Expecting Change and New Experiences in Stockholm, Sweden

Let me start by telling you about myself and where I come from. My name is Emily Estrada and I am a senior majoring in public administration at the SDSU Imperial Valley Campus in Calexico.

Some of you may not be familiar with this campus so let me give you a little bit of information on it. It’s located in a rural border-town community with approximately 1,000 students. It is highly populated with Hispanic minority students and primarily serves students that come from the surrounding agricultural towns of Imperial County, that include Brawley, Imperial and El Centro, in addition to the city of Calexico. 

What My Homestays Taught Me About Uganda and Myself

My homestay families, in Kampala and Kapchorwa, have taught me far more about Uganda than any textbook or lecture ever could. For six weeks, I will be residing in Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. For one week, I conducted a rapid rural appraisal and rural homestay in Kapchorwa, near the Kenyan border in eastern Uganda. Despite the social and economic differences of these two regions, my experiences engaging with local families have reinforced some of the lessons.

Tourism as a Development Tool in Uganda: The Good and the Bad

As a study abroad student examining the social, economic and political development of East Africa, the streets have become my educator and tourism in Uganda has become the lesson plan.

I have witnessed the unfolding of tourism as a development strategy by living and attending school in the capital and largest city in Uganda — Kampala. And I have seen how tourism has a double-edged sword.

‘Seeing’ Through a Different Perspective

When traveling it is important to be open and willing to see something from a new perspective.  Other cultures can do the simplest things completely different.  For example, in Germany it is customary to sit and have heated discussions in the beer gardens whereas it might not be as widely accepted here in the United States.  The best part about traveling is seeing through a new lens.

Emergency Response in Germany

In the modern times of frequent shootings and terrorist attacks, many people are becoming more and more worried to travel.  While I understand their concerns, I also have to argue that bad things happen in the United States too.  The possibility of danger shouldn’t deter anyone from exploring the world, it should just make people more prepared to know how they would react and what their plan is in case of an emergency.