I was scared that my excitement and passion from yesterday was going to ware off. That was not the case, nothing about my second day in Uganda was disappointing.

Last year the program I am with, HELP International, built a health clinic in a remote village on the side of a mountain. The people here had never had access to health care any where near them and thus most illnesses were left untreated until they become very serious. HELP still participates in the running of the program, as well as many other projects to improve the community. Today I was able to visit the village. My journey started with a long taxi ride in a van with 5 benches packed into it. At one point there were 22 people in the taxi, yes 22 people! It was insane and definitely very cramped! Most of the roads here are not paved and the dirt roads are not well maintained. Lets just say we got very cozy with those sitting next to us and there was a lot of flailing limbs. After an hour and a half in the taxi we arrived at the foot of the mountain for a steep hike.

Along the path up the mountain there were little houses made of mud and banana fibers and many people. The children would get very excited, yelling “mizingu! Hello how are you?”  Unfortunately the hike got very steep and the ground was very uneven, causing my ankle to roll and swell. I took a boda the rest of the way up the mountain, one of the scariest moments of my life! Riding two to a dirt bike up a steep dirt road definitely got the adrenalin going. At the top was a school and the children rushed out to greet me. I felt like a celebrity. Here I waited for the rest of my group, taking in the beautiful scenery in front of me. Over and over I took pictures, but they could not capture the essence of what was before me, it was breathtaking. It was not the Africa depicted in the lion king, but rather a mountain covered in rich, luscious tress and crops. When my group got to me we hiked down the side of the mountain to the village where the health clinic is located. On the path were three bridges bade for logs and a tree that had been cut into planks. Being the chicken I am, I was scared to cross them, and as we went across they wobbled, but we all made it.

When we arrived there were children on break from school. Most of them in worn and torn clothing and no shoes. They were playing soccer with a ball that had been fabricate from some rags rubber-banded together. At first I felt sad seeing how little they had, but then part of me was almost jealous. Being raised in America, I was always just given the toys I wanted and the clothes I needed. If I lost a ball we got a new one, if my clothes ripped we went shopping. I know I should feel lucky for having this luury, and I do, but I also am envious of how joyed they are by the simple things in life, something I have not observed working with children in America. They have a completely different perspective, they do not complain about what is missing, but rather enjoy those things which they do have.

Seeing the health clinic in person was magical. Here is this little building, probably the size of many of the waiting rooms of clinics back home. We were given a tour of the clinic which was run on a station system, allowing the people who work there to be more efficient. By 3:30 the clinic had seen over 60 patients, and it was a slow day! Can you even fathom that? This clinic is able to service over 60 people a day! Most days average in the high 80’s to 100 patients. That amazes me. They have such limited space and resources and yet they are helping a huge amount of people. It made me feel like America has the wrong idea. We go to see a doctor, with an appointment, wait for usually a half hour minimum, and leave after a five minute consoltation with the physician. When I shadowed a doctor in the U.S., he had another doctor in his office and many nurses and assistants, and he only saw an average of 20 to 30 patients a day. How is this possible? How are there so many people who need access to health care in the U.S. and cannot get it? How can a country as wealthy as America not figure out how to better take care of its citizens. I would not consider myself a socialist, I believe in having a good work ethic and earning what you need. However, I also believe in unity among people and brotherhood. I believe that in order to make ourselves better we should help those around us. Why can we not come together and help those who really need it? Why is there no sense of the greater good in America? We have so much more than so many others in the world, and yet we always want, want, want. We do not know how to share, we do not understand the concept of pulling together. When tragedy strikes, we are great at making a team effort, but why does it have to come to that for us to be able to work with one another. We say we are  country under god, but I don’t see it. The people here believe in god and they believe we are all united under him and thus we should help our brothers and sisters. Even though I am not religious, this makes more sense to me than how America “practices’ religion. Okay sorry about that little rant, Uganda has just inspired a lot of thoughts in me.

Anyways the adults and children in the village were all so welcoming and happy to have us there. They gave us a tour of their village, thanked us for coming over and over, and even invited us into their homes for lunch. We had a delicious meal of matoke, beans, pocho, and cabbage. It was very weird because you eat with your hands. The hot food burned at first, but it was so delicious it was hard to wait.

After lunch we talked with a few men from the village. There names were Timothy, James, and William. Timothy was referred to as papa by many of the people, he was one of the oldest people I have seen since I have been here. HE thanked us for coming and told us he loved us. “You are not foriegners, this is now your home. You have put your heart into this place and we love you. You are welcome here and we want you to stay. You are our brothers and sisters. Thank you.” Tears came to my eyes as I realized what we were doing here was so appreciated. I finally realized this trip wasn’t just a trip but I now have a second home among these people. I love my home in Colorado but this is special. Never did I think I would feel so welcome, I thought I would always stand out as a foreigner.