I received more information today regarding my living situation and some of my work responsibilities while in Uganda! I am living in a city called Ndejje, which is estimated to have a population of about 30,000-100,000, with at least 10% of those being refugees from neighboring countries. The two other interns and myself will be living in a small, three bedroom house that was just built with a local staffer. It will definitely be an experience living there, boiling water to drink and cook with, washing my clothes by hand, and no internet, TV, etc. in the house. The pace of life will be much slower than what I am used to in the United States, which I am sure will be a challenge for me at first, but will probably be quite enjoyable once I get used to it.
We will be working in conjunction with HOPE School that was founded by a Frenchman a few years back. Apparently I will be teaching as well as coaching...I am not sure what exactly I will be teaching, but it should be an adventure as I have never really worked in a classroom setting before. I am starting to get super excited, and I leave exactly one month from tomorrow!! I'm looking forward to the challenge of having to acclimate to a completely new lifestyle and culture, and I am sure that I will learn a lot along the way.
More books/articles/newspapers to read for those interested:
The State of Africa: 50 Years of Independence by Martin Meredith
New Vision (http://www.newvision.co.ug) Kampala's daily newspaper
Harvard Educational Review: Volume 79, Number 1/Spring 2009 Interview With Jacques Bwira Hope Primary School Kampala, Uganda
The SWB girls' team from Ndejje, Uganda
I just graduated from the University of Illinois where I played on the Fighting Illini's varsity soccer team for four years. The past three springs, I have served as the assistant coach to Champaign Centennial's Girls Varsity Soccer Team. Additionally, I have volunteered in Rio Verde, Mexico the past three summers as a coach for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes sports camp. I have a passion for coaching and working in Mexico really opened my eyes to how blessed young players in the United States are to have the opportunities they do to participate in organized sports. For this reason, I chose to volunteer for Soccer Without Borders as a long-term intern. The values that Soccer Without Borders promotes are values that I believe are important and I look forward to working with the kids in Uganda. This is a chance for me to step outside of my comfort zone and really give back to the game that has provided me with so many incredible opportunities. To everyone who is supporting me in this endeavor, thank you so much. I will do my best to send out updates of my experiences before, during, and after the ten months I spend living in Uganda. I am very excited about this adventure, but also somewhat nervous and even a bit scared! However, I am confident that my experiences over the past four years have prepared me well for what is to come and hopefully I will make a difference in the lives of the kids I will be working with!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
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