Overview

"Winner - Nautilus Book Award 2022 Winner - Moritz Thomsen Peace Corps Experience Award 2022 A Top Ten Expat Book for 2021 from Expat Nest At a time when her friends were planning cushy retirements, Nancy Wesson instead walked away from a comfortable life and business to head out as a Peace Corps Volunteer in post-war Northern Uganda. She embraced wholeheartedly the grand adventure of living in a radically different culture, while turning old skills into wisdom. Returning home becomes a surreal experience in trying to reconcile a life that no longer ""fits."" This becomes the catalyst for new revelations about family wounds, mystical experiences, and personal foibles. Nancy shows us the power of stepping into the void to reconfigure life and enter the wilderness of the uncharted territory of our own memories and psyche, to mine the gems hidden therein. Funny, heartbreaking, insightful and tender, I Miss the Rain in Africa is the story of honoring the self, discovering a new lens through which to view life, and finding joy along the path. ""Inspiring and educational when it comes to what we can accomplish when we put our best foot forward, I Miss the Rain in Africa shows how Nancy Daniel Wesson and others are putting the needs of others ahead of themselves-and what we can all do when it comes to stepping out on faith and choosing to act."" -- Cyrus Webb, media personality and author, Conversations Magazine ""I would think that many of us could learn or strive to live life to the fullest by following Nancy's example. Imagine venturing into new realms-especially at a later time in life when we possess meaningful knowledge for analyzing, but also for applying a critical philosophical perspective on new experiences."" Gary Vizzo, former management & operations director, Peace Corps Community Development: African and Asia ""I Miss the Rain in Africa is an absorbing record of the exploration of self by a woman who, at age 64, enters a remote area of Africa to work with an NGO. Part adventure, part interior monologue, this is an account of a 21st century derring-do by an intrepid, intriguing and always optimistic woman who will, undoubtedly, enjoy a fourth and maybe even a fifth act wherever she may find herself."" --Eileen Purcell, outreach literacy coordinator, Clatsop Community College, Astoria, Oregon ""Wesson offers a montage of stories and experiences that introduces the reader to the colorful people and challenging life in Uganda. Wesson's observations are shared with humor, respect, and compassion. For anyone who has ever won-dered what serving in Peace Corps or immersing oneself in a radically different life overseas might be like, this book provides a portal."" --Kathleen Willis, Retired Peace Corps Volunteer-Community Organizer, former organizational development consultant Learn more at www.NancyWesson.com"

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9781615995752

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This lovely book by Nancy Wesson is a primer in how to be a human being. At 64 years of age, she went to Uganda as a Peace Corps volunteer. Her post was in an area recently ravaged by war, impoverished, full of horror. It was also full of decency, humor, incredible acts of generosity and kindness. Nancy's lively writing will take you there and teach you many things. You will become a better person for enjoying her account of two remarkable years. But, above all, her book is fun. She gave me a laugh in the midst of the most unlikely adventure; e.g. breaking a finger or being surrounded by gun-wielding soldiers. Then there is the last part of the book, after her return: a very touching psychological journey to healing. This part is a primer in self-therapy. More entertaining than most novels, this personal account is a must-read. --Bob Rich, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Sleeper Awake I Miss the Rain in Africa is a true and adventurous story of a wise woman of 64, who goes to Uganda as a Peace Corp Volunteer. Her account of this escapade is a rich, page- turning tapestry of events, emotions, cultural surprises and inner reflections that continue to be woven, even after returning to her home country. Wesson's style of writing takes me right where she is-as if I am with her-living these unfamiliar situations. Wesson has become my eyes, ears and nose, as she weaves through these challenging environments during her Peace Corp service. This account had me laughing, cringing, delighted, frightened and more. Through her, I have met interesting people, been through dangerous situations and experienced both the frustration and the sweetness of understanding and kindness. --Michelle DeStefano, L.Ac. CCH, acupuncture, hypnotherapist The book was meant to be a memoir about her Peace Corps service in Uganda, 2011-2013. In her writing, Nancy quickly learned that her story was taking a surprising turn. What began as a journey into the heart of Africa evolved into a tale of reconciliation, self-awareness and healing. Nancy's story is universal. I Miss the Rain in Africa is written in such a way as to take you on your own journey. Nancy holds out her hand so that you can stand by her side in order to embrace her lessons learned and make them your own. You will be changed. You will have a deeper self-awareness, and you, too, will discover peace in past relationships and experiences. I Miss the Rain in Africa is that kind of book. --Holly Copeland, former family therapist, Family Copeland Foundation Who knew, least of all the author, that a decision to step out of regular life and serve in the Peace Corps would become far more: a journey that reveals new insights and an unexpected springboard for rescripting the author's history in a way that would change every-thing. At first blush, the book is a collection of blog entries that invites the reader to tag along with the author on adventures while on a two-year assignment in Uganda. Like Anne Lamott in the Operating Instructions, an honest and comic tale about the love-hate experience of new motherhood with a first born, Wesson offers a montage of stories and experiences that introduces the reader to the colorful people and challenging life in Uganda. Wesson's observations are shared with humor, respect, and compassion. For anyone who has ever won-dered what serving in Peace Corps or immersing oneself in a radically different life overseas might be like, this book provides a portal. --Kathleen Willis, Retired Peace Corps Volunteer-Community Organizer, former organizational development consultant

