I arrived in Uganda safe and sound, and had a wonderful reunion with Tabitha and her family. While waiting for the gate to open at the airport in Amsterdam, I was talking with a woman from northern Uganda, and it took us less than five minutes to find a common connection, in the form of someone we both know. I'm always amazed and delighted to be reminded again what a small world it is! Tomorrow (Monday), we have a three-hour drive to get to our [...]
“100% scripted, 100% flexible.” That was one of the mantras we repeated over and over again when I was in Uganda last October, with an emphasis on the “flexible” part. Our plans and programs were carefully scheduled and prepared. But unexpected problems and challenges kept popping up, usually with little or no advance warning. We got used to it, and whenever something unforeseen happened – which was most of the time – we made whatever changes were necessary, and carried on with the program. I’m [...]
I’m going back to Uganda! The dream that began when I was there last October has grown and expanded and taken on a life of its own. It’s gathered momentum and interest. It’s generated plans and projects and new ideas. And it has become a passion and mission not only of mine, but of my friend Tabitha and a number of other people who want to see this dream become a reality. If you’ve been reading my column somewhat regularly in recent months, you know [...]
A few things I did last week that I have never done before in my life: I walked – and was photographed on – the red carpet at a Hollywood Gala; I attended a baby shower at the home of a Ugandan family living in California; I flew on an official “red eye,” leaving LAX after midnight and returning to Minneapolis just after 6 o’clock on Monday morning. Something I did last week that I have done before – and, in fact, have been doing [...]
My friend Tabitha and I drove to Chicago last weekend to attend the Lead Like Jesus Facilitators’ Reconnect. Part of the program was devoted to the work we did in Uganda last October, so I was invited to attend even though I’m not yet a fully-trained facilitator. We arrived at the hotel around noon, but weren’t able to check in because our room wasn’t ready yet. So we went to the café next door to have some lunch. As we approached the restaurant, I could [...]
I received a number of comments on last week’s column about my trip to Duluth for a Toastmasters presentation the previous weekend. Some people mentioned their own visits to – or memories of –Duluth, including someone who recommended that I visit the aquarium the next time I’m in Duluth, if I haven’t already done so. I haven’t, but will make a point of it the next time I go. Others commented – and eloquently so – on Lake Superior, in response to my mentioning the [...]
I was in Duluth last weekend for a presentation at a Toastmasters educational/training event. Two friends came with me, partly because they wanted to hear me speak and partly for moral support and for a bit of a girls’ weekend. It was late on Friday afternoon when we got to Duluth. For several miles, I had been admiring and commenting on the bright, full moon in the crisp, clear sky. As we reached the edge of Lake Superior, the time of day could not have [...]
I had coffee last weekend with a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. We first met each other at a Toastmasters event years ago, and found we had a lot in common. We used to see each other pretty regularly, then our schedules, work and timetables shifted. We still touched base from time to time, but until last weekend I hadn’t seen her in ages. You can probably guess how the next part of this goes. After a big hug and a little [...]
I have always thought that everyone in America should be required to spend some time, at some point in their lives, in a third world country. I felt this way long before I ever spent time in a third world country, and I do even more so now. The trip could be for any reason. Mission trips are already common, but trips for business or education – whether to teach or to learn – would also be acceptable. As would vacations, especially if they were [...]
They are beautiful young women. Girls, actually, with many of them between the ages of 18 and 25, and some even younger. They have sweet, shy smiles, but very little to smile about. They live and work in the slums near Kampala, and the way they earn their money is the only way they can. They don’t get much for their efforts. A few thousand Ugandan shillings, which equals less than a dollar in U.S. currency. Sometimes they don’t get paid at all, as when [...]