Week 9 - Reminiscing

All of the Uganda study abroad alumni told us that time would fly by here, and they were right. These past nine weeks have been so much fun, and we've all learned so much. As our program comes to a close, it only seems appropriate that I recount some of my favorite moments from our study abroad experience.

I think it was the second week that we were here in Uganda and our group was still getting to know each other when we decided to order four large pizzas and a red velvet cake from a restaurant called I Love New York Kitchen. It took a very long time to track down the phone number on-line, and even then we didn't have a menu. In the end, the wait was worth it, though. I remember all of us sitting in the flat eating, laughing, talking, really just getting to know each other. This past weekend we ordered pizza from I Love New York Kitchen again, and it made me smile to see all of us back together, eating, laughing, talking - just like that first time.

I remember when we visited Mulago Bright Standard Primary School, and after the children had performed for us, Centurio chose three people to give speeches. The last student to speak simply said "Mwebale" (thank you in Luganda), and the entire place burst into applause.

And the sad tale of the rooster at Busabi. This rooster at the hotel where we were staying woke all of us up very early in the morning and then wouldn't let us get back to sleep with its incessant crowing. The next day Centurio joked with the hotel staff that we would like them to cook that rooster for dinner. But it wasn't a joke when the rooster wasn't there when we got back and we had chicken for dinner. Sure enough we had eaten the rooster. The hotel staff claimed that that was always the rooster's fate, but we still felt guilty. We did sleep better that night, though.

When I was trying to accompany the Butabika staff on an outreach event, Centurio accompanied me on the mutatu rides across Kampala. When we finally got to Ntinda, where I was to be picked up, I remember being so relieved that I gave Centurio a hug. It was in that moment that I truly realized how dedicated and kind Centurio is that he would take hours out of his day to take public transportation with me.

Ah, the frustration that came with trying to learn a Buganda dance. My hips do not move that way, but I tried.

In the first week, Dan told us at breakfast about the tiny antelope called oribe that we would see at Murchison Falls. This was my first experience with Dan's great story-telling skills.

In Zanzibar, I learned that I am not very good at bargaining. Me: "I will give you ten thousand shillings for these sandals." Salesperson: "Oh no. Fourteen." Me: "Okay." I still have not really improved upon this.

Seeing the Rakai Community Cohort Study was just really amazing. It's difficult to describe how fantastic it was to see such a large research project operating in conjunction with health service provision in rural Uganda.

This last week one of the students in our group organized a cookout with a refugee population that he had been working with. It was a powerful gathering, and I was so impressed that one of the students in our group had organized it and even more impressed that this refugee population remained so strong in the face of adversity.

There are so many more stories and experiences, but these were a few that first popped into my mind. I've truly had a wonderful time here in Uganda. I have made so many friends and experienced so much. I will never forget the time that I have spent here.

Location: Kampala, Busabi, Zanzibar, Rakai, all over Uganda

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.