Week 4: Comfortabell

Location: Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

The concept of comfort is very interesting. Naturally, people hate change. It’s much easier to stay in one place and do the same things, but to break out of that mold and try something different is exciting, but also very tough. Coming to Uganda brings a shake to the stable comfort. There is the new country, the new group of people, and many new relationships to build. You have no idea how things will develop with your classes, project, and inter-relationships will be directed.
During the first 4 weeks here, the experiences have been unbelievable. We have met so many new people and created life-long relationships, and I can truthfully say that there have been no experiences that I will regret. The comfort level that I feel has increased immensely. Quite honestly, coming into this trip I was unbelievably skeptical. My project idea was a wreck, and I had no idea how I would fix it to become something plausible in the next 10 weeks. I had no idea who anybody was going on the trip. For all I know, none of them would become my friends and we would not blend well. And lastly, Uganda may just be a place I absolutely hate, with the intense heat and culture that may hit me.
However, the exact opposite happened. The classes and my project have turned out well. They aren’t tough, but do require a bit amount of work to go to class and understand the material (I hardly go to class back at Northwestern, sadly). My project has turned for the better. I finally have a specific NGO to work with, Nsambya Home Care, and I have a protocol that fits my project well. The people on the trip have been incredible from Professor Stewart to the students at the back of the bus to the amazing Dan and Centurio. I have felt the group becoming something of a family and everybody involved as brothers and sisters experiencing difficulties together. And finally, the frightening country of Uganda has turned into a kingdom I have come to love. In fact, some of us were talking the other day, and the notion of home came up. Since we are currently in Zanzibar, it’s remarkable and nostalgic to emotionally miss the people and the university at Kampala that we currently call home. I have not had this much fun on an academic and tourist trip in my life, all because of the people, country, and activities we have gone through. My comfort level has shot out of the roof that I have even declared Uganda a more fun and comfortable place than back at home in Chicago. I have grown accustomed to the city and the attention people give us, that the friendly nature has grown in my hearts as something to be expected rather than taken granted for. The transportation is conveniently located and the city of Kampala, given some time, can be understood.
What I realize, though, is that with the concept of comfort brings risk. The second part of the trip will be tough because we have come to see this city and people as part of our home now that we are going to be willing to try activities that we are usually forewarned against. Just the other day, I was reading the New Vision, and the front page described a muzungu who stayed up past midnight at Kisenti (an area with some nightlife). Probably drunk and ready to pass out, she decided to take a boda boda home. The boda boda proceeded to go the opposite direction into the alley way where she was sexually harassed by several males. To avoid these kind of situations, you have to adjust your comfort level so that risks can still be avoided. You may be tempted to ride a boda boda, or go clubbing at Bubbles till the morning, but you have to realize that even though Kampala is now your home, there are still risks involved.