Seth’s World View

From April 27th to May 23rd, I ventured to Africa. This was my first time in a developing country. Being that I am looking at International Affairs as a possible vocational path, I needed to know whether I could enjoy life in a developing country, and have that line on my resume. I also needed some time away and was keen on visiting my friend Bekah.

I kept a journal while I was there, and planned to transcribe the journal to my blog. It’s possible I may still do that, but I thought it would be more interesting to write a topical series about my time in Africa, so that’s the path I’m going to take. It’s taken awhile for me to sit down and start writing. When one works from a laptop on a daily basis, the desire to sit down with a laptop for recreational purposes isn’t really there. In Africa, I had no phone, and very little Internet access. I enjoyed that, actually.

I do realize that saying I went to the African continent is not specific enough. I flew in and out of Rwanda, and spent the bulk of my time at an orphanage in Uganda. I had connecting flights at Heathrow, Amsterdam, Nairobi and Chicago.

I read up on Uganda and RWanda before going. I watched movies like Hotel Rwanda, The Constant Gardener (filmed in Kenya), and The Last King of Scotland (filmed in Uganda about Idi Amin). I watched documentaries about the LRA and the Genocide in Rwanda. I read books on the cultures of both countries. It was all helpful, but none of that is nearly the same as being there. I can learn about Africa by reading books and watching videos, but the experience taught me more than all the preparation.

That’s the introduction. More will follow. Let me know if there are any specific topics you’d like me to write about.