Whenever I mentioned that I was going to be an English Language Fellow in Mbarara, Uganda, almost always somebody said something to the effect of, "You're so lucky because you'll be right near  the gorillas!" And they were totally right. Working in Mbarara means that I'm only a few hours away from the opportunity to track gorillas and it's an experience that I started planning as soon as I arrived in the country.


There aren't many places in the world where one can encounter gorillas and there are only about 900 mountain gorillas in the wild, currently only found in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many people choose to see gorillas in Uganda because of increased prices in Rwanda and problems with safety and stability in the DRC. Opting to do a gorilla trek in Uganda is still quite an investment, however, with high season permits costing around $600 and low seasons ones around $450. In contrast, doing a gorilla trek in Rwanda can typically cost over $1000.  When Sean and I arrived in early October, we joined a group of expats planning a gorilla trek in late November. This made the experience more affordable because November is the rainy, off season and going in a group decreases costs of hiring a car and a driver. A gorilla trek has to be planned a bit in advance because official permits have to be acquired and paid for in Kampala through the Ugandan Wildlife Association and more often than not the demand for permits outnumbers the supply.

Last Friday afternoon after teaching communication class, the group of us set out for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which was about a five hour drive passing through Kabale. The last two hours of the journey involved rough mountain roads and we ended up getting a flat tire. Fortunately, everyone in the group was positive and outgoing and we enjoyed a few beers on the veranda of a roadside hotel while waiting for a new tire to be delivered. We reached Rushaga Gorilla Camp at about 7:30 p.m. and had a lovely set dinner together at 8 p.m. Everyone headed to bed early in anticipation of the hike to the gorillas the following day.


Saturday began very early with breakfast at 6:15 a.m. and a hike to the gorilla tracking headquarters for the briefing which began at 8:00 a.m. We joined about twenty-five other excited hikers from all over the world for an hour-long session explaining the history of the program, the habitat and ecology of the gorillas and the rules for the trek. We were warned that because of the enormity of the park, some groups might hike up to 5 hours before seeing the gorillas whereas other groups might only have to hike for 30 minutes. There are several different gorilla families located in Bwindi and we were divided up into groups of no more than eight people to visit one of them. Before we had arrived, experienced Ugandan gorilla trackers had set out to locate each of the families so that they could radio their location to our guide to cut down on hiking time. Our trekking group consisted of 8 tourists, one guide, one porter and two soldiers in the front and back for protection against poachers and aggressive mountain elephants.



After the briefing, we met our guide, learned which family we would track, picked out walking sticks and introduced ourselves to the rest of our group. We started the hike at nine and after about 30 minutes of hiking our guide received a radio call notifying us that the gorilla family had changed direction so we had to turn around and start off again on a new trail. After only hiking for a short while, it was easy to see why the forest had been named "Impenetrable" as the trekking was difficult due to dense trees and growth. Since it was the rainy season, trails were slick and everybody was slipping and falling when there were steep ascents and descents. Other challenges during the hike were mobs of biting safari ants, thick clouds of mosquitoes, lots of thorny undergrowth and wet stream crossings. After two hours of hiking, we stopped and waiting for the gorilla trackers to recommend a specific route to find our family. Once we received the information, we started hiking off trail into the thick, untamed bush of Bwindi National Park. Two guides went in front with machetes to help clear the way and our group slowly descended into the thick rainforest for one final hour. I have never hiked in such a challenging environment before and it made all of us imagine what it must have been like for early explorers navigating new landscapes with no ready-made trails.



Rounding the corner and seeing the group of mountain gorillas for the first time was a magical and surreal experience. Since the gorillas in Bwindi are habituated, we were able to get and stay very close for the full hour-long experience. Being 'habituated' means that the gorillas had been exposed to humans often and thus were quite accustomed to us being a certain distance away. We watched them play with each other, snack, nap and talk to each other using loud grunts and coughs. Our group consisted of nine gorillas: one silverback male, three babies and five other younger males and females. For most of the hour, they stayed in one area but when they started walking to a different place we were able to follow them at a safe distance. It was fascinating to see them interact with each other as they were eerily humanlike.



The hour passed much too quickly and all too soon it was time to hike back to the park headquarters. Everyone had a fantastic experience and there were no doubts as to whether it was worth the time, effort and money to commit to seeing such amazing animals in the wild. We made it back to camp at about 3:00 p.m. and enjoyed cold beers, warm showers and lots of photo and video sharing. Doing a gorilla trek exceeded my expectations and is something that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys hiking and who is interested in seeing wildlife in their natural habitat. I can now understand why so many people said it was a "must-do" experience for me and Sean during my time in Uganda as an ELF.

