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I just want to let everyone know that I am doing good and having fun in Uganda! I found out that I am unable to post things on my blogs in Uganda, but I am having my sister help me with my blog so I am able to continue to post. I am so excited to share about all of the projects I am working on!
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Thanks to my travels I am blessed to have friends all around the globe. Yesterday, one of my friends in Egypt reached out to me. For context he is an adult male in his lower thirties that I met in Egypt in 2017 and have kept in touch with ever since. He told me that he had read my post (the one posted on June 1st) and asked permission to ask me some questions about it. I have included photos from the beginning of our conversation but blocked out some personal information.
 This summer I will be traveling to 3 different countries where being gay/ "homosexual acts" are illegal. This will be my first time traveling to countries like this as an out Queer and non binary person. I am a little nervous even though I plan on going "back in the closet" and not being out during my time there. For the past few weeks I have been preparing myself for this. I know it will be difficult. After all the work I have put in trying to be true to myself I don't like the fact that I am going to have to, once again, hide a part of who I am. But it is needed for my own safety. So instead I am trying to focus on the reasons I want to go to Uganda. Which are to help people, fully immerse myself in a different culture and to gain more volunteering abroad experience.
To prepare, I started telling myself, "okay, you just can't let people know that you're attracted to women." Which I don't think will be too difficult to do on this trip. I did that most my life and dating is not allowed during the program anyways, since it could distract the volunteers, so I know that won't be an issue. But recently, I found out that I will need to wear a skirt for the majority of my time in Uganda, this came as a shock to me. It made what I am doing feel more real to me. Like one of my trip coordinators said, "non binary is not a thing in Uganda." In order for me to be safe, as well as respect the culture in Uganda I need to be a woman. That includes dressing how Ugandan women dress and following the women's customs. For me, this is more difficult then not being open about who I am attracted to. I didn't handle that news well at first and started experiencing a lot of panic and anxiety. "They're making me dress like a girl" is the first thought that came to mind. Since coming out as non binary this past March I feel I have tried to distance myself from my femininity. Being more masculine has made me feel happier and has allowed me to get to know myself better. Since finding out that I need to wear a skirt, I have had more time to think things through. I have started planning what I can do to make this more comfortable for me. I have came up with ideas that include wearing less feminine skirts with solid colors, wearing my boxers underneath and dressing in my personal style when I am in the volunteer house. I have also started to think that this may be helpful in a way because this gives me a reason to embrace and explore my femininity. As much as I have tried to bury it, it is a part of me and now that I know more about myself I can give myself the opportunity to explore my femininity in the new me, even if that does make me uncomfortable. I also had the chance to discuss it with my therapist, she told me that if I begin to really struggle with wearing skirts while in Uganda I can think of it as a costume and pretend that I am in a play. I want to try to stay in touch with reality as much as possible but at the moment I like this idea of being in a play, I have always loved acting. So this summer, at times, I may be acting. I might be in a play, I'll be playing the role of a straight woman when I am in fact a queer enby. But my play will end. In August I will be returning home and will, once again, be able to express myself the way I want and talk openly about the people I like. Some people don't have this right. I mentioned earlier that I'm going to 3 countries where homosexual acts are illegal. That's three out of the 70+ countries where people can be fined, imprisoned, or even killed for being with who they love. My heart aches for the LGBTQI+ individuals in these countries. Their play can last a lifetime. That is a lifetime of pretending to be someone they're not. All LGBTQI+ people deserve to live peacefully in their country. But until that happens I want to help protect the ones that aren't able to. I'm not sure how to yet. I won't be taking any action on this trip. This type of work is difficult and dangerous. In October 2019 a group of LGBTQ rights activists were arrested in Uganda and that is just one example of what could happen when advocating for LGBTQI+ rights in countries where homosexuality's illegal. But I will be using some of my time in Uganda to think of ways I can help in the future. I am so excited for this experience! I can't wait for the skills and knowledge that I will gain.  Hi friends,
