Christian songs

This past week, there was this huge Christian Gospel Jubilee Crusade in Gulu that lasted five days. Starting like a month ago, they were hanging up posters for the crusade everywhere. They stuck posters advertising the event on everything they possibly could: buildings, trees, statues, poles... The posters were not just in town, but when we rode out to any villages outside of town, we would see the posters all along the way and in the outside villages. If that wasn't enough, like a week before the crusade started, they built stands to display these humongous posters in a few places around town. Everyone I talked to said they were planning on going to the crusade and how they expected to see me there.

But here's the thing. As soon as I saw a poster advertising the event, I turned to Jaron and told him we needed to be out of town during the whole event. Every time we go to Kampala, we ride this bus called the Post bus, it's the bus associated with the post office and it's by far the best bus because it leaves right at a certain time, instead of waiting hours until the bus is packed full before leaving, they say a prayer before leaving, which is definitely needed, and it's clean on the bus. The only bad thing about this bus, and it's a really terrible thing, is they play this video of some Christian gospel music event that takes place in the U.S. They play the same one every bus ride and if the video doesn't work, then they just play the music. They don't just play it as background music, they pump it up sooooo loud that you can't possibly block the noise out and not only that, they replay the video or CD over and over again for the duration of the entire 6 hour bus ride!

So a few weeks ago in church, our closing hymn was Nearer My God to Thee. Sister Woods, a senior couple here from Idaho, was playing the piano. The whole song was like this battle between the piano and the congregation because Sister Woods was playing the song according to how it;s written in the hymn book and the congregation was all singing the song according to how the lady in that Christain gospel video they play on the bus sings the song. The solo singer from the video sings it with all this emotion and with different rhythms to make it more dramatic or something, but since everyone here is familiar with that video/music, they all sang the song how they know it. Jaron and I could tell that's what was going on because we've heard the Nearer My God to Thee version everyone was singing on the bus so many times. It was pretty great.

Progress in the interviews

Ever since I implemented the changes in my approach to the interviews, they have been going so well. Ray has helped me tell the women in advance about the interview and the kinds of things they should talk about, so they are prepared when we come. We have also expressed that there is no sense of urgency, so the interviews are much more relaxed and natural. My favorite interviews have been the ones where we came to the lady's home and she was making paper beads and just started out talking casually with me and Ray or maybe there were a few of her friends also there making paper beads. Then we shared a meal together and did the interview while she was still making paper beads. It's so much more natural this way and I actually feel like we're getting to know each other. I love being in the women's homes and spending time with them. Ray has also been helping me with asking questions during the interviews, which is awesome because he knows now the questions I usually ask and will often ask them before I do. The interviews have gotten longer, in general, which is awesome and I think it has to do with our approach and the feeling that they can talk as much as they want and don't need to rush.

Starting the interviews

Wow, this field study is turning out to be the most enriching learning experience of my life. I started the interviews last week, which has been an incredible experience. Ray is a local who has been working with Jaron ever since he's been here and he knows where all the women live and speaks english really well. The women all know him and like him, which is awesome because it makes them all that more comfortable telling their life stories to us. We started out on Tuesday in a village called Laliya, where some of the women live, including the chairperson of the group. So we recorded the stories of four women on Tuesday and four more on Wednesday, when we went to Kanyagoga. Each day I came home feeling a little overwhelmed emotionally with all that I heard from the women telling me about their lives and the situations they are still currently living in. Each one has suffered so much throughout their lives and continue today struggling to support their children, most of them on their own. They all desire for their children to have better lives than they had and so they are doing everything they can to make enough money to pay for school fees so their children can gain an education, which many of the women didn't get very much of growing up.

Interviewing the women has made me realize how incredible important this paper bead business is to them. Many of them rely solely on making paper beads to support their families because they have no other source of income. Jaron is working so hard to find more orders for beads from the U.S. to at least keep the women working and earning money in the meantime while also trying to figure out something that would provide a more steady income for the women. Many of the women have no other resources to turn to and are thus relying on us and our connections to the states to help them out. After hearing their stories first hand and knowing how important this work is to them, I want to do everything I can to give back to them what they are in need of. They have been giving me so much by teaching me so many important life lessons and values that will bless me for my whole life. Hopefully I can use their stories for some good, so that this project will come back to bless them as well.

After conducting these first interviews, I realized some changes I need to make in my approach to recoding the stories. Ray is going to help me with being better about giving the women appropriate warning and time in advance to us coming so that they can prepare and think about what they want to say. I am also coming up with more and better questions to ask the women to get them really thinking and talking. It's definitely a learning process as I really didn't know what to expect at first. I think I will be able to make some changes that will help make the interviews more in-depth because the first few were not nearly as long as I had hoped. I also think I need to keep the interviews spaced out a little bit and have Ray help me convey to the women that I'm not in a rush to get all of the interviews done, but that they can really take their time. I love this project and I'm so grateful to be here and among such incredible people!

Exciting progress

Yesterday was market day, so we met with all of the women and they laid out all of their jewelry. We went around to each group, because we tried out a new system of dividing them up into 4 groups for this order, and picked out all of the jewelry to fulfill the order for African Promise Foundation. After gathering all the jewelry, we paid each woman the same amount. Then we had a meeting with all of them to discuss this transition period from working for Voices for Global Change to finding new and more work for them. At the end of the meeting, we told them about my project! Jaron and I decided this was a good time to introduce my project to the women and see their response and if I could get started. Fortunately, the women responded super well and all 21 of them are going to let me come to their home and record them telling me about their life. We have a really good friend who is going to translate for me and another friend who said she would take pictures of the women with her super nice camera. We told them that I would put a book together with all of their stories to give to them and they really like that idea. I'm super excited to get started on my project and I'm so glad that things are moving forward! It will be so much fun to visit each lady individually and get to know them all so much better this way. I will hopefully start with the interviews next week because I have 21 women's stories to record in less than 2 months!