Posing with the marines and their birthday cake

One of the benefits of being an English Language Fellow is learning about how a U.S. Embassy functions as well as understanding more about the professional and social lives of the American diplomats who work there. In the social calendar of the embassy, the two most important events are the 4th of July celebration and the annual Marine Corps Ball, which is held every November. This year, Sean and I were invited to attend and we wouldn't wait to experience another fun and interesting tradition of working internationally with the State Department.


The Marine Corps Ball (MCB) celebrates the birthday of the Marine Corps - November 10, 1775. It's a very formal occasion which is usually well-attended by American and international diplomats and marines. This year, the U.S. Embassy, Kampala MCB was held at Speke Resort and Conference center, about 20 minutes outside the capital. Sean and I decided to make a weekend out of the event and reserved two nights at Speke which was a great opportunity to get out of Mbarara, enjoy Lake Victoria, play ultimate frisbee in Kampala and take advantage of the largest lap pool in East Africa.

Ambassador Malac entering with the marines

Each MCB follows a prescribed formal agenda which includes a lot of tradition. Before the actual ball, attendees gathered at an outdoor bar for drinks, appetizers and conversation. After that, we were invited into the large ballroom and found our tables. The ambience felt like a military-style wedding - everyone was dressed to the nines, the decorations were extravagant and there were about 300 guests in attendance.



Before dinner, there was an official ceremony which included the presentation of the marines and the colors, speeches by invited guests and the U.S. Ambassador to Uganda, and the national anthem. My favorite part of the agenda was the cutting of the marine's birthday cake, which was accomplished with an actual sword. The first pieces were given to the oldest and youngest marines in attendance as well as Ambassador Malac. After all formal ceremonies and traditions had finished, we were invited to the buffet, which was fantastic and had an impressive array of international and local dishes. For dessert, we had pieces of the birthday cake, which were delicious.

Our beautiful table

After dinner, the music was turned up and everybody started dancing - Ambassador Malac was the first one on the dance floor! We also had the chance to take pictures in front of the official flags. Sean and I were seated at the table which had several other fellows and their partners and we made a lot of new friends. It was also a lot of fun to drink and dance with diplomats who I had only previously seen in business attire in professional situations at the embassy.

The party lasted until midnight and we were very happy that we had only a short walk to our room instead of a long bus ride back to Mbarara. After experiencing our first Marine Corps Ball, it's easy to see why many expats consider it their favorite event of the year. I hope we get to go again sometime!

I've been looking forward to this particular week since I got here and I was so excited for it to begin that I could barely sleep last night. I'm spending this week in Uganda's capital city, Kampala, which is about a five hour drive north of Mbarara. During the first month of being in country, each ELF is supposed to have an orientation at the embassy which includes lots of meetings and a security briefing, among other activities. I asked if I could schedule my Kampala visit for when Sean was supposed to fly in so that we could travel back to Mbarara together. The more the orientation was planned, the more that was added to it and now it's a week chock full of fun events.

Outside area at Le Petit Village - an amazing hotel in Kampala next door to the embassy

This morning I got up really early, took a 6:30 a.m. cab ride to the "bus park" (there is no bus station in Mbarara - it's just a bus or two on the side of the road next to one of the gas stations in town), paid my $4.30 and packed on the bus with everyone else along with bags of corn, bananas and other huge sacks of who-knows-what. I squeezed in at a window seat and waited for the bus to leave - there are not set times as the bus departs whenever it fills up. At about 7 a.m. all the seats were occupied and before we left, one lady stood up, said a prayer in Runyankole, everyone clapped when she was finished and then we were off.

My room at Le Petit Village

The bus ride was definitely not a comfortable one, but it got the job done for the right price - a private car/driver is about $100 to Kampala. The bus was old, the seats were tiny, it was hot, smelled of sweaty humans and all traces of discomfort were magnified by every speed bump and police checkpoint, of which there were many. We pulled into the Kampala bus park around noon and I caught a cab to my hotel. It's been amazing to spend an afternoon working by the pool with uninterrupted wifi and the anticipation of a long, hot shower later. I'm soaking up and appreciating every bit of luxury.

