Just another day :)

Well...I am finally able to post a blog as I am writing it. This is a nice change.

One more amazing day in Kampala. I was able to get settled into my temporary office and our house is becoming a little more like a home.

We only worked until 12:30 today, so I was able to have a few small adventures. One other embassy worker, Chelsie, lives right beside the intern house so I spent the afternoon hanging out with her and her two boys. She has opened her doors (and her pool) to us for the summer, which was fantastic! I am actually over here now and we just had dinner and she has allowed us to use her wifi until we are able to get a router or something installed. Her home is beautiful and looks out over Lake Victoria. Until I came here today, I had no clue we were only about half a mile from the lake.

I also got the chance to go to the store today which is great to have just a mile down the road. It is only a 15 ish minute walk from our house. It has most of the essentials, however I am pretty sure we will we will have someone to help do our produce shopping for us since it wont be very easy for us to go during the week (and we aren't experienced in purchasing the produce and negotiating prices).

I am starting to feel so comfortable already and can't believe that it has only been 48 hours since I have been here. I think we will be going into the city tomorrow and I can't wait! AND ITS A LONG WEEKEND WHICH IS AMAZING!!!! I can't wait to take the chance to explore!

Day 1- Is this real?

Written 5/30 

What a whirlwind of a day. I think last night’s sleep was the most rejuvenating 6 hours of my life. It probably doesn't hurt that I woke up to a beautiful sunset creeping into the Kampala sky. I have posted pictures below.

I am slowly getting settled into my house. As I mentioned, it is currently just one other intern and myself, though I was told today there will be 5 of us total. The house is beautiful. I will eventually post some pictures, but it wasn’t until after dark when I got home tonight. It is 2 ½ levels and 5 bedrooms (though one is huge and one is small, I am assuming 2 people will share the large one). We also have a guard out from of our house at all times. It isn’t that I would feel unsecure if he wasn’t there, but the guard does make it feel very safe.

I had a private driver pick me up today to take me to the embassy. It was the same driver who picked me up last night. Later I will take a shuttle that many of us in the Lubowa district (the neighborhood I am staying in) will use.

My first two weeks at the State Department will be working with the Management Office heading up the fundraising for a July 4^th event. I will get started on Tuesday (Monday is a holiday) and am so excited. Most of my job will consist of going to various potential donors with the hope they will match or expand their contribution to the event from previous years.  Most of the day today was just down time. I am temporarily moved into my boss office (who is currently out of the country) and will relocate when he comes back and I move from the Management Office to the Refugee Unit.

Until about 2, I felt like I had don’t nothing. I was able to set up my State email account and check my personal email from the embassy’s library computers, but that was about it. Because I didn’t have access to the wifi there however, I wasn’t able to post my previous blog or this one until ..well…whenever you are seeing it. The embassy was beautiful, but I wouldn’t call it the best start to a work day. I felt pretty out of place and was unsure what I was supposed to be doing. After 2, that all changed.

At 2, there was a run through of the awards event for July 4^th. Before this started, I was able to speak with many different individuals in the embassy, all of which were fantastic. After the run through, there were food and drinks served and I was able to continue to mingle with everyone. To say I met 50 people today would be a conservative estimate. Now, it’s just trying to remember names. Everyone was so welcoming I didn’t know what to do. I barely looked at someone without them introducing themselves. I was also able to speak with Ambassador Delisi, who is awesome.

Later in the evening there was another event at the ambassador’s residence for indiviual’s who will be relocated from the post in the next few months. This event was catered and the Ambassadors residence is beautiful. I was even able to meet his niece who is volunteering in Kampala for the summer and staying at the ambassador’s home. She also allowed me to use her phone, which was great because it has been pretty difficult to contact home the past days. This should all be much better however once we are “wired.” At this event, I was able to meet even more of my colleagues who are already helping make plans for DOS Ugandan travels and weekend adventures with their families! One the officers even lives across the street from where I am staying and has offered to be our “mom” for the summer and will help us get adjusted to life in Lubowa and Kampala.

Also..the ambassador also took the time to recognize my arrival to the entire post (which is awesome), at which point I was coerced into trying Nsenene i.e. fried grasshopper. It was actually not that bad, but I wouldn’t say it’s my meal choice of the future. I am glad however I could take one little step closer to culture immersion.

I feel like I am blabbing on about my day, which is not the essence of this post. Everything is just so new and I feel so overwhelmed. My final takeaway from today is, however, that the people of Kampala are fantastic and along with FSO’s at Unit Kampala. Every individual I met with at the embassy, especially Ugandans, spoke so kindly and friendly. They were all so fantastic I cannot explain. I am trying to absorb this “state department life” to which I have been subjected. Could this be my future? It all seems so surreal and I feel that they have so much faith in my future efforts. This looks like it may just be the most amazing summer of my life…

View from my balcony

Ki kati Kampala

Meant for 5/29

The first breath of Ugandan air was an experience I’ll never forget. The air was warm, but in a different way than I had ever felt before. It is beautiful and a way that pictures will never portray. As I looked around after I exited the plane, it felt more than a movie than my real life. I would have never anticipated actually being here…but so I am.

Though the flight was long, it went very well. I am glad however that I have 12 more weeks before I have to do it again because it was not exactly enjoyable either. I also have shorter layovers on my way home, which will also be nice. My biggest hang up was trying to find my driver at the airport. I must have walked was him when I arrived and it took a substantial amount of time to find him (in reality, it was probably only 5-10 minutes, but it seemed like forever). I wouldn’t say that I was scared, I just wasn’t sure what to do.

