Greetings!

Hey Everybody :)

I held out for as long as possible before creating this blog...but I just couldn't help myself I am too excited about my semester in Uganda!! So here's a hearty welcome to y'all and I hope that I do better blogging my stay in Uganda than I did for my trip to Nicaragua (just remember...I was almost deathly ill in Nica lol)

Anywho: I thought I'd start out with a brief run down of what I will be doing in Uganda and my hopes/fears for my semester abroad.

SIT Uganda: Development Studies
I will be studying in Uganda, which is a landlocked country in East Africa, for about 4 months with the School for International Training. While there I will be studying a local language, Luganda, learning about development theories and practices and working with an Ugandan NGO. I was fortunate enough to be selected as an IDN-CIPA scholar and so I will also be conducting research on Women Parliamentarians in Uganda and their impact on women's well-being.

My Hopes: What I seek

• If you're reading this you probably know how much I love Africa...so my biggest desire is to simply soak up as much African air, flavor and earthiness as possible, before returning home :)
• I want to explore an African country that is not Nigeria or in West Africa (food, clothing, music - I'm guessing will be interesting)
• I want to be in Africa without my Family
• I want to intergrate myself with the local populace and discover different methods of living and being - and perhaps more importantly I want to discover another me
• I want to really understand the issues and theories that I've discussed in class

My Fears: What worries me

• I got sick multiple times in Nica, which wasn't fun a'tall, so I really hope I have near perfect health in Uganda!
• Well: it doesn't worry me exactly but: in Nigeria I'm called Onyeocha (white or forienger), in Nica I was morena or cubana (brown or mistaken for Cuban) and so I'm expecting to be called Mzungu (white or Forienger) in Uganda. Anywho, my experience in Naija is that even though I was called Onyeocha; I was really expected to act proper Igbo girl...so I guess I fear that in Uganda my host fam. and others I encounter will expect that of me...and I have no clue what is their proper
• Lol, I'm positive I'll be taking cold showers (since warming water gets old after a week) so to avoid worrying about my bodies reaction.... I'll progressively take colder and colder showers everyday starting Monday
  
• However my biggest fear is..........that my friends will forget to comment or send me emails!!! Lol ( that was a not so subtle hint to stay in contact)

So now you have the basics :) I won't bore you guys with random talk about what I'm packing but I will say this: I have filled my IPOD with more music videos and will soon have at least 10 episodes of HOUSE for those homesick days, I also made sure that I have 6 interesting books (this may sound like overkill, but in Nica I only took 4 and suffered withdrawl....seriously). Lastly, I bought a new camera and have resloved not to take this one with me on any nature hikes....so expect lots of pictures from Uganda

Below, I've posted my favorite Ugandan music video...enjoy

Cyncha

P.S.
Nica = Nicaragua
Naija = Nigeria