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The last week of my trip was wonderful. They threw a goodbye lunch for me at work, and then the family I'm staying with also had a lunch for me on Sunday right before I left. I was, of course, sad to go, but knew that I would be happy to see everyone at home.

I left for the airport with the entire family with me. They all came to see me off, and it was Jane and Michelle's first times to see the airport. Saying goodbye to everyone was hard, and I gave everyone hugs, which may not have been culturally appropriate, but seemed necessary to me. I then went through security, etc, and called my mom before I boarded the plane. Later, on the plane from the Netherlands to Detriot, I was sitting by a Ugandan man and he told me about the bombings. It was shocking news but he only knew about one of the incidents, and not the others. I was really glad that I had called my mom before I left, because at least then they weren't worrying about me.

Later, when I arrived home after uneventful flights, I was so happy to see my family. I called the family I was staying with in Uganda, and everyone that I know there seems to be ok. One of the blasts happened about 5 minute walk from where I lived--I passed by often. Another was at a concert of an artist I had been wanting to see perform, and so if I had been around there is a chance that I could have been there. One of the people I knew while I was there wrote an article on the bombings at http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/07/12/ugandas_war_on_terror_comes_home?page=full.

The trip overall was a wonderful experience. I wouldn't change anything except for my bout with a stomach bug. But this ending is upsetting. I am extremely lucky that I am back home and yet I want to be able to see all of my friends in Kampala to see how they are. I know I didn't run away from anything, and yet it feels as if I have abandoned people, in a way. Regardless, I am happy to be in the US surrounded by people who I love. Also, thank you to everyone who was concerned about me--my family got a lot of calls while I was still on the plane, and I've had many people contact me since then.

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