Norway

Norway is a cold country but peaceful. It is so beautiful during winter. The sparkling snow catches your eye, the brightness during this time is just sooo amazing.










                                                                       
These two amazing French black gals have made
my Norwegian experience wonderful.

More than I can Do....

After thinking through my options and then realising how much I wanted to work with children and how much I really wanted to do something in order to put a smile on children's faces, I realised that embarking on the journey to Norway in pursuit of the career that God willing will help change some children's lives. But again when I think about it till now, I usually ask myself whether I will be able to do something about children's situations that are so heartbreaking today.

For example, the violence against children and the molestation that has really embedded our societies today. Talk about stepmothers burning children every day, relatives involving young girls into early domestic work, talk about the defilement that is on a rise today, children are not only defiled by strangers but also their own fathers.  Children as young as two months are defiled by their fathers. The list is endless and when you think about all this you might think its all made up, but do you ever at any time ask yourself how many cases of defilement or violence against children reach media? I ask myself that question every day and I have a feeling the cases that do not reach media, are more than those that do. When they are reported, a few of them that reach the police, corruption gets in the way. Then you wonder, how and where should the children run when in danger if even the keepers of law and order in a society cannot help them.

For example, at the beginning of last year in Buikwe district, a two-month-old baby was defiled by her own father when the mother had gone to collect water. When the mother found a young daughter crying like hell, carried her and she was bleeding like crazy, she looked at the father and he had blood all over him. She managed to report the case to the Police, but he was released on the same day. Whenever I think about such scenarios, I wonder how God's loving hand can be extended through me to help such victims :(.

So Help me God. See you in my next post, where I will tell you about my Journey to Norway from day one till now. See you the :)

More than Myself.....

Have you ever had this strong urge to help someone but you have no means to do so? I mean nothing at all that every day you look at this person your heart bleeds inside, just to know that there is nothing you can do to help him. In my last blog, I promised to share what really motivated my passion for children. Despite the fact that I had the passion, I needed something to remind me how much passionate I am towards the career I wanted to choose for myself.

This is when I remembered that time in my first year at Makerere Univesity. I used to find this young boy about 10 or 12 years old on my way to the University. The first time I found him seated next to an entrance of a certain house, I asked him why he wasn't at school. He told me he was waiting for his Primary seven results, then the next day he told me he was sent away from school due to school financial fees. After this I realised he wasn't a normal child, I don't know why, but I really felt so attached to this boy. I continued meeting him every day on my way to school and each time I could spend some time with him, sometimes when I had coins I could give him some.

I could think about him more than I thought about myself. It hurt me so much that I had a chance to go to school and he never got that chance. I wished I could do something about his situation, but I couldn't. Then after like a year, he started begging especially on taxis from Entebbe to Kampala. One day I found him with his mom at around 14:00 hours, he had collected some money. I found him giving money to his mother, after he told his mother how hungry he was. What broke my heart is his own mother told him to go fetch firewood and then go back and beg. My heart broke into pieces tears rolled down my face. I felt so angry about the fact that I couldn't do anything to help this young boy.

I realised his mom had given up on him, but only interested in the money he brings home. I hadn't given up on him, but I did know how to help him. Helplessness killed me softly each day I met him. I made a pledge to myself that one day God willing, I will be able to help such children. If I can't at least I would help at least a child one day. When I was given Childhood Studies, I knew God was making a way for me to help such children. Giving up this chance meant I was disappointing my friend who I met every day on my way to school. I pray that God willing I am able to make a change in the lives of children. I know I can't help every child, but I can help a fraction and to me that fractions will mean a world to me. A chance to bring a smile on a child's face, so help me God.

See you next time.

Passion Leads......