Bathroom

Tomorrow, I'm spending the whole day at the embassy getting a security briefing, meeting with Public Affairs, meeting with Education USA, meeting with the Uganda Teachers Union and having a class with the new English Access Micro Scholarship program. At about one in the afternoon, Sean is scheduled to be picked up at the airport and brought back to the hotel and we'll get to hang out when I finish at about 8 p.m. I'm ecstatic about seeing him again and can't wait to hear about all of his adventures. I'm worried about his flights and am hoping that the crazy typhoon weather in Japan doesn't cancel or delay anything.





On Wednesday, we have the morning free to do some errands to get a few things that we need that we can't get in Mbarara (most importantly motorcycle helmets) and then in the afternoon I'm giving my first workshop on writing personal statements. The Education Adviser who helped me organize it said that there were over 200 people who tried to register but that they only have space for 80. I'm nervous but mostly excited - I'm really anxious to see how it goes.

On Thursday, we drive back to Mbarara and on Friday I teach my first class at the university. It's a busy week with lots going on but I feel happy as it feels like my job as an ELF is really getting started and I'm enjoying it more and more.

Originally, we had planned that Sean and I would travel together to Uganda, which was something I was looking forward to as long international hauls are much more fun with company. However, during the summer, Sean received an opportunity for a last-minute assistant guiding job working with high school students in a summer camp program to summit Mt. Fuji in the off season. The chance seemed too good to pass up which is why I've been in Mbarara on my own for three weeks and Sean has spent the last two weeks in Japan.
I've been able to Skype and message with Sean a bit while we've been apart and have loved hearing about his experiences - I wish I could have been able to join him on his adventures in Asia! As usual, I pestered him for pictures and they did not disappoint. He said that they were really lucky with weather on their ascent and all but one of the students were able to make it to the top. He has spent the rest of his time catching up with friends, filling up on good food and playing ultimate frisbee.

This morning he sent me an email with a few pictures showing that he was able to do an activity that's been on his to-do list for a long time - riding around the streets of Japan in a go-kart dressed as Mario. Yes, that's actually a thing. He said it was a blast and I'm happy he was able to squeeze it in as whizzing around in heavy traffic in a flimsy go-kart in costume was never high on my list.



Today, it's Saturday and I'm heading to Kampala, the capital city on Monday for the week to do some orientation at the embassy, give a workshop, have some meetings and also pick up Sean from the airport. Life in a rural city in Uganda is incredibly interesting but it's also really challenging. I'm counting down the hours until I can see Sean and also have a bit of a break to enjoy hot showers, air conditioning, more food variety and wireless internet. I plan to enjoy every minute of it!

As I've been learning about the job of an ELF while in Mbarara, I think the main reasons that I'm going to enjoy doing it is because of the variety and creativity involved. Most ELF positions are based out of a university near an embassy, but in Uganda I'm about five hours south of the capital city and am helping to run a rural outpost of Education U.S.A. from the embassy in the "American Center" at my university here.

My office in the copy too that I share with Kayla, the Fulbrighter here

My main duties are at the university where I'll be teaching one class each semester. This first semester I'm teaching "basic communication skills" for two hours to seventy students every Friday. When I met with the professor who taught the course before I arrived, I asked what she recommended teaching for the remainder of the semester and if there was any textbook, syllabus etc. I was informed that I could do whatever I wanted and thought useful for the students in terms of written and spoken academic communication in English. In the past, the total freedom and complete lack of structure might have been intimidating or frustrating, but now I love the fact that I have free rein to design whatever kind of class I want. During the second semester, I'm supposed to teach a class on women's reproductive health, which is a bit of a surprise and more than a bit of a challenge, so we'll see how that develops.
Other duties at the university include giving faculty professional development workshops on student-centered learning and how to include creative and engaging activities in the classroom. In addition, I'm working with the graduate students to give some seminars and writing workshops on getting published in academic journals and structuring a thesis and dissertation. I'm hoping to have enough time to offer some one-on-one writing sessions for students who would like individual help on their papers, just like the program that I was involved with at ICU in Japan. I'm also part of the department that focuses on community health and we are hoping to organize a conference in the spring with the theme of adolescent education. Finally, I'm continuing the book club that previous ELFs had started and we meet once a week in the library.

