“All I know about Uganda is Idi Amin. Anak, be careful,” my uncle said, a month before I left for the fellowship. What I knew about Uganda before I came was very limited as all the single stories I heard from American media included Joseph Kony, Ebola outbreaks, HIV/AIDS, corruption, and gorillas. After 8 months of living, working, and exploring Uganda, I’ve come to love the country.
As a GHC fellow, I hold a unique position to be an ambassador to my friends and family about Uganda, to help and enlighten them to the stories and experiences of life in the country not told through mainstream media. Although I had the chance to describe my experiences to my friends and family back in the U.S. during Christmas break it was the last week of March, when my boyfriend came to visit from the States, that I was really able to show my experiences in Uganda.
A single story is not enough to describe Uganda – at least now our friends and families have more stories and experiences to learn from. He was so excited to share his experiences in-country to his friends and family by the time he left UG – that shared excitement was everything I could have hoped for. And while I am sad that he’s gone, I am happy we could experience Uganda together.