Cooking posho and doh doh

Last Friday was so awesome because I got to spend the day with my new acholi mom. Her name is Christine and she is one of the women that makes beads. She is actually the translator for the group because she speaks english really well, which is probably why I have gotten to know her the best so far. She invited me over to her house to learn how to cook some acholi food. So we first walked to the Layibi Market and bought all the ingredients we needed. On our way home, we stopped to buy a sugar cane stick. It was my first time ever seeing sugar cane like that before being manufactured into the sugar we use back home. So back at home, we started out cooking doh doh. It's a green vegetable that is very common to eat with rice or posho. We cooked on the charcoal stove in her kitchen area outside right next to the house. It was super fun because she was the best kind of teacher. She would start out by showing me what to do and then she would let me do it. After we cooked the amazing green leafy vegetable with onions, tomatoes and some spices, we made posho. Posho is a staple that everyone eats here. The majority of the population here eats posho and beans everyday. Posho is flour mixed into boiled water and you just keep stirring it until it forms a big ball of white goodness.

incredible strength

Just about every day since I have been in Uganda, I look around and think to myself, "Am I really in Uganda? Is this real? How did I get so blessed to have the opportunity to come to this incredible place and meet all of these incredible people?" I can't believe that I'm actually here. I have learned so much from being here, it's like every day is an adventure full of new experiences that open my view of the world. Would't that be amazing if everyday of your life was like that?

Since the conflict here was so recent, everyone's stories include experiences from the war. Everyone here was affected by it in some way. Death is such a common part of life here and most, if not all, people have lost multiple loved ones. I have never lost anyone super close to me in my life yet, which makes it difficult  for me to fully comprehend what it's like to lose your parents, your husband, your best friend. The other day I was spending time with a friend of ours who does our laundry. She pulled out a very old, worn picture album and started telling me about her life a little bit with the pictures. She would be going through pictures, point to a girl and say, "She was my friend, but she died." Telling me about her family, she explained that she lost two of her full siblings before her dad passed away. Yet she goes on with her life working so hard to provide for her 6-year old daughter as a single mom. She's so extremely giving and loving and always makes sure I am comfortable. She laughs and let's any of the neighborhood children come in her home whenever they want and cooks amazing food. She is so strong and I admire her so much.

Another woman I met out in the village of Awer, who also works making beads, is fighting in court to get her daughter back. Her 16-year old daughter was kidnapped by a much older man over 3 months ago and her husband won't help finding her because he's not her father. This woman was kidnapped during the war and had her daughter with a LRA soldier. She lived in the bush for 2 years before escaping. I admire her so much for working so hard to do everything she can to find and get her daughter back because she wants so much for her daughter to go to school and have the best life she can have.

I just really hope and pray that I can be as strong as these women are and have the faith and ability to press forward no matter what trials I face in this life.

The adventures begin!

So I've been in Uganda for a little over a week and it's amazing. I love it here and can already tell it will be hard to leave. Gulu is such a great little city and all the people I have met so far have been so welcoming and so loving. It's rainy season, so every morning is super hot and sunny and then in the evenings, the rain comes and just down pours. Last night was the craziest storm I have ever witnessed! It makes all the roads super exciting because we get to ride through rivers and over tons of bumps:)

So far I have been in the homes of four of the women who I will be working with for my field study project. We also met with all of the women who make the beads here in Gulu that Jaron works for on Monday. It was so great to meet all of them and witness the awesome sense of friendship between all of them. They all seem like best friends and they were so happy and laughing all the time, which made me super excited to get to work among such fun people. One of the women, Christine, speaks english really well, so she translates for Jaron when talking to the women. Christine is one of the women whose home I got to visit last week. Her and her family made me feel so loved and accepted when we visited their home. They served us a delicious meal and beforehand went around to each person with a bowl and cup full of water to wash our hands. They came to me first and I didn't really know what I was supposed tyo do, so of course they laughed at me, but I eventaully figured it out. Good times:) We then all ate rice with meat and obooga, I'm not sure how to spell it but it's a green vegetable that tastes super good. When we left their home, I had this overwhelming feeling of joy and I felt so touched by their kindness.

I'm so grateful to be here and will keep you posted!

safety stuff

I met with Landes today, the guy in charge of international security at BYU, and we talked about some of the safety precautions I need to take while in Uganda this spring/summer.

1. Never be outside anywhere after dark, well as much as I can control. So when I'm traveling to and from Kampala and Gulu, I need to make sure to calculate how much time it will take and plan to only be traveling during daylight hours.

2. Don't ride the motorcycles. Uganda has one of the highest rates of vehicle accidents in the world because the driving is really chaotic and the "roads" aren't paved or kept up.

3. Check out the bus/taxi/whatever mode of transportation before getting inside. Landes said that I should walk all around the vehicle to make sure that there aren't any flat tires and if there are, I should tell the driver they need to get it fixed before I'll get in the vehicle. He said to even check how much gas is in the vehicle and if it's not enough to get to the destination, say something and maybe even offer to pay for gas. Often the drivers won't have enough money to drive and then they risk it and run out of gas or barely make it and wait until you pay them to put gas in the vehicle.

4. Don't be embarrassed to be different when it comes to safety. He said that even if no one else is doing it, I should put the seat belt on in the taxi. I should just be smart about different small safety things like that that maybe most people don't take notice of or follow.

5. Be prepared. Before getting on the bus to go to Kampala or something like that, I should pack an extra water bottle and some snacks because you never know how long the ride will end up being. A 5 hour drive may end up being 24 hours if the bus gets a flat tire or you run out of gas or something like that. You may end up being stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere for who knows how long.

the unavoidable culture shock

The reading for class today was about culture shock and how you're pretty much guaranteed to experience culture shock to at least some degree while in a foreign country. A few different things stuck out to me.

First of all, I need to understand that I will most likely experience culture shock, so I need to prepare myself for it and while going through culture shock, I need to be patient with myself. I know that I'm the kind of person that likes to think that I will thrive in a new country and will just be so excited and happy to be there, but I need to understand that I won't feel like that the whole time I'm in Uganda and that's okay. And then I need to follow through by actually doing all that I can to learn about the culture before going, having an open-mind, understanding my own culture and the other things that I can do before going to Uganda that will help decrease the negative impact of culture shock on myself while there.

Anther thing that I am very glad the author addressed, was what he called "reentry shock". This is referring to the adjustment when coming back home from being abroad. I have a feeling that this might end up being a bigger issue for me than culture shock while over in Uganda. My mom was only in Uganda for two weeks and she experienced pretty extreme reentry shock when she came home. She felt constantly guilty for all that she has and upset with the materialism in the United States, especially when she noticed it among Mormons. She felt overwhelmed with this responsibility she felt from having been given so much and then she was so overwhelmed, she had a period when she wanted to just not even try or do anything. She got over it eventually and slowly adjusted back to life in the US, acknowledging the impact that her experience had on her and her change in mindset. After hearing my mom tell me about this experience, I felt like I might very well experience something similar, but I'm grateful that I have people in my life who have been through similar experiences to what I will go through, that will be able to help me out.

