Besides a brief stint in Canada at age two, I had never left the country until this past summer. I was between two study abroad programs, Ireland and Uganda; sure to be two vastly different experiences. Ultimately, I decided on Uganda where I would be interning for a non-profit, and after obtaining a passport and a plethora of vaccines and prescriptions, I set off on the longest flight of my life. My stomach was in knots the whole week leading up to the trip, but as soon as the plane took off the ground, my nerves turned into excitement. After a short layover in Kenya (so short I nearly missed my connection), I had arrived in Uganda.
I spent a few days in the capital city, Kampala, where I learned about the country’s history, visited the Uganda National Mosque, and dropped a lot of money at a craft market. I tried local foods, like matooke, and found a lot of familiar foods as well. The economy of Uganda is much different than that of the United States and I was shocked to receive almost 750,000 UGX in exchange for my $200.
On the way to Kabale, where I would be spending the majority of my five weeks in Uganda, we stopped at the Equator. I got to stand one foot north and the other one south of the Equator. After a long car ride, we arrived at a dock in Kabale, where we transferred into a boat which would take us across the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi to a little peninsula which held our resort. For the next month, I would be staying in a tent outlooking the lake. There were beautiful birds, including Uganda’s national bird, the crested crane, and the most stunning night sky I’ve ever seen. You could even see the Milky Way on clear nights.
My friends and I traveled to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a weekend safari trip. Between the safari drive and the boat tour, we saw elephants, lions, leopards, buffalos, and hippos galore. It was so amazing to see these animals in their natural habitat. We stayed at a resort inside the park grounds and as I was walking out of my cabin, an elephant walked right past me. It was incredible and terrifying at the same time.
Just before it was time for us to leave Uganda, we took another excursion, this time to the city of Jinja, where the source of the Nile River is located. I took a boat ride on Lake Victoria right into the Nile, and even stepped off the boat to a gift shop in the middle of the river! I definitely overpaid for the bracelet I got there, but how many people can say they got a bracelet from the Nile River? Besides, it only came out to like $3 when you think about it in terms of USD.
After my five weeks were up, I was sad to be leaving Uganda, but so excited to return home. The time difference made it so hard to talk to family and friends. I would love to go back there again someday. I miss all of the people I met, especially the sweet little girls who lived at the resort I stayed at. My first real international experience is definitely not one I’ll forget anytime soon.