“The only way to learn is to live” – unknown
Preamble to the Big Trip
I’ve been repeating this phrase “the only way to learn is to live” quite alot over the past few years, unsure where it came from, but leaning into it pretty heavily in my work at Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga. This morning I started digging into which famous wise person it might be attributed to and coming up mostly empty. There is a version attributed to John C. Maxwell, a leadership writer, that says “Live to learn, and you will really learn to live” which is also pretty compelling.
Two weeks from today I will dive headfirst into a technicolor chapter of living and learning… in Uganda. I am so excited to make this leap and I hope you’ll join me!
With this post today, I want to announce my intention to learn as much as I can from this adventure. My hope is to find time to reflect on the journey while I’m away in order to capture at least flashes of it in real time for reflection later, to take my friends & family along for the ride and, perhaps most of all, to help me learn. I’m aware that finding time to do this will likely be tricky as my “carpe diem” wiring may prevent me from sitting still long enough to write much, but I am hopeful that the rhythm and pace of the trip will allow some time to gather my thoughts and jot them down. Recognizing that hope is not a strategy, I know it will also require discipline to make the time. Another favorite quote of mine is “Discipline is remembering what really matters”. Certainly here at home in Saratoga I struggle to do this, always letting my “busy-ness” win over making time to think and write. But today is a new day! As the first gift of this big trip ahead I’m making the time and taking that first step to prioritize this process. When the first rays of daylight arrived at 5am I popped out of bed to start this story and I’m very grateful to you for taking the time to read it.
For me, the process of learning has always been a two-step activity: first, hearing & observing new ideas, information & input; and second (often simultaneously), repeating this back (written or spoken). In school, I used to feel like a human transcription machine, writing notes as quickly as the professor spoke to push the words through my fingers into my brain. At work, I introduce myself as a “verbal processor” as I know that the more I express what I’ve taken in, the more solid I feel about the new knowledge. It feels as if my brain needs to interact with the world and run the new input through the filter of my words to be fully digested. Yes, I am a human coffee maker! (And I’m writing this at 5:30am, so coffee sounds pretty good right now.).
Once upon a time, back in the heart of my globe-trotting days (2006-2008), I used to find time to write a blog while I was traveling. Just now, thanks to the miracle of Google, I just looked at the old “Blogger” app and there it is… “Kim’s Globetrotting Adventures“. Wow! How about that little “time capsule”? Could be some fun reading over the coming days. For now, I’ll just give a nod of thanks to my younger self for inspiring this current version to do as I used to do – a fun gift from the past to the present.
So, let’s get learning!
Uganda: A starter kit
I’m going to save my “Why Uganda” reflections for another day and start this post with a bunch of information I’ve gathered (so far) to set the stage for this trip. Let’s be clear: I’m starting from zero direct knowledge or experience with this country. If you are too, let’s dive in and learn together!
First, I will be traveling to Uganda on a trip organized by a Saratoga-based nonprofit organization called The Giving Circle. Their mission statement is:
The Giving Circle is an all-volunteer organization founded on the principle of neighbor helping neighbor and community helping community. We (TGC) believe that compassion knows no borders and that we all have a duty to help each other in this community and beyond.
Within this work, TGC has three areas of service (locally, in Uganda and in Ukraine). To understand where I will be going and what our group will be doing, I encourage you to read a bit about this on the TGC Africa page.
Second, my trip details are:
- Dates: June 28 – July 9
- Flights: JFK to Doha, Doha to Entebbe (Qatar Airlines)
- Location in Uganda: Jinja/Busoga
- Hotel: https://nilehoteljinja.com
- My fellow travelers: I will be traveling with a group of 24 people (all new to me, and me to them) from across the US including 9 medical doctors.
- Where will we be working: We will be spending half the trip at two schools and the other half of the trip supporting the clinic built by the Giving Circle (through generous donors).
- The schools: Kagoma Gate Friendship School & Busoga Primary Schools. To learn about the schools click here
- The clinic: To learn about the Mutai Village clinic click here and to give a gift to support the work of the clinic click here
Third, a batch of resources:
As I began my process of learning more about Uganda, I listened to three podcasts over Memorial Day weekend. While I’m fully aware how lame that sounds, it was a start!
- General info about Uganda
- Young History: Episode 163 – Uganda
- The Ugandan Podcast: Mar 3 – Uganda’s Economic Outlook
- There’s no denying that Uganda has some very dark history. I listened to a couple podcasts about Idi Amin to get a handle on this infamous and terrible chapter of the country’s past. You won’t have any trouble finding a bunch…
Looking ahead, two weeks to get ready!
Two weeks from today (Sunday AM), I’ll likely be somewhere in transit on a continent I’ve never experienced.
Today, I’m going to dedicate myself to my first focused day of “trip prep” (aka packing) to get all my ducks in a row and get a handle on what I really must do/ get/ sort out before we are “wheels up” on June 28th. The bus we’re taking to JFK leaves at 5:15am from our trip leader’s home in Saratoga. I’ll need to have all my travel kit neatly packed in my carry-on bag + backpack as we each dedicate our 2 suitcases to the transport of medical supplies for the clinic.
Let’s get packing – and I’ll be back in touch soon!
Thanks for following along!