Welcome to My Blog!

If you are reading this, I am preparing to leave for Uganda. I will be volunteering and living in Kasese for three months... maybe more if I like it! There is work available in their nursery, primary, and secondary schools involves working in the classrooms with the students. There are agricultural production duties consisting of poultry keeping and crop farming. I've also been told about opportunities to work up in the mountains, which I'm particularly excited about. I’ll find out more once I arrive. Similar to my year spent abroad in Norway, I have made this blog page, but specifically for my experiences in East Africa. More posts will likely be uploaded once I have returned home in the spring! :)

Having traveled outside the US, I can say that I'm not overly anxious about visiting a brand new place like Uganda. Admittedly, most of the places I’ve been to are far more affluent and/or westernized than Uganda. However, I’m well-versed in the logistics of travel, from applying for Visas, to packing efficiently, navigating language barriers, adapting to foreign foods, coping with jet lag, and using power adapters for different countries.

What I didn’t know much about before beginning to plan for this trip were the measures of disease prevention. Last year, our teacher informed us of needing yellow fever, HepA, and HepB vaccinations. Where I will be living, malaria is not considered high-risk, but anti-malarial medication is optional. In the meantime, I have done a lot to prepare. At this point, I feel I've been turned into a pin cushion for the amount of shots I've received since July. At my local health center, I've become a very familiar face, in and out of appointments. Other than that, I have kept a healthy work-life balance, saving up, taking care of my physical health, and meeting with friends when I can.