Shortly after starting my graduate studies in the fall of 2015 at OU in Regional and City Planning, I came across the opportunity to study abroad in Uganda during the summer of 2016. This would be my first trip out of the United States and I am not typically adventurous, so I was nervous for a whole host of reasons. What if I do not like the food? I wondered. Will things be sanitary? What if I see or hear things I do not agree with?

I convinced myself, however, that it was at least worth the credits toward my graduate degree, and before I knew it I was in the air on my way to Uganda. When I landed in Uganda, I quickly became homesick and lonely—did I mention I accidentally scheduled my flight a full day ahead of my professors and classmates? I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life those first few days, but as my classmates and I got more involved in our project and immersed in the culture, I fell in love with the people, their way of life and what I was learning.