The Journey of a lifetime..
I originally wanted to come to "Africa" in order to have the experience of a lifetime. This held completely true. I experienced things, most people only see in pictures. I saw the Ngorongoro Crater (left), the mighty Nile, and Mount Kilimanjaro. I also experienced first hand Africa's many delights like papaya, apple bananas, matoke, avocados and many more. Even the wildlife I was able to interact with first hand. I saw 14 foot long man-eating crocodiles and elephants with tusks as long as a man's arm.
Still, while these images and animals are all truly unforgettable it is the experience interacting with, learning about, and befriending the Ugandan people that has changed me so much as a person. Through living with Ugandan people on a daily basis, I quickly saw how people from different continents, are in many ways, the exact same. Because we were such similar people, I was able to relate to my friends and learn infinity more than I ever had imagined possible.
Still, while these images and animals are all truly unforgettable it is the experience interacting with, learning about, and befriending the Ugandan people that has changed me so much as a person. Through living with Ugandan people on a daily basis, I quickly saw how people from different continents, are in many ways, the exact same. Because we were such similar people, I was able to relate to my friends and learn infinity more than I ever had imagined possible.
Through my interactions and relationships, I started thinking of the people I met as individuals rather than "Ugandans" or "Africans". Furthermore, I came to realize, in light of my project analyzing small agribusiness, just how tough life in a developing context can be. In my life, I have only worried about tests and quizzes, Items which have no barring on whether or not I have a roof to sleep under or food to eat. On the hand, many of the people I interacted with have to grind out their days for a very small, unstable income with the hope of earning enough to feed their family.
With this in mind, my experience in Uganda became two things: my research on the value chain of matoke and my relationships with the people I shared my summer with who happened to be from Uganda. While two separate focuses, they both offered me a unique perspective on Ugandan life and Ugandan society. Ultimately, I am extremely thankful for the individual friends I made and all the people I met for, without them, my experience would not have been amazing. |