The last piece of advice that the article gave regarding how to decrease culture shock, is to keep the faith. I think this is my favorite piece of advice because I feel like that applies in so many ways. I need to have faith in myself that I will be able to overcome any struggles I have while dealing with culture shock, or any other bumps in the road, in Uganda. I need to have faith that I am in the right place while over there and not second guess my ability to learn and thrive in a new country. I also need to have faith in the people I meet in Uganda and believe that they are good people who aren't out to get me or make fun of me. I really like the quote from the article that says, "If you genuinely communicate that you are the student (interested in learning about their culture) and they are the teachers, very few people in the world would refuse to share their expertise."

potential challenges...

Hypothetical scenarios:

1. While I'm over in Gulu, Uganda, the LRA decides to move back to where they started, which is in Gulu. Oh gosh, that better not happen. So then I get an email from BYU saying that I need to leave asap. (or if for any reason it's not safe for me to be in Gulu anymore)

If I was in some sort of immediate danger, I would quickly take the bus into Kampala and find some place to stay there until I could figure out the next best thing to do. Depending on how much time I had left in the field, I would either go home a little early or see if I could find some way to join the field study group in either Ghana or South Africa. I would of course check with the field study department to see what they recommended for me to do.

2. None of the women agree to tell me their stories or answer any of my interview questions.

I will just use the information I gather while in the field from observing the women and talking to them casually for my project.

3. I get really sick and can't work on my project for a few weeks.

I designed my project in a way that it can be pretty flexible. I didn't set a huge standard for myself in order to allow for things like this to happen. I am only hoping for at least three women to agree to a more structured interview with me, so cutting out a couple weeks from being sick will definitely make it more difficult to get to know the women as well as I could have and give me less time to conduct the interviews, but I think it will still be possible. I know that I will need to be flexible because I can't see every challenge I will face in the field, so I will have to work with whatever information I get and of course try my best, but not set myself up for failure. I understand that if I don't stick to my schedule exactly, it won't be the end of the world.

4. For some reason, African Promise Foundation shuts down, so I don't have an organization to work with anymore and I can't just go to work and see the women, who are the participants in my research.

Since my brother knows all of the women already and has visited many of them in their homes, I would try to visit some of the women who had worked for APF in their homes and try to get to know them that way. I would probably have my brother come with me depending on the situation, since he knows the women better than I. This would shift the location of the majority of my research from the workplace of the organization to the homes of the women. This would add a really interesting twist to my project because they women would probably have a bitter taste towards APF because if they shut down, that means the women would lose their jobs. I would still try to find out the impact that working for APF had on their lives.

If I am not allowed into the homes of the women and there's no way for me to conduct my original project, then I will probably try to work with this other organization over in Gulu called Straight Talk Foundation (STF) that is an Ugandan NGO that specializes in communication for social change. I would figure out some project to do related to this organization and the issues they address.

I know that I will face many challenges while in the field, but I also know that this is what I'm supposed to be doing-going to Gulu, Uganda. Whatever happens, this will be an experience that will force me to learn and grow in ways that might not be possible anywhere else.

expanding on art

For class last week, we visited the Islamic art exhibit in the MOA called Beauty and Belief. It was an incredible exhibit and I highly recommend it. It's so awesome to me how much you can learn about a person, their beliefs, values, surroundings..etc. from art. There was information in the exhibit to help you better understand the art and one thing I found so interesting was when it talked about patterns in Islamic art because they use patterns a lot. Patterns are used as away to show that what is being expressed through the art piece is something that goes on forever. Patterns are never ending because they can just keep going. Whatever is being shown through a pattern is really just a part of something much bigger. Just like patterns, God is eternal and so is life. Earth is just a part of a much larger universe, a much larger time scope, and a much larger plan. I definitely added my own interpretation to what I read about the meaning of patterns, but that's something else I think is so great about art. Everyone has different perspectives and therefore different interpretations of things. Even though we may not know what the artists exact purpose was for making an art piece, I think the point of art is to find some way to find meaning in the art that relates to you yourself and not necessarily just the artist. But, I also think it's important to try and see what the artist's purpose was as well because that's a way of learning more about the purpose and maybe what was going on at the time the art was created.

When I'm in Uganda and doing my project, I want to learn as much as possible about the culture and the people I will be living among, especially the women I will be focusing my study on. Noticing all the different art forms used by the people and then learning as much as possible about them and how the people use their art forms to express themselves, will help me to learn more about the people in general and maybe start to understand them a little better. I noticed in Islamic art, their beliefs play a huge role and is very apparent in much of the art. I bet that not only visiting different churches, but also paying attention to the different art forms, like their ceremonies, will help me understand the beliefs of the Acholi people better. Just like how I applied the idea of patterns from Islamic art to my own beliefs, I think that learning about the Acholi people through art may be a way for me to find ways to relate to the people better as well and recognize that all humans experience similar feelings throughout their lives.

tiny bit about acholi art

For class today, we were supposed to look up some information about the art forms of the culture we will be living among in the field. First of all, I need to point out that there is not a whole lot of information on the Acholi people and their customs, which is very frustrating. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place, but from my experience, it is difficult to find very much information on the Acholi culture. Also, from watching the documentary called War Dance, which takes place in a community within the Acholi people, I have learned a little bit about how important art is in their culture. So combining what I learned from this documentary with what I learned from a website I was reading about the Acholi, I have found some interesting related things.

The largest art forms in the Acholi culture are drumming, singing and dancing. These forms of art are used in many different ceremonies relating to the different spirits they believe in. The website talked mentioned ceremonies having to do with birth, planting, harvesting, and also sacrifice. Dancing is used in these ceremonies accompanied by drumming and sometimes also singing. Also, when someone dies, about a week or so later, a big and final dance and feast is held. The vastness of the dance and feast depend on the status and age of the person that died. So the older and more important the person who died, the more festive and elaborate of a ceremony. I also saw the importance of art in the movie where the Acholi people worked so hard and did everything they could to prepare for a music and dance festival that was being held in the capital of Uganda. The acholi are a marginalized group of people often looked down upon by the rest of Uganda as the people who were torn apart by the war. The acholi wanted to show the rest of Uganda and the war and themselves through their art, that the war could not and did not take away their culture and who they are.

