Made it

Uganda is unbelievable. I still cannot believe I'm here right now. I'm still pretty overwhelmed, especially last night when we drove from the airport to our hotel through Kampala. Seeing the slums and just 3rd world countries on documentaries or pictures just doesn't do any justice. Seeing it for myself for the first time was...i don't know, I can't really describe it, insane? It's just a completely different world here. 

The streets are so lively, full of people running and walking all along the streets (and in the streets, RIGHT next to the moving, crazy traffic). I lot of them with no shoes.  The traffic is absolutely insane. I am a huge backseat driver so this is something that I almost freaked out about haha but I'm sure I'll get used to it. The rules of the road are really...nonexistent. It was interesting today because as we were packed into our hotel bus, millions of motorcycle taxis and overpacked taxis and crazy driving, I noticed 2 men chatting casually on the sidewalk with white uniforms with the words 'traffic police' on their chests. Commuting to class everyday by myself with these taxis will be interesting. We probably have to leave every morning by 6am in order to beat the traffic.

Time here is so different. Things are very relaxed and slow-paced. I'll post more soon with pictures, I'm still pretty jetlagged so bedtime:)

I don't understand time

On my way to the airport!

And by arriving to Uganda tonight, I mean tomorrow night. I told you time changes baffle me. Wow, I'm going to learn so much this trip haha

todays the day!

KI KATI! (hiiiiiiiii)

My flight leaves today at 4:45! after stopping in London for a few hours, in 19 hours I'll be in Uganda around 10pm tonight. Time change always confuses me, so this will be interesting haha. I cannot believe I'm leaving today, its bringing me every emotion possible, mostly excitement. The thing I am most nervous about it is actually getting there. Flying always scares me (my arms are going to get so tired by the time I get there)-especially over water. Hopefully I'll sleep most of the way there considering I haven't been able to sleep very well the past couple of days.

After traveling and getting settled in, I'll post again. goodbye america!

Wizard slizard

I knew i didn't like Harry Potter for a good reason. just kidding, just kidding. but seriously now, this is an interesting point:

"In a single day, on July 16, 2005, the American and British economies delivered nine million copies of the sixth volume of the Harry Potter children's book series to eager fans. Book retailers continually restocked the shelves as customers snatched up the book. Amazon and Barnes & Noble shipped preordered copies directly to customers' homes.  There was no Marshall Plan for Harry Potter, no International Financing Facility for books about underage wizards.  It is heartbreaking that global society has evolved a highly efficient way to get entertainment to rich adults and children, while it can't get twelve-cent medicine to dying poor children"

-William Easterly, The White Man's Burden

 

5 days and im peacin'

Live simply that others might simply live.

Elizabeth Ann Seton

My first blog, hopefully I can continue this throughout the next 3 and half months. 6 days from now, I will be heading to the airport to begin my journey to Uganda. I can't believe I'm leaving so soon. I vividly remember back in august my constant, indecisive, worrisome mind running a mile a minute trying to decide what program to apply to, which country to study in.  CIEE or SIT program? To Kenya? Uganda? No, maybe Ghana. What about Switzerland? And now here I am, less than a week away from going to Uganda on SIT's program for Development studies.  I'm ready to go, I honestly just want to be there right now. I've had a long winter break and I think it's made me more nervous just waiting to leave. It has been so nice to be home though, i know i will miss my family more than anything.

For those of you who support me going, I thank you and am grateful for your kind encouragement (more than you know). For those who think im crazy for going, well, i agree with you. It is pretty crazy to be going to an African country a week before their presidential elections begin, to a country with a history of 17 years of civil war within the northern region, and to a country that is trying to pass the death penalty in banning homosexuality. Believe me, I know it's a little crazy, and I'm still uneasy about it. And I can't explain how, but I have a good feeling about this chapter in my life.  Ever since I was little, I've wanted to travel the world, Africa being the first stop, hopefully numerous stops.  I've had this obsession with African culture for years now. There is only so much one can learn about a culture through books, classes, news, videos, etc. I need to see it with my own eyes, to live within the culture, be with the people, and try to just understand a little bit of what life in Uganda is like.  That's why I am so happy I chose to go through the SIT program, where they believe in learning through a experiential, field-based approach and actually being immersed within the culture.  I have a feeling I am going to be challenged to stretch myself a lot within these next three and a half months.  I would like to say I'm ready, but I know I'm just saying that to try to make myself believe I'm ready. I'm terrified, excited, nervous, sad, anxious, grateful, ready, and not ready all at the same time. Right now, Uganda is this star marked on my world map in my room of places i want to explore. Its the statistics I studied in global health this past semester. Its the Invisible Children adverstisements ive seen over the years. It's not... real, not tangible, if that makes sense.

I think my world's about to be flipped upside down. About time. Ready or not Uganda, here I come.