Month Three!

It’s been almost three months in Uganda already! It feels a lot like we’re actually winding up with the semester, since we only have around four weeks left until we start exams. It’s very surreal that this much time has passed so quickly (a good description of the way time passes here is that the days are long but the weeks go by fast).

This week has been super busy, with a bunch of papers due for several classes. I wrote one for Democracy and Human Rights on the difference between classical and liberal democracy, one for Ugandan Politics on stability and representation, and another paper for East African Politics analyzing the book White Man’s Burden (which argues against international aid and intervention).

Today I am meeting with a woman Myla that is in charge of the HIV/AIDS prevention project for Emmanuel International, and we are going to discuss a little about what I’m going to be doing in the summer in Pader. Actually, there is a big focus on AIDS in Faith and Action this week as well. Tonight we have a lecture on AIDS in Uganda, and on Saturday we are visiting a center in Luwero to spend the day with victims of AIDS.

With classes and just time spent here in Africa, I’ve been thinking a lot about the differences in culture with how I interact with other people. The book Compassion talks about giving up the “American” concept of time, which is usually that the busier you are, the more successful or better you are. But here, there is a lot of time just spent in presence with other people. You don’t necessarily have to intentionally seek out more “meaningful” conversation just to talk, but instead focus more on simply being with people. Especially on the rural home stays, there was a lot of silence, but it’s not necessarily empty. It will be interesting to try and translate that back into the American context, where silence is usually seen as awkward or meaningless.

Oh, it is wonderful to get letters while I’m here, so I just wanted to hint that I always appreciate them *wink*. My address here is:

Katy Slininger
Uganda Studies Program
Uganda Christian University
P.O. Box 4
Mukono, Uganda

Just in case! :)

Have a great day everybody!