I think art is such an amazing way for us to try and connect and understand each other as human beings. I hope to learn so much more about the different art forms in Gulu among the Acholi people in order to understand them a little better and learn about them. Art is such a beautiful way for people to express themselves, their beliefs, thoughts, ideas, and feelings and then share them with others.

try walking in someone else's shoes

At the beginning of class on Monday, Ashley told us to try and imagine being in the class room for the very first time, having never seen it or Ashley or the building ever before. Then she said to try that while walking around BYU campus. That was super, super hard for me to do because I have three older siblings who all went to BYU, so I remember coming to visit them here since forever ago, so I feel like I've known what BYU looks like my whole life. When I was like nine I came to drop off my oldest brother for school with my mom. It's practically impossible for me to think back to when I first saw BYU campus and what my first thoughts were. But I can imagine, I probably thought it was so huge and so cool. I probably thought about how old and important college students looked to me as a little 4th grader. Seeing campus for the first time, I would probably wonder why there was a statue of an Indian and notice how different all the buildings are with some being really old and some new, some really tall or big and some small or short. Of course there's tons of other observations and judgments I would make seeing BYU campus for the first time.

This is a skill I need to develop in order to start to understand people I meet, including those I meet in Uganda. I've always been told to step in someone else's shoes and try to see the world as they see it, but I've never really thought about it very much. I'm starting to realize how important that is in so many different ways and forms. I need to try to learn as much as possible about the people I will be meeting in Uganda, in order to try and view their city, their situation, their world the way they see it, instead of always just using my limited perspective in viewing my surroundings and when trying to connect with people. I should probably think about how they will view me as I come into Gulu, a young white girl from America.

I loved our reading "Eating Christmas in the Kalahari" because the story outlined so clearly the differences between the customs in different cultures. I should probably expect to feel humiliated at times, just like the author of the article, because there will be so much that I won't understand when I go to Uganda. It's important that I am aware of that and don't get totally frustrated or blame my lack of knowledge concerning the customs and culture on anyone. It will take time, asking questions, and observing to gradually learn bits and pieces about the ways of the Acholi people.

serving and helping are so different

The reading for today about the difference between fixing, helping and serving, really helped me realize how important it is that I approach my project in the field with an attitude of serving, as opposed to helping or fixing. The reading emphasized how helping and fixing put people on different levels and as unequal's. I really don't want to go to Uganda and have people think that I think I am better than them and have more than them or that I feel pity for them for being in the midst of war for such a long time. Service is about being on equal grounds with those you serve and treating them like humans and being human yourself. I can't go to work with the Ugandan women acting like I'm some expert or something, but just be myself as an ordinary human being. I think people can tell when you try to adopt a different persona and I just want the women to feel comfortable around me and know that I just want to get to know them as friends on the same level as me. This article taught me that if I go about my days there with service in mind and not helping or fixing, than I will be natural and the people I'm with will recognize that I don't see them as inferiors in any way, but as equal, beautiful people.

talking to peter

Today, Carlee and I met a guy named Peter who's from Kampala, Uganda. He was super nice and willing to talk to us about Uganda and answer any questions we had. He told us that in general, everyone will be really nice to us as Americans, but they will expect us to be really rich. He said that the people they see on TV, like Paris Hilton and Angelina Jolie, are what they think of when they see Americans. So basically they're going to think I'm some super rich, snobby girl that gets everything she wants and sits on top of the world. awesome. But he also said that if we show that we're interested in their culture and even if we learn just a few words in their native language, they will really like us. I really need to start studying Acholi so I can at least know how to say a few things when I get there! It's interesting to think about how much of a difference it makes when you show interest in the culture and take the time to learn a few words of the native tongue. I am sure that so many tourists come over to Uganda and are just there to see the exotic people and animals, but don't really show interest in the culture and how the people live.

splendid ethics

In class on Monday we talked about ethics and how conscience we need to be of ethics when planning our research projects and how we're going to implement them in the field. I'm a little worried about how picky the IRB is going to be when reading my proposal, but I understand how critical it is that I don't go over to Uganda and do stupid things that are harmful or just not appropriate.

So applying this to my own project, I have been thinking about how careful I need to be about how I approach topics with the people I talk to and I need to always be soooo sensitive when talking to the people about their lives. I have decided to continue with my project idea of learning about the lives of the women I'll be with who make the beads for African Promise Foundation and maybe recording their stories for them to have, but more specifically finding out how working for the bead businesses have made an impact in their lives. I know that it's going to take a lot of thinking and talking to other people about the right way to go about talking to the women about their lives. I am going to take it real slowly and just develop relationships with the women by spending time with them, observing them and learning from them what they do. I will start to pick up on things about them just from observing them and meeting their children or things like that, but then hopefully after a while I will feel comfortable asking them questions about the difference in their lives from before making beads and after. I will definitely not be pushy and I'll be as sensitive as I can be to each person I talk to. There are so many NGOs that have the same idea of providing a bead industry for women in Africa and I just wonder how effective they are in making lasting improvements in the lives of the beaders.

Since what's appropriate in the US is different from what's appropriate or socially acceptable in Uganda, at least I'm assuming it is in at least a few ways, as soon as I get to Uganda I will need to be super super observant to try and catch on the right way to act and what not. I will also try to learn about how to act and what the different symbols are in the Ugandan culture from my brother and other resources before I go too because I think that's part of how to understand the culture better and how to be accepted.

"women hold up half the sky"-chinese proverb

There are so many women being oppressed all over the world and so much goes on that we don't hear or know about. Little girls at the age of 12, as old as my little sister, are viewed as women in much of the world and often marry by the age of 14. That's the age of 6th graders! I didn't know anything when I was 12! That's normally the beginning of the long process of trying to find out who you are, which is supposed to happen before getting married and having kids. Not only are young girls forced to get marry, so many are sold into sex trafficking and prostitution, where they're abused in all possible ways and stripped of their sense of self-worth, their freedoms, independence and any sort of meaning in life. The book "Half The Sky" opened my eyes to all the horrors going on towards women all over the world that are going so unnoticed. Even just studying in my women's studies class about the different waves of feminism in the U.S. and all the things women have fighting for and are still fighting for in order to become on equal terms with men, has made me realize that the issue of women oppression has existed for way too long all over the world and still needs so much more attention.

I love "The Girl Effect" video clips on YouTube because they outline the importance of educating women, which will bring about women empowerment. Going to school and getting an education, will make it so that 14 year old girls won't be forced to get married and instead have some control over her life and grow and mature until she's ready to get married. But, there has to be a means by which they can afford to go to school. African Promise Foundation is great because they support women, moms, in order for them to have enough money to put their children in school, including their daughters.

