Rural Homestay Reflections

by: Eddie Tokpa, USP Homestay Coordinator

Janelle walking home with her family. 

USP encourages learning through experience-- through doing, and with that in mind, takes students on a variety of educational excursions throughout the semester. This weekend we returned from our Rural Homestays in Serere, where the students live with Ugandan families for one week, to experience and learn about life in rural Uganda. Since most Ugandans are subsistence farmers and live in small, rural villages, this gives them rich new insights into the country’s cultural and family values from a rural perspective.

At the beginning of the week, students are both excited but also nervous and unsure; by the end of the week, they have relaxed into the experience and their new environment, which allows them to learn a lot about the culture that could not be learned in a textbook. We encourage our students to leave their comfort zone and experience Uganda through Ugandan realities, culture and ways of life. This involves living in a house with no plumbing and no electricity, trying their hands at farming, preparing and eating new and different foods, and learning the traditions and customs around greeting, visiting and roles within the family. Slowing down, accepting and enjoying these new realities provides all kinds of insights into the bigger questions of life. Students often begin to internalize the reality that material wealth is not the key ingredient for a “rich” life.

Reflecting on the two best things about her rural homestay, one student said, “Being immediately welcomed and included in the life of the family gave me a sense of belonging and the feeling that my homestay would be safe and rewarding. I particularly enjoyed evenings with the family, which included prayers and a word from my host parents every night."

As I reflect more on student’s evaluations of their rural homestay experience, I noted that this experience creates the opportunity for a lot of growth and maturity; living in the village can be physically and mentally challenging for students, but pushing into these new realities, choosing to stay present and learn from them is where the growth happens.

Throughout the week, students participate in household activities such as cooking, gardening or 'digging,' and helping around the compound. These activities also prepare students to live in community and help them appreciate shared responsibility.

Ellen meeting her host family

Helping with dinner preparation

Like any community in the United States, all of our rural homestay communities are different, none of the the families identical. But within that difference, all of the families are committed to providing a caring, and secure environment for students within their homes and communities. Monica Knaak (Gordon College) has this to say about her experience: “My family loved me and protected me like a daughter, granddaughter and sister. I was a guest the first day and after that I was a family.” 

Monica helping her host mom and sister make juice from fresh squeezed oranges.

Monica peeling dried cassava with her family.

Melody meeting her host family

Melody helping her host mom make and sell pancakes

Rebecca learning to make chapati with her host mom and sister. 

Finally, on a personal level, one cultural lesson I’ve learned from the people of Serere is the importance of greeting and acknowledging the people around you. As one host parent said to me, “not greeting people and giving them food to eat upon their arrival to your house, office or shop is an insult equivalent to deeming the person unworthy of your attention.”

The USP staff accepting the generous hospitality of families by
taking tea on one of their many visits throughout the week. 

We LOVE our USP Program Assistants!

USP has a staff that is designed to encourage and support student growth and learning during their four months in Uganda. The Program Assistants (PAs) play a significant role in that! They are an active part of the USP staff and are a vital part of the student experience, providing support and encouragement to students as they navigate the complexities of studying for a semester in Uganda. PAs are usually recent college graduates, and have helpful insights into student experiences from their own recent experiences as USP/ UCU students.

Allow us to introduce you to our three current, amazing PAs!...

Paige was a senior social work student from Olivet Nazarene University. She works closely with Lisa, our Social Work Coordinator, to support the social work students in their learning. As a USP student, Morgan was a sophomore General Studies student from Trinity International University. She works closely with Micah Hughes, our Global Health Coordinator, to support our Cross Cultural Practicum course. As a recent UCU graduate and Honours College student, Becky interacted with many USP students during her time on campus, and was even a roommate to a few USP students. She is a wealth of knowledge, helping students navigate and understand Ugandan culture. All three PAs provide invaluable behind-the-scenes, administrative support as well as we plan and lead trips, coordinate practicums, facilitate homestays etc.

As the application for our next two American PAs has just been posted, we thought you might enjoy hearing from our current PAs to learn a bit more about what this unique position is all about!

Paige Schaefer

USP student Spring 2017; Program Assistant Fall 2017- Spring 2018

Paige (foreground) with students from the top of a mosque in Kampala during a religion class field trip 

"The Program Assistant position is a one of a kind position that has given me opportunities to grow in many ways. Through being involved with the social work students, helping facilitate social work classes, going on site visits, and meeting with Lisa Tokpa, USP’s Social Work Coordinator, on a weekly basis, I feel as if I have grown so much in my professional development. I have also grown as an individual, understanding myself and the way I interact in the world in a new way. Through different cross-cultural experiences and through relationships with USP students, I have gained new insights into my talents/abilities and also specific areas where I have need for growth. 

