Omara

One month in and it has been a whirlwind. Immersing yourself in a new world is such a challenge. Dealing with emotions you’ve never had, seeing things you’ve never imagined, learning things about yourself you never thought of. Things that were too deep inside to present themselves in a comfortable environment. Even though these things are so beneficial for growing, they can be really hard to embrace at times. Like really really hard, but when those times are hard, I realize that I’m in a beautiful place. I wake up every day and am greeted with smiles and hugs by women who have been through the unimaginable, yet they go out of their way to make sure I am cared for and feeling okay. It’s like I have 70 moms looking out for me and they have only known me for one month.

How fortunate am I?

They gave me the Acholi name “Omara”. Omara means “You are very loved and very loving”, which I was so excited to receive. However, that name feels conflicted these days because of some things going on in my life and some of the decisions I’ve had to make. But the trials and adversity are needed, because that’s the only way I will become the man that I need to be. The man I want to be.

With that being said, I thank all of you for the support. I miss and love you all, and it’s because of you and the wonderful Ugandans I have met that I don’t have to worry about where I end up or who I am because I have the best people in the world in my corner.