I just returned from a 12 day trip to Rwanda and Uganda. Since Finn's birth, I've travelled a bit, but never for such a long time without him and Clark. I've learned that travel is better and worse as a mother. Here's how:
Worse.
1. I miss Finnegan. I miss him in a way I haven't experienced before. A sort of a desperate I'm-missing-precious-days-of-your-life way.
2. I miss my husband. With each photo, text, and update he gives during my travel, I'm so grateful that Finn and I have him in our lives. That's hard to convey through email and facetime.
Better.
1. I connect with others. Thousands of miles from home and from what is familar and known, I could see a woman with a baby wrappped on her back, and I knew that she and I have a shared experience. And that she and I would give the same answer to the question, "What is important to you?"
2. A small reminder (as if I needed it) that my husband is awesome. I was away for 12 days. I worried about safe water sources, exchange rates, where my headlamp was, in case the power went out, how to say yes, thank you, and good morning in Kinyarwanda. I never worried if my baby was unhappy or in need.
Here are a few shots of how the whole family spent the last 2 weeks.
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| Noshing at our favorite Mexican restaurant |
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| A little backyard cleaning |
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| Posing with our partners at the teachers cooperative in Kinigi Rwanda |
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| A boat ride down the Nile to Lake Victoria |
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| Finnegan dressed for his own African safari |