"having the vaccine, we have invented smallpox"

I went to the keynote lecture today for the Inquiry Conference and it was so awesome. I took Soc 111 from Ralf, so his lecture was a really great reminder of all the things I learned from his class my first semester at BYU. The lecture reminded me that I always need to be aware of the fact that exactly what I see, is not what anyone else sees. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, has experienced different things, is made up of different characteristics and that makes it so that every person sees the world with a different perspective. Relating that to what rem was talking about in his presentation at the Inquiry Conference, just because I see a problem and think I know the solution, that doesn't mean that everyone else sees the same problem or same solution because it depends on perception. Rem talked about how much more effective it is when going over to another country to do development work, to make sure the locals are totally involved every step of the way. It's so much better when the locals identify the problems they see within their community because from an outsider's point of view, I may see things that I think are problems, but to the locals aren't necessarily. Therefore, by coming in with an idea on how to solve something I think is a problem, I might actually be creating the problem. Galbraith said "Having the vaccine, we have invented smallpox".

This goes back to one of my earlier posts about not having the mind-set that I will help the people I will be with in Uganda and I will make a huge difference because that so often causes problems. I really like what Ralf said about how we should not only count our blessings, but also see what we don't have. I need to open my mind to see that I, as a white, LDS, American, do not have everything and I'm definitely not the only one with something to offer. There is so much more for me to learn from people with different lenses than me, which is how Ralf described the different characteristics that shape our perception. Everyone has something different to offer, including me, but most definitely not just me.

cont. process picking research project

Recently, I decided that what I really want to do while in Uganda, is spend time with and build relationships with the women who make the beads for African Promise Foundation and then record their stories and experiences from their lives. I also thought I could tie that in to researching the affects of APF on these women and their families lives and see what impact it has made, if any, as a NGO.

Today, I finally got a chance to talk to my brother, Jaron, who's in Gulu to ask him about my project idea. He gave me some super interesting and helpful information. His friend has been doing research on the difference between the Western style of therapy compared to the style of therapy in East Africa. There has been a lot of research showing that a lot of Eat Africans don't respond well to our Western way of coping with tragedy, which is thinking and talking through it. For most East Africans, the best way for them to cope with suffering, is to forget about it. By forgetting about tragic past events, they are able to move forward with their lives. From Jaron's experience, he's noticed within the past 5 months that he's been in Gulu, that it takes a really long time after developing a relationship with someone, for them to say anything about the war. This means that it would probably be really difficult for me to gather all of the women's stories as part of my project because it would be dependent on the women and when, if ever, they would feel comfortable talking about their past with me. I definitely don't want to take them back a step in their process of coping with the past.

Knowing that in East African culture, most people don't talk about their past as a way to move forward, is more evidence to me that there are so many differences concerning every aspect of culture between me and the people I will be living with in Gulu. I thought that after building relationships and getting to know the women, of course they would be willing to tell me about their experiences. Of course they would want their stories to be heard and shared so that Uganda is never forgotten again. BUT, that's not necessarily true. I need to be so careful about assuming things based on my limited knowledge and understand that not everyone does everything the same.

please don't believe the poor are poor because they're lazy

As I already mentioned, my parents went to Uganda for a couple weeks with one other LDS, American dentist. I just need to tell a little bit about what my mom was telling me about this other dentist and my reaction. This man is extremely wealthy and was very open about letting people know that about him while over in Uganda. He would say things like, "While these people were not doing anything, I was working super hard in college." Oh, like it's their fault they couldn't go to college and get a job like him. He would tell the Ugandan dental students that they could be like him, with 7 cars and living on 4.5 acres of land, if only they set and worked toward the right goals. He would tell them to think about their goals and then to come to him about them the next day. Of course these students are soaking in and believing everything he says! Oh my goodness, I just really want to ask him, "are you really a member of the church? Is having 7 cars and being rich really what this life is all about?" It is so frustrating to me that there are still people who believe that people living in poverty are in that situation because they are lazy. If you are reading this and believe that, please try to understand that that is not true! We were all born under different circumstances, in different places offering different opportunities, some less fortunate than others. We don't know exactly why each person who is in poverty is in poverty, but I know that most likely they are in that situation due to the circumstances and opportunities that have been offered them in life or not. People who have to spend their whole childhood trying to earn some money for food for their family, can't go to school, which means that college is probably not an option and therefore a high-paying job is also probably out of question. It's hard for us who come from well to do families living in America, to imagine living a life where the opportunities offered you are so extremely limited, but we need to try to understand. We need to realize that we don't know the "right" way or the "better" way to do things as applied to every person, we don't understand everyone's circumstances and how they got to where they are, which therefore means we have no right to judge.

I hope and pray that I will always remember this and have an open and accepting mind and heart when I'm in Uganda, well and actually for my whole life, wherever I am.

Women portrayed as objects

In my Women's Studies class we just started our unit talking about body image, so I've been thinking a lot about it. It's so tragic that in our society, the media controls our perception of everything. They present to us this image of the perfect woman, who all women are supposed to strive to become. The goal is obviously unobtainable, considering the fact that everyone is different and also the fact that the image shown on billboards and on TV is not even a real human being after all the computer editing. Even though it's impossible to look like the models shown in the media, women still go to extreme measures to become one step closer to that ideal, flawless, skinny, white, tall woman with a big chest, full lips, big eyes...the list goes on and on. What I'm trying to get at, is that women are objectified in the media. They aren't viewed as much more than something that needs to be shaped and formed into something that everyone wants to look at and have. Because of this objectification, which takes away the humanity of a person, treating them as such is the result. I'm not saying this is the only reason why, but I think objectifying women is a contributing factor in the abundance of rape and sex trafficking and prostitution.

In this article I was reading about the abductions that took place during the LRA in northern Uganda, the study showed that out of all the people abducted, women ages 19-30 were abducted for the longest time period, on average, than any other age group or gender. Overall, the average length of abduction for women was 643 days, whereas for men it was 258 days. The hypothesis as to why this was so, is that since women were "given" to commanders (given away like a commodity, not a person), they were forced to be wives or long-term sex partners or domestic servants and many had babies while with the LRA. All of these things made it much more difficult to either try and escape or for anyone to come in and try to capture them.

