Last week in New York I spent 3 long days together with 30 new friends in briefings. It was information overload. I was the only one headed out immediately on an assignment. On Friday afternoon, they were all headed to their homes while I would be off to Paris and then Sudan. At the end of the day on Friday, they gave me my instructions, a map of Paris, and some spending cash. There was an odd feeling to the whole thing like some kind of movie where I was the main character on some secret mission. Only this is my life, not some movie and there were risks that I was not happy about. I felt incredibly lonely. That was to be expected. Afterall, I had just quit my job, dumped everything I owned into storage, and told all my family and friends that I was going to travel abroad indefinitely. It was both exciting and lonely. It’s like living in limbo, no home to return to and no set plan. Try explaining that to some girl you want to date. How do you expect your family to understand?
Paris was good but also lonely. The weather was perfect but there was so much nervous energy in the air I could hardly sit still. I walked up and down the Seine growing nostalgic for my childhood, when i lived in Paris for just a short time at 11 years old.
My visa is ready and I’m headed to Juba. I was pretty freaked out about the trip on the drive to entebbe airport but now feel better. The panic ebbs and flows. Sometimes I worry most about contracting some disease. I already had Dengue twice and getting it again would be terrible.
Air Uganda. Plane looks decent. In fact it looks better than pretty much all of American airlines and most of united airlines planes. People dress up everywhere. I feel like a slob with my t-shirt and waterproof cargo pants. Like a token American tourist. Oh well, it helped me pack light and this isn’t a fashion show. I’m going to practice medicine and teach people what I know.