The sign for the university cafeteria - like many developing countries, Uganda struggles with garbage disposal

Outside of working at the university, I'm supposed to set up monthly workshops with local public and private school teachers in Mbarara as well as Kampala to promote alternative teaching methodologies than lecture and rote memorization. I'll also be involved with giving workshops at the embassy and participating in the embassy's new micro-scholarship teacher access program. My first workshop and micro-scholarship class at the embassy will be next week and I'm anxious to see how everything goes.

Helping one of the profs proctor an exam in one of the big lecture halls

The transition in becoming the new ELF has been relatively smooth since I'm the third ELF to be here. Because of this, everyone knows who I am, what my role is and what the expectations are, which makes everything a lot easier. It makes a big difference to arrive in a new place and have everyone say, "Oh, you're the new ELF - welcome!" and "We're so happy to have another ELF here!" So far, it's great to be here and there's much to be done. I'm grateful to the ELFs before me who laid the groundwork in the programs and relationships that I can hopefully continue. Thanks for following along!

The title of this post is the motto for the university where I'm based, Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). The institution began in 1989 and is one of eight public universities in Uganda. The majority of the tracks that students can follow revolve around science and include the Faculties of Medicine, Science and Applied Sciences and Technology and the Institutes of Computer Science, Tropical Forest Conservation and Interdisciplinary Training and Research (where I work). Currently, there's about 3,000 undergraduate students and 50 graduate students.

Front of the building where I work - our institute is on the 3rd floor (the dogs are alive, just snoozing in the sun)

The university also houses a teaching hospital which has strong and robust partnerships with Harvard  University and Massachusetts General Hospital. Almost every other expat that I've met here is somehow connected to the health/medical community and is involved in projects with Healthy Child Uganda, the Global Health Collaborative, the Red Cross and UNHCR.

The Institute of Interdisciplinary Training and Research hopes to promote research, skills and coursework across several different fields of study to address community needs from a variety of perspectives. The programs that are offered (and the students who I will be mainly working with) include a B.S. in Planning and Community Development, a B.S. in Gender and Applied Women Health, and a B.S. in Agricultural Livelihoods and Farm Production.

Walking down the driveway to the building where I work

The dean of the institute, Dr. Viola Nyakato, is my immediate supervisor and host coordinator. She is a whirlwind of activity, accomplishment and energy and it's been great to be connected to her and her research projects. Her current research group consists of an American Fulbrighter and a few Ugandan graduate students focused on community health and women's sexual and reproductive health.

I have an office (in the copy room along with the Fulbrighter) in the upper campus and am in charge of the "American Center" room in the library in the lower campus. Since there have been two ELFs before me, everybody is familiar with the role and expectations, which has made the transition smooth. A student came and found me yesterday to ask when "Book Club" was starting up again and, after helping me find a usable space and resources, we're starting tonight. Later, he sent me this message: "I have always been anxious about meeting you and eagerly waiting for the start of book club. Helping you is the least thing I can do in appreciation to what [the previous ELF] did for us. I know that you too will give us unforgettable moments."  There are big shoes to fill here, and I'm excited to get started trying to fill them.

Today marks exactly three weeks since I've been in Mbarara and one of the most fascinating aspects of daily life has been language. When I initially asked people about what language would be most useful to learn in Uganda the answer was always, "It depends." This is because Ugandan citizens speak over forty different tribal languages. On my initial drive from Kampala to Mbarara, I asked Silver, the driver, how many languages he spoke. "I don't know," he said. "I've never really taken the time to count  . . .  but I think maybe ten to fifteen."

Officially, Uganda's languages are English and Swahili but other common languages spoken are Luganda, Runyoro, Runyankole, Rukiga and Luo. In the southwest of the country where Mbarara is located, mostly Bantu languages are spoken which includes Runyankole, the most common language in my area. Since we are close to the border of Rwanda, many people are also able to speak Kinyarawanda.

I had the first meeting with my language tutor, Justus, last week to start practicing Runyankole. The language is spelled exactly how it sounds, which makes things a bit easier. Interestingly, R's and L's can be used interchangeably in spelling and in pronunciation as there is barely any difference. Here's a taste of what I learned in the first lesson - a basic self-introduction:

Agandi? Ndyaho. Nibanyeta Sarah. Kandi iwe? Na she mererwa kukureeba. Ninduga omuri Michigan. Hati nintura Boma. Webare mononga! 

Even a one hour lesson is extremely helpful in starting to listen to the pattern of the language and I've been able to hear and understand common words repeated over and over like "Ok" (Kale), greetings and thanks.

