country: Uganda

Major:Communication

 

 

 

 

 

DEC. 1 2005
Hi, my name is Jess Meigel; and I am a Communication major. Last spring, I participated in the Uganda Studies Program. I decided to apply for the program because I am really interested in African Culture. Part of the decision-making process for me is that, I had given serious thought to being a missionary or working in a development or non-profit organization when I graduate. I wanted to travel overseas and spend a substantial amount of time (not just two weeks) in Uganda which gave me the opportunity to dive right into the culture!

I found out about the Uganda Studies Program through a staff member here at Roberts and I knew that I had to go. So, I applied right away, and off I went! While I was there I studied mainly liberal arts classes—history, politics, literature—all surrounded by African culture. I absolutely loved my African Literature course! We read some work by fascinating authors who come from such a different cultural perspective, so it was eye-opening to read their work and poems.

Not only did I take some really interesting courses, but I got to raft the Nile and hike Mount Elgon, an inactive volcano and had all these gorgeous waterfalls! I also saw an elephant from about twelve feet away which was really scary, but cool! I also had the opportunity to stay with two African families. One family lived in the city and one family lived in a village. In the village I lived and bathed in my own little hut—it was awesome! I really loved being able to have the village experience where we had to carry water and cook over an open fire.

It was also interesting to see how a development was occurring, being on a University campus where everyone came together from different language and regional backgrounds, but spoke English and where learning how to better their country and better themselves. It was really cool to see how dedicated the students were to their work, to their families and to their culture—it was a very eye-opening experience! I definitely did not want to leave when it was over!

Part of my program was to be involved in a community service project. There were a ton of projects to choose from, for example: I could work in an orphanage, with a development group, or at a hospital. I chose to work at an AIDS outreach center. I basically did little jobs like count the pills that the patients took and did data-entry into the computer systems because that was a big need for them. I did not do a huge “change-the-world” thing, but it was great to be a small part of big organization that is doing a lot to battle AIDS.

Not only did the program change the way I live my life—with money, school, my faith even—it has opened a lot of doors for my future! I have a lot of ideas for what I would like to do as far as my career. I am in the process of joining the Peace Corps and I am going back to Africa, I can’t wait! I am going to be an AIDS worker—educating others about AIDS. I learned a lot on my trip through my internship and meeting people with AIDS—children who had been left to be the head of their households, women who had contracted AIDS through their husbands and lost children—it was heartbreaking, but it really gave me the drive and the passion to do what I am going in the future. I am really thankful that I was apart of the Uganda Studies Program and I would encourage you to join the program for a semester as well!