I am not sure how women are viewed and portrayed in Ugandan culture, but I believe that there is this connection between encouraging people through the media to view women as objects and then the way women are treated all around the world.

they deserve to be remembered

My parents just returned from a two week trip to Uganda to do dental work. We talked to them last night and they told us a little bit about their experience while over there. While talking to my mom about possible research projects while over there, she got talking about how interesting it would be to just talk to the people and hear about their experiences living in a IDP camp during the LRA ruling and then what happened afterwards. She talked about how incredibly tragic it is that the rest of the world let so much incredibly horrific things take place in Uganda for 20 years while the LRA was in power. Many of the Ugandans don't understand why their situation went totally unnoticed and unrecognized by the rest of the world. I thought we were becoming so much more globalized, but why was Uganda forgotten? It's not just the Ugandans that don't understand why they were forgotten, I don't understand it either and it kills me inside to hear about all the inhumane, indescribably tragic crimes that Joseph Kony and his army inflicted upon the innocent, Ugandan people for such a long time with no one to stop them or even try to help them.

It's so sad that the U.S. government only cares about countries that have something that we need, like my mom was also saying. If there's no benefit for helping another country in crisis, why bother? That's so sick. The U.S. cares about the countries that we need to get oil from, but not the countries where children watch their parents get taken away and then later see their skulls, like Rose in that movie War Dance, or where innocent children are forced by rebels to kill 3 innocent farmers, just to save their own life, like Dominic in War Dance.

Honestly, I am a little worried about going to such a war-torn place, but I know that I am going to learn so much from the beautiful people there who have gone through and suffered so much. They deserve to have their story told, so the world can learn from our huge mistake of not paying heed to the Ugandan people.

War Dance

War Dance is this incredibly awesome documentary that takes place in Patongo Uganda, an area claimed to have been the most "remote and vulnerable in the war zone" during the LRA insurgency. The movie is about a group of children who get to compete in the biggest music festival in Uganda and represent their war-torn village and show the rest of Uganda that the war didn't kill their love of music. The documentary highlights three children who tell their story and what happened to them and their families during the war. I very very highly recommend this movie! It's not just about the horrific things that happened in northern Uganda, but about the power of the human spirit and hope that brings for a better future.

This film made me realize that I need to keep in mind that I have absolutely no idea what the people I will be working with and talking to in Uganda have been through. I can't think that just from watching movies and reading material, that I can pretend to know anything about their experiences. The movie said that 30,000 Acholi children were abducted by the rebel army and forced to be children soldiers and over 200,000 children were orphaned by the war in Uganda. This tells me that if I end up working in one of the orphanages while in Uganda, many of the children will probably fall under those categories.

Keeping that in mind, I also learned from the movie that these children, despite the fact that they have experienced more than I can imagine and have characteristics of adults in that sense, they are still children. It showed one of the boys and his friends running to the little pond to take a quick swim, knowing they weren't supposed to, laughing and splashing each other and then quickly running back to the camp when they knew it was getting too risky that the soldiers might find them. Teenagers here do stuff like that all the time!

it takes a village to raise a child

We've all heard this famous African proverb, but have you ever wondered what it really means? As I was reading an article about the traditional religious influence on orphans in Africa, I learned a little bit more about how literally that proverb is implemented in African villages. There is a unity and bond between those within a village that brings a sense of duty and responsibility for one another. Extended family is so important and one's support network is made up of mostly one's extended family, but I think also other members of your village. Even when someone moves to the city or somewhere away from home, they remain forever loyal to their family and village. The sense of inter-relatedness within a community is so strong, that when one person commits a moral crime, it is believed that everyone within the village is negatively affected by it and a cleansing ritual has to be performed. Everyone is so closely connected and knows everything about everyone (well so it seems to me), that literally everyone is raised by everyone. When a child's parents die, then their mother's sister or someone else within their "extended family support network", takes them in, even if they don't have the money or resources to really support another child. It is believed that if you neglect your responsibility to care for an orphan, you will face the wrath of the ancestors.

When I compare this to my own life, it makes me kind of sad how little I know about my neighbors. I basically only know the neighbors directly to the left, right and across the street from me and beyond that, I wouldn't even be able to tell you names. I definitely don't feel a huge sense of unity within my neighborhood. Even within my family, I don't really know any of my relatives beyond my dad's immediate family and my mom's immediate family and there are even some of those family members who I never see or have very good relationships with. I really love the idea in Africa of having this large support group that is held so strongly together where everyone watches out for each other. It might be kind of weird to have everyone know everything about my life, but there would be extra motivation to not do anything stupid! I also feel like there wouldn't be so many homeless people and orphans and people not being taken care of, if everyone had a larger support system while growing up.

I recognize that this article was written in very general terms referring to all of Africa, which is a humongous place, and everyone and every village, I'm sure, is different. I also know that many things have changed since 2005, but my brother told me that many of the women he works with in Uganda take care of their sister's children or their children's children, so it was interesting to get some more insight into that aspect of African culture.

communication

Wow, talking about all the different forms of communication is so interesting to me! I am not the most observant person, which is a weakness of mine, but after reading and discussing all the signals and details shown through body language, facial expressions, silence, touch...etc. I have been so much more aware of people's little actions, including my own, that I normally never pay attention to.

I remember one time when I was in high school and had to give a presentation, one of my friend's told me before hand not to fold my arms while presenting. He said that he noticed I almost always fold my arms when I am standing somewhere for a while and said that it comes off sometimes as kind of stand-offish and cold. I had never thought about it that way before and hadn't realized that I gave off that impression when I folded my arms. His comment really stuck with me and I have tried ever since to not fold my arms as much, unless I want to send the message of being closed off. It's interesting for me to note that my body language was kind of out of habit and unintentional until someone pointed out to me what I was doing.

After observing people and understanding what different forms of body language mean, you can start gathering so many more details about a person and their attitude or their real feelings about something just by noticing the other aspects of communication other than just words. I have a friend who I know super well and I have had to learn how to read her mind because she rarely says what she really think or really wants. All of the different forms of communication from facial expressions to tone of voice, have helped me over the years to learn how to respond the right way to her and understand what she really means. For example, when I ask her if she wants to do something over the phone, I can tell right away by the amount of silence before responding, the tone in her voice, the way she responds, if she really wants to do what I suggested (whether she says some form of yes or no) or if she doesn't or if she wants to do something else or not do anything with me.

Since it has taken me such a long time to be able to read my friend and I still struggle with interpreting signals from people in the US, when I go over to a completely new culture in Uganda, I am going to have to be super super observant in order to catch on to the forms of communication over there. I will also need to be really mindful of my actions and movements in order to make sure I don't give off the wrong impressions. I'm sure a lot of my learning will come from trial and error...which will hopefully not mean embarrassing experiences.

