Will, Our Peace Corps Volunteer

 (December 2022) When Sue Waechter asked if I was interested in writing a post for the ACT blog to describe my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer living and working in Muko, my first thought was how would I ever be able to summarize the year and a half I spent in Muko in one blog post? With so many things happening in my there, what story should I try and tell?

When I think back to my time in Muko, I always feel it is the story of a community that took care of me, taught me new things, and helped me to survive in an environment that was completely new to me.

When I first arrived in 2018, I didn't know if I would be able to make it two years. My first evening there I sat in the grass staring at the lake and wondering how I could make it so long in a place so far away from home. Everyday felt like a struggle to navigate the difference between Uganda and my home (Texas), and at the end of most days I would only want to come home and be alone. After only a few weeks of living in Muko, I lost electricity in my house after a lightning strike hit the power line. At the time this felt like it was the end of the world, however, I soon realized it was one of the best things that could have happened to me.

With no electricity I was force to stay outside. Instead of coming home and sitting by myself to watch shows on my computer, I started interacting more with my neighbors and the community. Soon I found myself joining my neighbors or the teachers at the local high school for dinner many nights a week. On weekends I would visit the local market or spend the day talking with my neighbor as we worked in the garden. 

Over the course of the next year, I started to become a more regular part of the community. I began finding new friends as I would travel by motorcycle with my co-worker Moses, during our times teaching nutrition and permagardening to villages in Muko subcounty.

A surprising turn came for me, as it does for many Peace Corps volunteers, when I found that I was more comfortable and at home in my village than I was with my other Peace Corps friends. In December 2019, I decided to spend Christmas with my neighbors instead of leaving to travel with my American friends as I had done the christmas before. When I think back, I've always found this to be one of the best decisions I made as Christmas and New Year's celebrations are some of the fondest memories I have of my friends and neighbors in Uganda. This close time with my friends was made even more special to me because just six weeks later I unexpectedly had to leave Uganda. My hurried evacuation left little time to say goodbye to anone apart from some co-workers and one neighbor.

Today I still think about Uganda every day. Often times I find myself daydreaming about the rolling Kigezi hills covered in fog as I ride down a bumpy dirt road on a motorcycle. Other times I think about the many hours I spend sitting in the soft grass staring at the lake and watching the rain clouds blow in perfectly on schedule. This time of the year I especially find myself missing my friends in Uganda. this week marks three years since I sat with my neighbors drinking homemade sorghum beer to celebrate Christmas. Like the two previous Christmas' I find many of my thoughts turned towards Uganda, and wondering what happened to all the people I knew there who took me under their wings and protected me, took care of me, and who taught me more than I could ever hope to return. I wonder if they think about me at this time too, and if they realize how eternally grateful I am for all they love shown to me.        - Will Buckner

ACT is grateful to Will Buckner for his time spent working alongside our staff in Muko. We enjoyed his knowledge, his hard work and, most of all, his companionship.

If you are needing a gift for someone else (perhaps Valentine's Day) or for yourself, please visit our Online Handcraft Store to see and buy the beautiful handcrafts that the women artisans of ACT produce. Help them send their kids to school!