Uganda and I

Do you know the feeling when you don't warm up to someone? That's what I do for two countries: Italy and Uganda. Both of these countries are unique in their own right, but I never get warm with them.

Uganda left a lot of scars on me, and at that time the world of 19-year-old Alina completely turned upside down. It was one of the toughest and the best experiences of my life. I always imagined that if the relationship was to last, then I would go there with my boyfriend and hope that I could solve old scars. Hm, easier said than done.

We had a wonderful week in Uganda and I am very happy that we were there again. The first night we spent not even two blocks away from where we met. The hotel where my boyfriend then worked and I lived is now a house with many apartments. It hit us both a bit, but the next day we left this part of the city and booked in at an extremely nice and cozy hostel. We felt very comfortable there. The great thing there was that people from all the continents of the world were there. It was a colorful variety and we did not stick out for the first time in our lives, because we were all just people taking holidays and spending their time here.

Altough, I felt very comfortable and enjoyed our holiday together very much, I soon realized that something was not right for me here. After spending a night in Entebbe and then driving back to Kampala due to the lack of Internet that I needed urgently on that day because of my online work, I realized that I was not really doing well. On Tuesday I was laying around sick and nauseous and for several reasons we decided to end our trip on Wednesday and travel again across the border. 

For the time being, however, I thought that I was not allowed to enter again before the 12.4.24 due to the visa details and asked my boyfriend to go home alone earlier and I come after. This is because his family met and asked every day if he'd come home. The idea of going home alone didn't come into his mind at all, and he told me that I was already allowed to go in. Looking at my visa confirmed this.

When I crossed the border, I was a nervous bunch. My boyfriend answered the question of where I came from because I just didn't understand the lady. She spoke English with me! After two or three general questions, I got the stamp and a stone fell from my heart. I was back at home and suddenly my mood changed noticeably.

What happened to my nerves in Uganda? Well, I was thinking too much about the return trip, about the past and other things. I imagined the wildest things that could happen. They could expel me from Kenya, they could put me in jail, they might tell me I can never come back. Well, that's what overthinking in real life looks like 😉. Now I'm sitting quietly here, writing this article and thinking that next time Uganda will be the most beautiful holiday ever. This time we also had time pressure from different sides and could not enjoy it as we might want it and one of my top goals, Jinja, we had to miss. Well, next time we'll take more time, including for preparation. The positive thing about the whole trip is, that the both of us make a great team and it is an easy task to travel together.