This week, we would like to introduce you to an Azusa Pacific University student who left the busy life of Southern California in exchange for a cultural experience like non-other in Uganda, Africa. Sarah Brandabur, blogger at The Colorful Life: Because Things Are Not Always Black And White, takes us through day-to-day life as a study abroad student in Africa. Below we have featured two snapshots of her amazing experiences.
Musings of a Muzungu
I will try my best to put into words all that I have been learning in the two weeks I have been here. So much LIFE has been packed into each day: new people, new languages, new foods, new experiences…at the end of every day I fall into bed feeling both exhausted and completely content. I experience so much peace here. A life made in a communal society, where the emphasis is on relationships and not on stuff definitely suits me better!
There are some lessons that have come up over and over…and over and over again.
Have an Open Mind
I don’t have all the answers. Western culture doesn’t have all the answers. The United States doesn’t have all the answers. So, I walk into this life here in Uganda with a mind wide open, tryingmy best to push back any expectations, biases, and warped views of reality that I may have. The people here have so incredibly much to teach, and I want to be open to every single piece of wisdom.
Be Bold
I have stepped out of my comfort zone, leaving Starbucks and the beach behind, and I have to continue to step out in boldness every single day. I have to be bold when I introduce myself to new people, when I attempt to speak a new language (Luganda or Kiswahili) with my weird accent, when I try new foods that may or may not make my stomach turn, when I engage in new experiences (like killing a chicken to eat for dinner! That one is happening next week!) I pray for boldness.
Resourcefulness is Necessary
I am used to being able to drive to Target if I need something. Not the case here. There are many things Uganda has that we don’t have back home, but there are also many things Uganda does not have…at least they have Nutella! If I need or want something they don’t have here, I have to find a substitute or learn to do without it. I’ve learned how little I actually need to live a full life, and how much the things we own can end up owning us if we cannot detach ourselves from them.
So, these are the lessons that are slowly being engrained in me here. I am so grateful for everything I learn, for every bit of wisdom I gain from my African Momma, for the children here who teach me how to love and engage others without holding back, for my teachers who come in every form.
I love my new home.
I Killed a Chicken
some training in being cruel). I cried when I realized what he meant. My mom punched him in the arm and tried to console me, but I just kept picturing those cows and lost my appetite. So, that is my background with animals being food.
I have no problem purchasing family size packs of Dinosaur chicken nuggets (one of my staple foods last year) but I enjoy being far away from the whole process that produces the nuggets. Yesterday, my African Mama Joy asked me, “Sarah, where do you get chicken from?” Uhh..the market. “Yes, but who keeps the chickens before they are killed and plucked and packed?” Umm…chicken farmers? She kept asking me, “So, you have never seen a chicken alive and then dead?” No…”Well, you will kill a chicken tomorrow night!” Okay… Read More >>
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Did this post inspire you to travel abroad to Uganda or somewhere else? Check out some amazing study abroad locations in Uganda or anywhere around the world!
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