One of my favorite parts of the job is walking with students through their semester in Uganda, watching them gain new insights and grow in new ways, just as I did as a USP student. Being able to take part in their experience is really exciting! The teamwork dynamic of the USP staff has also been something that I have loved. All of the staff truly come together to make the program run as smoothly as possible, and we have fun doing it! The job does, of course, come with challenges. Being far from home and being on call around the clock are a few things that have proven to be difficult, but overall, I have learned and grown so much from this year as a Program Assistant – not to mention, I’ve met so many incredible people that I now get to call family." 

 

Paige and Morgan celebrating Jessica Mount (Point Loma Nazarene) on her birthday during Rural Homestays.

Paige and Becky preparing supplies for Spring 2018 students with Innocent and Lydia

Becky Nairuba
UCU Honours College graduate 2017; Program Assistant, January-December 2018

Spring 2018 students learning the ways of hand washing from Becky

"Becky Nairuba is my name and I am a Program Assistant. This is my story. Coming to USP was a dream come true for me. I am an adventurous person; always ready to jump on the next bus that pops up for a new experience. This year, it was the USP bus. Of course like any other employee, I had to apply for this lovely position. It was very attractive on paper and inspiring watching the former Ugandan and American PAs work together. I read all the roles in the paper and if I had to be honest, I was anxious. It was going to be a new setting of learning and appreciating of new cultures.

As a PA, I perform several tasks that might or might not be physical. I serve as a cultural translator simply putting everything in perspective. The American students come to live in a new context for four months and it is a cultural shock for many because of the clashing values and beliefs they find in Uganda. Working with the USP staff is an enabling environment to learn from each other.

I get to engage with the students and answer most of the cultural questions that they have and this will help them navigate freely and adjust to a diverse setting of over 50 tribes that have similarities but a few unique aspects about each one of them. Participating in Faith & Action with the students has opened me to questions that I never asked myself and things I never thought about. I participate in class and also listen to these new perspectives and angles on Christian faith and what it means to be a Christian wherever you are.

As the Ugandan PA, I have been a liaison between the Honors College Leadership Program and USP. I love communication as a person and have to do this throughout this whole career makes it better. I cannot reason out challenges, but of course these make learning more intentional. And of course I get to work with these awesome PAs, Morgan and Paige, attend to office errands with them, do some printing, and now I get to use my mechanical skills in setting up projectors for class, provide the front office and administrative staff with support (e.g. filing, emailing and data entry) and last but not least plan and coordinate events. This is when you get your creative hands on deck. The most important role here is maintaining the student’s safety."

Enjoying the relationships made possible through the Honours College & USP partnership 

Morgan Walker

USP Student, Fall 2015; Program Assistant Fall 2017- Spring 2018

Morgan (right) a willing "patient" for GHE student, Jessica Fox, learning to take blood pressure. 

"Having the opportunity to walk alongside students as they go through the ups and downs of a semester that had such a tremendous impact on me is really exciting! I love being a part of the conversations and rhythms of USP. Sitting in on classes and talking with students about presence, mutually beneficial relationships, injustice, power structures, and the way our culture impacts our faith has been beneficial to me as I continue to think through these things I was learning as a student in Fall 2015. I love that I get to help support students and create a space for those conversations to happen, all while learning and growing myself. 

I also appreciate getting to be a part of all that happens behind the scenes to make the program run. Working to run USP social media, taking students to doctor appointments, helping students navigate their ever changing class and practicum schedules, battling with excel (I can proudly say that I am now able to format a table in excel without crying), and running errands in Mukono are all part of what goes down during “office hours”. But office hours aren’t even the half of it. Being a PA is a ‘round the clock' job. This can be challenging but honestly, some of my favorite moments and biggest growth opportunities happen outside of office hours (though those are great too :). These range from telling "bedtime stories" on our numerous trips (what started as a joke, has became a standing tradition), to caring for students who are up all night with a bad stomach bug (My PAs did it for me so I just get to pay it forward. Shout out to Martha, Prudence, and Courtney!), to having deep conversations about life and culture. These situations make my job fun and exciting (seriously, there’s never a dull moment around here)

But by far one of the best parts of being a PA has been getting to work with the USP staff. They continually blow me away with their problem solving, student care, jokes, and insights. Having a team to work with that love and care for each other, have fun, and want to see you grow is a huge blessing that most don’t get at their first job out of college."

The PAs just hanging out! 

Benji, Morgan, Paige, and Becky in the Honours College Complex

USP staff Spring 2018

Leave a comment about how your Program Assistant impacted you during your study abroad experience! And if you are a recent college grad and looking for an awesome opportunity to grow, learn and support others on that journey - apply now and join our team!

