Uganda. You're gonna like the way it looks. I guarantee it. - SIT Study Abroad: Uganda - Post-Conflict Transformation Past Review
By Kristen H (Social Work., University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh) - abroad from 02/03/2013 to 05/17/2013 with
SIT Study Abroad: Reviews from Former Locations
People often say that their study abroad experience changed their life. But this one actually does. I found my voice, my strength, and a whole new appreciation for East African culture and the experiences of the northern Ugandan people. I experienced some of the emotional and heart-wrenching moments on this trip, but I think that all of these experiences have helped me to become a stronger and more globally-conscious person. The northern Ugandan conflict has left people in ruin, and yet the Acoli people have not given up hope for their future. This trip was amazingly inspiring and worth while. The only major problem that I had was that I didn't want to leave at the end :).
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academic support that I received was great! The program is small so I received a lot of individual attention. Also, all of the lecturers are highly educated and experienced individuals who are living and working in East Africa and understand the process of post-conflict transformation! When else in your life will you ever get the opportunity to speak with an ex commander of the LRA or a member of the Ugandan parliament if not in this program?!? Also, even though I had never done research before there was a lot of support which allowed me to learn the research process fairly quickly. So even if you do not have research experience you can still suceed on this program. For example, I didn't even know what a methods section was in the beginning but now my ISP is published on the SIT website; which I think that says a great deal about the level of support available. All in all an amazing and eye opening academic experience! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The reason that the program is a success is because of the new administration. The academic director of the program became our mother, and the academic assistants became our brothers and uncles! Previous administrators were distant and not very helpful (as told to me by previous students) which explains why the reviews in the past may not have been 100% positive. But with the current administration things can only get better! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my host family. They integrated me into the culture and adopted me as their daughter. However, the reason that I gave housing 5 stars was not because we were living in luxury- it is because I enjoyed my housing arrangements and thought that it was a wonderful learning experience. If you go on this trip, be ready to get a little rustic. My family for instance did not have running water, and only in hotels did we have showers (the rest of the time we had bucket showers). But if you can handle living in non-western, developed world living conditions then I think it will help you grow as a student and as a person. |
| * Food: |
I generally enjoyed the food. There is a lot of starch and beans and even though it is difficult, you can be a vegetarian and go on this trip (even though you may have to explain to your host family exactly what your dietary restrictions are- for example, some people think vegetarians still will eat goat ;p). The best part of the food was honestly the fresh fruit though. I almost cried when I found out that I would be leaving Uganda at the height of mango season ;p. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
If you take time to engage the locals and your host family, you will be amazed at how integrated with the locals you become. Sometimes I almost forgot that I was American. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
For basic needs the hospital system should be able to help you. However, if you have a more severe health issue then I would talk with SIT staff to see how they can provide for you while abroad. |
| * Safety: |
I felt safer in Uganda than I did in my home city of Philadelphia. The conflict in the region has been over for 6 years now and the Gulu area is at least decently safe. The reason that I gave safety an 80% is because if you do not take care of yourself and you act in ways that are immature or against SIT policy you can find yourself in dangerous situations. If you are smart and are not reckless then you should have a safe experience (which is just as true in Uganda as it is in any American city so don't let the fact that this city is so far away scare you :) ). |
| 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) |
Uganda is very cheap. You can often times buy a whole meal for less than 2 USD. You also receive a stipend from SIT so you should not have to break the bank. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | In total for the whole semester I probably spent about 400 USD (outside of what SIT provided us). This includes souvenirs as well by the way (and I bout a LOT of souvenirs) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make sure that you budget your money. You don't want to have to start taking money out of the ATM near the end of your trip (since there is a hefty charge for this) |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
The program encouraged us to use the language as much as possible but by the end I was certainly not fluent. However I knew enough to get by which is all that mattered since most educated people in Uganda speak English. If you take the initiative however and try to speak Acoli with your host family then you can actually learn a great deal more than you can in the classroom. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Speak Acoli with your host family! This is the only way to become fluent! Also, speak Acoli with store keepers in Gulu and during the rural home stay. Many times the locals are willing to help you practice your language skills :) |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 10+ |
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? | I wish that I could tell my parents just how rewarding the experience is, and to not worry so much about the safety of the program. Many people told my parents that they were crazy for letting me study abroad in Uganda, but honestly it would have been more crazy to give up such an amazing opportunity just because some people perceive Uganda as a 'bad place.' Honestly I was probably as safe in Uganda as I would have been in any US city (possibly more so, considering how scary NYC and Trenton can be!) |
