While taking a stroll along a street; a street arched by tall leafy trees; a street covered by mud from the down pour two hours earlier, I walk circumspectly lest I get my shoes muddied; a street in a town I called home for a year; the year I did my Global Health Corps (GHC) fellowship with Action for Community Development (ACODEV), only then am I able to put the whole year into context.
Hi. I am Benon, a GHC alumnus of the class 2013-14. I was placed with ACODEV as the Fundraising and Partnership Development fellow in Kasese town, at the foothills of the majestic Rwenzori Mountains. I shared an amazing house with three of my co-fellows; two beautiful American ladies and a Ugandan gentleman I have come to call a brother. I have always struggled to put my fellowship year onto a single written story until now; after a return to this beautiful land, four months after the end of my fellowship.
I have a background in finance and the for-profit sector. The fellowship year was my very first working with a non-profit; a field that was quite alien to me. Strange, but today, I am able to look into anyone’s eyes and say this (non-profit) is where I belong. While at ACODEV, I was fortunate to work with amazing people, made friends and brothers, relationships I continue to work on, the single biggest reason I choose to stay with the same organization although in a different capacity and location. This blog is not really about the fellowship year, but rather about me. The transformation that I went through and the effect the year had on me.
When we (fellows) left Yale University after the first two weeks of fellowship training, I was excited just like many of the fellows spread across the world today. I was, however, uncertain of what to make of the year ahead; definitely hoping for the best, but ready for anything. Even armed with two bags of my personal belongings and three lovely people who would be my housemates for the year, I could not have been prepared for the year to come.
Honestly, my three co-fellows and I did quite some work, a lot, I should add in fairness to them. However, if we share a pictorial of the whole year, you would definitely be in doubt of how much work we did. We visited game parks several times (Queen Elizabeth was only 10 kilometers away from our home), went biking into the mountains, spent weekends partying (legendary house parties and “chicken Friday”) and swimming at a lovely pool, traveled often across the country, saw a lot of wild game, bathed in waterfalls, spread my arms wide open up on beautiful mountain ranges, swam several times in a crater lake (one of my top world destinations now), had exotic foods (Indian being my favorite now), saw one of my co-fellows (Peter) get married and met many amazing people from across the globe. Yes, I should add, I visited a few other countries, had a car accident (rolled in a car several times in the mountain ranges), read several volumes of books, watched so many movies, and yes, this was all within a year; and specifically less than 350 days. Somehow amidst all of this, I was able to find time to do work for my placement organization and submit tasks in time (most of the time); work that I hope will stand a test of time. There were dull moments for sure, but I don’t seem to remember them (not sure whether it’s by choice or they were too insignificant during the year).
However, returning four months after such an epic year, I am now much more able to put it all in context. The feeling of nostalgia is so strong it makes me want to tear. When I was younger, my family and I moved quite often and I learnt to hardly miss places or people. The very reason this does not make sense is because I do miss the friends I made during the year; I do miss Kasese. In my mind; I see the smiles, I hear the laughs and the chatters of my friends; chatters in several languages, most of which I do not understand, partially or completely. I see them dance, I hear them make merry with no worries and hug so honestly when amused.
After the training at Yale University, I felt I could change the world. I wanted to. I was going to and I am going to; but the year was not about any of these. I thought I already knew who I was and how I was going to ascertain my place in the world. The fellowship year had other ideas for me. It was not about the world that needs to be bettered. It was all about me.
The year taught me to be humble, to aspire to learn and be honest about what I can or cannot do. I learnt that patience is not just a virtue, but with time everything can fall into place. I learnt more about the aspirations of others, and how these dreams are intricately intertwined with my very own hopes. I learned to be a global citizen. I went looking for my next adventure in the world and I found me. I found who I really am.
What a year.
