In my culture, there’s a saying: “Where your heart is, is where your feet go.” But over the past two years, I have learned another truth. Home is where your loved ones are.

After my service as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer in Uganda, I traveled to Malawi as an Exchange Volunteer. I thought I was going to serve, to help, to share skills. I did not know that I would find not one, but two new homes, because I found loved ones in places I had never been before.

In Kyerero village, high in the hills of Kavu, my host community in Uganda welcomed me like family. Together, we worked, laughed, dreamed and faced challenges side by side. When I moved to Malawi, I was nervous, would I find the same warmth? But my fears disappeared the moment I stepped into my new community-Iyela. Once again, strangers became family. I was shown true love and hospitality, a bond that goes far beyond borders.

When my time in Malawi came to an end, I was excited to come back to Uganda—but I knew exactly where my feet needed to take me first. The moment I landed; I told my family at home that I needed to go back to Kavu. They were surprised—how could I be rushing off when I had just arrived? But they understood when I told them: I miss my bigger family.

So, during my very first week back, I climbed those familiar hills again. I sat with people who had become my brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, mentors and friends. In that moment, I felt whole.

Through CorpsAfrica, I have learned that home is not just the place where you were born, it is the place where you find genuine love. My two communities one in Uganda, one in Malawi are where my loved ones are. They are my home.

I went to serve, but in return I received so much more, trust, friendship and a sense of belonging that words can hardly capture. These communities showed me that love can grow anywhere if you open your heart and your hands to it.

Now, no matter where I go, I carry Kyerero and Iyela village with me. They are proof that when you love people deeply, you are never truly far from home.

Because home is where your loved ones are and my loved ones are in the hills of Kavu and the villages of Iyela. And that means, no matter where life takes me next, my feet will always find their way back.