Kate in Uganda: Goodbyes....and Hellos

Well, I've been back in the States for two weeks now. I wanted to share some photos of my last few days in Uganda, my trip home and layover in London, and things that have happened since my return.

The students in Kampala had a party for my roommate Megan and I on our last day of
Saturday Club. This is a group picture of everyone who was there that day, along with the cake that my friend Renee made for us.

Here is a close-up of the cake. Megan and I are wearing T-shirts that the kids signed for us.

Many of the students and staff rewrote the words of a song and sang it to us.

Fun pictures with my friends.

Brenda, Hope, Ruth, and Esther

Bruno, Carol, Rashid, Kate, and Molly

Megan, Brian, Safari, Eddie, Me, Charles, and Francis

Megan, Andrew, and I

On my last day of work, I brought my fish "!" to the office to give him to my friend, Richard.

Proud new fish owner!

On Sunday, at church, I was able to see many friends one last time and say goodbye.
Monday morning came all too soon and too early. (I had to be up by 5am!) I had no problems getting checked in, and wasn't charged anything for my one overweight bag (Yay!). On the flight from Entebbe to London I was able to sit with some old family friends who had been in Uganda on a missions trip for the past month. I had an overnight layover in London, so after checking into my hotel, I rode the subway into town and had some time to see the sights.

Trafalgar Square

Another side of Trafalgar Square with the church, St. Martin of the Fields, behind it.

Looking towards Parliament from Trafalgar Square

Big Ben

Self-portrait in front of Parliament

The River Thames

Westminster Abbey

Cute Restaurant with beautiful flowers

For dinner that evening, having not eaten fast food for 9 months....of course, I grabbed a Happy Meal from McDonalds! It tasted great! Gotta love french fries.

The next day, I flew from London to San Francisco, and then from San Francisco to Portland. At the airport I was greeted by many friends and family. I had expected to see my parents and maybe my sisters, but was surprised by seeing my grandparents, aunt and uncle, and several friends from church. I was tackled by my three oldest nephews :) and I was able to greet my new twin niece and nephew for the first time! It was a wonderful homecoming.
During the last couple of weeks I have taken time to get used to many different things...we drive on the right side of the road here, roads are wider and not full of potholes or speed bumps, people follow the laws while driving and don't honk their horns very often. I am also greatly enjoying eating things like berries, peaches, pears, grapes, and ice cream and chocolate! I'm finishing up my last few requirements for my Master's Degree at Western Seminary and am excited for it to be completed.
I've gotten to spend time with my family as well. I'm amazed at how much all of my nephews have grown!