I could not plan to visit an African country that did not speak Arabic until I was selected to complete my summer course in Uganda by my university. I was initially reluctant, and I was not sure I could complete two months in this country. However, this trip was one of the most exciting experiences that influenced my personality and changed my view of the world around me. He was hesitant in some ways from the isolation of the Arab world from the cultures of the poor countries around him, which we rarely see open to. We are often influenced by Western cultures, which he sees as a model of development and urbanization, forgetting the cultures of rich and rich countries.
I would like to shorten the benefits that I have made from my trip to Uganda, specifically the city of Genja, by:
Respect for religions and cultures
Compared to other countries I like in a country with a Christian majority that allows Muslims to supervise all the sacrifices in a legitimate Islamic way, and guarantees them the rights that allow them to practice their rituals, such as the obligation of religious uniforms, building mosques, and religious advocacy. I am sure that all areas of Uganda have mosques available to Muslims.
As for the Ugandan society, there is a clear acceptance among themselves regardless of their beliefs and religions. I visited a Ugandan family and found that the mother was a Christian but allowed her children to attend Islamic schools that had a great impact on their commitment to Islam. It came to my attention that some of them went to the Catholic Church on Sunday while others were attending the mosque on Friday. This was not the only family in which there was coexistence between more than one religion embraced by its children without any problems.
Although the family I stayed with during my visit to Uganda was Christian, the housewife introduced me to her Muslim neighbors and encouraged me to go to the mosque and gave me a prayer rug. Not only that; but the housewife was open to the culture of Muslims and was often discussed between us on the similarity between the Christian religion and the Islamic origin of the beliefs and some teachings. She has repeatedly told me that she invites me in her prayers, and has always encouraged me to adhere to the teachings of Islam that are consistent with the teachings of her Christian religion, such as keeping away from eating pork and being glad that I do not drink alcohol.
Get away and self-discovery
I spent difficult times on this trip because of the pressures of my studies and my attempts to adapt to a new culture. Staying away from friends and family for two months was worth exploring myself and encouraged me to live with people I did not agree with at first and made me look at life from other angles. It changed the character of my life, and I became receptive to many things as long as I tried to avoid them before. I washed my clothes myself, bathed in cold water, and ate dry bread with milk in the morning. The means of transportation were not comfortable and I often had to walk early to the institution I was working with. Water or electricity was not available at all times, and Internet service was often poor.
This period allowed me to get to know people working day and night to make a living and to students who did not complete their studies to support their families. This trip was a reflection of the people who were not lucky in this life. I never found myself thanking God for the blessings he gave me before I went to Uganda as I was afterwards. And the sublime of the section of the livelihood among the slaves on the degrees of Leblohm while Attahem.
(He is the one who made you the earth and raised some of you above some degrees of Yablokm in what Iatkm that your Lord fast punishment and he is Forgiving, Most Merciful)
Learning from the ground
It is usual to see students eager to go to the developed countries to spend their educational trips. I believe that there are greater and better benefits for students when they go to third world countries to apply their projects. The weak elements in these countries force students to rely on themselves to find creative solutions that would be presented to them on a gold plate if they went to developed countries.
We often study in our universities about the disasters and diseases that occur in poor countries, and we do not see them embodied before us except through television screens only. We approach it only through theoretical study, and our idea is limited to a narrow understanding that can not be extended to other fields. While I saw with my own eyes a number of scenes associated with these chronic problems and their effects on individuals and families significantly.
Medical treatment, for example, is not available to all individuals in Uganda, especially orphans and the poor, and to date there are not enough institutions to include this category of people who are unable to afford the treatment. One of the leading examples of free access to medical treatment for Ugandan citizens was the St. Francis Foundation in Genja.
This institution provides education to students with AIDS and helps their families to treat them free of charge. There is also medical care for expectant mothers. If the focus is on this type of project, the positive results will be attributed to both those in need in these countries and volunteer students of all age groups. This experience was a great addition to my life as a university student specializing in journalism. Volunteer at St. Francis Foundation taught me project management and marketing in the field of humanitarian work, and gave me the opportunity to enter the world of volunteer and service organizations.
Excellence in life
Learning may be available in our countries to ensure our superiority in our professions, but it may not guarantee our superiority in our lives. Our relationships with parents and friends are always complex in our fast-paced life, where we rarely enjoy happiness. We try to satisfy ourselves with practical achievements, totally forgetting to enjoy our time with those we love. Going to these countries and engaging in their simple customs and traditions that still maintain family ties and friendship is a reversal of the reality of life. I found happiness in the simplest of things, and my time became full of sitting with others and with self.
I expanded my view of life and gave up the complex of appearances and the social situation. My days became governed by my relations with others and my professional achievements. I found my value in helping people and listening to them. In Uganda, the days were difficult, but the moment of completion of the project for which I went and returned to the house carried with me valuable experiences that were worthy of forgetting all the troubles I had experienced there.