Where I'll be living

So these are pictures my brother, Jaron, took and since I'm going to be living with him, I thought I would show on my blog where I will be staying while in Uganda. This is the front of the house.
This is the backyard of the house and you can also see the neighbor's bathroom.

APF

African Promise Foundation is a non-profit organization that I have the option of working with while in Uganda. They buy beads made from recycled paper by women in Northern Uganda and then sell them in the US to help the women provide for their families. Check out their website at: africanpromisefoundation.org

time

Last class period, we discussed this super interesting article called "Monochronic and Polychronic Time". In countries where time is thought of as doing many things at once, the author calls that "polychronic time" and where time is thought of as one thing at a time, he called it "monochronic time". I just found this article so fascinating because I have never really thought about how we keep track of time and how we think about time in our culture. The U.S. falls under the monochronic time category and the author talked about how we think of time as something tangible. We talk about wasting time, spending time, killing time...etc. Also, we schedule everything so that we do one thing at a time and we get frustrated when things come up that get in the way of our planned time. In polychronic time, time's not as structured but more about just completion and being involved with the people around you. Well, it's kind of confusing to explain and I don't completely understand all of the differences myself.

After reading this article, I have been thinking about how I've noticed these two ways of thinking about time in my life and surroundings. I related it to a few of my Indian friends from back home who would tell me about parties and gatherings within their Indian community and how when the hosts say to come at 8pm, that really means that people start showing up around 10pm, or kind of whenever they're ready. Even though within my extended family we have to tell people to come way before we actually want them to, sometimes people get kind of upset about it and it can cause contention. Within my friend's Indian communities, they made it sound so normal and just how it is. The author also talked about how you can't really mix monochronic and polychronic time because it causes problems. That's evident in my family because some of us are always late, some of us are sometimes late, but then some of us are also sometimes on-time. That causes problems because those on-time get mad at those who are late because they have to wait. Those with monochronic time tables usually get frustrated with those on polychronic time tables.

Opening my mind to the idea that not everyone thinks about time in the same way, makes me wonder how time is perceived in Uganda. I will have to do some research on that and so a follow-up post.

25 or so questions

So last class period, the activity we did in class really made me realize that I need to do a lot more brainstorming in order to figure out the right project for me to do that I will be excited about and find meaning in. My fellow classmates were really awesome about giving me ideas and helping me get my mind flowing.

My list of questions have to do with orphans because I finally admitted to myself that that is what I am really passionate about. I think I kept pushing that aside because I felt like everyone goes to developing countries to volunteer in an orphanage and it just seems cliche and predictable. I'm trying to humble myself and recognize that that's ok and it's more important that I follow what truly grabs my attention and heart.

Here it goes:

1. About how many orphans are in orphanages in Uganda at one time? In Gulu?

2. Is it very common for other relatives or people in the community to take care of orphans?

3. If so, are they accepted into the family?

4. What problems come with families who take in orphans?

5. What kind of public health services are available to orphans?

6. What effect did the LRA insurgency have on the public health services available to orphans?

7. What goes on in an orphanage in northern Uganda?

8. DO the orphans get fed? Adequately? Water?

9. Are the orphans given attention?

10. Do they play with the other orphans?

11. How are the children treated by the staff?

12. Who makes up the staff at the orphanage?

13. What are their responsibilities working there?

14. Are they paid? Well?

15. Do orphans get educated at all? GO to school or taught by their caretakers?

16. What's the ratio between staff/adults and children in a typical orphanage?

17. What materials/equipment/furniture do orphanages have?

18. What do the orphans do on a typical day?

19. How many orphanages are in Gulu?

20. Did the number of orphans increase very much right after the LRA insurgency?

21. If so, how much did it increase by?

22. What happened during the LRA insurgency that affected the number of orphans?

23. How were orphans affected by the LRA in other ways? Were they kidnapped? Put in replacement camps? Abused?

24. How long can a child stay in an orphanage?

25. Do locals ever adopt?

26. What happens when the orphans get too old to stay? What's "too old"?

27. Are they kicked out?

28. What kind of public health issues really need to be addressed in orphanages?

29. What kind of diseases/illnesses are among the children in the orphanages? How are they treated, if treated at all?

30. Are there any orphanages run by Ugandans, supported by the Ugandan government and not by NGO's?

31. How many orphans have AIDS?

32. How many children are orphaned because their parents had AIDS?

become as a child

I've been thinking about previous experiences in my life that might apply to the experience I will have going on a field study and one experience stuck out.

When I was in second grade, my dad got a job offer as a school dentist in Neuhausen, Switzerland. My dad left a few months before the rest of my family joined up with him in February of 2000. We lived there until August of 2001. So I was eight years old and for the first six months or so I went to a class at the elementary school where they taught me and other children German. The next school year I was put into the regular class with all the other kids my age. I was kind of forced to pick up on the language quickly because that was the only way for me to communicate in class and make friends. I quickly immersed myself in the culture as well, as I learned the different customs at school and went over to friend's houses and birthday parties and church. I think being so young, it was easier for me to be really adaptable and flexible and just kind of go with the flow of things. I picked up on a lot of the customs just by observing and copying my classmates. Every morning when you entered the classroom, you had to shake your teacher's hand before sitting down. Everyone brought a roll or croissant from the bakery to eat during snack time. Lunch was two hours long, so everyone went home to eat and then came back. I remember observing these hyper boys in my class that were always causing problems and thinking they were just like some boys in my class back home. Some things don't change.

What I learned from this experience was the importance of being really flexible and open-minded when in a new place. I'm sure that living in Uganda will be completely different than living in Switzerland, but the idea of changing my surroundings and the culture I will be in, is the same. I also think that as I've grown up over the past 10 years and become even more accustomed with my personal lifestyle and environment in which I live, it will probably be much harder for me to adjust than when I was 8. That's why I need to remember the things I did right as a kid moving to a new country and apply them. I also learned that there are so many similarities between me and people across the ocean. Nine year-old boys are crazy no matter where you go! We're all humans with feelings, talents, interests, personalities...etc. and that was important for me to realize at a young age and something I must never forget.

nodding disease

So for my current newspaper article, I read one called "Health Ministry yet to roll out action plan for nodding disease." The article is from an independent daily Ugandan newspaper called The Daily Monitor. It's about how the Health Ministry keeps putting off their promise to provide more drugs and help towards this disease and lack of money is probably the main reason why. I found it super interesting for many reasons. First of all, I had never heard of nodding disease and one of the areas affected by it, is Gulu, which is where I'll be going. Nodding disease is "an unexplained syndrome characterized by seizures, physical and mental stunting that has affected more than 3,000 children and claimed 200 lives." They've been treating this chronic disease with epileptic drugs because nodding disease has been linked to "complex epilepsy", but they really don't know very much at all about the disease and how to treat it right.

