SAP Social Sabbatical trip to Uganda — The Experience of a lifetime — The journey before we boarded the airplane for Uganda

I was one of the lucky 12 SAP employees that got selected into the SAP Social Program for Uganda in 2017. Before sharing the reflections from the first week though, I would be remiss not to share a bit about the journey leading up to today.

For those who are not familiar with the Social Sabbatical program, it is a portfolio of short-term volunteering assignments where SAP employees work in highly diverse teams to solve strategic challenges for NGOs in different markets across the globe. I first qualified to apply for this program in 2016 and when I learnt that I didn’t qualify, I was disappointed while my husband and two young children sighed with relief, although they supported my application. I was disappointed as I heard from many others who have been how this is such a life-changing experience and I really wanted to do something unique that will make a difference for some people that need it. When I qualified again in 2017, I was somewhat worried to ask again for their support, knowing that without extended family around us, I really need their commitment to make it work. And of course, they were there for me — realizing that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (not sure why I doubted it for a minute). And when I got the confirmation around July of 2017 about my placement in Uganda in February, 2018 (6 months out), my head was already spinning about all the things that needs to be in place for my trip. But of course everyday reality settles in. The time from July to December seemed to have gone in a blink and the whole trip just seemed like this distant dream that will happen some day. Suddenly everything became very real in December when all the prep calls started up and we needed to start preparing for our upcoming trip. The prep work lead by our VSO lead was simply fantastic, starting to open our eyes to lots of great learning and new approaches via videos, reading materials and many thought-provoking discussion questions and team work exercises. And it was great to start getting to know the team of 12 that would become our family for 4 weeks. Little did I know at this point how much these 12 people will mean to me, which, after week 1 is very clear. Besides the intellectual preparation though, there was a lot to get ready from a practical perspective as well. Booking our flights, applying for our visa in Uganda, getting the right currency (they only accept USD bills printed after 2006 ), schedule and get about a million vaccines ( I am not kidding) — one morning for example I had a delicious glass of water with cholera and e-coli viruses in it, followed by the 3rd rabies shot in the afternoon — just another delightful day. And as the pace of work during January was just getting faster and faster with each day gone, knowing that I will be away for 4 weeks, at the same time there was a growing amount of anxiety inside me every day thinking about being away from my family for 4 weeks. The longest I had been away until now was 10 days on a business trip since my children were born and being a control freak when it comes to managing the home front, the thought of being away for 4 weeks was something unimaginable. I don’t think I was ever this far away from my comfort zone. To be honest, the excitement about the trip didn’t really start till I was sitting on the airplane from Vancouver to Amsterdam, looking ahead of the upcoming 4 weeks. I guess it’s the life of a mum that just can’t let go easily..and just like that, lesson #1 happened: learning to let go. And once I was on that airplane, the possibilities of the next 4 weeks were filling me with a lot of excitement, curiosity and a strong desire to make a difference. Once I read a great quote saying “ You were born with the ability to change a life. Don’t ever waste it. “ I was determined not to waste a second of this unique opportunity I had in front of me.

My next blog will be sharing the reflections from the first week of our assignment with many unexpected experiences.