I have an incredible opportunity to volunteer abroad in Uganda with an organization called HELP International this summer. Uganda is a country in Eastern Africa where over 75% of the population lives below the poverty line. I went to Uganda with my dad in 2017 and fell in love with the culture and the people there. I am so excited to be returning!! I am moving there on June 7th and will be there until August working on sustainable development projects. I will be working wherever I am needed but I am most excited for the opportunity to volunteer in a health clinic. I’m really looking forward to spending my summer abroad, serving others, but I need help. As a volunteer, I have the opportunity to raise funds to serve the community and support these projects. My goal is to raise $1,500 by September 1st. HELP International is a nonprofit organization that works across the globe, empowering local community members by teaching self-sustainable skills that can be shared amongst other members of the community. HELP International designs and executes poverty relief programs in Uganda including: water well programs in locations destitute of safe drinking water, public health interventions to decrease the spread of infectious diseases, micro-business teaching and mentoring to help individuals design and grow small businesses, and empowerment camps and workshops for at-risk youth and children rescued from child labor and other forms of exploitation. Other grassroots initiatives include dental and eye camps, eye screenings, nutrition screenings, and infrastructure development according to the needs of each community. Even a small donation significantly increases the impact that we can have on the community in Uganda. I am inviting you to join me with HELP International to serve the people of Uganda by donating. There are 3 ways you can make a donation: 1. Venmo me at @carehansen and I will send in the donations together, 2. Mail a check to 455 N. University Ave. Suite 212, Provo, UT 84601. Checks should be made payable to HELP International with “Carolyn Hansen, Uganda” in the memo line, or 3. Pay online, to donate online, go Helps website: www.help-international.org, click on “Donate” on the home page, and include “Carolyn Hansen, Uganda” in the dedication box (there is a 3% charge to process online payments). Donations paid directly to Help are tax deductible. If you make a donation online or by sending in a check I won’t be able to see that you donated so please let me know. I would like to send a thank you letter to all of my donors after I get home. If you would like more information please visit the HELP International website www.help-international.org, or message me. Thank you! My favorite way to travel is through humanitarian trips and volunteering abroad. I want to start using my blog to share information on how to volunteer and be an effective volunteer, as well as share my own personal experiences and what I learn through those.
To start, I'm going to share an essay I wrote in my English class last year. In it I talk about my own experiences while serving abroad as well as what I've noticed is helpful and what is not.  Hi everyone, I decided it's time to let everyone know that I am non-binary. More specifically, Trans non-binary. That means that my body doesn't always feel fully congruent with my birth sex. I got diagnosed with gender dysphoria a few months ago but it's a issue that I now realize I've had for years. My gender, like my sexuality is something I am still questioning and trying to fully understand, but I am a firm believer that sexuality and gender are a spectrum. The labels I like to use to describe myself are Queer and Gender-Queer. The pronouns (they/them) bring me the most joy but I normally don't mind (he/him) or (she/her). Also, for the past few months I have been going by Care and it has made me really happy, I'd like everyone to start calling me Care. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask but I may or may not answer since I'm still in the process of figuring things out. I'm keeping my transition private at this time but I'm happy to share any knowledge I have about the gender spectrum in general. Thanks for reading!
 As some of you already know, the facility where I have worked as a CNA for the past year recently had a Covid outbreak. Finding out that some residents tested positive was devastating but even then I had no idea what the following weeks would entail. I cannot post many details for privacy reasons, nor do I want to out of respect to our residents, the residents families and our facility. But these past weeks have been some of the most stressful weeks of my life. I have had the privilege of caring for our covid positive residents during the nights (almost every night, I worked for 18 days in a row at one point!) and while I am grateful that I am able to be with them during this difficult time it is so stressful trying to care for all these ill residents at once. They are scared, sad, confused, lonely and in pain. Some just feel a little sick while others are worried that they are going to die, like the resident that told me a few days ago, "I don't think I'm going to make it."
