As our trip comes to an end, I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on all that we learned throughout our two brief days in Rwanda. Though tragic, and at some points emotionally draining, I feel I speak for all of us when I say that Rwanda was a truly life altering experience.

Today we said goodbye to Uganda and headed into Rwanda! Although Uganda was amazing, it was interesting to see the immediate differences between the two countries as we crossed the border. The first thing I noticed was the cleanliness. Rwanda has extremely strict laws surrounding public aesthetics.

We are 9 days into the program and it is safe to say that this experience has completely changed my views on what I thought Africa was like. Uganda is beautifully lush and unique in it's geography. The only thing that does not shock me is how exceptional the wildlife is here.

Today we returned to the Tekera Resource Centre (TRC), where they were hosting their annual sports day. Their sports day was mainly track and field events, in which we helped the staff at the TRC keep track of the points and positions of each team.

For us, sleep is sacred, and this morning we were able to sleep in for a few extra hours. It may not seem like much, but after back to back days of 5:30am wake up calls it was a blessing.

Yesterday we had the amazing opportunity to embark on a safari! It was an early rise at 5:30 am to make it onto the safari trucks for 6:30am, just in time for sunrise. Immediately, in the cool Ugandan morning, we got to see loads of animals going about their morning routines.

So far, our trip has been an unreal experience, though I believe we can all agree that Sawa World and our first Ugandan craft market was a real introduction to Kampala and Uganda.

We woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise over the misty valley that surrounds Kampala. As the capital of Uganda, Kampala has a population of over 2 million and a massive wealth disparity. Driving towards our first program activity, we passed gated communities only blocks away from tiny houses made of sheet metal.

Summer 2015 Semester in Development participant’s reflections on the controversial topic of aid.