Welcome! Uganda in T - 7 Days

Welcome to my blog! Many of you have asked me to keep you posted on my goings-on while I'm abroad. I thought that instead of trying to write everyone an individual email, I'd do my best with my limited internet access to update this blog on a semi-regular basis instead. I assume that many of you are aware of where I'm going and what I'm doing, but for those who aren't let me give the Reader's Digest version:

I just completed my first year at the University of South Carolina where I'm working towards my PhD in history. My dissertation topic (at the moment) looks like it is going to focus heavily on the uses of women and children in the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which is a rebel group that had been active in Northern Uganda for about twenty years (1986-2006). I'm actually looking to challenge some of the international stereotypes of women and children in warfare, but first I need to see for myself what life is like in Northern Uganda.

This trip is just a short (6 week) foundational trip which will help me establish contacts in the region, hopefully collect some oral histories, and begin work learning Acholi-Luo (local language). We'll see after this trip whether this will be a major focus of my work (and thus necessitate several longer trips to the area) or if my research goes a different direction. I'll be staying for most of my trip in Gulu, which is the second largest city in Uganda (I believe Kampala comes first). I'll have a cell phone and periodic internet access -- even in the middle of Africa I'll be able to stay in touch.

Prior to my trip I was vaccinated for yellow fever, hepatitis A, and typhoid. I'll also be taking a daily anti-malaria medication. All of this will help me avoid mosquito borne or food-borne illnesses.

Currently, the LRA is concentrated in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan. The area I'm going to has been relatively quiet for the last couple of years, and I've been told it may actually be one of the most stable places in Africa right now to be doing this research.

Concerns at the moment: The Icelandic volcano (Mt. Whateveritsnameis) is spewing ash again this week. I'm hoping it doesn't cause me to miss my flight into Amsterdam, as that is where my research team is meeting.

Other than that, I'm just packing and prepping. Thanks for dropping by -- I'll try to keep this thing updated.