Another interesting aspect of the language hodgepodge here is the presence of Swahili, but only for some words. I hear the word "Muzungu" (Swahili for "foreigner") over and over again along with "Buzungu" (Swahili for "many foreigners"). This is interesting because although most people choose to speak Runyankole 100% of the time, they always turn to Swahili when referring to foreigners.

The last curious part of language that I've been enjoying is the different type of English spoken here. One assumes that if you can speak English you will automatically be able to understand everyone else who speaks it anywhere in the world, but this is not the case at all. Ugandan English has a different rhythm, pronunciation and most importantly, vocabulary. In almost every conversation that I've had with a Ugandan, one of us has to ask the other to repeat herself. In the first conversation with my driver, Silver, I remember asking him, "This car seems pretty sturdy, is it four wheel drive?" and he replied, "No, it takes more than four hours and probably about 5-6 hours to reach Mbarara."

I've been trying to keep track of the interesting things I've heard people say, none of which has been incorrect at all, it's just completely different than how we would say things in the States. Here are a few examples:

"I will get you the internet passcode so you can avail yourself of the network."

"Can you wait right here while I get the stapling machine?" (stapler)

"I didn't know what to do and my eyes darted many different ways."

"Thank you for your invigilation this morning in my classroom." (written in an email)  I actually had to look this one up: "invigilation - keeping watch over examination candidates to prevent cheating; supervision; oversight."

"All of the students in your class will be freshers." (freshmen)

"Freshers welcome party"

It's been so interesting to learn more about how people communicate here, both in English and in Runyankole - I can't wait to learn more!

This past weekend was my first excursion out of the city of Mbarara and I was more than ready to escape the constant stream of motorcycles that involves exploring any urban center here. Along with three other girls, we arranged for a private driver and car to take us the three hour drive south to explore Lake Bunyoni.  There are many other expats in Mbarara, most of whom are in the field of medicine and public health. In our group, Kayla is a current Fulbrighter from the U.S. doing research on women's health, Adriana is from Canada and here on a Queen Elizabeth fellowship doing research on community health and Shyrose is also from Canada on the same fellowship doing research on children's health.

The four of us left early on Saturday morning and headed southwest to the lake. Driving anywhere in Uganda is time-consuming and tiring because of chaotic traffic, police stops, constant speed bumps, unexpected traffic hazards like cows, goats and accidents, poor road conditions and unpredictable weather. When we reached the edge of the lake, we boarded a motorized canoe to take us to the island where we were staying. Lake Bunyoni lies near the border of Rwanda and is one of Uganda's deepest lakes. It has several islands, many of which are developed for tourism and we stayed at Entusi Resort on one of the larger of the islands.



We were the only group at the resort that weekend so it was quiet and we had a lot of help and attention. After some fresh passion fruit juice, we had a quick lunch and then went on a boat tour of the lake which included history of some of the more interesting islands. Punishment Island was where young girls who were pregnant and unmarried were left to die as a warning to others. Another island called Sharps Island was once a leprosy colony and eventually a treatment center. We stopped at an island that's now a wildlife refuge and was able to spot a few zebras and impalas. While exploring the refuge, we got caught in the afternoon deluge and had some beers at the lodge while we waited for the rain to pass.



We spent the late afternoon and evening curled up by the fireplace with tea and books, which was a welcome change from the heat, noise and mosquitoes of the city. At sunset, we took a quick hike, wine glasses and bottle in hand, to see Mother Nature's nightly show from the top of hill nearest our resort and the view did not disappoint. After a late dinner, we headed to bed in our communal tent and were awakened by a cacophony of birds at 6:00 a.m. the following morning.



On Sunday, we went hiking and then swimming (Lake Bunyoni is the only freshwater lake in which it's safe to swim as there is no "Swimmer's Itch" bacteria present) before starting the long drive back home. I'm grateful for the time spent outside in nature and for the chance to get to know some new friends and colleagues. Hopefully, this is just one of many weekend trips to come in the next ten months.

I spent the first day in Mbarara figuring out my communication situation. My neighbor, a new Fulbright Scholar researching a project on public health who works in the same department that I do, gave me some advice about how to proceed. She also lives in the same apartment complex and has been a helpful resource on everything from directions to the university and phone numbers for safe drivers to call.

