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[edulocator]

What a culture shock it was to work at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and the weather was terrific, the scenery great too. One of the most fascinating things about working on that campus back in the mid-1990s was the fact there were two computers for the entire campus to use that were housed in the library. The resources at the school were extremely slim.

People from Uganda that attend Makerere do not need to pay tuition. The school is government funded, however students tend to pay for high school. I was teaching in the Mass Communication and English Literature department and for the journalism class I was co-teaching with another woman, there were only three students. The class that was really popular was the public relations class where there were easily more than 40 students in that class. I did not ever attend that class because it was going on at the same time as my journalism class, however I do know that for the journalism class there were assignments to be done and absolutely no equipment that was available on campus. It was a radio and television class and there was not any radio equipment or television equipment available. The students had to use mine.

As well, something else I found different about working at Makerere was that when it would rain, no one would come to class, including the professors. At first I was really shocked by this because people in North America, especially in Canada, are known for toughing some pretty bad elements to get to work. The rain there is extremely heavy...it is as though God has turned a huge bucket of water over and dumped it on the lush surroundings. Kampala is an extremely green and lush environment, where the earth is terracotta red and you can even go to a place where you can see the sign letting you know you are on the Equator.

It really was an awesome experience, however people who study in North America and teach in North America should feel really fortunate about the kinds of resources we have in the classroom. That certainly does not mean efforts should not be made to improve things, however we have it great in many ways.

[baka_janai]

I wish all profs in the US could have such an experience.  I congratulate you for being bold.

[untenured]

What a great post!

I'd like to hear more if you are willing to share.  Where did you live?  What were the students like?  How did you interact with the locals?  What did the campus look like?  Oooo the questions.

Untenured

[baka_janai]

http://makerere.ac.ug/

I'm always curious how people end up teaching in "exotic" places. 

[helpful]

Paul Theroux worked there in the 60s and he revisited it a few years ago. Read Dark Star Africa for his somewhat cynical account.

[edulocator]

Thanks for your responses.

While I was in Uganda, I stayed with family in a suburb called Katelemwa. My class was at about noon, the hottest part of the day. I would be walking through fields and houses to get to the taxis to take me to the campus and see a goat in the field that would later become my dinner that night or shortly thereafter.

It was a wonderful experience in many ways, however I would not live there. I live in Canada and one reason is that I find it extremely hot. Plus, the quality of life there is good in some ways if you are considered above middle class. There is a Uganda that is extremely different from the pictures of the children with bloated bellies and swatting flies. Although, that world does exist. This is something that makes living a comfortable life there all that much more uncomfortable.