Sophie and I landed in Uganda in late May. Although transitioning from Doha to Entebbe Airport was a little bit of a learning curve, I was happy to see the tropical palm trees, the bright orange dirt that covered the roads, and the red rooftops of houses that perfectly complemented the orange dirt. The weather here is surprisingly not too hot but the absence of air conditioning means that unfortunately, I will sweat the same amount I do in Houston.

I live in a relatively rural neighborhood located on the outskirts of Kampala called Wakiso Town. I have two neighbors and I also live with a “helper” Agnes who cooks for us. Agnes is only a year younger than me, and she is working in our house with the hopes of going to midwifery school afterward. She is funny, chastises me and Sophie for eating too little matoke, and is always there to protect us from various insects and animals that infiltrate our fort. Aside from Agnes, I also made friendships with the tiny neighbors (ages 2 months to 10 years old) who live next to me. These eight minions keep my weekends busy by stealing my phone and keeping me company.

During the first two weeks, we visited different landmarks around Wakiso and learned a lot about Ugandan history and customs. It is crazy how concepts I learned in medical anthropology class are physically manifested in the streets, the advertisements, and in conversations with my Ugandan friends. For example, it is one thing to read about the ethics of international development and another to see every day the countless highways stamped with the flag of the European Union, China, or South Korea with the caption “Developed by X Country.” I saw from a brochure that even Enoch’s gender equality project is funded by the German government and even most of the trucks and vehicles are stamped with Chinese characters, representing the growing Chinese businesses in Uganda. And seeing this chaotic conglomeration of numerous foreign nations and international aid organizations made me question the role of the Ugandan state and how local communities can even voice their opinions if these development programs that are shaping their social norms, providing healthcare, and creating new economies are run by countries that are not even physically within Ugandan borders! Do these organizations even have the incentive to listen to community needs?

For the rest of our time in Uganda, Sophie and I finally started our project, which is to conduct an assessment about Tuberculosis care. We spent most of the time interviewing clinicians and patients at the clinic to learn about the TB experience. I was amazed to see the level of coordination both within the community and the clinic to care for a TB patient and realized how difficult it is to manage TB, given that it is a preventable and treatable condition.

Sophie and I were having a great time with our fieldwork. But soon, we ran out of luck. 

I broke my foot.

One can say that I ran through all five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and eventually acceptance. This unexpected injury complicated our experience because Uganda is not the most accessible place for people with crutches. We lived in a mountainous village where we needed a boda-boda (motorbike) to get around. We had to tweak our fieldwork and spent most of the time in our house doing remote work. I could no longer climb the mountain to see the beautiful Ugandan sunset and I had to learn how to ask for help daily. There were some days when one day felt like a thousand years as I spent each hour rotating from one corner of the house to another. 

Ugandan Sunset

But it would be a lie to say that I went through this challenge by myself. I am so thankful to be surrounded by so many wonderful people who poured their care into me. First, I’m so thankful to Sophie for always supporting me physically and emotionally. I really could not have made it this far without all her support and I’m glad that we got to make the best of our time in Uganda. I’m also thankful for the kids who accompanied me on my daily walk outside as I crutched from one end of the street to another, repeating it until I got tired. Their jokes and smiles helped me adapt to my new normal. Lastly, I’m thankful to my organization for providing transportation to help us finish our fieldwork. Even though fuel is expensive, and it is very difficult for cars to come up to where we stayed, KIFAD took the time and effort to pick us up and bring us to the field so we can complete our project.

Looking outside the glass window of the Utah airport, I see concrete, buildings, and mountains in the distance. I can’t express how happy I am to have my first Starbucks in two months. The bright-orange dirt and tropical palm trees that I saw in Uganda not less than a day ago feel unreal as if everything was a dream and I just woke up. I guess I have a lot to process! 

Post-Final Presentation

Anyways, I’m excited to see everybody again at Rice and hear each other’s experiences. But for now, I’m going to get a Shake Shack.