"This lovely book by Nancy Wesson is a primer in how to be a human being. At 64 years of age, she went to Uganda as a Peace Corps volunteer. Her post was in an area recently ravaged by war, impoverished, full of horror. It was also full of decency, humor, incredible acts of generosity and kindness. Nancy's lively writing will take you there and teach you many things. You will become a better person for enjoying her account of two remarkable years. But, above all, her book is fun. She gave me a laugh in the midst of the most unlikely adventure; e.g. breaking a finger or being surrounded by gun-wielding soldiers. Then there is the last part of the book, after her return: a very touching psychological journey to healing. This part is a primer in self-therapy. More entertaining than most novels, this personal account is a must-read. --Bob Rich, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Sleeper Awake I Miss the Rain in Africa is a true and adventurous story of a wise woman of 64, who goes to Uganda as a Peace Corp Volunteer. Her account of this escapade is a rich, page- turning tapestry of events, emotions, cultural surprises and inner reflections that continue to be woven, even after returning to her home country. Wesson's style of writing takes me right where she is-as if I am with her-living these unfamiliar situations. Wesson has become my eyes, ears and nose, as she weaves through these challenging environments during her Peace Corp service. This account had me laughing, cringing, delighted, frightened and more. Through her, I have met interesting people, been through dangerous situations and experienced both the frustration and the sweetness of understanding and kindness. --Michelle DeStefano, L.Ac. CCH, acupuncture, hypnotherapist The book was meant to be a memoir about her Peace Corps service in Uganda, 2011-2013. In her writing, Nancy quickly learned that her story was taking a surprising turn. What began as a journey into the heart of Africa evolved into a tale of reconciliation, self-awareness and healing. Nancy's story is universal. I Miss the Rain in Africa is written in such a way as to take you on your own journey. Nancy holds out her hand so that you can stand by her side in order to embrace her lessons learned and make them your own. You will be changed. You will have a deeper self-awareness, and you, too, will discover peace in past relationships and experiences. I Miss the Rain in Africa is that kind of book. --Holly Copeland, former family therapist, Family Copeland Foundation Who knew, least of all the author, that a decision to step out of ""regular life"" and serve in the Peace Corps would become far more: a journey that reveals new insights and an unexpected springboard for rescripting the author's history in a way that would change every-thing. At first blush, the book is a collection of blog entries that invites the reader to tag along with the author on adventures while on a two-year assignment in Uganda. Like Anne Lamott in the Operating Instructions, an honest and comic tale about the love-hate experience of new motherhood with a first born, Wesson offers a montage of stories and experiences that introduces the reader to the colorful people and challenging life in Uganda. Wesson's observations are shared with humor, respect, and compassion. For anyone who has ever won-dered what serving in Peace Corps or immersing oneself in a radically different life overseas might be like, this book provides a portal. --Kathleen Willis, Retired Peace Corps Volunteer-Community Organizer, former organizational development consultant"

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"Honestly, when I began, this is not the book I set out to write. My initial intention was to share what it was like to totally step out of the mainstream and jettison a business, an old identity and comfy-trappings at a time when most of my friends were planning cushy retirements. I felt driven to share this rich world I experienced in Uganda, and I had so many stories to tell, I literally couldn't carry on a conversation without another one spilling out. As I told these tales to friends, and spoke about my experiences at various events, people admitted to being shocked out of their safe-zones into a realization of their lack of awareness of their own privilege and of the challenges other people faced, just to survive. After seeing what Ugandan children sacrificed just for the privilege of going to school, high school students, bored with life and school, left with a little more appreciation for the opportunity to learn. I thought these stories were worth sharing, and as a writer...well, I had to write! As I wrote and got to what I thought was going to be, ""The End,"" I realized it wasn't the end at all. And that's where the mischief started and my inner muse took over, and I literally had no idea where we were going...but I hung on for dear life! When I'd come home from Africa, I felt like a total stranger in the life and world I'd left. All of my reference points-physical and emotional-had changed; things I'd taken for granted had become treasures, and those I'd once valued had become irrelevant. The events that made up the stories I so wanted to tell became a catalyst for distilling life-going-forward into its most relevant and sacred parts."

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