Uganda: A place I studied abroad - SIT: Kampala - Uganda/Rwanda: Post-Conflict Transformation Past Review
By Noah R (English and International Development, Tulane University) for
SIT Study Abroad: Reviews from Former Locations
I gained some really important understandings on placing proper value on people, things, and life.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Very hands-on learning was a great way to experience the country first-hand. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was a little suspect at times mostly due to their different culture and the way they deal with things a little differently for women and men (female administrator spent most of her time in the kitchen and was pretty much a joke as far as a feasible person to express any concerns to) while the male administrator had an incident where he lied to us and refused to admit fault, mostly he was very good. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was great and treated me like a member of the family. I was a little further from class (and nightlife if you could call it that), but was probably in a safer area and had a nicer accommodation as a result. |
| * Food: |
My host mother was an awesome cook. Most people did not have a similar food experience as I did. But there are a few serviceable restaurants around Gulu, but they are more expensive. Just go for Chapati or a Rolex whenever possible would be my most useful suggestion. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Lots of cool field trips to sites and things. The best was the two week trip to Rwanda where we learned so much and saw a different sort of side to Africa and what post-war recovery can really mean. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt more safe there than I do in New Orleans while walking around at night. I had no health-related problems but others got sick and were assisted with hospital arrangements by the program. There are many vaccines needed for this program. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | It's very hard to remember. But everything was astoundingly cheap so probably not that much. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | None necessary for this program. Don't be afraid to spend 50,000 shillings because its really less than 20$. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
practiced with my host-family as well as during the 8-week Acholi language course. There was no need to use the host language in everyday interactions since English is the national language. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Get ready to experience a very unique and rewarding place with a very hospitable culture. Any student willing to go outside their comfort zone would gain from this program. |