Buying groceries at the market

Using one of her extra phones and contact list, I was picked up by one of her go-to drivers who spent the day with me running errands. First, Peter took me to one of the telecommunications companies called "Africell" where I purchased a SIM card, airtime and data for my cell phone and also a dongle for my computer that would allow me to access the internet in my apartment or at school when the network was down. Wifi and routers are not very common here, unfortunately, and internet and calling minutes are not only slow and inefficient but also extremely expensive. Other errands included stopping by the ATM, getting groceries and buying a hot pot to boil water.

The front of the campus apartments

So far I've been a mixture of feeling overwhelmed, tired, excited and anxious - there's so much to understand and learn but it takes a lot of time, energy and patience and it's hard to hold myself back from asking every question possible. The few days spent settling in has allowed me to observe initial pros and cons of living and working in Uganda. Some positives about this location are the incredible weather (sunny, warm and in the 70s-80s every day), the cheap and fresh produce (the opposite of Japan), the very relaxed style and pace of life (also the opposite of Japan) and the extremely friendly, chatty and outgoing people. The negative aspects include the high population of mosquitos, the danger and difficulty of transportation, the lack of infrastructure (read unreliable water, electricity, internet and phone service) and the evidence of extreme poverty everywhere.

During training and from a recent phone call with my RELO (Regional English Language Officer) in Tanzania, I was reminded to use the first month of this job to "take the pulse" of the location and position by assessing needs, doing lots of observing and listening and not rushing into things. We were also encouraged to meet as many people as we could during the first couple of weeks, which has been great advice as well. I'm looking forward to my first weekend spent out of the city and am counting down the days until Sean can "take the pulse" of the location along with me.

Banana trees

After staying the night in Kampala, I was supposed to be picked up at 10:00 a.m. at the hotel by a university driver to take me to Mbarara, my host city. The driver ended up coming at 12:30, which, I'm told is normal here. Like Brazil, time is fluid here and I've already heard that it's not so important when someone arrives but that the/she safely arrived at all. That being said, I now make sure I have a book with me at all times and have already powered through quite a few.

Mr. Silver was my very chatty and helpful driver who shared a lot of information about Uganda with me during our six hour trek south. Although the distance to Mbarara from Kampala is only about 150 miles, regional challenges and complications like bad roads, continuous police checks, heavy traffic, animal/herd crossings, limited passing lanes and construction significantly slows everybody down and makes driving fairly unsafe. "You will see lots of interesting surprises on our journey today," Silver said to me as we started out.  And I did.

Amidst heavy traffic while leaving the city, I saw flocks of goats being expertly maneuvered through traffic. When minibuses would stop to allow passengers to get on and off, mobs of street vendors hawking all kinds of food, drinks and reading material would pounce on new potential clients. Along the way we saw herds of cows and goats and I'm told that zebras are common. Silver stopped several times to buy sweet potatoes, beans, rice and fish from the many roadside vendors. Halfway through the journey, as I was trying desperately to stay awake, we stopped for "lunch" at 4:00 p.m. and enjoyed a buffet which contained foods mostly unidentifiable to me but I ate them all as I was more than a little hungry by late afternoon.



Finally, we arrived in Mbarara and after a quick stop at an ATM and a supermarket for some water, Silver dropped me off at the campus apartments where I'd be staying. Once again, the jet lag reared its ugly head and instead of sleeping I became intimately acquainted with the night sounds of the city such as howling dogs, cat fights, overactive roosters and club music pumping into the early morning. A day full of interesting surprises, indeed.

After one last hectic week of packing, purchasing a final few things and attending Andrew and Jodi's wedding in Traverse City, I began the long journey to Uganda. I flew from Grand Rapids to Washington D.C. then from there to Brussels and finally landed in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. Amazingly, everything went smoothly and all of my baggage made it without incident which was a big relief.

Walking out of the small terminal with my luggage, I was spotted and picked up by embassy drivers who took me to my hotel to stay for the night. First impressions of the country were the heat, the intense human smells and the relaxed chaos of the crowds. While I was waiting for another embassy employee to emerge, I waited with my luggage and was approached by many taxi drivers who called me "Sister" and "Friend" and wondered if I needed a ride. When I said that I didn't they left me alone but not before saying something along the lines of, "Welcome to Uganda!"

The two drivers were wearing white shirts with white ties and led me to a shining white SUV. Although the airport isn't too far from the city, because of traffic the drive took about two hours during which they wanted to talk about the recent Las Vegas shooting in the U.S and gun control in general.

