Today, more than most days, I am missing the land of red dirt, squatty potties and the children who changed my life forever. Growing up as a TCK (third-culture kid) I had a difficult time understanding who I was and where I belonged, for I am not just one culture, but a soul made up of multiple nations, a melodious mixture of cultures, customs and languages. I don’t know which language is my mother tongue, I do not know what culture or customs I favor or feel I belong, yet the day I stepped off the plane and my feet planted themselves in Uganda, I knew my soul had found it’s home. There was a song in my heart that I could now not only hear, but also understand. There I was, an American girl, of Norwegian descent, who grew up in South America with a heart who longed for the plains of Africa. The sound of monkeys scurrying about woke me in the mornings, the sound of rats and bats screeching along the boards of the roof kept me up at night, yet with each sunrise and sunset there was a peace in me I had never felt.

        Yet it was not just the majestic beauty of the land that captured my heart, but the sheer magnificent radiance of the people who spoke to me in a language that I for once finally understood. With a simple hug, smile or kind touch I began to understand what love truly was, it was not defined by the fact that we were two people of different places, of different people, of different languages and cultures, for none of that mattered. In the eyes of a child I was just another friend, another soul to share in the joys of laughter.  Until the day that I am able to arrive back “home”, I will continue to hold and treasure in my heart the feeling of true contentment, not just in life, but in myself, that God had put another piece of the puzzle together in my life and had revealed to me truths that I will continue to marvel at until the day I die. But as for now, I will cherish these memories and know that I for one have been created to love and to love unconditionally.

-soul searcher