I am officially done PACKING… and am leaving Vancouver in one calendar day, bound for Uganda! It’s been interesting to personally document how I felt at each stage of the countdown… but now that the date draws nearer and nearer, I fear I don’t have enough time to sort out all the things I need to do before I leave. I will miss my family and friends terribly, but I know that this experience will teach me plenty and educate me well, and I will have less time to miss home than I’d think.
Even though I’ve been talking about my placement in Uganda for the past four months, I doubt that even some of my friends don’t really know what I’m doing overseas this summer. I will be participating in a UBC Go Global International Service Learning Program that is supplemented by a SOCI 435 (International Development) seminar course. The theme of my program is Literacy, and so it is my personal goal to be able to explore the relationships between literacy at- home and at- school in Busowle, a rural village I will be staying in from May to August. I hope I can gain a perspective on what education means in a ‘developing country’, and I aim to appreciate my education more fully when I arrive back home to start off my senior year on campus.
Here are some of the questions that were part of my application to the program, along with my honest replies. I hope I can reflect on this in four months and answer the questions with more insight. Perhaps I will be able to contrast how my opinion and perspective will have or won’t have changed.
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What are learning goals that you have set for yourself for the ISL program?
For this ISL program, I aim to become a better critical thinker. My goal is to learn more about Ugandans during my immersion in the community—I hope to create and maintain relationships with people in the community, from which thoughtful conversations might result in efficient and sustainable projects.
For what reasons have you joined this ISL program?
Initially, I applied for the Literacy Program with the UBC Go Global ISL program due to my passion for teaching. I am familiar, as a tutor to many students learning English, with the importance of having books to read when learning a new language. As an immigrant, I recognized this when I was learning the language at age 6. This was the main reason I applied for this program—I wanted to challenge myself to emerge from my comfort zone and converse with individuals of other cultures with different perspectives on education and teaching.
I genuinely enjoy what I study in my role as a student at UBC, and I also take great joy and pride in my role as a teacher and mentor to other young students. I want to learn more about the institution of education as it is in other cultures, and I am looking to further my understanding of the important role it plays in community and national development.
What are some areas that you can identify for yourself for development or areas that you may require additional support during your placement?
I have not done a great deal of travelling, so I am unfamiliar with the process of being away from home for long periods of time. Perhaps this may be a major challenge for me. However, given my general openness to try new things, I am confident that I will adapt fairly quickly. I often adapt to new situations by conversing with people around me and I always aim to learn new things while discovering common ground.
What experiences have you had that you can bring with you to the placement and organization?
I am familiar with stress, and in effect, am capable of effectively coping with stress. I am a timely individual, and value the importance of goal- setting and growth. I am a team player, and I enjoy discussions with other individuals as much as I appreciate being able to contribute my thoughts and input. Respect has been an important factor in all the experiences I’ve had working with schoolmates and coworkers, and it is something I value deeply. I have acquired these skills through trial and error ever since I entered university at age 15, but they are skills that I carry into every leadership or work position I have held. My early entrance into university has defined my learning experience, and I appreciate the unique path I have chosen. I have always pushed myself to reach higher towards realistic goals, and it has been those incremental steps which have brought me to this ISL experience.
I have also worked in our public library system for almost three years, so I am also familiar with the importance of having a reading culture in my community. Though I am outgoing, I am also comfortable with paperwork and other details, and it is my flexibility that I am bringing to my team. I am also a very communicative individual, so I will voice my concerns or opinions when appropriate in team situations. This is a skill I’ve learned from working with different team dynamics across different faculties at our university.
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Over the summer, when I have access to the internet, I will update this UBC blog. I hope that students will feel comfortable enough to comment and engage with my posts, to offer encouragement, advice, suggestions, questions,.. etc.– perhaps they will help with how I process my experience there!
Have a happy summer semester, and congratulations to graduates completing their senior year of high school this year!
I leave you with a clip from an interview of a Ugandan boy who describes his passion for learning, despite the difficulties he’s had to endure during wartime: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/hunger-to-learn-obitas-story/8552.html.