Another thing I found interesting about the article, was that it proved to me that Ugandans recognize the health problems they have going on and they are working to improve them. I think for a long time I've had this idea in my mind that those in third world countries need help recognizing what health problems they have going on and that we, coming from better health conditions in the U.S., need to go over there and give them vaccinations and what not. I'm starting to realize gradually that there are smart people all over the world, in every country, who know what they need to do to improve their health conditions and they don't need to depend on us to "save them". I'm not saying that those of us living comfortable lifestyles can't lend our support and show that we care about those in worse conditions. I'm just finally realizing that it doesn't work for people who think they know everything and think they know how everything should be done, to go over to a developing country and push them out of their way with all their equipment and start giving out vaccinations. I know this is kind of an exaggerated example, but I'm just trying to say that we need to listen to and try to understand first what those Ugandans working in health centers feel that they need and what they think we can do to lend support. We shouldn't try to take over their jobs. We can hear their thoughts and ideas and then share our thoughts, but we can't force our ways upon them thinking we know best.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7 cultures?

Ever since the class period we had when we all discussed what culture is, I've been thinking about what cultures I identify with. It's interesting for me to realize that there are so many different cultures that I feel apart of. Since I live in America, the way I speak and eat and dress and learn and express myself and so many other things about me have been shaped by the norms and what's expected of me as a U.S. citizen. Since I'm from the Seattle area, I have been influenced by the culture there that I've noticed is so much different than here in Provo. Back home, nobody uses umbrellas when it rains, seafood is everywhere, pretty much everyone owns a fleece and a raincoat, recycling and being "green" is HUGE, most people are liberal.... Growing up where I did and the culture there has definitely influenced many of my ideas and values. It bothers me so much how horrible the recycling system here is and how many people have no idea how to recycle!

Besides just where I live, being female is another culture that's apart of me. There are some things that I share in common with everyone of my same sex that are not shared by guys. Another culture I am apart of, is LDS culture-going to church for 3 hours every Sunday, fasting once a month, our beliefs, wearing modest clothing...etc. This also ties into the BYU culture I am apart of now too. There's also a culture within my family. You seriously might have a hard time understanding everything we say to each other and joke about. Since we all lived in Switzerland for a little while, little German phrases slip into our conversations.

You get the point. I just find it so interesting to think of all the different cultures I identify with. I need to keep that in mind when I go to Uganda and meet people because I just showed myself that you can't generalize and apply customs and values of one person you meet to everyone in their country. We are all apart of many cultures, which makes us all so different from each other even when we may have one or two cultures in common.

alcohol?

Pursuing question 3, I read an article about the relationship between alcohol consumption and social interaction in Uganda and wasn't surprised to see the correlation between the two. The authors determined that typically the more people one interacts with, the more they drink because it's something people normally do together, with someone else. I'd really like to find out Ugandan's perspective on alcohol consumption and whether it is looked down upon, accepted, hidden...etc. Uganda has one of the highest per capita alcohol consumption in the world, so it's obviously a huge problem that leads to other problems affecting society.

Thinking about this problem in Uganda has also made me think about our mindset of alcohol consumption in the U.S. From my experience, I feel like drinking is totally accepted in our society and many people just think of it as a part of growing up. At most parties and events, outside of the LDS culture, it's pretty much expected to have alcohol available and ya, you're supposed to be over 21 to drink, but really, who even follows that law? I mean, some people do, but lots of people don't. But drinking at parties and with your friends a couple times a week is different from being an alcoholic. I feel like alcoholics are looked down upon in our society. Have you ever not given money to a beggar on the streets because you thought they'd just go spend it on alcohol? Alcoholics are often painted as people who's lives are completely messed up because of the horrible choice they made to drink alcohol. If you think about it, it's kind of an ironic mind-set. Why is it okay for teenagers to break the law and drink (I've known parents who think their kids are gonna drink anyway, so they might as well monitor it by hosting the party at their house) but not okay to become an alcoholic?

Anyways, I know my thoughts are really scrambled and completely just from my experience, but I just think it would be interesting to see the differences and similarities between the mind-sets of alcohol consumption in Uganda and the U.S.

Project Question(s)

1. What effect did the recent war have on public health resources in Gulu?

2. How do the people respond to and deal with so much constant death surrounding them?

3. What is the mentality concerning alcohol consumption and why is it so prevalent?

4. What are the different ways in which the people worship? What are the most common religious practices and traditions?

changing my mind-set

Recently in my International Development class, my teacher brought up the point that whenever we go into another country thinking we are going to help the people and make a difference, disaster happens. That really struck me because I think that's what my mind-set has been in a way and I need to change that. In reality, I'm probably going to learn so much more from the people in Uganda that will ultimately help shape me into a better person, than they will learn from me. I mean hopefully I'll be able to do some good while over there, but I can't have the mind-set that they're helpless and need me because I need them just as much or more than they need me. It's not right for us living in comfortable living conditions in the U.S. to think that we're better or higher than anyone else and that we're the only ones with something to offer.

What is a field study and why am I doing one in Uganda?

This spring/summer I have decided to go on an independent field study to Gulu, Uganda. A field study at BYU is where you design a research project to conduct while living and immersing yourself in a different culture somewhere around the world. Ever since I first heard about field studies at BYU, I knew that I had to go on one because I feel like it is potentially the most enriching opportunity offered at an university. I chose to go to Uganda because my brother, Jaron, is living over there right now working for Voices of Global Change: Paper to Pearls, a non-profit organization that sells beads made out of recycled paper by women in northern Uganda. The women make beads for another non-profit as well called African Promise Foundation (APF). I met with Suzy, the founder of APF, and would like to help them in their endeavors to expand their organization in order to really help support the women beaders. I also know of a St. Jude's orphanage really close to where I'll be living, which would be awesome to volunteer at, but at the moment I still don't have my project all figured out. I know that Uganda is where I am supposed to go this summer, but I just need to find out the right project for me to conduct while over there.