leave the country again.

I had a lot of time to sit and think, and remember someone saying that I only loved Rwanda so much because nothing bad had ever happened, and when that happened, I wouldn't like it so much.
I remember thinking, what a horrible thing to tell someone who is heading out in a few months to spend the whole semester, but in the midst of my crazy sickness, I thought, maybe he was right.

No.

This is where I'm supposed to be.
I don't know what that looks like, and I don't know when or where or how even, but this is it.

Through this sickness I realized that yes, maybe I was living a fairytale of perfect-ness when I came to Rwanda in the past.
I had plenty of crazy good fruit and food, a nice bed with fresh towels, access to a vehicle to drive me around, and a shower with hot water.
This has shown me that while that isn't always real life, I can still push through and love what I do have, even if its not perfect. Because bad days will come, but so will good days, and I have to have one to truly appreciate the other.

So,

Things are better.
I'm better, life is great, and I'm heading to Uganda for my super crazy awesome, hopefully sick free semester on Monday!!!

Until I post again.....

-Jenn

7 days and counting.....

The final week.
It’s crunch time.
My room is empty back in Lynchburg as I will be heading to a new apartment on my return in January. My car is packed, and I've said goodbye to my friends in Lynchburg.
It’s Wednesday August 1st. I’m flying to Texas to spend one last week with my family in Dallas before heading out next Wednesday for my semester in Uganda. I’m not going to Uganda right away, instead I’m heading out two weeks early to spend some time in Rwanda.
- I. can’t. wait.
While I will miss my friends here, and my family, I feel like I’m not leaving home, but instead finally flying back home.
Rwanda, land of a thousand hills, and home to some of the most beautiful people on earth. My friends, my sisters and my brothers, and my African mom-Margret.

I saw a quote from Rick Warren once that said something along the lines of, If God calls you somewhere, you will be unhappy anywhere else.
While I know there is a time for everything, and my time is in Lynchburg finishing school, my heart’s desire is to pick up and move to Rwanda long term right now.

As I prepare to leave and be gone for the next 4 1/2 months, I covet your prayers. It is going to be a semester of growing and learning and it is my prayer that I will be open to learning, both in Rwanda and in Uganda.

Murakoze Cyane

Jenn