The hotel where I stayed was right next to the U.S. Embassy and was beautiful. It was great to take a hot shower and Skype with Sean and my family to let them know that I had made it safely. I had no problem falling asleep after about a day and a half in transit and with the promise of another day of driving ahead of me tomorrow. And just like that, a new journey begins.

I've taken more than a brief hiatus from writing and have enjoyed the lack of screen time in exchange for time with family and friends during beautiful summertime in Michigan. As a new academic year ramps up filled with a new job and a different place to live, I'm ready and anxious to start blogging again. Thanks for your support and for following along!


After finishing up Geneva Summer School in Switzerland, I returned to Tokyo for a few days to finish up some paperwork at the university, move out of my apartment, cancel my Japanese residency and fly back home to the United States. I took a week off before starting work part-time at the Hope Geneva Bookstore on the campus of Hope College right in town. Most of my summer was spent at family reunions, time at the beach and on the lake, enjoying food I'd craved for two years, spending time with people I'd missed and relishing in the absence of due dates, papers and presentations. I also spent a week in D.C. for training for my new job and as an added bonus, my family was able to tag along too!


Sean finished up his time as a guide for Adventure Treks in Alaska and had a great summer despite some challenges with the local wildlife and the occasional surly teenager. We met up in San Francisco for a friend's wedding and enjoyed a much-needed weekend together exploring a new city. After returning from California, Sean enjoyed catching up with friends and family, playing ultimate frisbee, going on his annual men's camping retreat up north and getting organized for our next adventure.


I have about two more weeks until I leave (pending the acceptance of my visa application) for Mbarara, Uganda to start my English Language Fellowship with the U.S. Department of State. Sean will follow along a few weeks later after working for ten days in Japan as an assistant guide for a group summit of Mount Fuji, which is something he's been wanting to do for years. As we prepare for a life in a new place and a job with different responsibilities, we're so grateful to have such a supportive community of friends and family and a home base in such a beautiful city.  It's always exciting to travel and live in someplace new, but it's an even better feeling to return home. These past three months have been just what we needed and I can't think of any place I would have rather been. The adage home sweet home couldn't possibly ring any truer.

Since I don't really have any plans until late fall and Sean is away working in Alaska for the summer, I was interested in doing something different before flying home. I applied to several summer opportunities but was only admitted into one that provided some scholarship funding, which made decision-making easy. That opportunity was attending a two-week class called Higher Education in Emergencies through Geneva Summer School at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. For me, the course was particularly interesting because it gave a thorough and intensive introduction to the growing field of university education for refugees so it combined a field which I have a lot of experience in (working and studying in higher education) with one that I'm very interested in (development and humanitarian aid).


As I write this post today, I just finished the class yesterday and am waiting for my flight back to Tokyo later on tonight. I'll be in Japan for a few days packing up, moving out and finishing some final paperwork before flying back home to Michigan during the first week of July. It was my first time in Geneva and it was fun to live in such an international and diverse city for two weeks. Since I was a student, I felt like I was a part of something and here with a purpose instead of just a tourist as I joined the morning and evening commuters walking and cycling to work. We had to find our own housing for the program, which was an expensive challenge, and I ended up in an Air BnB near the train station which was a great location. It was nice to be able to walk to and from school every day (about 30 minutes) while watching the daily life of the city wake up and wind down.



The course was interesting but I quickly realized that I'm pretty "schooled" out. It was hard to sit and listen to lectures and do intensive group work from 8-6 every day after just finishing up at ICU. The content was useful and meeting different experts and practitioners from all of the world was great. But the most enjoyable part of the class, as usual, was meeting and getting to know all of the other students. Half of the class was student leaders from refugee camps and the other half was graduate students like me or employees from UNHCR or NGOs that work in the refugee and education sector. There were 30 of us from Kenya, DRC, France, Switzerland, Jordan, Georgia, Egypt, Somalia, Ethiopia, Finland, USA, Nepal, Italy, Israel, Mexico and a few more that I can't remember. Because we did so much group work before, during and after class, we all got to know each other really well which was a lot of fun.

My name tag - we passed them around to get different translations of our names

The highlight of the course, however, was being able to be a tourist in such a beautiful city for an extended period of time during some of the best weather of the year! More to come on the delights of Geneva later. The other bonus was meeting one of the students who looks exactly like the character, Thor - incredible!

One of the guys in the class from Finland looked exactly like Thor! (see picture below)