One thing I hate the most about my job is finding out that a resident has died alone, this week I have walked in and found three separate residents passed away. The sadness I've felt knowing that they died alone and knowing that I was the last person to be with them is so much to deal with. These are people that I cared about deeply and have many memories with. One thing I hear often is that Covid isn't a big deal because most people don't die from it, and most that do are old or sick and would have died anyways. While it's true that Covid has a low death rate and that older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions are more likely to die or become severely ill from it, the way these people are dieing is horrible and to put it simply, it wasn't there time to go yet. Many people would still be here today if we had been more careful. So please, I'm begging you, wear a mask and social distance as much as you can, stay home if you're able to!! Do your part to save lives. Also, don't forget to take care of yourself in the process! I know how difficult that has been during this pandemic! Hopefully we'll have a solution soon!! Hi everyone, I have decided its time to officially come out on Instagram. My closest friends and family have known that I am Queer for a while. I first started telling people about 15 months ago but I have known much longer then that. It's not a big deal to me but to some it is. Now that I'm out I'm still me, just a much happier version of myself. And yes, Queer is the term I now use to identify myself. In the past I have used many different terms in an attempt to figure out and explain my sexuality but I have found that I am happy with Queer. In the future I might feel comfortable telling people what Queer means for me but I've worked hard to find a label I feel comfortable using and I am proud to call myself Queer. I hope that everyone is accepting of this. People can't choose who they're attracted to/fall in love with and love is a terrible thing to hate. If you ever need someone to talk to please message me! I'm here for you.🌈❤ #nationalcomingoutday #loveislove #Queer  I graduated from high school today! We didn't have an official graduation because of the pandemic, so it all felt really weird. But it feels so good to be done with high school! As I am beginning to plan my trip for this summer and pack for our family trip next month I have spent a lot of time thinking about the trips that I have already been on. I have been to so many incredible places and I am so grateful that I have been able to travel as much as I do. I want to take a minute to express gratitude to the person that has made it all possible, my dad. My dad is the best travel companion that anyone could ever ask for. We have been to so many places together. He has also helped pay for a lot of my trips and he loaned me money for the things he wouldn't help pay for. He always plans the best trips and he never says no when I ask him to take a picture of me. He is the photographer behind a lot of my favorite vacation pics. Three years ago I asked my dad if he could go on a Humanitarian trip to Uganda with me in the summer and I was so excited when he said yes. Since then we have been on so many adventures together. Riding on Camels in Egypt, going on a safari in Uganda, climbing up the Eiffel tower, snorkeling in Australia, going on a boat ride under the Iguazu Falls, building a school in Paraguay, shopping in the markets in Lima, and so much more! None of these things would have been possible without him. His willingness to drop everything and travel the world with me has not only made us incredibly close but it has also helped me gain a deep understanding and respect for other cultures and the world we live in. I will never forget the fun we had in Egypt, Uganda, Australia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, etc. So far we have gone to 12 countries together but I can't wait for that to change. How about a trip in 2021 dad? (It's moms turn first.) A few days ago me and my dad booked plan tickets to Australia during April! I am really excited. We have already started planning the trip and we are going to do a lot of really fun things. Hopefully I'll even be able to go skydiving. That would be awesome because in the US you have to be 18 to go skydiving but in Australia you can skydive when you are as young as 12! I'm so grateful for my parents for making this trip possible I cant wait to spend time with my dad!
This summer I am going to go to 5 new countries! Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Peru. I will also be going to Miami, Florida for the first time! The trip to Paraguay is another Humanitarian trip I will be building a school with HEFY. I cant wait! #travelislife
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My name is Care H. I love traveling and I love writing. I have decided to start blogging about my incredible travel experiences more often. I sometimes also post about other things that are not travel related but travel is the main theme. Three things that I love to write about are travel, LGBTQI+ topics and helping others, including humanitarian and volunteer abroad experiences. I have also posted about things I've experienced while working as a CNA, mental health issues and life accomplishments.
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