Do you know that feeling when you feel like writing, but you are too lazy to do so? Sometimes I have that feeling but, unfortunately the laziness in me wins each time. Anyway as I promised you in my last blog, am gonna finalise with my most important reason for coming to this very cold country. Are you excited? I bet you are, because I am yet I know the reason. Okay, here we go. My very important reason why I made it here is the passion I have to work with children.Surprised? I know, I have loved children since time immemorable.

I remember when I was young I loved children so much, that I could gather them around my home which used to annoy my elder sister because she wasn't into children as I was. I remember receiving a lot of gifts from different parents, which I still have till to now. I made a school where I could teach every holiday, I sang with these children, we played together, we learnt different things together and so on. Most people in my neighbourhood thought that the love I had for children and the way I connected with them was gonna make me a teacher. But unfortunately it wasn't my dream. I didn't even know which career I wanted to pursue until after my High school, but the urge to work with children increased. Unfortunately, back home in Uganda most Universities didn't offer Childhood studies. So the only way to work with children was taking a counselling and guidance course, the course wasn't offered in Makerere University and it is the University where my aunt who was gonna pay my tuition wanted me to go, so I lost.

When time to apply for a scholarship came, I looked for a childhood course. I put in my all when I was writing my motivation letter. As I wrote it, I saw my dream of working with children getting closer to me. Hearing all that is happening in my country especially when it comes to children. It reaps my heart out and to know that there is nothing I can do to help them makes me so sad. Things like rape of girls as young as three months old. Turning out this offer was giving up such children, disappointing them and if I had given up my scholarship which by the way, is a MPhil in Childhood studies. I would have hated myself, because I would have given up what I love most for what I seconded. I chose to follow my heart, my passion. Hope you all do. As Harriet Tubman says, that every great dream begin with a dreamer and you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. I chose to reach for the stars and maybe one day I will be able to change the world. 

Thanks for reading. In my next episode I will tell you how my passion was motivated. see you then. :)

More Reasons to chase my dream..

I know it has been a while, a week or so but does it matter, hehehe I doubt. Anyway last time I promised to continue with my reasons, hmm I know you are wondering and asking yourself why I have a lot of reasons. Trust me if I didn't have all these reasons I would be in Uganda right now. And to think about it now, I would have regretted turning this scholarship down, but I guess I saved myself of that. Anyway my fifth reason was my relatives, this is my second important reason why I came. I remember when my mom made for me  a party after my graduation, some of my relatives said, 'hmm they don't have money, but they have the money to throw parties'. As if that wasn't enough, when I gave my speech, I mentioned that I was gonna apply for a scholarship so that I can go back for Masters degree and I promised my mom that I was gonna go back for my Masters whether it is self-financed or a scholarship.

After some time, that was before the applications even began, those relatives I talked about started asking my mom if I had gone back to school. I know most of them were actually bluffing because the same people said, 'hmm how will she manage to do that, I hear going abroad, instead of her looking after her siblings she is thinking about going back to school.' when mom told me about it, it kinda added to my urge to go back to school and to put in more effort when I was applying.I wanted to get this scholarship, and I was gonna stop at nothing to get it. So when I did get it and then I didn't want to go, I thought about my mom and the supposed to be relatives of mine. I needed to prove them wrong, they needed to know that I was born to aim for greater heights. So, when I looked behind I saw them and when I looked in front of me I saw an opportunity to aim for the sky, to make my mom proud. Above all to make me proud and my late dad. So this reminded me that I have never given up on anything in my life. Not even those times I felt bad about myself or about the things I have done, have I ever given up. People have tried to put me down, but I have never given up, that's when I asked myself why now Viola. Then I remembered how my mom always reminded me to pray about anything, she could tell me that with God everything is possible, even when I had doubts about getting the scholarship.

My mom stayed strong in prayer for me and she put that faith in me, even before I got a place at NTNU, I knew my place was there and that I was gonna be given. That is why nothing will ever replace you mom. I love you Mom, with all my heart sweet mom and you are God's given blessing and treasure to us.
See you in my next blog with my last reason and probably the most important one of all. Love u all and thanks for reading.