The drive from the airport to the house I will be staying in was one of the craziest experiences of my life. I read online not to take mopeds (aka Lubowa) as transportation and I most definitely see why. Everyone was weaving in and out of traffic. I did feel pretty safe through personally, considering I was in an escalade or some other monstrous sized amoured government vehicle. Plus, my driver is pretty awesome.

The only hang up so far is I don’t have wifi at the house I am staying in. There is currently one other intern who is moved in and we are going to work on purchasing internet this weekend. Apart from technology issues (very few American outlet converters, no wifi, no cell phone), everything has gone perfectly. I am sure though that it will slightly difficult to contact home for the first week or so, but I will continue to update anyone who is interested via this blog. Hopefully “skyping” will still be an option, but no guarantees.  

Almost there!

The last 40 hours has been one of the most exhausting 40 hours of my life, however, apart from fatigue it traveling was not as bad as I anticipated. No major hold ups or delays (knock on wood* I am waiting on my final flight right now). With that said, I have definitely learned some “tips” for anyone who get’s stuck with a…well…less than ideal flight itinerary.

1) Change your scenery/activities

-If you have a long layover, don’t just stay in the same place the whole time. If there are multiple terminals you can get to, change it up. It seems to make time go much faster. This also gives you an excuse to walk around which will be great if you have a long flight to follow. This is also the best way to “scope out” the best places in the airport with free wifi and comfy seats (if you are in JFK, I’d hit up terminal 5). As for changing “activities,” don’t plan to just read a book the whole time and then watch a movie etc. Try to do something different ever hour or so.

2) Procrastinate the week before

- If you are like me, you have to stay busy. For most of us, having something “productive” to do makes time go much faster (regardless if it’s your flight or a layover). Any little task that you can do on the road, save them! That also gives you some more time to spend with friends and family before you depart.

3) Talk to other travelers

- This probably helped since I am…well I’m not shy lol. But wherever you are going, especially if you are alone, there are other lonely travelers around you. Even if it’s just small talk, it helps pass the time and gives you some much needed social interaction. Put yourself out there. Who knows, you may even learn something!

4) Take naps.

- I know some people may be afraid to nap with their stuff around them, but airports seem to be a pretty save spot for napping. Use your backpack with all your important docs as a pillow and if you are worried about a carry on, maybe just put your feet on it. Airports have security and other travelers walking around 24/7 so don’t be scared! I got some great tips from sleepinginairports.com

5) Be Positive

- Regardless of how bad your travel experience looks on paper, your experience will be what you make of it. The unexpected WILL happen, so be prepared but go with the flow. If you get upset, it’s just going to make things worse.

Welp, my computer is about to die and my flight for Kampala will be boarding soon. Blog ya later. 

And The Journey Begins...

Welp...I guess it's about that time.

So I am sure some of you that know me know this, but Monday I will be airborne to Kampala, Uganda for the next 12 weeks to intern with the State Department in their Population, Refugees, and Migration Unit. What exactly will I be doing...I will have to get back to you on that.

I am sure some of you aren't exactly sure where Uganda even is, so for your viewing pleasure...


Kampala is on the south side of the country, so basically where the point of the arrow is. Beautiful city, beautiful people, I cant think of anywhere else I would rather spend my summer.

This blog is mostly meant to share my experience with my friends and family back in the good 'ol O.H.I.O. I will attempt to update this blog with pictures, videos, or any amusing stories that I am sure will transpire over my time there. I also want to open some of your minds to what the life is like in the Heart of Africa, a continent many of you have probably know nothing about. Until a couple years ago, I was right with the rest of you. This blog will also share reflections on my own personal growth over the summer and my pursuit for enhanced mindfulness and the crystallization of my spirituality.

In case you are interested in Uganda's background, here is a brief synopsis. If you don't care, you can skip this paragraph. Uganda is an ex-British Colony and gained its independence in 1962. Since then, Uganda has been plagued with some pretty brutal internal conflicts, most recently, with the Lord's Resistance Army and their leader Joseph Kony. Some of you may have heard of the Kony 2012 campaign which sought to gain political attention to the LRA and their abduction of young children to create child soldiers in northern Uganda. Since then, the LRA has been pushed west into the Central African Republic and continues to commit atrocities across Africa. I cannot accurately say if its getting worse or better at this point. If you are interested at all, please google it. You can find a lot of info on this and human rights threats at stopgenocidenow.org. As of now, Kampala is pretty safe. So no worries : )

The work I will be doing there will mostly deal with refugees living within Kampala and northern Uganda who have sought refuge from mass political violence. Most of this is a result of the genocide in Darfur and internal conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Again, if you are curious about what is going on there...please look it up. For a more in-depth account, I highly recommend reading Dancing in the Glory of Monsters by Jason Stearns. I will try to keep the blog updated on some of what is going on for anyone who is curious.

As I mentioned, I will be flying out of Columbus on Monday. I have a very...interesting flight itinerary. I fly into JFK where I have an 18...yes 18 hour layover. I then have a 15 hour flight to Johannesburg  South Africa where I then have a 6 hour layover, and then will fly into Uganda. This is my first international flight, so it may very likely be a mess. Also, if anyone has any fun "tips" for things to do at an airport or on a plane I would love any and all suggestions. I anticipate that the travel process may suck a little, but I feel like I would walk if that was the only way. It will be worth all the hassle when I finally arrive.

Thank you to all of my family and friends who have contributed to my opportunity to fulfill my dreams. Whether you told me not to give up or helped me study for a test, I could not have done it without you every single one of you.