Marching On........
This is my final journal entry from the summer
“Anyway, Dan, Max and I had a really nice weekend together, in limbo as we called it. We went to a beach that had an old aircraft as a relic, in addition to a number of crude plastic statues of people like Nelson Mandela, and hippos. We played frisbee on the beach of Lake Victoria, and got gawked at by schoolchildren. We laughed at what was our last days of being spectacles wherever we are. I do look forward to blending in.
We went to a joint called Nicky's Pizza last night. The pinneapple was to die for! The hostel was a great one, a bit homey. It had a collection of bootlegged DVD's and we watched a couple lighthearted flicks. I really did get quite comfortable and attached to Uganda. The people have been unfailingly welcoming and hospitable. I learned about the challenges others face, the adaptability of people who can adjust to any circumstance. There's no need to compare to America. People can be perfectly happy in the shacks I have had the privilege of staying in. I feel like I've grown in maturity while becoming a more global citizen. This is an opportunity that few get, and I'm forever grateful to Notre Dame for opening this gateway to the world for me.
Last night at dinner we went around in a circle and said what was our biggest takeaway. I said that I'll never forget all the individual houses I stopped in. I think it was remarkable that even in the strangest or most “other” situations, I always felt.....at home. I really never felt uncomfortable despite my obvious outsider status. I conducted 80 interviews, each in a different home. Although I didn't get to form steady relationships with individuals, each one, each home, each face showed me that the people of Uganda are strong, smart, and problem-solvers! They aren't people we need to develop, they're. They have an expertise and an experience that I can never match. I was just trying to learn from them, so that UPFORD can help them help themselves, if that makes any sense.
I can't help but think about how different the London landscape is than were I was this morning. People are really living differently in Uganda. For all the talk about recessions and austerity, the people of Uganda are really living a different life. That European austerity stuff is crap.
I don't want to think of this summer as something totally for me, but the truth is I've gained more than I could ever give. The way to really make this a worthwhile thing, moving forward, is to be mindful of different cultures, different perspectives, and always remember to keep myself of my community's problems in a global perspective. I want to be someone open to learning and understanding the viewpoints of others,, while still holding strong beliefs of my own. That type of worldliness isn't passive at all. It allows me to enter into dialogues with all people. That's a great thing.
A great summer
A great 2012
A Beautiful Life
“Anyway, Dan, Max and I had a really nice weekend together, in limbo as we called it. We went to a beach that had an old aircraft as a relic, in addition to a number of crude plastic statues of people like Nelson Mandela, and hippos. We played frisbee on the beach of Lake Victoria, and got gawked at by schoolchildren. We laughed at what was our last days of being spectacles wherever we are. I do look forward to blending in.
We went to a joint called Nicky's Pizza last night. The pinneapple was to die for! The hostel was a great one, a bit homey. It had a collection of bootlegged DVD's and we watched a couple lighthearted flicks. I really did get quite comfortable and attached to Uganda. The people have been unfailingly welcoming and hospitable. I learned about the challenges others face, the adaptability of people who can adjust to any circumstance. There's no need to compare to America. People can be perfectly happy in the shacks I have had the privilege of staying in. I feel like I've grown in maturity while becoming a more global citizen. This is an opportunity that few get, and I'm forever grateful to Notre Dame for opening this gateway to the world for me.
Last night at dinner we went around in a circle and said what was our biggest takeaway. I said that I'll never forget all the individual houses I stopped in. I think it was remarkable that even in the strangest or most “other” situations, I always felt.....at home. I really never felt uncomfortable despite my obvious outsider status. I conducted 80 interviews, each in a different home. Although I didn't get to form steady relationships with individuals, each one, each home, each face showed me that the people of Uganda are strong, smart, and problem-solvers! They aren't people we need to develop, they're. They have an expertise and an experience that I can never match. I was just trying to learn from them, so that UPFORD can help them help themselves, if that makes any sense.
I can't help but think about how different the London landscape is than were I was this morning. People are really living differently in Uganda. For all the talk about recessions and austerity, the people of Uganda are really living a different life. That European austerity stuff is crap.
I don't want to think of this summer as something totally for me, but the truth is I've gained more than I could ever give. The way to really make this a worthwhile thing, moving forward, is to be mindful of different cultures, different perspectives, and always remember to keep myself of my community's problems in a global perspective. I want to be someone open to learning and understanding the viewpoints of others,, while still holding strong beliefs of my own. That type of worldliness isn't passive at all. It allows me to enter into dialogues with all people. That's a great thing.
A great summer
A great 2012
A Beautiful Life
After having been back in the United States for several months, and having worked on this project throughout the semester, it's interesting to read this and see myself grappling with how to make my experience “worth it” moving forward. Leaving, I clearly had a sense that I wasn't able to give back to the community what I had personally taken from Uganda in terms of travel, life experience, and insight. But I didn't have a convincing way of stating how this experience would change me, or help to make my experience “worth it.”
Throughout this semester I think I've had the chance to crystallize what going to Uganda has meant for me. I'm a pretty math-oriented, analytical thinker. But having an exposure to one participatory program, and researching others, has convinced me that being a problem solver starts with listening to others. Any policy or program designed to help people must be grounded in local truths. Building on my research of participatory programs, contrasting Economics and Anthropology has motivated me to combine my analytical skills with attention to the local, human factors that Anthroplogists emphasize.
I came to Notre Dame because I wanted to learn to direct my talents outward, towards the common good, as opposed to inward, towards self-interest. Looking forward, I want to find a career that allows me to help people, whether that's abroad, in a place like Uganda, or here at home in the US. I want to make time to listen, and to learn, from real people who are the true experts about their own lives. That's what participation is all about!
Throughout this semester I think I've had the chance to crystallize what going to Uganda has meant for me. I'm a pretty math-oriented, analytical thinker. But having an exposure to one participatory program, and researching others, has convinced me that being a problem solver starts with listening to others. Any policy or program designed to help people must be grounded in local truths. Building on my research of participatory programs, contrasting Economics and Anthropology has motivated me to combine my analytical skills with attention to the local, human factors that Anthroplogists emphasize.
I came to Notre Dame because I wanted to learn to direct my talents outward, towards the common good, as opposed to inward, towards self-interest. Looking forward, I want to find a career that allows me to help people, whether that's abroad, in a place like Uganda, or here at home in the US. I want to make time to listen, and to learn, from real people who are the true experts about their own lives. That's what participation is all about!