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My sleep-deprived brain is able to formulate one thought at the moment: I could be an airport intercom announcer. I speak fluent French, and I can have inintiligebly fast speech. That's all I need, right? Actually, I shouldn't trust my reasoning right now because I am running on 3 hours of fragmented sleep.
The first plane of my two day flight itinerary left at 6 o'clock this morning and, as I am not the best sleeper during flights, it left me in a bit of a zombie state. That's okay though because it's a small price to pay for a three month trip to Uganda. All these months of planning, frenzied shopping, and packing have led to this: a group of U of S students (though it's just Casey and I in Toronto for now) stepping on a plane and zipping to the other side of the world for the summer. We'll connect with locals, experience the beauty of Uganda, and witness first-hand the challenges facing it's healthcare system. This isn't a normal trip where we transplant our life into a hotel outfitted with all the comforts to which we are used and see sights for a couple of weeks. We're in Uganda to learn from the health professionals and students we will meet and to experience a totally different way of life. This will include pleasant (ie: trying chapatis) and less pleasant experiences (ie: encountering tarantulas the size of my hand or being faced with gender-based discrimination). Am I crazy to have committed to this adventure? Maybe, but I prefer the word daring.
Which part of the trip to which am I most looking forward? As a nutrition student, I'm very interested in the field of community nutrition and public health. Simply put, proper nutrition, physical activity, sanitation, and education all play huge roles in the prevention and treatment of disease states. Social programs focused on health promotion (activities for physical literacy in kids, cooking classes for expecting moms, etc.) are indispensable in assisting vulnerable people in taking charge of their health. So, with this being said, I am most excited to be involved in a community health placement in the village of Rugazi or Ruhija in Southern Uganda. We are tasked with designing and delivering a project that meets the health needs of the community. Our project might be related to nutrition (which I hope it is!) or may be about reproductive health education or sanitation.
All in all, the experiences ahead on this QES trip have the potential to be life-changing, and I hope it will open my eyes of the daily reality of the majority of the world's population. I also hope the unique and striking experiences I get to have will inform my practice as a dietitian in the future.
All right, time to stop rambling and sleep a few winks before my next flight. Until next time!
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Salut Anne!
Sois prudente là! On pense à toi et on prie pour toi. Que le Seigneur puisse t'instruire et t'utiliser pour son royaume là où tu seras, en faisant ce que tu feras ;) On t'aime beaucoup!!!