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Uganda cultural background
This is an extract of the research paper “HIV/AIDS in Uganda: The Power of History, Religion, Social Class and Gender” which I wrote in April 2018. The research report will be available online soon. Uganda has an incredible culture, and religion remains extremely important today, an aspect of Uganda that was brought to Africa by British colonists in the late 1800s. Following the colonization in 1877, members of the British Missionary Society arrived in Buganda, a kingdom within Uganda. Two years later, members of the French Roman Catholic White Fathers travelled to the nation with missionary goals. In 1894, after granting Britain the rights to Buganda (which was later on going to fuze with Uganda), it became a British protectorate. At the beginning of the 20th century, Britain gave Buganda its autonomy, when it officially became controlled by Protestant chiefs. A half of a century later, Uganda was given an internal self-government, to then become a republic four years later.…
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Arriving to Uganda
I land on Ugandan grounds at 2:55 PM. From my aeroplane window, I can see the heat coming off of the ground, the airport employees directing the plane, and I begin to register what’s happening; I just landed in Uganda and will stay here four weeks. Although one registers for volunteer trips, books flights, go to the airport and enters the plane, it takes time for one to completely understand what they are actually doing. After exiting the plane, I follow the crowd and reach the border control section of the airport. The horror: lines of people upon people waiting to get their visa (usually applied for and approved online). Coming from Germany, the country of efficiency, I am slightly shocked at the time it is taking to get past customs. Nevertheless, it is an interesting experience. I arrive at the counter, get a visa printed in my passport, and soon enough am on my way to meet with the…
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Morocco: Post volunteering
Following two weeks of volunteering, my father, who had just joined me in Rabat, and I, were on our way to Marrakech to visit this part of Morocco. This is a day-to-day diary of the events that occurred during these exciting last few days… Read more about the previous weeks here. Sunday, 29th October 2017– Day Sixteen Today my father and I are leaving for Marrakech where we will spend a few days. We arrive in a nice hotel room, and it is quite a shock to be back in a typical Western environment. I miss my host family. We walk around and enjoy our evening, however, I miss the familiar feeling of Rabat. Monday, 30th October 2017– Day Seventeen My father and I spend the day visiting the Medina– the main marketplace which turns out to be extremely overwhelming in comparison to the Medina in Rabat! We walk around a lot, eat some Moroccan sweets and end the night…