Kurik'omwaka (Happy New Year!)

Happy New Year everyone! 2012 will be our only full year spent in the Peace Corps and we are looking forward to it! We celebrated the new year by having a few friends over for a nice dinner and dessert, playing cards, and watching a movie. We watched the clock for the arrival of the new year, even though we weren't able to watch a ball drop since it was still the afternoon in NYC. :-) As we waited for midnight (champagne poised and ready), the power suddenly went out at about 11:55. We scrambled to light candles so we wouldn't miss the arrival of 2012, but at about 11:58 the power came back on and we were able to beckon the new year in with light! Only in Uganda! :-) We toasted the new year, (I got a little ahead of myself, saying "To 2013!!") and looked forward for the year to come.

2011 has been a good year for us, filled with both lots of challenges and lots of great adventures. We are excited for the new year in here in Uganda - we look forward to new project ideas we have for the new school year, are excited about the visit of both of our families, as well as some additional travel in Uganda and other countries (America included!).

There's a New Year's quote from a poem I like. Even though this year was a happy one, I like the hope it gives all the same as I think about the coming year:

"Hope
Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
Whispering 'it will be happier'..."
~Alfred Lord Tennyson

So - we wish you all the happiest and most hope-filled of New Years. Thank you for keeping in touch and following our adventures here in Uganda.

All the best! We love and miss you all dearly!!

~emily~

PS - I got an email that a picture I had submitted to Peace Corps is being featured on their main web page. I'm not sure how long it will be there, but if you're interested, check out the rolling banner at PeaceCorps.gov. :-)