Student Reflection: Compassion

Student reflections upon the first month in Uganda have revealed a greater awareness that we, as Americans, have much to learn from Ugandans regarding hospitality and compassion. From the warm greetings of host families to the hours devoted to student learning by field supervisors, Ugandan hospitality is a virtue that has even captured recent headlines in the global refugee crisis. Uganda hosts over 1,000,000 registered refugees (the most of any African country), and the number is increasing by the day. According to a recent inter-agency emergency report, an average of 288 Congolese refugees are arriving through one point of entry EVERY. DAY.(www.ugandarefugees.org).  

USP’s Social Work Emphasis has recently partnered with Refugee Law Project in providing opportunities for social work interns to learn from Ugandan experts who have devoted their lives to helping refugees in this part of the world. Deanna Frey (Senior BSW student from Messiah College) reflects on her first few weeks at Refugee Law Project and a unit within the USP Core Course, Faith & Action. 

UGANDALEARNANDLOVE

Deanna Frey, Messiah College

One month.

That’s just so crazy to me! One month since this journey began. It feels longer than that and shorter than that. It seems so much has happened and I am learning exponentially.

Because of the distance in travel time that my internship is from the campus at UCU, I have the privilege to live with a welcoming Ugandan host family part of my week! While there are some logistical challenges with traveling back and forth and being away from campus for most of the weekdays, I am so thankful for a gracious and loving family that creates a little bit of home for me in Kampala, and I look forward to continually getting to know them better.

I am getting into the (fluid) routine of activities at my internship at Refugee Law Project (RLP). So far, I have observed/helped in the registration process for persons with disabilities at the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) refugee registration event in Kampala, accompanied and advocated for a client to receive medical assistance at a local hospital, and observed and documented client counseling sessions while simultaneously learning more about RLP’s and Uganda’s policies and services for refugees. All while engaging in these activities, I am witnessing raw and real stories of suffering and pain which produces questions of why I am allotted the privileges and resources which I hold.

In our Faith and Action class on campus, we have been reading a book called Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life which has been pushing me to contemplate my reactions to all that I am seeing and learning. Compassion is so much more than just feeling sorry for another person but instead it should be a reflection of the love of Immanuel – God with us, which calls for crazy love which might put us in some uncomfortable situations. In compassion, there is no “us” and “them” in the distinction of who is blessing who but instead an acknowledgement of mutual brokenness. In this way,“Radical servanthood challenges us, while attempting persistently to overcome poverty, hunger, illness, and any other forms of human misery, to real the gentle presence of our compassionate God in the midst of our broken world.” God is the only one who can bring healing and change and I am a mere and small vessel; but I am praying for his divine gift of compassion that will bring me to love more and love truly.

Alongside learning some of these tough lessons, God has been blessing me with gifts that remind me of his love and his presence such as attending an international church service singing worship songs I love, a visit from a friend from my home university, enjoying fellowship with friends and ice cream, and just witnessing creation’s beauty!

Your love so deep is washing over me

Your face is all I seek; You are my everything //

All fear removed, I breath You in

I lean into Your love. Oh, Your love

These powerful and true words that mean so much to me in this season and I pray they ring too for you too!

Deanna with her host parents Rev. John and Joyce Kateeba

The Liturgy of Tea

When you mention "Tea Time" in Uganda, it is met with anticipation of a space in the day to be together with others and regroup with a cup of warm, milky, sweet tea.  For USP students, it is a new ritual in their day that is, at first, a little confusing...but soon accepted and even looked forward to. 

Tea Time is mid-morning and/or early evening. This ritual was brought by the British with the intention of snacking before dinner, especially as preparing dinner takes time and may not be ready until late in the evening. In Uganda, however, this ritual was incorporated with the locals’ value of being together. It wasn’t only about hunger but Tea Time has always been a communal time in Uganda for families, friends, and colleagues to come together and share the day’s plans and experiences. Furthermore, it’s a way of showing hospitality to the visitors of the family, something that strengthened community relationships. In Uganda, eating together depicts harmony and is a way of strengthening the ties. One fills their family in on how and what they are doing since seeing each other last.

The USP students have experienced this in their host homes. Tea Time presents a great platform for them to share what they plan to do for the day and then evaluate their success in the evening. The conversations allow the family to know how everyone is fairing and what to do, to make the following day better.

Here at the USP office, we also share teatime and get to know more about each other and enjoy the smiles and moments of the day. 

Tea Time is even a part of the UCU class schedule! There is a break in classes every day at 10:30 for students to pause and "take tea" with one another. 

USP students during teatime in the DH

The American mentality usually questions, "How can I be a productive member of society and still make time for tea?" The Ugandan culture asks, "How can I be a productive member of society  without making time for tea?" We have much to learn from our Ugandan hosts.

Our daily reminder in the office