So I am now halfway through my six months in Uganda. Not sure if I can say it has gone fast but a lot has definitely happened! In my three months there have been a lot of students come and go and all the other volunteers have left, so I’m currently the only one here from the UK. It is hard to keep making friends and then having to say goodbye to them but I have met some great people and some I will hopefully meet up with in the UK. Also there are more students and volunteers coming in October.

Since my last post it has definitely been a rollercoaster of emotions. Things started to improve in the house. One of the volunteers left so I moved into her room which is so much better and I even have an en suite! I got friendly with the volunteer couple here and we did some good work at the hospital and did some fun things at the weekend such as swimming in a crater lake! Sadly they left about a month ago so I’ve been on my own at the hospital and at home. Home is ok though as I’m used to living alone and I also had a big deep clean of the house and moved things around so it’s more homely.

Things at the hospital got quite difficult. Sadly quite a few babies were dying, having problems that could have been prevented and it took its toll on me. Also I was struggling to get the staff to work with me in improving the care of these babies and mothers. Seeing these sad things can be so distressing but when you have people working with you who want to make a difference it brings some comfort, but when they don’t want to change or make a difference it’s just too much to handle. I had to have a word with myself, I need to remember as one person I can’t fix everything so I have to focus on things I can change. So that’s what I have done and since then things have improved. Still sad things are happening but I’m seeing things that can be changed and people that want to make that change. This makes me happy and excited for what is to come. I also have to say how grateful I am for some of my friends back in the UK and my sister for being my rocks, listening to me, drying my tears and supporting me no matter what. They are the real reason I can make it through the difficult times.

I have joined a walking group so every Saturday we go for a hike and I’m making some great friends which is obviously helping my mood and stress release!!! I’m so grateful that I get to see so much of the city and doing exercise at the same time! As for the food, that’s not improving much! I treat myself to one of my favourite restaurants once a week or so but they are expensive, so most of the time I’m on rice and peas and super noodles! I’m very excited for food back in the UK!

I’ve been doing more research work and learning a lot along the way. I think this is definitely a potential for a new career path. I’m getting a lot of support with it, so I’m very lucky. I’ve also started teaching English online again ( I used to do it when I lived in Mexico) to make some extra money. I’m actually really enjoying it and gives me something to do in the evenings!