Mind Made Up....

As I told you last time, today I am continuing with the reasons why I finally decided to travel to Norway. I mentioned reason number one last time, so let's get to reason number two. I remember the very day I received my letter of admission, I went back home so excited to let everyone know how my year's resolution has been met. Wait a minute, did I tell you about it? I mean about my 2014 resolution? No, I guess I did not. Okay, here we go. Before 2013 ended, we were having dinner at Lake Victoria Serena Resort, and we were all asked about our 2014 resolutions, all my siblings put their new year resolutions on the table. And mine, well mine was to go back for my Masters Degree, and I had assured everyone that I was gonna get a scholarship and it will be in Norway. Did I say Norway? Yes I did, and I wasn't even sure whether I would be given a place but still, that did not stop me from setting my resolution new year's resolution on the table.

Now that you know the resolution bit of it, Let's continue, I went back to tell everyone about it. After telling everyone present at that time, I then waited for my Uncle to tell him that I was given a place at NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology). When I told him, I remember clearly his words, he said 'you are very Lucky Viola, do you know how many people apply for such scholarships?'. Without going any further, I now know, by now you know my second reason. I didn't want to disappoint my family, especially my uncle, his wife and my mum. Yeah, you got it my dear, I imagined going back and telling them that I won't take the place I was offered and I saw how disappointed they would have been, so I chose to come because of that. More to that, my third reason why I came is the money that I had already put there and my uncle.

I had paid 1.4 million ugx (Ugandan shillings) for my student visa, and my uncle had paid 4.2 million ugx. When I thought about it especially my uncle's money I couldn't let myself do that to him, his wife and above all to the people he would help in the future, so I chose to come. Fourth, Love was in my way too, I loved my man so darn much that I didn't want to leave him back home. I had taken quite sometime without dating anyone. You wanna know why, okay I will tell you. I had closed my heart, I did not want anyone to enter in their, but when he came.. he was different, different? How? He was/is my friend, listens to me, we communicated with ease, we could talk about anything, I mean from senseful to senseless. And a lot more, if I tell you everything you might steal him, anyway I didn't want to leave all that. But he was so happy for me and he was my number one to really encourage me to apply, he wouldn't be happy if I quit, so I came. As Hugo says, the supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved :). Love you my love. See you next time with more reasons why I came it to Norway.

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My Journey.

It was May this year 2014 that I received an email telling me that I had been given a place at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.  I was so happy that I told everyone close to me about my new opportunity. Little did I know, that with time I am going to hate the idea that I had told a lot of people about my new opportunity. I was to start school in August the same year but before it even reached that far I had changed my mind about going back to school to pursue my dream course. By end of June, I had to make up my mind and resign as I had to give a one-month notice before I leave my job. This was my company policy.

I resigned at the beginning of July and as the clock ticked and days went by I realised I didn't want to pursue my Masters anymore. But by this time I had spent 1.4million to pay for my student visa and my uncle had spent 4.2 for my ticket, and on top of that I had already resigned from the job I had. But still, I wanted to stay back in Uganda. Can you imagine I was to scared that I almost gave up everything just because of a feeling I had? Another reason why I was never going to go to school is because I never wanted to leave my boyfriend, my friends and my siblings. But amazingly all the people I was thinking about actually wanted me to go on and pursue my Masters.

I finally made up my mind to travel to Norway, but I had a lot of reasons for coming which I will tell you in my next blog. Though one of them was a lesson from Yehuda Berg who says that on one hand, we know that everything happens for a reason, and there are no mistakes and coincidences. On the other hand, we learn that we can never give up, knowing that with the right tools and energy, we can reverse any decree or karma. Just these words made me realise that this opportunity wasn't a mistake, but it was meant to be. I realised I had the right tools and part of these were my family, boyfriend and friends that were encouraging me to make my dream come true.

See you again in my next blog :)