Reflections of a Grateful Mother

First of all I am so grateful to be here in Uganda. I am also grateful to my daughter Dr. Kim White, Dr. Swahn, all of the students, Anna, Charles, and Geoffrey for your help, love and support. I could not have done this trip without you.

As a young girl I never in a million years dreamed I would travel to any foreign countries let alone Africa.  My mother and father were domestic workers and two ladies that my mom worked for used to travel overseas a lot. They would always send our family postcards and although I always enjoyed getting the cards and seeing all the places they visited, it never occurred to me that traveling to these places would be something I might do.

Well, that was a long time ago and the world has gotten smaller for me, in terms of being able to travel and here I am in Kampala.  It has been amazing seeing all the things I looked at on Trip Advisor and the tour books I reviewed in preparing for this trip.

One of the things that amazes me continuously, is how I see such a resemblance of my African-American relatives and friends in the faces of the people I see every day here in Kampala, Uganda.  The day we went to Somero, one of the young girls looked exactly like one of my nieces. Another lady reminded me so much of the actress Alfre Woodard and one day I saw a man who looked exactly like Kim’s Uncle Lou, her father’s twin brother, ride by on a boda, boda (Boda-Bodas are motorcycle taxis here in Kampala)   Somewhere in the long line of genetics I am sure my genes and some of the fellow African brothers and sisters I see here are intertwined.  It is a blessing to be here, the land of my ancestors.

I love it here.  The more people I meet and talk to, the more comfortable I am.  I am so grateful to Kim for making it possible for me to be here.  That little girl who only saw postcards from other people who were traveling has now traveled throughout the U.S. Including Hawaii and Alaska. I have been to Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe but not to Australia……not yet…..Who knows what the future holds.  

Evangelyn Ramsey