Internships Abroad, GRIP African Sunrise

GRIP: Community Development in Uganda

As our plane touched down at Entebbe, I opened my window shade only to be pierced by the rising sun. It was the ripe time of 6am. I had only slept for 6 hours out of my 24 hours of flying due to crying children running up and down the aisles, bad turbulence, and nervous thoughts of “what the heck did I just sign myself up for?” Upon leaving the plane and finally getting to stretch my legs, I suddenly wished I was back in the air. I was swarmed by mosquitoes and gnats, literally itching to get to my suitcase and lather on my bug spray. But of course, my suitcase was the only one that didn’t make it onto my connecting flight. What else could go wrong?

Stepping out of the airport, I took a deep breath of the fresh Ugandan air. Suddenly, I forgot about my lack of sleep, lost suitcase and most importantly, my lingering fears of the unknown. I was met with a breathtaking sunrise and the curious sounds of exotic birds, and I couldn’t help but smile.

On our drive to the guest house, where I would stay for the first 2 weeks of my internship, I watched as my surroundings changed from a rural, tropical area full of vegetation, to a lively and bustling city. I would compare the city of Kampala to New York City, just without tall buildings or any traffic rules whatsoever. After settling into my room, I went on a walk to explore my new environment. I quickly noticed drivers were slowing down and looking at me. Strangers were going out of their way to speak to me. I could not blend in with my skin color, but I have learned to love that while here in Uganda.

My internship works with early childhood education. The innocence and curiosity of children has brought a lot of questions my way. Questions such as, “where do you live? How long did it take to get to Uganda? Can I touch your skin? Why is your hair fluffy? Does your eye color change when it gets cold?” I have embraced all of their questions as well as asked my own burning questions about Ugandan culture. Each day I continue to learn.

One aspect of this country that never ceases to amaze me is the Ugandan hospitality. Before coming to Uganda, I had been a part of a mentoring program where I tutored a young Ugandan boy each week for nearly 3 years over Zoom. I now had the opportunity to travel to visit him at his school. My expectations of this visit had been that I would sit and chat with him and maybe meet some of his friends and then leave. Boy was I wrong! I walked into the school’s entrance and was met with the faces of the entire student body. They suddenly began to clap and dance around me. I was so overwhelmed with joy I started to cry. The students then conducted a performance for me that included many of their traditional dances and songs for which they prepared weeks in advance. They fed me the most amazing traditional foods and showed me exactly how each food was prepared. The children wanted to take pictures with me and teach me to dance just like them. I’ll never forget their overwhelming love and generosity.

Though I have only been in Uganda for a little over a week, this experience, and others, will be the ones that shape my perspective for the rest of my summer here. I cannot wait to see what else Uganda has in store!